Blaise hung up his desk phone for the fifth time as he called to his father's office. He used his personal line and even went through the front desk hoping that someone happened to be in on an off day.

  When the meeting concluded, he made sure to lead everyone out of his building and see them off of the premises. While standing at the stairs, he scowled at Daniel from a far as he waved his hand leisurely in his direction. His eyes saw the black SUVs trail out one behind the other with Daniel's leading the pack.

     Now he sat in his office with a migraine from stress as he reached out to his dad. Rubbing a hand through his long hair, Blaise saw a few strands fall into his hands.

     " Oh, fuck." If he didn't lose his life in this business, he would lose his hair.

    Along with it would be his sanity, his own being. Why had he even followed in his father's footsteps in the first place? He couldn't think of there ever being other serious career dreams in his life. He never ruled out anything, and just drifted into the lane leading him here. He expected to manage a well to do company he thought his father had built. He wanted to make Joseph proud by keeping up with everything he had created. His father had been just a few years his junior when he opened the first Apex, that type of ambition was something Blaise looked up to.

     It disgusted him now. He didn't want any of this. Not Daniel, not the company, and with the lack of communication between he and his father, Joseph was falling on to that same list.

     When he had picked up his phone, Blaise was prepared to give Niamh a call letting her know she could return, but instead one of the many numbers he recognized belonging to his father appeared.

     " Hello?"

    "Son, you've been heckling me. What's the deal?"

     " The deal? The fucking deal is that for weeks you've been ducking me. I just so happen to miss you when you're at work, at home, near the phone.

    " Calm down."

    " I'll be calm when Daniel decides to abandon his plan to turn the country into a pit from hell."

     " There is no plan; he hasn't talked to me of it in ages. Matter of fact, he said that there was no need for me to worry of it-"

     " Because he doesn't need you anymore dad! God, are you that jaded and dense? To you yes, there is no plan because you've been written out of it."

    " You've got it wrong Blaise. I spoke with him, he listened to the dangers..."

    " Well, that seemed to amount to a pile of shit for him. You know who is taking your place? Me. Thanks for that by the way, the thought of them completely destroying the infrastructure of America is a great weight on my shoulders. I'm in this shit now. How are they getting by?!"

    " Blaise, first you need to calm yourself-"

     " Calm? That's an insult..."

    " Blaise!" Joseph's voice commanded. He looked around in the room of a home in solitude he managed to keep up with on the out skirts of town. The boxes of information before, information he came here with all intent to dispose of it now laughed in his face. Kicking one with his foot, he reeled in the urge to curse out loud as he spoke to his son.

         " This is bad dad." Blaise hoarsely said.

        " I know. I can barely even apologize it's so bad."

       " What about prison dad? We could be put away for the rest of our lives."

       " You don't have to worry...I mean..."

     " Where are you exactly? Getting ready to leave town and disappear while all of this shit goes down? You've been Daniel's bitch."

     " I am no one's-"

     " There isn't a word more fitting.  Did you know he was Niamh's father? He seems to have an interest in her now dad, I can't protect myself from him, then how am I supposed to keep him from her?  Am I supposed to tell her?"

      " That is not an option Blaise."

      " How come? She hasn't spoken to her family because of this! You're her brother's father and hers happens to be Daniel, what kind of luck those two have."

     " I've played my part in this, I do not deny it. I've sat back being a jockeyed, knowingly. It went too far Blaise, I see that now and it's too late. I don't have power to do anything much more, other than try to reverse things."

      " It's impossible. They're so much bigger than you now." Blaise laid his head in his palm as his breathing shook his chest.

     " We could figure this out Blaise. You just have to-"

    " Oh no. Don't you dare try to ask me to be a part of something of yours. Don't you think this is enough for one person?"

     " Listen to me. They've been built so high that their fall will be just as hard."

    " I love how you conveniently distance yourself from that group....Like you've never been a part of it " Blaise laughed mockingly.

    With a deep sigh, Joseph went on." I've been wrong Blaise, has that been established yet? The point has been made. Now, are you going to sit here and drill my guilt even further, or are you going to fucking hear me out so that we can make those bastards fail?"

     Blaise lifted his head at the words. Combating The Family had never crossed his mind. It always seemed that he was inevitably doomed to fall to them. How could he and his father do it alone? Joseph was insane.

      " That's some great vision don't you think?"

     " I'm no longer blinded son."

    "What? Are you going to pull some trick and kill them, hoping that this will just float on off into another part of the universe."

    " Suffocate it and bit the head off of it. We have to get around them to get to the brains of it all."

     " This sounds good and all, but I can't help but to be pessimistic."

     " Come to the home off near Cotswald. Come now." The home he had taken Niamh struck Blaise's attention. There had been something strange about it then, and he was hesitant to bring Niamh along also.

      " I'll be with Niamh. I'd have to drop her off and then come back."

    "Bring her too. We'll need her."

    " No we will not. We will not use her for anything. She has no idea."

     " She has great potential to help. I can see it in her, she'll be equipped for this."

    " She's practically broken down dad. She's emotionally paralyzed to nearly everything, and you want to include her at such a vulnerable time? No. I won't allow that."

     "Blaise."

    " No, don't call my name like that. How could you suggest this?!" He promised. He promised Niamh wouldn't go through this. Pushing their relationship to the point it is now only brought the feeling of solitude upon her. How could he abuse the important trust she had placed in him for the benefit of his father. Who knew if whatever whack plan he had would even follow through. Then she would only be put in a position for failure when it wasn't necessary.

    " Trust me on this. She's Daniel's daughter right? We could use that."

     " I'm hanging up."

    " She's no safer when she doesn't know about what's going on around her as she would be if she was in on every detail. Would you rather Daniel got to her, or that she was secure with us?"

      "I have to go....I have to call her."

     " Take me up on this Blaise."

      Ending the call, Blaise banged his fist against the wooden desk, squeezing his eyes shut tight hoping to ease the throbbing pain at his temples. When he opened them again, dark spots scattered across his vision. He pressed speed dial on his phone for Niamh.

      " Are you okay?"  Those were the first words she asked. He could hear the sounds of chairs scrapping across cement and the sound of a male in the background.

    " I am. Who is that?" He asked when muffled sounds echoed in his ears.

    " It's just Matthew."

    "Oh. Well go on and head back here. We have somewhere to go okay?"

    " Yeah." Pressing the end button, Blaise placed the phone in his pocket and headed out of the office, making sure to shut everything down while he went to wait for Niamh to arrive.

  Ooooooooooooooooooooo