“Wrong answer?” Shamrock sighed, pushing off the SUV, and in a blink of an eye, the man holding tightly to me let go as something wet splashed across my face and chest. I stood stock-still, not moving an inch, as Snake moved so fast and quiet, the man in the suit didn’t have time to react before Snake had his blade at his throat.
EIGHT
REAPER
I pulled into the driveway of a sprawling ranch house nestled in the Napa Valley Grove. The home was stunning. It was large, boasting five bedrooms, a large chef’s kitchen, two family rooms, and a garden out back that reminded me of some botanical explosion. I could still remember the day my Pops brought my mom to this house and the squeal of excitement when he handed her the keys. The place held a lot of good memories for me, but most of them were terrible.
I hadn’t been back to the house since I took over as President after my pops died. I couldn’t. His presence was everywhere, and though it had been five years, I still missed him.
I didn’t have to walk far before my mother came running out of the house and into my arms.
She was a small woman and still beautiful.
“Hey mom.”
“Max,” she sighed, hugging me tightly. “What brings you all the way out here?”
“Mia.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, the Tyrant is coming home.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call her that. She is just high-spirited.”
“She’s a pain in the ass, Mom.”
“Well,” My mom grinned. “I remember a young boy who was just the same.”
“Still am.”
“Come inside. I made lunch.”
Following my mom into the house, I kept quiet as she prattled on about her garden and book club. I was happy that she was finding things to occupy her time since Pop’s died. She took his death hard and seeing a smile on her face made me feel better. Of course, knowing that my sister was due to grace her doorstep soon would have my mom crying and laughing at the same time.
“So how is Remi?” my mom asked as she handed me a heaping plate of chicken alfredo with garlic bread.
“How’d you hear?” I asked after taking a bite.
“Peter,” my mother grinned. “And before you go and say anything to him, don’t. He loved that little girl. We all did. She was there for you when we couldn’t be. I feel awful for what she’s been through, and I’m happy she is finally home where she is safe.”
“She will be.”
“Oh,” my mom replied, taking a drink of water. I watched as she put the glass down, took a breath as she considered her response. My mom was always clever like that. She knew not to talk about club business, yet she would always ask a question precisely to get whatever information she needed. “And I am sure that you and the boys will see to it that she is safe.”
“Got that right.”
“Good. Now, what is happening with your sister?”
And just like that, I knew my mom understood and had my back. Of course, when it came to Mia, well, that was another story. We always seemed to butt heads regarding the Tyrant, and now it looked as if my mom was finally going to get what she wanted. Her daughter was coming home for good, and there was nothing more I could do about it.
“She got kicked out of that fancy college in England. They put her on a plane two days ago. She should have been here already. I Don’t know why it’s taking so long, but that’s all I know.”
“Have you tried calling her?”
“Nope.”
“Well too put your mind at ease, I have. Mia flew into San Francisco yesterday to look at one of the universities there. She will be driving home tonight. She already has the credits to graduate college, but she is thinking of getting her Master's.”