Chapter 7 - The Father's Debt|
"Rhett..." Isa whispered, her hand instinctively coming up to touch her throat. "Is that...?"
"Arthur Cain," Rhett confirmed, his voice devoid of all warmth.
"What is he doing?"
"He's making a mistake," Rhett replied smoothly, pulling a thin cigar from a wooden box on his desk and lighting it with a silver Zippo. "Arthur thinks that because I crippled his son and froze his personal accounts, he can retaliate against my logistics routes at Pier 42."
Isa felt a sudden, cold knot form in her stomach. She knew how the Valon syndicate operated—she had processed their legitimate shipping permits for three years. But she also knew that Pier 42 was the primary entry point for the syndicate's illegal weapons inventory.
"He doesn't know you crippled Tyler because of me, does he?" she asked softly.
"No," Rhett said, exhaling a thin cloud of blue smoke. "To Arthur, it looks like a sudden hostile takeover of his port concessions. He thinks it's business."
"Rhett... if he finds out..."
"He won't find out," Rhett interrupted, standing up from his desk and stepping toward her until he was towering over her small frame. "Because Arthur Cain is going to be removed from the port authority by midnight tonight."
Isa looked up into his unyielding gray eyes, seeing the absolute, terrifying certainty that made men bow to him across the Midwest.
"Are you going to kill him?" she asked directly, her voice remarkably steady.
Rhett stared at her for three long seconds. Most civilian women would have panicked, screamed, or begged him for mercy. But Isa simply stood her ground, demanding the truth from a man who lied to the rest of the world for a living.
"I am going to eliminate the threat to my business," Rhett said carefully. "And the threat to you."
"Rhett, please," she whispered, stepping closer, her hand landing flat against his chest. She could feel the heavy, steady thud of his heart beneath his white shirt. "Don't start a war over this. Tyler is already ruined. It's over."
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Rhett looked down at her hand resting against his chest. His expression softened, his fingers coming up to cover hers, trapping her hand against his heart.
"It isn't over, Isa," Rhett murmured into the quiet room. "In my world, once blood is drawn, it doesn't dry until the source is erased."
