Heirs To The City: The Quartet

Chapter Fifteen

If hell froze over, I'd be looking at a few candid photos of a garden that I'd asked to be photographed, and a quote of appreciation. Instead I looked at two photos of Adrian and I almost five months ago in Greece, off the coast of Santorini on a rented yacht named the Lleona. Well technically rented, he owned it through a travel agency, though his personal yachts all were anti paparazzi, they would blur out an image of the yacht and the people on it. It also had a missile defense system so if anyone got too close to it, the Captain or security team could use it to gun down anyone who thought they could get to the boat. Adrian's yacht was a fortress, Fort Knox was a picnic compared to how Adrian's security operated. Ex Marines, Seals, and even green berets. Paid eighty million a year and had operated with an active budget of almost two hundred million in equipment.

If only people knew just how powerful and secretive the Winters Family was.

I'd estimated sixteen known binders four and half inches thick, and written in twelve font was the complete detailed history of the Winters Family, one for every member who had lived, there was also four for the sub families off of them their own histories less colorful, and I knew that there was one for everyone else except his tight circle.

Someone had typewriter text on the back of the picture and if I had to guess it was cartridge ink so there would be no way of knowing who had typed it.

Secrets are going to bleed from you.

I'd almost immediately asked for all security footage. I looked at the blank space of security footage, I wondered how Adrian would react. He wasn't one to take any of this lightly.

But I would have to tell him.

Picking up my phone I pressed the number four followed by call, and it immediately began to dial Adrian's number. It also only took two rings before his voice came through.

"Olivia," he says his tone gentle, and yet it was volcanic, the kind of tone that only came from a man with eclipsing power over all aspects of his life.

"Someone sent photos of us to WGI addressed to me. With the words 'secrets are going to bleed from you'," I say capping the panic rising in my chest.

"I can't come home not yet, but I'm sending my personal guard to come get you," Adrian says and I heard the sound of a horn along with something in Slovak.

Anger.

He was slow burning, and that meant he'd be doing something that would end up in the news by morning.

"Where am I going?" I ask, and he was silent for a moment, spiking some suspicious thing buried deep down. "Adrian, you said no secrets," a sigh followed.

"I have a compound in Las Vegas, it's for situations like this, I bought it when I knew I was gaining enemies. I wanted to have somewhere I could take you away from everyone and everything horrible in the world," Adrian said calmer now. His kindness was something I'd never take for granted, and I certainly wasn't going to forget that it was only for me. "Though it's ironic that it's in sin city".

"Adrian be honest with me, how much do you have in assets, you can say it in a different language if needed," I exhale.

"Fourteen billion in physical items both current and on order," Adrian says and faint Slovak came again.

"Who are you talking too?" I ask.

"Jessek, he's organizing your procession, it'll be there in ten minutes," he says.

"Thank you," I half whispered.

"Always for you, I'll see you tomorrow," he adds and then I heard wind, "also for the sake of honesty, I'm in the penthouse in Chicago, recently purchased".