Chapter 4
My hands shook as I brought the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
A raspy, deep breath came through the speaker.
"Is my grandson safe?" Arthur Blackwood asked. Direct. Cold.
"No," I whispered. "They're attempting to exercise a temporary legal custody claim, Dad."
Silence hung over the line, followed by the quiet click of a metal lighter closing.
"Are they pressing you?" Arthur asked softly.
The gentleness in his tone was far more terrifying than anger.
"Sullivan signed the provisional authority over to Larkin," I whispered.
A long pause.
"Eight years, Iris," Arthur rasped. "You hid long enough. Come home."
The line went dead.
I pulled the phone away.
Larkin stepped up beside us, heels clicking. She smoothed her coat, looking at the formal documents in her binder.
"This is the proper legal pathway, Iris," she murmured with a soft, calculated smile. "The Family requires proper standing and structure. You only hold things back."
Finn shrank toward me, holding my sleeve.
I stood up slowly, my hands steadying. Reaching out, I wrapped my fingers around Larkin's wrist, firm and unyielding, pulling her away from my son.
"Keep your distance," I said quietly.
Larkin's smile dropped, her eyes flashing. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Smoothing her suit jacket, Larkin looked me up and down. "You think you still have leverage here? Look around. Your standing is stripped, your security is gone, and you're cut off."
"I have my name," I said softly.
Larkin laughed. "The Reed name? You signed it away ten minutes ago."
"Not that name."
Larkin frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing her face before she brushed it off. "Sullivan's transport team is downstairs. The court filings are processed. Finn leaves with me under corporate protocol."
She stepped forward again. I blocked her path completely.
"Try it."
The heavy double glass doors at the end of the lobby swung open with a loud thud.
Three men in black raincoats stepped inside, water dripping from their shoulders. At the front was Vince, his hands hanging low and loose at his sides.
The headmaster stood up instantly, bowing his head.
Finn's eyes widened as he peered around my skirt. "Uncle Vince?"