"I know he is. He's pushing on every route I have. He wants to destabilize the network before my deadline with Kemal."
"Then you need to handle him. Because if this continues, I'm pulling out of our arrangement. I can't afford to lose any more product or men."
"Give me time," I say. "I'm working on it."
"You have one week. After that, I'm done."
He hangs up before I can respond, and I set the phone down and stare at the wall.
Gerard's moving faster than I anticipated.
He isn’t just targeting my shipments anymore.
He's going after my suppliers directly, cutting off my access to product and forcing them to abandon our partnerships.
If I lose enough suppliers, the organization collapses from the inside.
The phone rings again and this time, it's a contact from Genoa.
He tells me the same story with minor variations—another hijacking—more dead drivers, more lost product.
Gerard's name comes up twice in the conversation.
I hang up and stand because suddenly, I feel the need to move or I might explode.
Pacing helps me work off some of the anger that's been coiling in my chest for hours.
After this morning with Angelica trying to slip my guard, I've been ready to tear someone's head off.
All this bad news is only making things worse.
Rico appears in the doorway before I can leave.
He holds a sealed envelope in his hand.
"The DNA results came back, Boss," he says. "I figured you'd want to see them…" He narrows his eyes at me, and I move toward him.
I take the envelope and tear it open.
The document inside is a simple printout with very complex information with even more complex consequences.
The DNA match is confirmed with ninety-nine point nine percent certainty.
Sofia is my daughter and now I have the proof.
Angelica is a liar, having kept her from me for years.
I already knew it the moment I saw her brown eyes.
But seeing it confirmed in black and white makes it real now.
I have rights, and with my money and power, I could strip Angelica of everything.
It's not my goal or desire.
I was hoping she'd see that earring and realize that night all those years ago wasn't just a one-night stand for me.
I thought I'd track her down, and she vanished into the wind.
