Dear Father

Dear Father
Joseph 

“Sandra? Sunshine? Hello?” I yelled into the phone. She wouldn't answer. I heard something, but she didn't answer. I hung up the phone. Maybe she accidentally called me carrying her phone around the room. Just to be sure, I asked Seven to go inside the room, call her name, and check on her. Something stirred inside me. Something that I couldn’t shake, so I had to be sure. Seven returned a moment later, his face pale and tense, and my gut dropped before he even opened his mouth. “She’s not in the room, boss. The guards outside the house didn’t see anyone leave, but the windows open. There wasn’t a soul in the hall. No one went through the door. I was standing guard.” The words clanged through me, igniting a surge of panic and rage that threatened to override every rational thought. I moved fast, barking orders to lock down the house, alert the brothers, and check every camera, every shadow, every possible breach. The possibility that the Dragon, or someone working for him, had infiltrated our haven was a realization colder and sharper than steel. I refused to let fear immobilize me; instead, my mind went into overdrive, piecing together every detail, every weakness, every clue that could lead me to Sandra. My Sunshine had been taken from me, and as the Brotherhood sprang into action around me, I swore that I would burn the world to the ground to bring her back. The lines between legend and reality had dissolved; now there was only the mission, the hunt, and the promise I would keep at any cost. I will marry her in two days. I would make sure she was safe, happy, and loved.  

Jay, Henry, Zeus, and even Seven were raging outside in the hallway. Jay looked over at me. “Brother, there is no way she just went quietly. Jackson and I have been working with her for a while now. Jackson taught her a lot before he died, and I have worked with her since. Self-defense. She would have fought back, and hard. She is quick and strong.” I nodded. He was right. No struggle made no sense. “Have someone search the room from top to bottom. She had to be drugged or knocked unconscious.” I looked around, “and get Sophia down here.” Henry said he would go and get Sophia, and Seven took some men to search the room again. Jay went out to check with all the men outside and investigate everything he could from there. Zeus and I followed Seven to the bedroom. 

While Seven meticulously searched the room, Henry finally returned with Sophia, whose eyes were wide with worry and confusion. She hurried in, glancing from the rumpled bed to the empty shower stall. “What happened?” She asked, her voice trembling. Henry quickly filled her in, and as he did, Sophia’s gaze landed on the partially used bottle of body wash perched on the edge of the tub. She frowned and picked it up, twisting the cap and sniffing it with a puzzled expression. “This isn’t the body wash they usually put out for Sandra,” she murmured, turning the bottle in her hands. “It was dropped off yesterday with a little ribbon around it. I thought someone had left it as a gift. The maid said she assumed it came from one of the family, so she set it in the shower for Sandra.” Just then, the maid was brought into the room, looking uneasy. The guard told me the maid had some information for me. The maid had tears streaming down her cheeks. She placed her head in her hands and spoke up, "I wanted to let you know, A young woman who works on the wedding stopped by yesterday. She's the one who handed me the bottle, said it was a special gift for Sandra from your family.” There was a pause as realization dawned on Sophia's face. "Wait… Joseph, your new 'sister', Rachele, she was the one who brought it.” Sophia looked at the maid for confirmation. “It was the woman who makes the dress.” She put her head down after replying to Sophia. The maid wouldn't know she was supposed to be my sister. “That’s enough. You are fired. Get her the fuck out of here.” I yelled at the woman. She should have never placed anything in my Sandra’s bathroom without asking, or having it checked out. “Fired? Sir?” I turned towards the maid again, my eyes cold and angry, “You are lucky to be walking out of here at all.” My voice was deep and dangerous. Seven told one of the guards to escort her off the premises. “If you come back, I will watch you go up in Smoke.” I mumbled, turning back towards the others. “What the fuck did they do to her Zeus?” 

Zeus’s eyes narrowed as he took the bottle from Sophia, telling her to wash her hands immediately. Careful not to touch any of the suds on the outside of the bottle, he reached the bottle to Seven. “Get this tested. Now. If Sandra was drugged, this is how they did it.” The room filled with a heavy silence as the implications settled in. Sophia’s hands shook as she whispered openly sobbing, “I’m so sorry. I thought it was just a thoughtful gesture. I should have checked.” Joseph clenched his fists, rage, and guilt warring inside him. "Sophia, I am trying not to ruin a long-standing relationship here. Walk out of here. We will update you when we find something.” Sophia nodded, placed her hand on my shoulder, and walked out. I tensed immediately at her touch. She didn't know. It wasn’t her fault. No one but my inner circle knows the severity of what is happening. I should have told Hector and Sophia. They have been so close lately. I didn't. This is my fault. My beautiful woman cannot catch a break, and it is entirely my fault. They don't know about Dragon, but they are going to.  

I looked at Zeus and the others and told them I wanted a full meeting as soon as possible. Everyone was to attend, in the Gardens. Zeus nodded and headed out with his phone already out and calling. “The leaders will need to be here by noon, and whoever they want to bring with them as help. The boys working here, in the city with Hector, will all attend. We are going to Smoke this Dragon out and get my future wife back. “I yelled after him and he nodded as he walked out into the hall. Guards walked around, fingerprinting everything and looking for DNA. One of the men walked up to me and stood face to face with me at attention. “Yes?” I asked, knowing he was waiting for me to tell him it was okay to talk to me. “We didn't find any traces of the person who took Ms. Sunshine, Boss, but We do believe we know how no one saw them.” He looked at me again, hands to his side. “So fucking tell me.” I was getting impatient with protocol. “There are hook marks here at the top of the window. We think they used a grappling tool, climbed from the roof of the building beside us, and then crossed from up here straight to the roof over there.” What he was saying sounded insane. A grappling hook? “Who does this fuck have working for him? The Navy Seals?” I slammed my whiskey glass down, shattering it into pieces. Seven walked up to me with more reports, followed by Jay.  “Hey brother, let me see your hand.” I looked down, not noticing the blood dripping on the broken glass. “Seven, find someone to clean this up.” He ordered, sitting me down and looking for my first aide bag. “No one comes inside this room except Ms. Jones from this moment on. Let them know and let her know I will increase her pay.” Jay cleaned up my hand and Seven filled me in on the reports. Jay then agreed that the grappling hook made sense. They drugged her and took her out the window, sliding across the chord like a zipline and escaping in broad daylight. He almost sounded impressed but was careful to hide it. He was clearly a mess about Sandra, so I let it go.  

As Seven and Jay finished giving me reports, I stared at the bandages on my hand. A sudden gust of wind rattled the window, just enough to make us all pause, a silent challenge from the world outside. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed, echoing through the city’s concrete maze. I stared at the crimson stain on my palm, wondering if it was a warning or a promise. The Dragon had struck his first blow, but the game was far from over. As the Brotherhood regrouped and the garden filled with the first shuffling feet of our allies, I realized we were no longer hunting ghosts. We were locked in a battle with a legend—and the next move would be ours. The clock was ticking. 

And somewhere in the shadows, Sandra waited. The Dragon, my father, had made a huge mistake by taking her from me. He wants a battle, but he declared war, and now hellfire is coming for him.