16. A Grotesque Gift #2
A facial recognition software coupled with artificial intelligence.
The public knew very little about it, and they never would.
No, this was a business only the extremely wealthy could afford.
The amount of data it needed was immense.
He poured billions into developing the software.
It had been operational for a mere few weeks, and already it was on track to pay for itself in less than fourteen months.
Many of the world's wealthiest people were interested in having a twenty-four-hour, seven days a week tracker placed on whoever they wanted. All without ever needing to tag them. All it took was a picture and the system would follow them across all manner of digital media.
Some would say it was too much power for one man to have. They'd be wrong. The world was full of powerful men, and women for that matter, that wanted to watch the world burn. At least he didn't abuse his power.
He was particular about who he did business with.
But there were still thousands who were flocking to him.
Desperate to pay him exorbitant rates to track whoever they wanted.
Maybe they wanted to keep tabs on shady business contacts to get a competitive edge.
Or perhaps they wanted location alerts on their kids to keep their children safe from abduction.
Most often, his clients have wanted to monitor a spouse's activities when they are out on the town.
There were so many possibilities.
Maybe even track down run-away fiancee's. But of course, Nash wouldn't know anything about that. He smirked while idly listening to the security update. There was no need to lie. He knew exactly why he threw money at that highly invasive tech.
Because he would never let Iris go. Never. He didn't give a fuck if his investment ever turned profitable. He didn't develop it so that he could add even more zeroes to his net worth. No, he did it to find and keep her. She would never get away from him again.
The fact someone targeted that location over everything else was concerning to say the least. Arson had not been confirmed yet, but he knew. There were no other explanations. Someone was coming after him. He just needed to find out who.
Unfortunately, in his line of business, the list of his enemies was long.
A blood-curdling scream split through the air. Iris.
He stormed out of his study with rapid steps. What could cause her to scream like that? As he rushed towards the sound, the loud pounding coming from all over the house alerted him to the guards coming too.
Good.
He knew no one was inside. They couldn't be. While listening with half an ear, he had the security feed up on his computer screen. Watching her. Always watching her.
Iris was fine. She was in the sunroom opening gifts with Daisy.
Why she was bothering was a mystery. Every gift was screened through x-ray and checked for any chemicals or explosives before being allowed in the house.
They left a small sample of gifts to enhance the visual appeal of the wedding photos.
Assistants would be opening and logging all the gifts, then sending out the required thank you cards. But who was he to stop her from opening wedding gifts if that was what she wanted to do?
The scream cut off suddenly. His breath hitched in his lungs as he swung through the doorway, taking in the scene.
Iris sat on a chair, her creamy skin as white as snow. Fear made her eyes appear too big on her face. Daisy was next to her, trying to comfort her, but she too was too terrified to be much help. Their eyes were both locked on something across the room.
His eyes followed theirs and his teeth clenched when he saw the dead rabbit. Blood marred the white floors. It was a macabre sight.
He knew what this meant. This was a message. One he would be a fool to ignore. He attacked the servers to ensure that Iris was alone this morning. He wanted to make sure that his little gift would find its way to her.
Betrayal burned like acid.
Someone had intentionally placed this here, someone had doublecrossed him. His eyes glanced out the window and say Dahlia playing in the sand.
Good.
It wouldn't do for her to see this. She was a happy child. Innocent. He'd prefer she stay that way.
"Carson," the man in question stepped forward. "You're going to take Daisy and her daughter to my private airfield. Now. I want you to escort them back to Arizona immediately. Stay with them there."
"Yes, sir," he walked over to take Daisy's arm. She jerked it away with an irritated huff.
"You can't just order me to go! Iris needs me!" He turned cold eyes her way.
"Iris is my responsibility, not yours," he growled. "Your responsibility is out there, playing in the sand. Would you like to bring her in here and have a look around? Her safety should be your only priority right now. Take your daughter and go."
Daisy's mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.
"I know you care for my wife," Nash said with a voice devoid of emotion. "But staying here would do nothing but paint a target on your backs. You would be no use here either. Go."
His words had the exact effect he wanted.
Like any good mother, the safety of her child came before anything else.
Daisy looked down at Iris with a frown. Iris nodded at her, telling her with her eyes to leave.
A tear fell from Daisy's eye before she leaned down to hug her before leaving the room through the side door.
Heading straight for her daughter with Carson close on her heels.
"Thank you for protecting them," Iris murmured. Her dull voice setting him on edge. She was afraid because of his failure. He ignored her words, focusing instead on the dead rabbit. He took the note from her hand and glared at it.
He looked over at a guard. "Get me the log." The man moved towards the table where a tablet sat and he growled at him. "Not that one. The backup."
"What backup?" Confusion rippled through the men.
Nash flashed a cold, satisfied smile into the sea of guards.
At least one of these men was a traitor.
It was good to know that he was still several steps ahead of them.
He had cameras monitoring the presents at all times, along with two separate digital logs that tracked who approved each gift and who placed it on these tables.
Without answering the question, he pulled out his phone. "Bring it," he commanded Dolph, Carson's second in command.
"Right away, sir." He needed no explanation. No doubt already up to speed on what happened. Dolph was efficient like that. He walked over to the tablet, and then he leafed through it. Kneeling before the bloodied box on the floor, he peeled back the tag to look at the number on the back.
When he rose back to his full height, Dolph walked in holding the tablet. Dressed fully in black with a large scar running down the side of his face, he was an intimidating man. One reason that Nash never used him on Iris's personal detail before.
But that was all about to change. He needed to close ranks to only those he truly trusted. That list was shrinking by the day. But Dolph was one of them.
"All of you, meet me in the foyer in five minutes. I want every guard on this estate there." His words were bitter, leaving no room for arguments. Everyone filed out, and he placed the log on the table next to the other one.
It didn't take long to spot the discrepancy.
It was sloppy. His hand pulled out his phone and he pulled up the camera feed for the room.
Last night, there was a flicker on the feed during the time of the ceremony.
When everyone was busy and the house was empty.
Sloppy. With one hand he typed out a text commanding his tech genius to check the backup cameras and send the feed to him.
He raised his head and looked over at Iris. "Come on, time to go."
She was shaking, seeing her so afraid sent rage burning through him. He walked over and offered her his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not letting you out of my sight. You're safe."
IEris
Iris followed behind Nash in a daze, taking care to remain right beside him. Everything felt hazy. The house, which had felt so warm yesterday, seemed cold. Sinister, even. Knowing that he could reach her even when she was locked away behind these walls sent shivers down her spine.
Nash reached back and grabbed her hand. He gave it a tight squeeze before pressing his lips to the crown of her head.
"Don't be afraid, ma fleur." He pulled back and met her frightened eyes with his own.
"Nothing is going to happen to you. They got to you once.
It's the last fucking time they'll ever have that chance.
" His words were deep, guttural. But he wasn't a man on the edge.
No, quite the opposite. He was calm. Steady.
Her rock. "They sent a package because they knew they couldn't get close enough to do anything else. "
She leaned on him, needing his strength. She'd get hers back, but in that moment, she just needed him. And there was nothing wrong with that. Who else should she lean on then her husband?
With one last kiss to her hair, he turned and threw the door open.
It crashed back against the wall. The collision so great the drywall cracked, and the wall shook.
A vase that was sitting on a narrow table nearby toppled to the floor.
The shattering of glass was loud in the silence, and she saw more than one man jump.
If she wasn't so tense, it would have been amusing to see such burly men so ill at ease.
Nash guided her over to stand by the man he called earlier.
The scar down his face was not pretty. Jagged along the edges.
Her heart clenched seeing it. It was not something seen on someone who'd led a happy life.
The dead eyes and harsh frown only added to his sad image.
He most likely tried to go for menacing, but to Iris, all she saw was pain.