I couldn’t walk away.
“Sir, we’re here,” Harry says, and I realise I’ve been staring at my phone so long I never noticed the car had come to a stop.
I look out of the window and stare at the derelict house waiting for us.
I explicitly told Ido not to mention this to anyone, but the motorcycle parked beside his vehicle confirms that he did, in fact, tell someone.
Namely, Isaak bloody Markev.
Rain lashes the windows as Harry steps out first. He opens an umbrella before coming around to my side and pulling the door open.
I step out, fasten my suit jacket, and take the umbrella from him. He inclines his head, and I make my way towards the house.
The moment I step inside, I close the umbrella and leave it by the entrance.
I spot two men stationed by a door that undoubtedly leads to the basement.
They nod the moment they see me.
“Mr Wardgrave.”
I don’t acknowledge them. They open the door, and I head down the stairs.
The air down here is so bloody humid I can practically taste it. And the stench is disgusting.
I’d wager father dearest has been pissing where he sleeps.
Wonderful.
The level of suffering still falls well short of what he deserves.
See, it’s not going to be easy to kill the fucker.
For one, he holds too much influence in the UK and beyond. The media practically worships the ground he walks on, and his position within Wardgrave Dynamics only adds to that influence.
Then add the fact that the Wardgraves are part of the Ferrum Syndicate.
That complicates matters even further.
But I’ll manage. The parents will hear the same version of events as the press.
I make my presence known as I take the final step down.
“I was under the impression I had given very clear instructions that no one was to know about this.”
I say it calmly, my eyes fixed on the man chained to the wall.
My father.
My dear old father.
His wrists are bound in iron, his ankles no different. His head hangs forward at an unnatural angle, chin nearly touching his chest. At first glance, he looks asleep. He’s unconscious.
“I don’t take instructions from you,” Ido replies in a flat tone, without so much as sparing me a glance.
“Why keep this from us?” Isaak asks. “Your father is part of the Ferrum Syndicate. The moment he disappears, our fathers will hear about it. And when they do, they’ll start asking questions.”
“It’ll be ruled an accident,” I reply coolly. “A most unfortunate accident.”
