Chapter 6

Eight years later.

The automatic doors of the JFK international arrivals terminal slid open.

Alida McGowan stepped onto the polished floor. She wore a tailored charcoal pantsuit and four-inch Jimmy Choo heels. Her spine was perfectly straight, her chin held high. The terrified, desperate girl who had fled this city was dead. In her place stood a seasoned Wall Street executive, her eyes sharp and unyielding. Eight years of grueling nights in London and a meteoric rise in finance had scrubbed away the fugitive. She had reclaimed her name, now shielded by a fortress of corporate prestige.

Her right hand firmly gripped a small, warm hand.

Damion McGowan, seven years old, walked beside her. He wore a custom-tailored miniature navy suit and dark aviator sunglasses. He pushed a silver Rimowa cabin suitcase with one hand, his expression utterly bored.

"Stay close, Damion," Alida said, checking her phone for their driver.

"I'm right here, Mom," Damion replied, popping a cherry lollipop into his mouth. He scanned the bustling terminal, unimpressed by his so-called homeland.

Across the wide concourse, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

Ephriam Vaughn, the patriarch of the Vaughn empire, walked with the slow, deliberate pace of a king. He leaned heavily on a custom silver-headed cane. A phalanx of twelve massive bodyguards in black suits formed a moving wall around him.

The crowd naturally parted, intimidated by the sheer aura of wealth and violence radiating from the group.

Ephriam's path intersected with the VIP waiting area where Alida and Damion stood.

As the formation passed, one of the outer bodyguards stepped slightly to the side to avoid a luggage cart. His hip bumped Damion's Rimowa suitcase.

The suitcase spun on its wheels and tapped the bottom of Ephriam's silver cane.

Clack.

The entire group stopped dead.

The bodyguard who had been bumped instantly reached inside his jacket, his hand resting on the grip of his concealed pistol. "Watch your step," he barked at the child.

Damion stopped chewing his lollipop. His small, delicate eyebrows drew together.

He reached up with his free hand and slowly pulled down his aviator sunglasses, letting them rest on the bridge of his nose.

He tilted his head back and stared directly into the bodyguard's eyes. His gaze was freezing, carrying a weight of arrogance that didn't belong on a child's face.

Ephriam, annoyed by the delay, turned his head to scold the guard.

His eyes landed on Damion's face.

Ephriam's breath hitched in his throat. The old man's hand clamped down on his cane so hard his knuckles popped.

The high cheekbones. The sharp, straight nose. The pitch-black eyes that looked at the world like it was dirt beneath his shoes.

It was Jax. It was exactly what Jax looked like at seven years old.

Ephriam's heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He took a shaky step forward, his voice hoarse. "Boy... what is your name?"

Before Damion could answer, Alida finished her phone call. She spun around, instantly sensing the hostility of the men in black suits.

Her maternal instincts flared. She stepped sideways, placing her body entirely between Damion and the old man, shielding her son from view.

"Ms. McGowan!" Gus, the hired driver, jogged up, out of breath. "The Lincoln is right outside."

"Let's go," Alida said sharply. She didn't look at Ephriam. She grabbed Damion's hand and power-walked toward the exit.

Ephriam tried to step forward, but his own wall of bodyguards blocked his path. By the time he shoved them aside, Alida and Damion were already slipping into the back of a black stretched Lincoln.

The heavy door slammed shut. The car pulled away, merging seamlessly into the chaotic New York traffic.

Ephriam stood frozen on the terminal floor. His chest heaved.

"Sir?" the lead bodyguard asked nervously.

Ephriam slammed his cane against the marble floor. "Find that car. Find out who that woman is. I want every detail of that boy's life on my desk by midnight."

Inside the Lincoln, Damion sat quietly. He glanced at the rearview mirror, watching the old man grow smaller in the distance.

A cold, calculating smirk touched the corners of Damion's mouth. His sharp eyes had already memorized the old man's face and the exact number of guards. He turned to his mother, his voice dropping its childish innocence for a brief, chilling second. "Mom, that old man with the cane-he looked at me like I was a ghost. And his guards were carrying weapons. They're still watching us. We should make sure they don't follow us to the hotel."