Chapter 4 - The Inversion of Authority
The following Monday, the Gold Coast Academy for Young Children received a new student whose arrival resembled a small-scale state visit more than a kindergarten drop-off.
Three black SUVs pulled into the circular driveway at precisely eight forty-five. Hawk was out of the front seat before the wheels had fully stopped, his hand resting casually inside his jacket as his eyes swept the rooftops of the surrounding brownstones. Briggs held the door of the middle vehicle, while Dominic stepped out into the crisp, October air, his gray charcoal suit pristine, his sunglasses blocking out the morning glare.
Sophia followed him out, her purple suitcase replaced by a small leather backpack that Felix had purchased from a boutique on Michigan Avenue. She was still wearing the yellow rain boots, despite the fact that the sky was clear and blue without a single cloud in sight.
“It’s not raining, Sophia,” Dominic said, his long strides forcing her to take three small, skipping steps for every one of his.
“The ground is wet from the street cleaners,” she explained, her small hand reaching up to grab two of his fingers. Her grip was tight, her small palm warm against his cold, calloused knuckles. Dominic tried to pull his hand back—it was against his rules to be seen holding a child’s hand in public—but she simply tightened her fingers until his signet ring dug into his skin.
“Don't do that,” he muttered.
“Mama said when we walk in the city, I have to hold onto the big tree so I don't get blown away by the wind,” she said, looking up at him through her dark curls. “You’re the big tree.”
Dominic’s chest felt tight, as if the navy silk of his vest had suddenly shrunk by two sizes. He didn't release her hand. He walked her through the heavy oak doors of the school, where the headmistress, a polished woman named Mrs. Gable, was waiting with an expressions of professional obsequiousness that only seven-figure tuition checks could buy.
“Mr. Reyes,” Mrs. Gable said, bowing her head slightly. “We are so honored to have your… niece, Sophia, join us. We have reviewed her records from California. She is slightly behind in her structured socialization, but her reading levels are quite advanced.”
“She doesn't need socialization,” Dominic said, his voice flat and unyielding as he looked around the lobby, identifying three separate blind spots in the security camera layout within five seconds. “She needs to be kept inside the main building between the hours of nine and three. If she goes out to the playground, I want two of my men on the perimeter. Not the school guards. My men.”
Mrs. Gable’s smile faltered slightly. “Mr. Reyes, we have a very strict policy regarding external security personnel on campus. The other parents—”
“The other parents don't have active contracts on their family names, Mrs. Gable,” Dominic interrupted, leaning down until his face was inches from hers. “My men will stay on the perimeter. If you have an issue with that, I will buy the building across the street and install twenty-four-hour snipers on the roof. Choose the option that looks better on your brochure.”
May you like
Sophia, who had found a small plastic truck on a nearby shelf, dropped it into her backpack with a loud clunk. She looked up at the headmistress and said, “He told you he was mean. I told him he was just scared, but he doesn't listen to me either.”
Dominic felt Felix’s shoulder shake behind him. He turned a dark, warning glare toward his lieutenant, but the damage was already done. The most feared man in the Midwest had just been summarized by a five-year-old girl in front of the Gold Coast educational elite.
