Page 16 of Power of Shadow

“Thank you, Ryker. I know it’s all thanks to you. You’ve done a great job, son.”

The blood in my veins boils.

This bastard dares to call me “son”? He must be joking.

A burning urge to hurt him blooms beneath my skin. It crawls just below the surface.

Eli, sensing what’s going on, avoids me and congratulates Matthews with a handshake. He glances briefly at Aiden and heads for the couch by the window. Theo, in his usual insolent manner, sits down next to him in an aura of silence and composure.

Those few minutes allow me to control my emotions. I’m an icy bastard again.

“Forgive my son’s lack of manners, gentlemen. I’m afraid he may have inherited it from his late mother,” my father interjects, and I clench my jaw.

“There’s absolutely nothing to forgive here. After all, this is his home too. Ryker, you already know my son? Aiden?” Matthews looks at me and then at that asshole.

“Yes, we saw each other at the initiation. Although we didn’t talk,” he says, sizing me up like an opponent in the ring.

He’s definitely going to be a problem.

“You’ll have a chance to get to know each other better and talk,” Matthews continues, rising from his chair. “We won’t take up any more of your time, James; you have your hands full anyway.”

My father doesn’t even bother to contradict his own general.

He watches me the whole time like a hawk watching its next prey. If he thinks I’ll ever be that again, he’s in for a surprise.

A moment later, Matthews and his son leave, escorted to the door by one of his minions. His men are like trained dogs that come running as soon as he presses the magic button under his desk.

“Sit down, Ryker,” he orders as soon as we’re alone. His friendly face melts faster than snow in California, revealing his true colors.

“No, thank you, I’ll stand. Don’t have much time.”

“I said, sit the fuck down!”

His shouting doesn’t impress me in the slightest. All these years under his thumb have taught me better.

However, I decide to play along with his game. Perhaps I have nothing to lose, but I still have something to gain.

“Matthews is getting soft in his old age. You did what the Pact expected of you. Winston will no longer be a problem for him or the Pact.” He begins a conversation that I’m not in the least bit interested in.

“But that’s not why you wanted me to come here today,” I add.

My father puts his cigar in the ashtray and grabs the crystal glass. He pours the entire contents down his throat in one go and swallows. The glass lands on the counter with a clatter.

“There’s another task you need to take care of,” he says after a moment.

“I’m not your damn errand boy. Got a business to run and people to torture. I have no time for this shit.”

The blood rushes to his head, and he turns red. A warning in his voice. “Be careful, Ryker. You’re walking on thin ice. My patience with your tantrums is wearing thin. You only have your business because I allow it.”

He has no idea what’s going on right under his nose.

I shake my head. “What’s the job?”

“Charles Baker.”

“The former senator? Am I supposed to kill him?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Theo shifting on the couch.