Relentless (Option Zero 2)

Maybe she didn’t even know—didn’t matter to him. But it did present some problems. He’d been told that taking out that producer, the money man, would fix things, that she wouldn’t be able to do the film without his money and backing.

To be sure, Ferante had sent someone to her house to snoop. And what had he found? Not only did she have a secret hiding place, she had disappeared, taking whatever she’d been hiding with her.

He’d told his people to make a statement. They’d sent a few photos to show him they’d done just that. He approved. That didn’t mean she was safe, though. He had eyes and ears everywhere. He’d find the little bitch and have her put down for good. He didn’t care who her contacts were.

But for now he had other fish to fry. He wanted No. 7’s sister. Now. Immediately. What if the parents got antsy and disappeared? He couldn’t afford to lose the girl. She was still a little young, but he could wait her out. Wouldn’t hurt to do a bit of training while he waited.

In just a few days, she would belong to him. Who knew, he might actually keep this one for himself.

Happy for the first time in a long while, he picked up the phone and made a call. “Have my yacht readied. I want to leave in two hours.”

Not bothering to wait to hear that his command would be obeyed, he ended the call. Leaning back in his chair, Ferante smiled. There was nothing that made him feel more like a king than being at the helm of The Jewel. All 199 feet of her was his, and she obeyed his every command.

In fact, that’s where he’d have his newest acquisition brought. Being surrounded by a mile of ocean with no place to run would encourage compliance in record time. And if it didn’t, he had other ways.

The other side of the world

Rudolph Ulrich sat at the large oval table, surrounded by people he didn’t trust. They had been together for years, brought together for one purpose. He knew them better than he knew anyone else, including his own son.

But today, because of that son, he was facing them as adversaries.

The meeting hadn’t been called for him to argue his son’s case. Those kinds of meetings didn’t exist for this group. No, they were here for one reason only. They were going to render judgment. And though he already knew what had been decided, he couldn’t resist trying to change their minds.

“I’ll speak to Marc Antony. Let him know in no uncertain terms that he has gone too far. I can make him stop.”

“If you could make him stop, why haven’t you done so before now?”

They were all at the same level, but the man who’d asked the question had a tendency to pretend to be the leader. He wasn’t, but people rarely challenged him.

Appealing to his or anyone’s humanity would do no good. They had taken an oath years ago, and that was the only code by which they lived. Eschewing any kind of personal life for the greater cause, they were of one mind. He was the only one who’d dared defy his oath to have a family.

All right, not really a family. He hadn’t even known he had a child until a woman he barely remembered contacted him and told him he was a father. He had thought about having them both killed—he didn’t need the hassle—but had changed his mind when he’d seen the boy. Instead, he’d had only the boy’s mother taken out of the picture. He didn’t want her interfering. Then he’d given the child over to a couple he knew to raise him. Thanks to him, the boy had never wanted for anything. Problem was, the more he got, the more he wanted.

When Rudolph had brought his son, Marc Antony, into the organization, he had believed he would be an asset. And he had been. Unfortunately his unusual tastes had often interfered with his responsibilities. Rudolph had warned him numerous times, but to no avail. Marc Antony wanted what he wanted. And now it could cost him everything.

“I do believe your silence tells the tale.”

He inwardly sighed. There was no need to argue. They wouldn’t change their minds. It wasn’t like he had any kind of affection for the boy. But Rudolph didn’t take failure well. Failing at fatherhood wasn’t really failure, though. Not really.

“I will take care of the details,” Rudolph said.

“That’s not necessary. It’s being handled.”

Showing weakness and subservience was not in his best interest. These people would chew him to pieces given the right incentive. He refused to give it to them. Rudolph Ulrich was a wealthy, powerful man in his own right. He bowed to no one, especially this man with his arrogant condescension.

“I said I would handle the situation and I will.”

They stared at each other for several long seconds. No one spoke and the room was filled with an explosive tension. Finally, the other man gave a nod of his head and said, “Then do it.”

And that was that.

He watched the men and women stand, and without the socializing one might see after an ordinary business meeting, they dispersed without speaking to one another.

He stood and wasn’t surprised to feel lighter than he had when he had arrived. Within a few hours or a few days, the biggest mistake o

f his life would be no more. There were advantages to having no emotions. This was one of those times.

Chapter Thirty-Five