“I didn’t want to come to the mansion,” he said when he reached me. “I needed to speak with you privately.”
I continued walking. “Let’s do it in my office.”
We took the elevator up in silence. Once the doors opened onto the executive floor, I handed the flash drive and the envelope to Akim. “I want full profiles on every name on that list. Go deeper than surface records. I want to know who they are, who they answer to, what they’re capable of, and what they’re hiding.”
“Yes, boss.” Akim peeled away toward his office while I led Reed into mine.
I settled behind the desk and watched him take the chair across from me. I could offer him a few minutes, only because Inna’s face changed in a very specific way whenever she spoke about him. She would notice if I disrespected him for no reason. These days, Inna’s anger was a problem I took seriously.
“Inna’s mother visited me,” Reed said. “I refused to let her meet Inna. She said things Inna shouldn’t know.”
“That she killed Iker?” I asked. “Or the list of people who might come after the family? Or the assets she transferred into Inna’s name?”
His eyebrows rose. “She came to you.”
“She already met Inna. Inna knows everything.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the desk. “Going forward, nobody in your family hides information from Inna. She isn’t twelve years old. Every time you try to protect her from the truth, you hurt her in ways you don’t see because you aren’t there for the aftermath.”
I held his gaze.
Reed didn’t look entirely convinced. “We don’t want to drag her into our mess.”
“She’s already in it. Much deeper than either of you realizes.” I opened the laptop. “And I know her better than you currently do. Inna functions better with the truth in her hands than with comforting lies. She’s stronger than all of you give her credit for. Trust that.”
He sat quietly for a moment. The resistance in his expressionsoftened. “How is she?”
I looked at him. The answer that came to mind was simple. Inna smiled. That was enough.
“She should be out with Cole. You can go join them.” I tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “They’ll be happy to see you.”
He leaned forward. “I want to protect them this time.”
“They’re safe with me. The person currently in danger is their mother.” I watched the change that moved across his face. It wasn’t an obligation. It wasn’t guilt, and something deeper. He still loved that woman. Whatever happened between them, however many years had passed since who they used to be, he still loved her.
“What she did by killing Iker means a war is coming from the people connected to him. She’s walking into that alone,” I continued. “You can help by staying in contact with her. I’ll handle everything else.”
“I can help with the research.”
“I work alone, Anderson,” I declared. “What you can do is go spend time with your children. When my wife is happy, everything around me runs better. That’s the most useful contribution you can make.” I let the silence sit for a second. “One more thing. When Inna asks you anything about your family, answer it. Whatever the question is, tell her the truth.”
He pushed himself to his feet slowly, the effort visible in the movement. “Alright.” He nodded. “Thank you again. For everything.”
I returned the nod and watched him leave the office. After he left, Akim came in carrying his laptop and took the seat across from me.
“There are four men on the list.” He turned the screen slightly toward me. “Three carry influence inside the Mexican government. One is a businessman. None of them are clean, but they have a strong public image. The businessman is thereal concern. He ran parallel operations with Iker for years. The network he built underground is solid, and his people were close enough to Iker that they’ll feel the gap immediately.”
So Iker never built alone. He borrowed other people’s power and positioned himself at the center, which explained why his organization never expanded. Actual operations didn’t require government support to survive. They stood on their own foundations. Apparently, Iker never learned that particular lesson.
“The assets her mother transferred to Madam are clean,” Akim added. “Whoever advised her knew exactly what they were doing.”
I nodded once. Inna’s mother had been planning this for years, quietly moving pieces across the board while her father looked the other way. Looking at it, I understood exactly where Inna inherited her mind.
The problem was that good planning and adequate protection were two different things. Inna’s mother built everything carefully. But that didn’t mean the men coming after her would move slowly.
“Her mother is the priority,” I said. “She may have people she trusts around her, but we can’t rely on that. Money buys loyalty faster than loyalty earns it, and all four men have money. If she’s removed from the equation, the family business goes to whoever moves first.” I looked at Akim. “You will move to Mexico. Get close to her operation without her knowing you’re there. Monitor her people. Run background checks on everyone in her circle. Hack whatever needs hacking. I want to know who’s loyal and who’s waiting for a better offer.”
“Alright.”
“I’ll contact her directly. If we can remove these four quietly before they organize around Iker’s absence, she walks away clean. But she also needs to understand that dismantling whather father built isn’t a six-week operation. It could take a year. Possibly longer. She should prepare for that.”
