“Son,” my fathers voice crackles through the speaker.
My anger spikes, “How nice of you to finally reach out,” I growl.
“Go to the study,” he orders, ignoring my tone.
I comply as much as I don’t want to, walking away from Ryker who still studies the images in front of him, trying to piece together Heart’s movements.
“You’re making an awful lot of noise,” my father tells me after I’ve locked the door and taken a seat at the desk, pouring two fingers of scotch into my glass.
“Yes well, people are fucking with things that do not belong to them.”
“We’re not talking about the city,” it isn’t a question, a statement which I do not deny. “All of this for a woman.”
Again, I say nothing because there is nothing to say.
“She better be fucking worth it, Alexander. I didn’t raise a bitch.”
“Ha,” I laugh without humor, “Not that I need to justify my actions old man, this is my kingdom now, but she is worth it.”
“Good. Then you need to know that the Syndicate are in your ranks.”
I had my suspicions. I didn’t know who or how but they were here.
“I know.”
“I can’t say much, Alexander, I’m being monitored to see how much I know but they are deeming this old man useless now I’m not in the city.”
“Who are they exactly?”
“The Syndicate have been around longer than even the Silvers, a small organization initially but they amassed a following. They’re a parasite, coming in and killing off the hosts before taking over the body. They want the world. They do it silently but I’ve been watching them for some time.”
“And you didn’t think to warn me of this?”
“I didn’t think they’d come for Brookeshill so soon.”
“Wonderful.”
“Like all things Lex, they have a weakness. They live for their anonymity, they’re businessmen, by day they’re like any other fucker on the street, they have wives and children, day jobs but by night they’re killers and thieves and scum. They want power and money and they’ll go to any lengths to get it. Drugs. Humans, you name it, they’ll do it.”
“Fuck.”
“They don’t live by the same rules as we do, son. Nothing is off limits. There are no laws, no moral code, they take and take and they’ll use any means to get it. Stand in their way or cause a problem for them they’ll take out the issue. Like your little girlfriend.”
“Why get Valentine to do their dirty work?”
“Valentine was an easy pawn to them, he was hungry for your throne and whilst they’ll do anything to take what they want they don’t like getting their hands dirty. They know they can’t simply take you out without losing the city and the loyalty, if Valentine does it for them and claims the city, your men will either die with you or swear new loyalty to him if they want to keep the money rolling. It’s war, Lex.”
“You should have warned me,” I growl.
“I’m warning you now.” He says, “take them out. All of them.”
“I’m fucking trying!”
“Five five five, south street, it’s a safe house only I know about. When –”not if,“you get your woman back, put her there until this is over. She’s your weakness Lex, and they’ll use it. Hide her.”
Silence settles between us.
“I understand.”
There is no goodbye as he hangs up and for a moment I sit in the quiet, sipping my whiskey.
But I should have known the quiet wouldn’t last. It never fucking does.
The alarm sounds on my phone just as Ryker bursts through the door, “We’ve got company.”