We lapsed into silence, the city unfolding around us—upscale boutiques, coffee shops with lines out the door, joggers in designer gear. It was familiar, buzzing with the energy I'd once thrived on, but now it just felt... hollow. No wide-open fields. No dust on my boots. No Winnie's laugh echoing in my ears.
But then I noticed the turns.
We weren't heading downtown toward Methodist Hospital. We were skirting the city, merging onto I-35 North, toward the rolling hills outside Dallas. Toward—
"Harrison?" My voice sharpened, stomach dropping. "This isn't the way to the hospital."
He met my eyes in the mirror, expression neutral. "Change of plans, Beau. Your father's been discharged."
"Discharged? Already? He had a heart scare this morning!"
"Stable enough. Doctor cleared him for light activity. Your mother thought it'd be better at the summer house. Quiet. Private."
The summer house.
Our sprawling estate in the Texas Hill Country—acres of manicured grounds, a mansion that screamed old money, the place Dad retreated to when he wanted to "discuss" things without prying eyes. Two hours from the city. Isolated. No quick escape.
"Harrison, turn around. Now. I'm not going to the summer house. I came to see my father in the hospital, not play games at some estate."
"I can't do that, son." His voice was steady, apologetic. "Your father's expecting you there. Insisted. Said it's important you come directly. Your mother's in agreement."
My blood ran cold.Expecting me. Important.This wasn't a visit. This was an ambush. The heart scare—real or exaggerated—was bait, and I'd swallowed it whole.
I yanked out my phone, fingers flying over the screen to text Winnie.
Harrison's taking me to the summer house. Something's wrong. Call me.
No signal.
We were already in the outskirts, cell towers sparse, the highway flanked by endless fields and scrub brush. I tried again—nothing.
"Harrison," I said, voice low, dangerous. "What the hell is going on?"
He sighed, long and weary. "Your father wants to talk, Beau. Face to face. About the company. About your future. About... everything."
"Everything?" I barked a laugh, bitter. "Like how I'm throwing it all away for a ranch? For her?"
Harrison's eyes flicked to the mirror, sympathetic. "Something like that. Just... hear him out. For your mother's sake, if nothing else."
I sank back, staring out at the blurring landscape, the city shrinking in the side mirror. The summer house. Two hours of nothing but my thoughts and this creeping dread. And no way to warn Winnie.
For the first time since leaving Oklahoma, real panic clawed up my throat. I might not be coming back.
BEAU
The cage
Texas Hill Country, Sterling Summer House
9:30 AM
"The devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for."
– Tucker Max
***
The Mercedes ate up the miles like a predator swallowing prey—smooth, relentless, inevitable.
