Chapter 43
Harry heard his father's booming voice greeting his receptionist at the Baytown office before Harrison appeared in the doorway, his imposing frame filling the space with the kind of authority that had made his business grow.
His hair was perfectly styled despite the hour-long drive from Virginia Beach, his suit immaculate, but his eyes carried a cold fury that made Harry's stomach drop.
"Having some punk slash her tires was monumentally stupid," Harrison said without preamble, closing the door behind him with the soft click of a man who never needed to slam doors to make his point.
Harry stopped pacing, the weight of his father's disappointment pressing down on him like a physical force.
Harrison moved to the window overlooking the small town, his back to Harry, hands clasped behind him in the pose of a general surveying a battlefield.
"You've escalated this situation without thinking it through. "
"I was trying to protect us—"
"You were trying to solve a complex problem with a simple solution." Harrison turned, and Harry saw the same calculating coldness that had made Harrison Blackwood one of the most successful businessmen in the Chesapeake Bay area.
“It can’t be traced back to me.” Harry slumped into his leather chair, feeling like the college student who'd screwed up a drug deal and needed Daddy to fix everything. Again. "What do we do now?"
Harrison's lips pressed together in a thin line. "We? You're becoming a liability, Harry. You're emotional, and you're making mistakes. One day, you’ll make an error, and I won’t be able to pull your ass out of the fire."
The words hit Harry like physical blows. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're exactly what I was afraid you'd become when I pulled you out of that drug investigation and charge when you were in college." Harrison's voice carried the weight of old disappointments and failed expectations. "A weak link that threatens everything I've built."
Harry's blood ran cold. "Dad, I—"
"I can't be directly involved in handling this attorney." Harrison paused, letting the implications sink in. "But there are others who will. People who don't share my constraints."
Harry felt the room grow colder despite the afternoon sun streaming through the windows. "You're talking about—"
"I'm talking about the reality of our situation. You opened this door when you had her tires slashed. You made it personal. Now it has to be finished properly."
The casual way his father discussed violence made Harry's hands shake. He'd known this day might come, had felt it building like storm pressure in his chest, but hearing it spoken aloud made it real in a way that terrified him.
"I never wanted anyone to get hurt," Harry whispered.
Harrison's laugh was harsh, devoid of any warmth. "You didn't mind the money rolling in. You didn't mind the lifestyle, the cars, the respect that came with being my son. It's too late for a conscience now."
Harry reached for the whiskey bottle he kept in his desk drawer, his hands trembling as he poured three fingers into a crystal glass. "What exactly are you planning? Whatever it is… it’ll come back to bite us in the ass!"
"Nothing that can be traced back to us. Nothing that can be connected to either of us.
" Harrison's tone had shifted to the same businesslike efficiency he used when discussing construction schedules.
"But you need to distance yourself from any direct involvement.
Make sure your alibis are solid. Be visible, be public, be completely above suspicion. "
"And if it doesn't work? If she's already shared what she knows?"
Harrison's eyes went flat, emotionless. "Then we all have much bigger problems than one persistent attorney."
Harry downed half his whiskey in one burning gulp, feeling it scorch his throat. "She isn't our only problem. The police brought Robert back in for questioning."
Harrison's attention sharpened like a blade. "What did he tell them?"
"He stuck to the story we agreed upon. Said I visited the house for fraternity small talk, nothing important." Harry's voice cracked slightly. "But I don't know if he can hold up under real pressure. The kid's scared, and scared people say stupid things."
"Did his lawyer keep him in line?"
"I think so, but..." Harry stared out at the peaceful bay, its tranquil waters mocking the storm he'd unleashed. "What if Robert cracks? What if he tells them about the real reason I was there?"
Harrison was silent for a long moment, and Harry watched his father's reflection in the window—the set of his shoulders and the intentional stillness that meant he was running possibilities, measuring risks, and making the kind of cold calculations that had built an empire.
When Harrison finally spoke, his voice carried a finality that made Harry shiver despite the warm office air.
"Then we accelerate the timeline. The attorney problem gets resolved immediately, before she can cause more damage.
And Robert..." Harrison paused, his reflection meeting Harry's eyes in the window glass.
"Robert becomes a different kind of problem that requires a different kind of solution. One that worked for you years ago.”
“No other choice?”
"You think any of this is my preference? I'm talking about protecting an operation that generates millions of dollars annually… and not for us. For the scum you forced us to deal with." Harrison turned from the window, his face a mask of cold pragmatism.
"What if we're wrong? What if the attorney doesn't really know anything substantial?"
Harrison's grimace was the most terrifying thing Harry had ever seen. "But that's the cost of doing business in the world we’re forced to live in."
The casual brutality of it hit Harry like a physical blow. This was what they’d both become in the name of protecting their own lives. "When?" Harry asked, hating himself for asking, hating himself more for wanting to know.
"Soon." Harrison adjusted his tie, smoothed his perfect hair, transforming back into the distinguished community leader who donated to youth sports and charmed at charity galas.
"And Harry? When it happens, you'll be exactly where you need to be, doing exactly what you need to be doing to maintain your innocence. "
Harrison paused in the doorway, his silhouette framed against the afternoon light. "You started this by being careless and emotional. Don't compound your mistakes by developing a conscience now. We're in too deep to turn back."
The door closed with a soft click, leaving Harry alone in his office with the weight of what he'd set in motion. He reached for the whiskey bottle again, his hands shaking uncontrollably now as he poured another glass.
Outside, the Chesapeake Bay sparkled innocently in the afternoon sun, indifferent to the darkness that was about to engulf them all.