"The hell you are." Phantom's voice is pure steel. Pure command. The voice of a man who's been running a club for over thirty years and doesn't tolerate bullshit. "Not alone. Where's the meet?"
"Tomorrow night. Outside Vegas. Neutral ground. Flint's choice of location, he'll text me the details."
"Then I'm coming to Vegas."
My heart stops. "What?"
"You think I'm letting my daughter face Copperhead Kings without me?" Phantom's anger is palpable even through the phone line. "You married her without my blessing. Lied to my face at that meet with Copperhead Kings. Got yourself kicked out of my club. Made me look like a fool in front of another Prez. But she's still my daughter. She'll always be my daughter. And no one—no one—threatens her. Especially not some punk enforcer from Houston who thinks he can cage my little girl like an animal."
Grace's eyes fill with tears.
She covers her mouth with her hand, trying not to sob.
"Prez—" I start, but I don't know what to say. Don't know how to respond to this.
"I'm bringing Thunder, Blaze, and Blight. Maybe Rogue if he can get away. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. Late afternoon, depending on traffic." He pauses, and his voice drops lower, more dangerous. "And Shadow?"
"Yeah?"
"We're gonna have words when this is over. You and me. About what you did. About the lies. About marrying Grace without talking to me first. About all of it."
"I know."
"But first, we handle the Copperhead Kings. We end this threat to my daughter. We make sure Flint never gets the chance to put his hands on her." Another pause. "Then we handle our business. You and me."
"Yes, sir."
The line goes quiet for a moment.
Then Phantom's voice softens, just slightly: "Grace, baby, you there?"
Grace's voice breaks when she answers. "I'm here, Daddy."
"You okay? Really okay?"
"Yeah. I'm okay. Shadow's taking care of me. Keeping me safe."
"Good." Phantom's voice is gentle now, the voice of a father instead of a Prez. "I love you, baby girl. You know that, right? No matter what, I love you."
"I love you too, Dad." Grace is crying now, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll see you tomorrow. And Grace?"
"Yeah?"
"Stay close to Shadow until I get there. Don't go anywhere alone. Don't take any chances. Promise me."
"I promise."
"Good girl." Phantom's voice hardens again. "Shiver, you keep an eye on her too. Both of you watch her. If anything happens before I get there?—"
"Nothing's going to happen," Shiver says. "We've got eyes on her 24/7."
"Good. I'll call when we're an hour out." Phantom pauses one more time. "Shadow, you still there?"
"Yeah."
"Don't do anything stupid before I arrive. You hear me? No cowboy shit. No running off to confront Flint alone. You wait for backup."
