Danny Torent's POV

Peyton stands beside me as we wait for the plane home to stop.

"You were right." She sighs as she hugs herself.

I take a long drag from my cigar and release it. Doing it two more times, I answer her. "And what do you plan to do now, Peyton Griffin?"

"We need to make a proper deal with Sam. If we take over, he has to make all of them swear to not go after Lola," she says.

Dealers are like dogs. If you give them a bone, they will go after it. Give them a bone with flesh, then you're in for a treat.

I nod and add to her bargain. "They shouldn't come here either to grab your boyfriend or your new daughter."

Eyeing the small girl attached to Caleb's hip, I tilt my head to the side. She has on a purple hijab and a thumb in her mouth. Being no older than eight, the child was an orphan in the Park's orphanage home. Penny felt for the child and adopted her, which is a stupid idea if you ask me.

She can't bring the kid back to Mother soil, and she can't be here for the kid when she grows up, because she'd be an Empress. I believe she already knows this because we had one of our silent arguments after she told me.

She's still holding on to her ideas for a simple family life. I wonder when she will join me in reality and see that our lives have never been and will never be straightforward.

"That too." She turns to smile at her little family, and a pang of envy flows through me.

That was supposed to be Chars and me someday, but that day would never happen. As long as I'm in the Empire and Mr Li's enemies are after her life, Charlie and I can't have a family.

The plane finishes a taxi, and the pilot flicks the headlights to grab our attention.

Security detail from the Empire comes down to grab Valentiá's body and our luggage. After saluting us and grabbing the baggage, they go to the plane.

Abigail launches at Penny to offer her goodbyes while Jacob offers some jokes to lighten up the solemn mood. Taryn and Jack remain quiet like Shawn and watch the scene play out.

A certain dark-complexioned girl in a black hoodie and shorts singles me out to talk in private.

"You sure you want to go back because I heard the place is dangerous?" she asks me impassively.

"I'm sure I'm more dangerous," I say. "You sure you want to stay? I heard the place isn't safe."

She rolls her eyes and turns to Caleb, who watches our interaction. "I can handle it."

During our short time together, I taught Marci every trick I knew, especially my RBF. She may not have been born with it, but she picked it up faster than how I picked up my red watch from the ground.

I caress the band and think over Marci's question. Since I'm done here, I think a parting gift is in order. Holding on to this article will only hold me back, just like my emotions.

I extend the watch to her, and she eyes it.

"Why?"

"You've proven yourself as a Dealer. I've taught you everything I know, and this watch is a memory I want to kill. That's why I'm giving it to you to remember me."

A smile threatens her face, but she kills it. Taking the watch, she says "I won't be forgetting you, Danny Torent."

"Likewise Marcella Freya Wellington." I flick my head towards the musician. "Watch over him for me."

She cocks her head to the side. She raises a brow and asks. "Since when did you care about Caleb's well-being?"

I walk backwards to avoid her follow-up question, "Since I found out we were biological brothers."

She glares at me and nods in understanding. Knowledge is the most important asset any dealer could have, and it's Marci's weak point. If I want her to be strong, she needs to hunt down the knowledge herself.

I approach Penny, who hugs Caleb and their daughter. While she finishes her goodbyes, I share a look with Taryn and Jack. The pair aren't sure if they should wish me farewell or destroy the plane while I'm in it.

Not that I would blame them. I'm purposely leaving our relationship on questionable terms for my benefit. You can't trust people fully these days. Things like that end with someone dead.

Penny wraps up her goodbye before standing beside me. I address the people out of courtesy and Penny's glare, mostly because of glare.

"Thank you for the hospitality, everyone. I appreciate it."

"Likewise," Marci replies.

"We didn't come here with the best intentions at heart, but as we part to meet again; it will be on good terms. I can't promise that the enemies we have back home won't come here and attack you all. But I can promise that whenever you need our help, I will always welcome you to our doorstep."

"Deal," Caleb answers on their behalf.

We share eye contact and nod at each other. Not growing up together didn't mean he wasn't family. Even though I couldn't get to know him more during my stay here; Caleb will protect Penny, and that's all I can ask of him.

They step back as we walk to the aeroplane and board it. I lead Penny inside when she turns around to look at them one last time. She sighs and follows me to our shaky future.

-

Sam waits for me in his chair as I walk into his office. The place looks untouched, with a layer of dust on every object. Cobwebs adorn every nook and cranny along with the photos that rest on the desk. I tap my waist to check for my gun before closing the door behind me.

Once bitten, twice shy.

He flicks his head to the side. "Have a seat, Danny," he commands.

I eye him but comply with his wishes. The man doesn't speak as he takes in the obvious changes in my form. I have grown more muscular since I started hitting the gym more frequently this year. My shaggy hair flops at the side of my head and some bangs frame my eyes.

"I didn't want to say this in front of my granddaughter because I wanted your answer first. Do you still want to be her second in command?"

"Shouldn't you be asking her and not me?"

Marci's sass seems to have rubbed off on me.

Sam ignores my comment and continues. "She doesn't trust anyone around here. And after her episode with the French spy, I know she needs someone that will watch over her. I won't always be around to do that. That's why I'm entrusting her life into your hands."

I nod, not trusting my words.

He sighs in relief and rests on the backrest. "With that out of the way, you and I need to talk about Carlos and Megan."

Glaring at him, I say, "What about Megan?'

"Come off it, Danny. You know she's using you to protect herself from her sins."

I inhale to calm my anger and allow my mask to fall into place.

"You're one to talk. Isn't that what you've been using Penny and me for since the year began?"

Sam bangs the table and leans closer. His voice drops an octave as irritation coats his tone. "Let's get one thing straight, boy."

He taps his index finger on the table. "Everything I have done is for the good of this family. I didn't make enemies for the fun of it and I sure as hell didn't use my kids as bargaining chips." He spits.

"Can you say that in front of Faith's grave?" I smugly ask.

Standing up with a force to be reckoned with, he sends the chair flying backwards to the bookshelf behind it. Books fall to the floor and dust bunnies float around as he pulls out his gun, cocks it and aims for my forehead.

I lean forward till there's no space between me and the gun.

"Do it."

We share eye contact and glare at each other. Stubbornness and male ego prevent him from thinking with his head and not his heart. If he kills me, it will be game over.

Penny won't stay once I'm out of the picture, and I can bet that Charlie would convince her to elope. That would mean they'd be on the run for the rest of their lives.

Racheal wouldn't forgive Sam for his actions and might as well finally leave the Empire to another world power or she might kill herself to spite him.

And as for the man of the hour?

Ridden with guilt, anger and sadness, Sam would turn into a shell of himself. He wouldn't lead the Empire properly and it would fall to its knees just because of one bullet.

His complexion takes a red shade, and his dull silver eyes light up with fury from my words. The flexing in his arms has me biting back a laugh as he contemplates if he should kill me or not. The man's eyes waver as he scans my form, probably thinking if he would use more than one bullet or if he should change his approach to my death.

Flicking my head to the side, I tell him. "Have a sit."

He glowers at me as he looks beyond his nose. The outcome of my death isn't something he can handle. He knows it and that makes it harder to stomach my laughter.

Raising his hand upwards, he shoots the ceiling before chunking the gun to the middle of the table. He goes for the fallen chair on the floor, picks it up, and sits while glaring at me.

I take my sweet time wiping off imaginary dust from my shoulders and adjusting my clothes.

"Sam, the deal I had with Carlos ties their loyalty to us. He will fight with us when the French Dynasty comes for Kasie. In return, I helped him handle his falling family. The French Dynasty sent multiple people to warn us, including your granddaughter."

Sam's eyes widen. "She's alive?"

"What do you mean, she's alive? Did you plan to kill Lola?!" I ask angrily.

I wouldn't put it past him not to. The man may claim to love his flesh and blood, but sending them off to the slaughterhouse for the sake of the British Empire is turning into his habit.

"No, I didn't."

The man looks appalled by my assumption, but if you know him the way I do, then you wouldn't blame me.

Having mixed feelings about Sam is an understatement if you ask me. One minute I respect the man and the next I want to use his blood to paint the sky.

"Then why are you surprised that she's alive?"

"You know of Mr Li's death? His enemies?"

"Not the complete story, but I got the gist of it."

"She's been making deals for them since she left here. The last person to be their bitch didn't live past a month."

Inhaling deeply to calm my nerves, I say coldly. "You've known her whereabouts all this time and refused to speak."

"Hold your tongue, Danny." He reprimands me. "I tried getting her out of the place, but she refused to leave. So, I left her to her fate."

He stopped trying because he already has what he wanted, Peyton.

Deciding that this was a losing argument, I change topics.

"As for Megan, she is no business of yours. I have it under control."

His nostrils flare. "She is my business. That woman was among the people to put my daughter in the grave."

"You know who else is on that list?" I yell, "You!"

The man has been on a streak to get revenge for Faith when he was the one that lit the match of the bonfire. He is the reason his daughter died, and he refuses to see it.

"If you had dropped your ego all those years ago and not married her off to Troy, maybe she would be here now. She'll be leading this place with you as her mentor, but you already know where she is. Don't you?"

I spy the pictures at the corner of the table. And as each one looks unkempt, they hold a story.

The one on the right is a picture of him and Faith in her wedding gown. Tears ruin her makeup as she stares blankly at the camera. Sam rests his hand on her shoulder. Whether it was to offer her comfort or push her to her doom is beyond me. The remaining Empire members stand in the far background as if they do not need their presence in the picture. Their eyes are downcast, but the hatred they held deeply for their new leader was easy to see.

The one on the left is of him and Peyton. Tears were missing from her face, but the stone-cold expression was present. If you looked closer, you could see streaks of silver in Penny's eyes. I don't know when they took this picture, but it was obvious before Sam broke her. It had to be because, since March, she's been glaring at anyone that spites her with blue waves in her eyes.

The one in the middle is of the king himself. On a throne that I have never seen in this house, he holds a small globe in his right palm and a knife in his left. Looking smug on his throne, he tilts his head for the camera to capture him as holds the blade against the globe. At that moment, he believed he could conquer the world with a flick of his wrist.

Lies, secrets and self-preservation.

Who would have thought that one of his own would share the same smug look at him as they burned down his world?

I take the gun from the middle of the table and push it to him.

"You can get angry and kill all of us with the snap of your hands. Or you can make sure that you don't make the same mistakes twice. You need to realise that she's a blessing to you and this forsaken place."

I lean closer to him and tap my index finger on the table. "The year is almost over, Sam, and the tables have turned. This time, we don't need you. You need us." I said.

I lean back into my chair and we look at each other like two lions fighting for the same thing but with different means.

The old man was my mentor till I left for Miami and came to terms with many things. Things I didn't take into consideration before agreeing to his deal.

He knew we were desperate to protect our loved ones and struck us when we were weak as a good Dealer. It's time he knows that the hands he fed can bite his fingers if he refuses to face facts.

-

I sigh and sit up in bed. Looking at the clock, I see that it's barely past midnight. I run my hand through my hair and it comes back filled with sweat.

Charlie's scent reaches my nose and I turn to look at her. Clad in one of my hoodies and shorts, she sleeps softly beside me. Her thinning form makes me frown. I know she's been worrying herself to death because of her stepfather's enemies.

They came after her again while we left, but this time, they injured Chloe badly. They stabbed the woman's stomach repeatedly and held Charlie down. Poor Chars was powerless to stop them and as mysteriously as they came, they left.

Something tells me that the betrayal has already started. A mutiny among members of the Empire, because how the fuck can the Chinese get past the guards? I didn't need anyone to spell it out for me. They have compromised our safety on Mother soil.

The question now is to handle it myself or tell Sam.

Of course, the traitor knows we'll be onto them, especially after I ran into Charlie after leaving Sam's office. She has attached herself to my hip since then, and it pains me more than it should as I slip out of bed.

I throw on a clean shirt and joggers and head for the door. Before opening it, I mumble a silent prayer to whoever is listening and leave after locking the door with a retina scanner. The same lock is on the window, so unless they pluck my eyeballs from their sockets, no one can enter or leave my room without me.

With calculated steps, I walk through the corridors and head outside the Manor. Crossing the kill zone, I observe the rotten corpses and see Valentiá's head. Frowning, I stop walking and turn back. But when I look again, it's gone.

My mind hardly plays tricks on me, so I know I'm not seeing things. I make a mental reminder to ask for Valentiá's body later as I climb the steps to the prison cell. Sam had it carted off from the plane immediately after we landed, and he didn't tell us where he took it.

The guards nod at me and open the titanium door. I walk through the halls and into the dimly lit room. Rats scurry across the room as I walk in. They splash blood across the floor as they head for the shadows. The smell of blood and sweat wafts the room strongly, but I remain unfazed. I came here for a reason and I'm not leaving till I get what I want.

Gagged and restrained like a wild animal, what's left of Joey's body lies on the floor. Bruises adorn his body along with missing limbs and swelled-up orifices.

My father...or what's left of him.

Joey Torent, or should I say Joey Griffin, is going to get what's coming to him and I'm about to start the biggest snowball effect of all time.

"I see Sam's let you live," I say mockingly.

Through his swelled eyes, I know he can see me. And if he didn't have to keep them forcefully shut, I could bet that he'd be glaring at me to go six feet under.

I walk closer to him despite the smell and continue speaking. "I ran into Megan during my trip and she told me some very interesting things. You said that Kasie saw you as one of her own. So tell me, Father, why would the woman you claim to love to force you to destroy your life with just a snap of her finger, umm?"

Joey continues to look at me yet remains silent.

"And as she helped you tear your life apart, you tore mine as well. Look at a parting gift. One of your debtors left me."

I show him the knife brand, and he remains unfazed. The red watch I used to wear to cover it safely in Miami. I swore revenge for the dipshit that did it to me, but I never got it.

"I believe you found the little boys that did this to me and made them suffer." I smile sadly at the memory.

When I got home in pain, Joey wasn't having it. He went under the rain and found them. Taking them out with his bare hands in a fit of rage. After he calmed down, he swore never to use his bare hands to fight any battle.

A father's love is a bottomless pit.

Joey was a good man before Kasie brainwashed him. She used his anger as her greatest asset. He never knew the extent of his prowess until he went after the goons that harmed his child.

As I recount the tale in my head, it makes me wonder if he would have protected Caleb the same way.

No matter, the man must have remained still as Sam took a go at him. Restrained or not, I can bet that Joey could win Sam in hand-to-hand combat, but the only person who would believe me is in a special cell far from here.

"Meanwhile, you and I need to talk with my mother."

He offers me a stiff nod and sits up further. A bad idea on his part because he winces in pain and slumps down to his original position.

I kiss my teeth in annoyance that Sam didn't want me here as he interrogated Joey. Knowing why he kept Penny out of the loop is obvious, but why keep me out of it? No one wants to kill this bastard more than me, yet I have to leave his future in the hands of Sam.

Lucky man.

The talk we had in my office earlier tonight still rings in my head. As I call Carlos' office phone, I force down a smirk.

"Buenas Tardes Carlos." I greet the grumpy man.

The Don glares at me for interrupting his time with his daughter. Rae Jean is still in a coma, courtesy of my grandmother. Thinking about it makes me want to break protocol and go to one of Sam's hidden rooms and put a bullet in between her eyes, but I can't do it.

Not yet.

"I'd like to speak to Megan," I say.

Carlos barks orders to his men, and my mom comes to the screen. Now her glare is from disturbing her sleep, although the hickey on her neck makes me think otherwise.

"Have you come to threaten me, son?"

Despite how we left the grounds between us, she still offers me a warm smile.

I nod and hold back a smile of my own. I turn the phone to fit Joey's and my statures. "Yes, I want to have a word with you two," I say.

"Go on, I'm listening." Megan's eyes dart to something behind the phone and her face goes crimson.

Suspicions confirmed.

"You say that Kasie controlled you and Joey's movements, right?"

They nod.

"She stayed in the safe house all day while you two went out to do her bidding, right?"

They nod.

"So, do either of you know why the leader of the French Dynasty wants to kill us all to get to her back?"

Megan frowns before scowling at Joey. "The details are vague to me, but you should ask your father. Maybe he'd be useful this time."

"He's not my father," I say through gritted teeth and turn to Joey.

Striding up to him, I remove his gag so he can speak. Given that most of his teeth are missing, it isn't an easy feat to hear what he said.

"Kasie helped them." That is all he can say before he passes out.

Damn it, I should have been here.

Megan's sigh makes me turn back to the camera. "Now that we have established that he's useless, do you need anything else?"

Seeing her after facing chaos in Miami makes me sigh. "How are you?"

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them and they surprise both of us.

She eyes me warily. "I'm in good health, but I can't say the same about you."

Not trusting my mouth again and I end the call.

No emotion equals more tolerance for what's coming.

The sentence plays over in my head as a nursery rhyme as I force thoughts of my dear mother down the drain. Manipulating me won't be all she'll do if I let her back with open arms. I can't trust her. At least not yet, but I can use her to my advantage.

I shoot a text to Carlos, 'Tell Megan to hack into the French Dynasty system and find a connection between them and Kasie.'

While I wait for a reply, I observe Joey again. This man used to be someone I looked up to, someone I thought I could trust and someone I thought would protect me despite the odds of the world.

I was a fool back then, but anymore. Dragging one of his teeth out of his mouth, I throw it against his head. He doesn't react and his face remains neutral, a striking resemblance to my RBF.

I leave his cell before I do anything drastic. Sam doesn't like it when I do things without his permission, but he's in for a shock.

Sam has specific rules that keep the Empire members in line, and his granddaughter and I are not above them. One of them is going to see prisoners without permission, but he'll never know unless he checks the tapes. The guards are more silent than Shawn, so I know they'll cover my ass.

I turn a corner and glare at my phone, willing Megan to answer me. She can resume lovemaking later, but I need answers.

I huff an annoyed sigh. I continue down the hall, but stop when a familiar voice breaks the silence of the night.

"You know why I'm here."

Peyton's voice is soft but holds something different in it. A kind of tone that I've only ever heard from Sam. I switch destinations and go toward her voice while she continues her one-sided conversation.

"You used me and people I call my own. I sought to create peace where you created chaos. You were always there to make me look like a fool in front of my people and worst of all, you're the reason I can't find my other half."

She laughs coldly, "You know I always thought my anger towards you would only come as a kick to your pathetic manhood, but I have something else in store. Let's play a game, Mickey."

I finally approach another cell and hide by the doorway and watch the scene play out.

"I'll ask you a question, and if you can't get me an answer, I'll give you a new tattoo." She grins.

"But If you so much as make a sound to alert the guards," her face turns murderous, "I'll rip out your tongue and beat you with it. Before I send the guards on their merry way."

Strapped to a chair while looking worse than Joey, Jordan nods to her demands and swallows.

"What's the connection between Shane and Rae Jean?"

"I kept Rae Jean captive here before the wedding. My uncle, Carlos, found out and wasn't pleased. He knew he couldn't send men to get his daughter without raising suspicions, so he sent an outsider. Shane was the unlucky scapegoat because when I had them cornered, Carlos saved Rae Jean and left Shane to rot."

So that's why Shane has a bone to pick with Carlos.

"What deal did you have with Joey?"

"He asked for Shane's release and in return, we'd conquer the Empire together."

"So, where is my sister?"

"Mi Am-"

Peyton slapped the rest of the endearment from his mouth. "Try again."

Jordan spits out blood and says, "She's in China with Shane."

"Where in China?" she glares at the former Don, but he remains silent.

His silence provokes her, and she uses her knife to slash his face. The blade goes in a diagonal line from his right eyebrow, through his eye and nose. It ends above his upper lip.

Blood drips from Jordan's face, but he doesn't make a sound. His lack of answers makes her nostrils flair. She uses the knife to inflict stab wounds on his torso, muttering curse words one stab after the other.

The gruesome scene continues to get coated by my favourite colour as Penny tries to take her revenge, but I know this is not what she wants. All she wants is Lola and a happy family.

Two things that are far from her reach.

A sense of Déjà vu envelopes me as I watch the scene. I've seen something similar to this but with another person in mind.

I park outside the club and light a blunt. My chest nags as I inhale it and think over my next moves. As soon as I drop Lola back at Nicole's, I'm heading over to the factory and have a word with Joey.

Simple plan.

I take a long drag and internally sigh in relief as Lola struts out of the club. A purse in hand and her stilettos in the other, she approaches me clad in her stripper uniform.

"Why so glum, Daniel?" she asks with a small smile.

"Just wondering if I can get you to quit before payday."

"Payday is the best part of this job cause it's every day. Besides, someone has to pay the bills and we all know father dearest won't foot them."

I scoff at her words, and she smiles knowingly. Opening the passenger door for her, I stand by the door and wait for her to enter. Lola puts one foot in the car when a cry for help comes from an alley across the street. Without thinking, Lola abandons me by the car and approaches the alleyway.

I call after her to ignore it and we should get going, but she hastens up her steps and goes to the sound. After I lock up the car, I follow her and see her holding a man at knifepoint.

"You think that it's fun to take advantage of girls, don't you?" she whispers on his lips. "I'm going to give you the best pleasure that'll make you turn for more in your grave."

She kisses his lips and presses the knife closer to the man's jugular vein. The man must have had conflicting thoughts because, as he tries to push her away, he still holds her in place.

Lola swings her knife faster than I could blink and stabs the man at different points while gripping his groin with her free hand. She gives him tongue kisses and leaves hickeys on his neck. He groans and slumps to the floor.

"When you get to hell, tell them you died for allowing your balls to think."

She slashes his face with the knife and turns to me. I rest on the wall and watch as she cleans up the knife while humming. She puts the knife away and gestures for the car.

"Shall we?"

I step into the room before she can kill him, and put the two of us in more trouble. Gripping her arm, I restrain her and whisper into her ear. "Peyton Griffin, you need to calm down."

She turns her head and whispers back, but her words come out through gritted teeth, "And why should I?"

"Because if you kill him, we won't be able to find your sister."

That's if she doesn't come to us first.

Her aura is off tonight. It's like a friendly dog that allows you to pat it before biting your hand off. She's acting lethal...like Sam.

Must be a family trait.

With steel-blue eyes, she scoffs. "To what use is this bastard for us?"

She mocks a laugh and examines his bloody form. "I want nothing more than to get him off my land. And I can't send him in a cage to Carlos, so this is the next best thing, don't you think?"

She was running madly in my very behold, but there was no stopping her.

I say, "Maybe, but he deserves a death more painful than the one you plan to give him. I suggest you calm down and think about your options. His death won't be favourable to us now. A good Dealer must remember to rule their emotions and not the other way around."

Peyton sighs and shrugs off my hold. She walks out of the cell, and calls off her shoulder, "I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you, mi amour."

I turn to Jordan and offer him no words. The man's skin is bright red, and it brings me a new form of sick joy. I go after Peyton and instruct the guards at the entrance to bring a nurse for him. The last thing I need is for him to die from blood loss.

I walk out of the building and start to the house. Across the kill zone, I spot Peyton hunched over the water fountain in the middle of the Empire. I stride towards her to drag her out of her head when I get a text.

'I found something.'