“I have some cleaning up to do. I’ll meet you for lunch when I’m done. Tin man?”
“See you then.” The phone goes dead. Ghost and Roc walk over to me.
“You think this has something to do with that Horseman shit?”
Glancing back over my shoulder to make sure that Stef and the fire chief are still distracted, I turn back to the guys. “Without a doubt. Nothing was stolen. This was just done to cause damage and delay the opening.”
“How long of a delay?” Roc scratches his beard.
“Too fucking long.”
“Mr. Basille,” Stephanie calls out to me.
I hold up a hand before speaking to Ghost. “Soon as we leave here, we’re meeting with Mase. I want a crew to come through and do a sweep of this property.”
“I got you.” Ghost turns away and immediately pulls out his phone to do what I ask.
“What do you need from me?” Roc asks, always ready to lend a hand.
“Make sure the warehouse is clear.”
He dips his chin and walks away.
I make my way back over to Stephanie, who is wrapping up her conversation with the fire chief.
As soon as he walks off, I say, “Get a company in here to get this cleaned up. Whatever it takes to get it done right and as soon as possible.”
She taps something in on her tablet. “I already have three companies heading here today to give me a more accurate quote. I’ll let you know what they say.”
I could always count on Stephanie to get shit done. She was good at her job.
“Call me if you need me. I’ll meet you back at the office later.”
She nods, and we both go our separate ways. Roc, Ghost, and I climb into my blacked-out SUV.
“Warehouse is clear.” Roc says as he roars the engine to life.
“Good.” Pulling out my phone, I go to the spy camera app I had Maseo install. I need to lay eyes on my wife. The way my hands are shaking and my body is roaring with my anger, I need to lay eyes on my peace.
She’s at the office today. She’s been back at work for three days now. I find her behind her desk, her head bent over a sketchpad as she sketches out a new design. Her wild curls have been straightened and hang well past her shoulders. She stops drawing, leans up from her sketchpad and taps her pencil against the pad. She does it often when she’s thinking. Just seeing her at peace and doing the thing she loves causes the fire raging in me to calm slightly.
Closing her screen, I check on Noah next. I find him fast asleep in his crib. Ms. Rose sits in the rocking chair knitting what looks like a blanket. Feeling content that the two most important people in my life are safe, I replace my phone in my pocket and lean my head against the headrest and shut my eyes. The Horseman made his first move against my business.
As soon as we pull up to the warehouse, I hop out and storm inside. Mason and Grant, along with a few of his other bodyguards, are already here.
“He fucking flooded my hotel,” I snarl as soon as I enter.
“Who?” Mason is leaning against a metal table, his arms folded over his chest.
I turn and scowl at him before pacing. “Who do you think? The Horseman.”
“Did he send you another letter?”
“No.”
“Then you don’t know for sure it’s him.”
I stop pacing and turn to my brother. Mason has a knack for always being cool-headed. Hell, it’s why he is who he is. He never allows his emotions to get the best of him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the man raise his voice. However, right now isn’t the time for the cool, calm, and collective bullshit.
