Chapter 5 - The Steel Inheritance
"Is she gone?" Owen asked, his grip on his stuffed bear finally relaxing slightly.
"She's gone, Owen," I said, dropping back to one knee so I was at eye level with them. "And she's never coming back. You two are coming with me."
"To a home?" Lily whispered, her sky-blue eyes searching mine for any hint of a lie. "A real one?"
"The biggest one in Chicago," I smiled, a genuine, rare warmth cracking through the hardened armor I had worn for fifteen years. "With a yard, a room for each of you, and all the stuffed bears you can fit on a bed."
I lifted Lily into my left arm and Owen into my right, their surprisingly light weights settling against my chest. They clung to my shoulders as if they had finally found dry land after a lifetime of drowning.
Marco stepped into my path as I walked toward the exit, his phone held out. "Boss, the board of Steel Holdings is calling. The merger meeting in New York starts in two hours. Your private jet is fueled and waiting on the north strip."
May you like
"Cancel the meeting, Marco," I said, not slowing my stride for a single second. "Tell the board that Ryker Steel has a new priority. If they have a problem with it, they can sell their shares."
Marco stared at me for a beat, a slow, respectful grin spreading across his face. He tucked his phone away and nodded to the rest of the security detail. "Clear the path. The boss is going home."
