“What's the endgame? What do they want?”
The fixer meets my eyes. “You, Mr. Rhodes. Back where you belong. The accidents, the pressure, the surveillance on your girlfriend... it's all designed to remind you that you're vulnerable without the family's protection.”
I think about it. The escalating threats. The near-misses that never quite killed me. Someone wants me scared, not dead.
“Someone wants me to come crawling back.”
“Someone wants you to remember that the Hammond name is a shield. Without it, you're exposed. And so is anyone you care about.”
That sounds like Victor. His logic. His arrogance. Break me down until I admit I need him.
But the fixer said the orders came from the house, not the office. Helena's domain.
Unless they're working together. Victor applies the pressure, Helena manages the details. A family project, destroying my independence.
“And Emma? Why involve her?”
“Leverage. You clearly care about her. That makes her useful.” He shrugs. “Hurt her enough, and you'll do anything to protect her. Including coming home.”
My jaw tightens. They turned her trauma into a tool. Used James to make her feel crazy, unsafe. All to manipulate me.
“One more thing.” I lean back in the chair. “If anything happens to Emma Sinclair. Anything at all. A parking ticket, a stubbed toe, a bad day at work. I will hold you personally responsible. And I won't send lawyers to have a conversation. I'll dismantle your whole operation and choke you on your blood.”
The fixer pales. Recoils. Good.
“Do we have an understanding?”
He nods. “Perfectly.”
I stand. Ankle screams. Ribs ache. Knuckles crusted with blood. But I walk out of that office on my own.
The drive back to ELK is quiet. Maddox drives. Ethan sits in the back, scrolls through the data we pulled from the fixer's systems.
“There's a lot here,” he says. “Going to take time to sort through.”
“Focus on the money trail. I want to know exactly where Helena's funding is coming from.”
“You really think it's your mom?”
I stare out the window. “Helena's playing a longer game. She wants my shares. If Victor's distracted by his new family, she needs allies on the board. Or she needs to control enough votes herself.” I pause. “They might be working together now, but they want different things. Victor wants an heir he can control. Helena wants power she doesn't have to share.”
“And you're caught in the middle.”
“I'm the piece they're both trying to capture.” I laugh bitterly. “The only thing they agree on is that I'm more useful broken than free.”
Ethan is quiet for a moment. “That's fucked up.”
“Should be the family motto.”
We pull into ELK's executive parking garage. Maddox kills the engine, turns to me.
“You look like you went three rounds with a meat grinder. Clean up before you scare the civilians... and next time leave the fighting to me or you'll ruin that pretty face.” He grins. Teeth showing like a tiger eyeing food.
“Fuck off. You're just annoyed that Viv smiled at me earlier.”
He narrows his eyes. “She didn't.”
Ethan pats him on the shoulder. “Come on, man. He's winding you up. Of course she didn't.” He looks at me, mouths silently,Shut up.
