The conference room on the second floor of the Plaza was quiet.

Mullins closed the door. He locked it.

He turned around and snapped a salute so sharp it vibrated.

"Young Warlord," Mullins said.

"Don't call me that," Gideon said. He sat down heavily in a chair. "I'm retired."

"We thought you died with your father," Mullins said. His voice was thick with emotion. "The unit... we mourned you."

"I'm hunting," Gideon said. "The people who killed him are still out there. Today was just the bait."

There was a banging on the door.

"Let them in," Gideon said. "Time for the show."

Mullins opened the door. Marcus, Gasper, Celestia, and a phalanx of lawyers spilled in.

"This is an outrage!" Marcus yelled. He slammed a briefcase on the table. "That man is a criminal!"

Gideon reached into his coat. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. He slid it across the table.

"Read it," Gideon said.

Marcus grabbed it. It was a copy of the original pact.

"Erich House saved your father's life," Gideon said. "In exchange, he got 10% of Grimes Industries or a marriage alliance. You chose the alliance."

"That was fifty years ago!" Marcus shouted. "House is dead!"

"Contract law doesn't expire with a heartbeat," Mullins said. He glanced at the paper. "The heir inherits the claim. It's valid."

Gasper slammed his fist on the table.

"He killed my man!" Gasper yelled. "One of my guards is dead! The one he cut!"

Gideon looked at Gasper.

"He bled out?" Gideon asked. "Shame. He should have applied a tourniquet."

"Murder!" Gasper pointed a shaking finger. "You are going to prison."

Mullins picked up a tablet. He tapped the screen.

"Actually," Mullins said. "The deceased has been identified as Gregor Vanko. An Interpol Red Notice fugitive. Wanted for war crimes in Serbia."

Gasper's jaw dropped. "What?"

"By neutralizing him, Mr. Combs actually performed a public service," Mullins said. "And since Vanko drew a hidden blade first-as seen on security footage-it was self-defense."

Gasper turned purple. "You're rigging this!"

Mullins leaned forward.

"Are you accusing the Department of Defense of corruption, Mr. Davidson?"

Gasper choked. He looked at his lawyers. They shook their heads. You couldn't fight the military.

"Fine," Gasper hissed. He looked at Celestia. "You chose your side, girl. Singleton Global depends on Davidson microchips. As of now, that supply chain is cut."

Celestia paled, but she didn't look down.

"We'll find other suppliers," she said.

"Good luck," Gasper sneered.

He stormed out. Marcus followed, shooting Gideon a look of pure venom.

The room emptied until only Gideon, Celestia, and Mullins remained.

Celestia looked at Gideon. She looked at the General.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Why is a General protecting a bodyguard?"

Gideon stood up.

"I'm your partner," he said.

Mullins stepped in. "Miss Singleton, Mr. Combs is... a national asset. His safety is paramount. We trust you to keep his location discreet."

Celestia nodded slowly. She thought he meant Gideon was a scientist, like his mentor.

"Let's go," Gideon said. "Take me to your home."

The black Maybach rolled through the iron gates of the Singleton Estate on Long Island.

It was pouring rain. The sky was a bruised purple.

Celestia sat in the back seat, staring at her hands. Gideon watched the trees blur past.

"My grandmother, Victoria," Celestia said quietly. "She only cares about the bottom line. You need to prove you have value."

Gideon didn't answer.

The car stopped. The butler opened the door with a sneer. He clearly knew what had happened at the Plaza.

They walked into the main hall. It was cavernous, filled with oil paintings of dead white men.

The family was waiting.

Victoria Singleton sat in a high-backed velvet chair. She held a cane topped with a silver eagle. She looked like a queen who executed people for fun.

Around her were the vultures. Arthur, Celestia's uncle. Dianne, her mother. Preston, her cousin.

"Look what you dragged in," Arthur said. He was holding a tablet. "Davidson stock is up. Ours is down 4%. You cost us millions in an hour."

"You ruined the alliance!" Dianne wailed. She was drinking a martini at 2 PM.

"Silence," Victoria said. Her voice was dry and crackling, like burning paper.

She looked at Gideon.

"So. The apprentice."

"Gideon Combs," Gideon said.

"Where is Erich House?" Victoria asked. "We need his patents. His chemical formulas. That is the only reason we tolerated this... farce."

"He died three months ago," Gideon said.

The air left the room.

"Dead?" Arthur laughed. It was a cruel, barking sound. "So you're nobody. A stray dog with a piece of paper."

Victoria's eyes narrowed.

"No leverage," she muttered.

She looked at Celestia.

"Annul the contract," Victoria ordered. "Go to Gasper. Beg on your knees if you have to. Offer him the shipping routes."

"No," Celestia said.

"Excuse me?" Victoria leaned forward.

"He saved my life," Celestia said. "And the contract is legal. If we break it, we look weak."

"We look weak by harboring a pauper!" Arthur shouted.

Gideon stepped forward.

"Singleton Global has a cash flow problem," he said. His voice echoed in the hall. "You're overleveraged in real estate. I can fix the liquidity."

Arthur stood up. "You? You're wearing a coat from a dumpster!"

Preston, the cousin, walked up to Gideon. He was twenty-two, gym-fit, and arrogant.

"Grandma said get out," Preston said. He shoved Gideon's chest.

It was like shoving a statue. Gideon didn't move a millimeter. Preston stumbled back, off-balance.

Celestia stepped between them. "Stop it!"

Victoria slammed her cane on the floor.

"Get him out! Or you go with him, Celestia!"

Celestia looked at her grandmother. She looked at the cold, greedy faces of her family.

"Then I go," Celestia said.