REESE

chapter thirty.

Third Person POV:

"Please state your name."

"Carver Rutherford."

"Please stand by for a retinal scan.... Carver Rutherford identified. Welcome back to the R.V estate Mr. Rutherford."

A small smile played on Carver's lips as he watched the heavy black iron gates that served as the entrance to Reese's estate slowly open. They opened outwards just as the three armed guards standing behind them moved out of the way; finally providing the opportunity for the English heir to drive forward. It didn't matter how many times Carver went through the process of entering Reese's property, it didn't matter that the security guards now recognized his cars, he was still subject to the screenings and biometrics that were mandatory for anyone who wanted to enter.

One could think that the security that surrounded Reese's estate was borderline comical. Her property was in the middle of nowhere, masked behind huge pine trees that served as an invisibility shield as well as a security barrier, but the natural safety didn't seem to satisfy the American heir. You couldn't take a step onto her property, that seemed to stretch on for acres, without triggering sensors and alerting her security systems you were near the premises. If you wanted to get in, you would first have to be approved by her security team, then go through biometrics with her artificial intelligence systems and then pass her heavily guarded gates.

It would seem extreme to anyone until they figured out just what exactly the young prodigy housed inside.

Carver was no stranger to hearing the complaints that came from being subjected to Reese's security measures. It was a recurring topic between Eli, Raf, and Simon that friends and family should be excused from going through security checks of such weighted standard, but Reese always dismissed the complaints. "You'll get it one day," she would say to the heirs, and they would grumble in response. Carver never really thought twice about it until now. As he slowly drove up the extended driveway that led to her main doors, the epiphany of what the American heir was trying to teach her friends hit him clearly.

There are always wolves hidden in sheep's clothing, friends and family are not exempt from security measures that will only serve to keep everyone safe.

Carver knew if the English Mafia had held their security to the same standard the American's did, they would not be having the loyalty problem they had now. If word got out that the head Capo of the English empire was secretly working against said empire, then anarchy would be quick to ensue. Right now, the issue was temporarily contained but somehow Morrison caught wind that the English leaders were looking for him. So, as of right now, Benjamin Morrison was at large.

Almost twelve years ago, Morrison had been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to stand by Stephen Rutherford's side as one of the head Capos of the English mafia. Morrison accepted the role wholeheartedly and remained by the family's side for years. He watched Carver grow up, he had a designated spot at the Rutherford family dinner table, he was one of Stephen's most trustworthy accomplices, and he held Natalie Rutherford's hand while he promised her that he would do everything in his power to find her missing son. If you had asked Carver two weeks ago if he considered Benjamin family, his answer would have been one without doubt.

Yes. Benjamin Morrison was family.

But lessons are only learned through experiences. Carver had only now learned that giving someone the salient title of being a 'family member' isn't always wholly definitive. Family was not set into stone, Reese Vanderbilt knew that very well, and under unfortunate circumstances Carver had now figured it out as well.

Ever since the emergency meeting that took place a week and a half ago, commenced. Carver and Stephen had been monitoring their mafia with an intensity they hadn't ever displayed before. They had already created a list of possible members that had betrayed the empire, all they had to do was find Morrison and detain all the suspects together. Reese had offered her hand in helping to interrogate the accused in order to accumulate as much information they could about the people that had a supposed vendetta against the English-American-Italian alliance. But before the interrogations could commence, they had to find Morrison first, and so far the search had only come up empty.