Chapter 131: Openness

I looked at Sam and decided to be open about this."Sam... what if it's not you being targeted?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. All these incidents—the article, the hack, the guy who tried to steal my wallet on the plane—they all happened to me, not you. What if this whole inheritance thing is just a smokescreen? What if someone's trying to get to me through you?"

"Ha? But why? I mean... not to diminish your worth, but if it's about money, wouldn't I be higher on their list?"

I hesitated what to tell him. "I... I don't know. Maybe they hate people that become rich out of nowhere?" Sёarᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"I don't know about that..." Sam said. "But what I know is that we need to figure out who's behind this. And fast. What am I supposed to tell our friends? That because of me they need to hide and watch their backs? That's just...

fucked."

I sat there quietly for a bit longer.

My mind was swirling with possibilities, none of them good.

Maybe there was someone that wasn't happy with my investments? Or maybe it really was just Evelyn?

"Anyway, we need to be careful," I said finally. "If they're willing to hurt Mia, they won't hesitate to go after anyone else."

"Of course. I'll keep tightening security... Should I tell them about your theory too? If for whatever reason someone is targeting you, then we can let them check that as well."

"Okay, do it. I mean, if we're going all the way, then we should actually go all the way. Try and use everything we can to find these fuckers. Whoever it is."

I wasn't going to let whoever was behind this win.

They might think they could intimidate us or scare us into submission, but they had no idea who they were dealing with.

Whoever was behind this had made a serious mistake.

And they were going to pay for it.

I stood up, grabbing my jacket from the armchair and turned to Sam. "I'm heading to Orlando."

"To see your sister?"

"Yeah... I need to talk to her in person."

Sam nodded. "Drive carefully."

"I will," I said, already heading to the door.

I stepped outside and the guards' eyes followed as I walked back to my car.

I drove back to my house to pick up a few things.

I talked briefly with the bodyguards that I have hired, and they told me that they got a request to confirm with me if I'm willing that another security company comes into cooperation with them to assure my security.

It was Sam's security service.

Of course I agreed.

A few minutes later I entered my garage and got behind the wheel of a brand new silver Porsche Carrera GTI. It was slicing through the air even when parked. It's body was low and wide, hugging the ground.

It was a beast ready to tear up the streets.

I paid $448,000 for this beauty, and it might as well be the most expensive car I will ever buy... or maybe not.

But I didn't have the time to marvel upon it now. I peeled out of the driveway, revved the engine and drove out of Gainessvile in the direction of Orlando.

The Porsche was eating up the miles and the drive passed in the blink of an eye.

Soon the tall buildings of Orlando came into view.

I picked up my phone from the cupholder, and I called Sydney.

She answered immidiedly. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, Sydney, where are you right now?"

"Orlando, duh," she replied.

"No... I mean exactly where are you?"

There was a brief pause. "I'm at Eola Park with some friends. Why?"

"I'll be there in a minute," I said, already making the turn toward the park.

Within moments, I pulled up to the park, spotting Sydney and her friends near a bench under a large oak tree.

I parked the Porsche and stepped out, instantly drawing the eyes of Sydney's group.

It was a chilly day, and the girls were dressed for the weather in stylish jackets and well-fitting, long jeans that flared just right. Strong highlights gave their hair a splash of color.

As they checked out the silver Porsche and it's shiny curves, their chatter fell silent. One girl turned to Sydney, "Who's that?"

"My brother, Jack," Sydney said with a neutral expression.

I walked up to them. "Hey, Sydney."

"Hey, Jack! Sydney, come on—introduce us!" One of the girls quipped.

Sydney rolled her eyes, looking at her friend. "He's not a fucking celebrity. I can give him your number if you want to."

"Sorry, but I have a girlfriend." I smiled for a second but then I turned to Sydney and got to the point. "Sydney, did the police talk to you today?"

"No..." She frowned, shaking her head. "Should they?"

"Listen, we need to talk." I glanced at her friends. "Can we have a moment alone?"

Sydney hesitated, then nodded. "Sure. Guys, I'll catch up with you later."

As her friends dispersed, I led Sydney over to a quieter spot.

"Alright Jack, what the hell's going on? What's up with all this security?!" she asked, her voice panicking as she pointed frantically.

I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a car parked with a guy inside and another man walking nearby.

"There's been a situation," I began.

"A situation?" Her eyes widened in shock. "Are you kidding? I mean... fuck. Is it because of all that money? Those cars?

Did you not get all of this legally?"

"No, Sydney. Stop right there. All of that is legal. The problem is elsewhere. My friend's been receiving threats, and they've escalated. We're worried that anyone close to him—or to me—could be in danger."

"Threats?"

"His girlfriend has already been hurt, and they seem to be targeting his friends and their families. They have a picture of you, Sydney..."

Sydney froze for a moment.

"That's why I need you to be careful. At least until we figure out what's going on."

"What does that mean? What am I supposed to do?"

"That picture I told you about was taken during a party, so I'm sorry, but no more parties, Sydney" I said, seeing her bristle at the suggestion. "I'm sorry that you need to go through this Sydney, but until we know more, it's too risky. I need you to lay low; stay with people you trust."

Her face clouded over. "Jack, I can't just stop living my life..." she said with distaste.

"I know you're not," I replied, my voice softening. "But this is serious, Sydney. I'm sorry... Please, just until we know more."

She looked away, clearly frustrated, but after a moment, she sighed. "Fine. I'll be careful. But this better not last too long."

I nodded, relieved. "I promise we'll figure this out as soon as possible."

I left Sydney and walked back to my car.

When I got there and looked at my phone, I saw that I had two missed calls from "Mom".

sigh...

I knew this call was coming sooner or later.

I called her back.

"Hey, Mom," I said calmly, the moment she picked up.

"Jack," she said, her voice laced with worry, "the police were just here. They asked us a bunch of questions about you and about our family. What's going on? Why is someone doing all those awful things to your friend?"

"Mom... I can't really explain everything over the phone."

"Well, you need to explain something!" she said, her voice rising in anxiety. "They wouldn't tell us much, just that your friends girlfriend got hurt and that we could be in danger. What kind of danger, Jack? Why are we involved in this?"

My father's voice came through the line next, calm but firm. "Son, we're worried. What have you gotten into?"

I hesitated, not wanting to alarm them more than they already were. "I'll explain everything when I get there. I'm leaving Orlando now. I'll be at your place in about an hour."

"Jack, please be careful," my mom added, her voice trembling slightly. "I knew all that money couldn't bring anything good. I just knew something like this would happen…"

"Mom, we don't even know if it's about the money... I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Alright. Just get here safe."

I hung up and started the car. The drive from Orlando to my parents' house felt longer than usual...

When I finally pulled into my parents' driveway, I parked the car and took a deep breath before getting out and walking up to the front door.

My mom opened it before I could even knock, pulling me into a tight hug as soon as I stepped inside. "Thank God you're here," she murmured, holding on for a moment before letting go and stepping back to look at me. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine, Mom," I said, trying to sound reassuring as I followed her into the living room where my dad was waiting.

He gave me a nod. His face looked very serious. "Alright, Jack. What's this all about?"

I sat down on the couch, rubbing my hands together as I tried to find the right words. "It's complicated," I began, "but the short version is that Sam's been getting threats that are supposed to force him to give up his inheritance, and they're targeting everyone close to him. And because I'm involved in his business, that includes us."

"The police think it's serious enough to give everyone protection," I said. "Sam's already hired security for all of us, just as a precaution. We don't know who's behind it yet, but we're working on it."

"I knew it." My mom said, biting her fingernail "All this money, all this investing—it can't bring anything good. And now look where we are…"

My dad sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Jack... do you need anything from us?"