Danny Torent's POV

A foreign feeling overwhelmed me as I walked back into the British Empire. I wasn't born here, nor did I grow up here, but I feel at peace here. Joey and Megan got married somewhere in America before Joey had us move closer to the Griffin Estate.

It took a long time before I could adjust to the changes I was forced to live with. I had to go through years of fucking the brains out of pointless redheads to get to it.

The car ride from the private airstrip to the British Empire is quiet, but when the sturdy metal gates that lead to my home come into view, I allow myself to sink into the car seats and sweep my eyes around the place.

Men dressed casually or in suits walk around the perimeter. This is Sam's version of hiding in plain sight. The deeper you get into the Empire, the more corporate the security detail would look. The houses of lower members of the Empire were at the extreme edges of the property. The residential area of those higher up in the ranks was a few feet away from the Griffin Manor. The houses alternated from black to white with picket fences around them.

Every walkway was made up of gravel. Plant statues adorned many corners of the property with water fountains and flower bushes. If you look closer, you would assume the place was a resort.

Sam ensured that there was a gravel pathway that split the property in half with the Griffin Manor in the middle of it. The right side was suited for recreational activities. The residents all lived in this part, and it had the least amount of guards because every Empire member was forced to know combat skills. There was also a shopping mall that sold everything.

If you wanted to walk out of the property, you'd better have a good reason.

The car pulls up in front of the Griffin Manor. It was a pristine white building that could rival the white house. It had charcoal black Griffins and Gargoyles perched onto all its pillars. The flag of the United Kingdom perched on the middle of the roof.

I open the door when the car comes to a halt. I'm met by a smirking Sam. He walks closer to me and clasps his hand in mine. "Welcome back, boy."

I grin and return the shake with enough firmness, "It feels good to be back."

He flicks his head to the side, "Let's go for a ride."

He raises two fingers in the air, and two maids run from inside the house towards us. They carry my luggage from the car while Sam plucks the keys from the driver's hand and swings into the driver's seat. I enter the passenger seat; he starts the car and drives around the Empire.

"How was your trip?" he asks.

I allow my lips to move on their own accord, "Unnerving."

He lets out a quiet chuckle, "I'd say that's how I felt when I met my sister again." His hands tighten on the wheel at the mention of Kasie.

"I was able to strike a deal with Carlos. I never found out about that deal that went South. Care to share?" I offer.

"We have Valentía to blame for that," He sighs, "On the night that my daughter was murdered, Valentía made us believe that she had escaped and found refuge in Spain. We knew she was in America, but couldn't pinpoint her exact location. I tried to take permission from the leader of the current leader of the Spanish Mafia to conduct a man-hunt on the place. He agreed, but when the plane carrying my men landed in Spain, a land mine blew them to bits." He explains.

I pat his shoulder in comfort, "At least their present leader, Carlos, has agreed to form an alliance with us. Together we could stand against the French Dynasty when the time arises, but there are more issues to settle first."

He tears his eyes from the road for a second to look at me, "What are you talking about?"

I huff and look out the window, "Did Carlos tell you the outcome of the extraction mission?"

"Yes, he did. I'm sorry to hear about Rae Jean, but some sacrifices had to be made."

When those words left his mouth, irritation floods my veins, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. No need to have a screaming match which I most likely would lose. Besides, I have other things that need my attention, starting from Penny.

Her hair is in a high tight ponytail, which allows the glare she sends us to be unmistakable. The silver in her eyes steeled enough to send us a message.

She's covered from head to toe with mud, and she stands with her hands placed firmly on her waist a few feet away from us on the paved road.

"Are you getting down, or am I?" I ask Sam.

He sighs and pats my shoulder, "I think it's high time you returned your end of the deal we made before you left. Rachael will be in the mall near the residential houses right now."

That deal hasn't been on my mind for a while, but I think I know how to get the job done.

"I'll get right on it," I tell him and get down from the car.

The moment I slam the car door shut, he's hightailing it out of here faster than you could blink.

Penny approaches me with slow, calculated steps. Her hair sways from side to side, and her glare doesn't lower.

When she is arm's length from me, the glare on her face melts off, and a smile takes over.

"Welcome back home, brother."

-

After her dramatic welcome, Penny and I sat cross-legged on her bed after she had a shower and a change of clothes.

"Is this the part where we act like gossip girls and catch up about the drama in our lives?" I make my voice up a pitch higher to get my point across.

Penny does a double take, "Are you high or something?"

"I can assure you I only smoked once." she snorts. I narrow my eyes but continue, "So, what is the status update?"

She gestures widely with her hands, "Sam and I bonded more since you left, and I've partially gained the respect of members of the Empire."

"Partially?" I raise a brow.

"You and I both know these assholes don't know shit even if they looked in a toilet," she says dismissively, while I snort a laugh.

"Interesting, well I was able to lock ties with the Spanish Mafia, but I'm afraid we have more problems coming up," she sits up as I say this. The silver in her eyes goes rigid as her mouth turns down.

"What happened now?"

I sigh, "You remember when you and I were reading about the French Dynasty before I left?"

She nods, "The last place that deals heavily in prostitution. They've been dormant for years. Why on earth would that be a problem?"

"They have ties with Kasie and have a bone to pick with the Spanish Mafia. Carlos, the present leader of the Spanish Mafia, agreed to form an alliance with us. Seeing as the French Dynasty would target us as well, they are willing to get their hands on Kasie one way or the other." I explained.

She face-palmed, "I need a six-month vacation twice a year."

"And I want to be a Greek god. We can't all be lucky, can we?" I mock her.

She throws one pillow at me, but I lean away at the last minute.

"Now that's out of the way. What is our game plan?" I ask her.

"We work with Sam and extract more information from Kasie and that lousy shit called Joey, and maybe Jordan might come in handy. We plan our next move by forming alliances with people who are worth the hassle and having a meeting with the United Kingdom's President. We might have a war on our hands and will need more food supplies and a few more arms."

She won't agree with me, but Peyton Griffin pulls her weight when it comes to being the Dealer she was born to be.

"That reminds me, both of us have an unresolved problem." She glowers at me while she gestures at the space that separates both of us.

"Which is?" I bait her while I bite the inside of my cheek.

"You and Charlie need to solve your problems!" she whines. "Both of us were doing Karate in the mud. When she saw Sam and you driving towards us, she took off faster than I could call for Genie."

"Oh, I plan to. Meanwhile, what are you doing right now?"

Her facial features turned sceptical, "Why are you asking?"

"I was thinking you and I could take a walk to the residential sector." I shrug.

I slip my red wristwatch out of my pocket and look at it. If we leave now, we might get to Rachael on time.

-

After much convincing, Penny and I walk through the pavements of the residential sector of the British Empire.

Every once in a while, a curse word would be heard, followed by the banging of doors and windows. Were it not for the fact that these people don't leave this place, one would think no one lives here.

The moment we could be spotted, news travelled like wildfire, and everyone took cover. They weren't scared of either of us because we hadn't done anything petrifying...yet.

Penny's last name and my RBF are the best combinations from the pits of hell.

"So why exactly did you want to come here?" she mutters from beside me.

"I was just testing a theory." I tell her, "Isn't it weird that these people can try something on you when we are in the main house but can't when we're outside."

She shrugs off my observation, "At least we can hear them breathing. When Sam and I strolled here while you were gone, the whole place was so quiet that a graveyard could have more energy than it."

I steered our direction towards the mall. It was fast becoming empty, "Fair point. Do you think it would be this way when you take over?"

"If."

"If?"

She picks a flower from a garden nearby and starts to pluck off its flowers, "Our agreement with Sam is for him to get revenge on his bitch sister and Caleb's mother. In return, we both get to leave."

"Do you want to leave?"

My question takes her off guard because she stops plucking off the beautiful white petals of the flower and turns to look at me. "Yes."

I nod, and we continue walking towards the mall that looks uninhabited except for the shop attendants.

The sliding doors open for us to walk through. My eyes hone in on the woman in front of us.

She took old fashion to a new level. Her vintage clothing hugs her body. The tight bun on top of her head allows her face to be seen. She's a splitting image of Faith from the light brown eyes to the heart-shaped face and thin lips. From the gasp I hear beside me, Peyton must realise it too.

"I'm assuming my husband put you both up to this," she wipes her face with her palm. She gathers the bags on the floor and thrusts them towards me. "Be a Dear, and please help me to carry them to my cottage and leave them by the flower wall."

She turns to face Peyton, "I have some business to attend to with my granddaughter."

I nod at her and do as I'm told.

Mission accomplished.

After leaving Penny in the care of her grandmother, I dropped Rachael's bags in front of her cottage door just as she asked of me. I turn around to leave, but the bushes beside me have me raising a brow.

On instinct, I duck down, and a bullet flies above my head. I swipe my legs out towards the bush, and the shooter falls out of them.

Hurling myself at him, I pin him to the ground. He was scrawny but very agile. Before I could fully subdue him, he bucked his hips, wrapped his legs around my neck and threw me off him.

My back made contact with the gravel pathway, but the pain was long forgotten when the shooter placed his gun in line with my forehead.

"Où est-elle?"

Translation: Where is she?

The single question accompanied by a thick French accent had me swearing hotly under my breath.

"Je te demanderai encore, où est-elle?" He grits out.

Translation: I'll ask you again, where is she?

"Who sent you?" I ask to buy me some time.

Some guards monitor the perimeter on foot and on camera; the place he threw me wouldn't be in their line of sight. If I'm lucky, I might get a little help here.

"Make it easier for yourself, or I'll kill you and move to the girl. Where is she?" He goes on.

A cold feeling passes through me as he brings her into this. This is what Sam warned me about; I should have known that it would happen.

A few birds fly over us, and apart from the chirping they make, the whole atmosphere is tense with silence. He removes the safety from the gun, and his index finger gets closer to pulling the trigger.

You'd think that I would start saying my final words or maybe a prayer but what I'm thinking is, why on earth is it raining combs?

An afro comb hits the shooter in the face making him flick his head to the side. A pocket comb lands him in the back of his neck while a barber comb hits his stomach with enough force that he crouches down.

A hand grips his hair to make him stand up while another hand places a sharp metal comb on his neck.

The fury in her eyes is unmistakable, "Drop your gun before I do something we both will regret."

He laughs, "So you're the one who uses combs to fight. I've heard a lot about you."

Charlie's eyes narrow further, "You really want to play games when you are outnumbered."

"I'd have to count you as a man to be outnumbered," he snorts. Charlie presses the comb deeper into his neck to draw blood.

"You were saying?" she baits him in a sugar-sweet tone.

I creep away from the shooter's line of sight and stick to his peripheral. Judging from his position, he either doesn't notice my movement or chooses to focus on the savage brunette behind him.

Either way, it works in my favour because I swiftly grab his gun from his hand and hit his head with it.

He blacks out in Charlie's hands, and she flings him away like a sack of beets.

I release a breath and run my hand through my head but remain quiet.

Clearly fed up with my silence, scoffs, "Thank you, Charlie. You saved my life, and I'm back from Spain. Do you want to have some tea?"

My lips rise up in an amused smirk, but I remain quiet. It aggravates Charlie further.

"I knew I shouldn't have interfered," she mutters as she walks away.

I watch her leave and allow the smirk to climb higher on my face. When she is far away, I turn my eyes to the shooter.

So much for being dormant.

Drama time.

Thoughts? Theories? Predictions? Questions?