Jenica opens her mouth to say something else when the patio door opens.
Damon, the chief of police for the NYPD and a close friend of mine, walks out.
“Sorry to interrupt, Ransome. But we have a problem that needs to be addressed.”
I don’t even look at Jenica before following Damon back through the building.
Damon looks back at me as we head to the front doors. “There’s a lot of commotion on the streets, I think, just from all the bigwigs you got in this building right now. I want to go through some safety procedures.”
I can tell by his tone that all of that is just a cover-up for something else.
Once we are outside—where there is no commotion whatsoever—Damon turns to me. “A few of my men have spotted Tristan Chadovich.”
My pulse roars. “When? Where?”
But Damon holds up a hand. “Don’t get too excited. They were brief sightings and he’s never alone.”
I nod once. “Makes sense that he would have human shields when he shows face in public.”
“There’s not much we can do without cause. But we are keeping an eye on him.”
“Good.”
“That’s not all, though.”
Of course not.That would be too good to be true.
I motion for him to go on, and he does.
“In the last two weeks, there have been several breakouts from the prison, all maximum security.”
“How many is several?” I ask.
“Five, last I heard. We’re thinking it’s an inside job—that place is airtight.” He exhales frustratedly. “Either way, we’ve got dangerous men on the loose. And all of them have similar criminal records.”
“Such as?”
“Dealing. Assault and battery. Murder.”
Fucking great. Sightingsandjailbreaks, all connected to Tristan. Looks like the guy hasn’t taken a single day off from making my life harder.
Sounds suspicious to you?” Damon asks.
I look over the city, my eyes thin. “If you’re asking if I think it’s a coincidence?”
“I’m asking if you think it is.”
Tristan is breaking out violent criminals. He’s risking himself to do it. And since I doubt this is him being charitable, that leaves only one option.
He’s amassing an army.
“Not a fucking chance.”
I head back inside. I don’t plan on sticking around much longer, though. That’s one of the perks of being a CEO. I get to call the shots on when I arrive and when I leave.
Jenica spots me and I bite the bullet. I should be standing next to her. The last thing I need right now is bad publicity. Holes in the armor.
But just as I’m about to walk over to her, my phone rings.
