“I wondered if you would come alone,” Caleb said, his voice trembling slightly against the idle of the engine.

“It ends here, Caleb,” I said, keeping my weapon leveled at his chest.

He let out a dry, bitter laugh that turned into a cough.

“Seventeen years, Adrian,” he said, shaking his head. “I built half of this empire with you.”

“And you sold the other half to the highest bidder,” I replied, my voice flat.

The rain hammered against the tin roof of the carriage house, a steady, deafening roar.

Inside, the air smelled of exhaust fumes and damp earth.

“I did what I had to do to survive,” Caleb said, taking a small step forward.

“Don’t move,” I said, tightening my grip on the grip of my gun.

He stopped, his eyes darting toward the open door behind me, then back to the barrel of my weapon.

“Where is the child, Caleb?” I asked.

“She is safe,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Nora has her.”

“I know Nora has her,” I said. “But you tried to take her away.”