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“…since early this morning. Chivalrous Knights and Gentlemen’s Garden, both gentlemen's clubs in the upscale community of Davenport, owned by Mr. Zaire Knight, founder and CEO of The Knight Group, a leading investment firm on the East Coast and the South region, were the focal point of police investigations early this morning.

CK, as its patrons know it, burned to the ground around three A.M. Investigators are looking into whether this could be a result of arson.

His other club, the Gentlemen’s Garden, was raided in the early morning hours because of allegations of a prostitution ring being run out of there.

These are just two issues the businessman is facing.

According to our news desk, reports are just in that there is a raid being conducted at Knight Auto Sales as we speak.

This is another business under the businessman’s umbrella. Do we have any details on that, Cara?”

“No, Dale. Not at this time, but we do have news trucks on their way to that location now.”

“These mounting problems are not looking good for Mr. Knight.”

“No, Dale, they aren’t.”

“What does all this mean for the businessman? Will he be facing charges?”

“We’re not certain of that right now, but we do know that this will have a significant impact on his businesses and his reputation. All three of these businesses are in the upscale community of Davenport.”

“Well, it’s sending a message that the community doesn’t want him there any longer. Residents are outraged, and as you can imagine, with the upcoming mayoral election, it will draw significantly more attention than it normally might.”

“Indeed, Cara. Mayoral candidate Essence Hamilton has made her stand clear about criminal activities in the city of Chicora Falls. One can only imagine how she might weave the details of this into her campaign.”

“Turn that shit off,” I demand, walking out of the kitchen and into the kitchen suite.

Just beyond the island and the breakfast nook, our kitchen flows into another living room, separate from the larger one. We have a TV, a couch, a table, two armchairs, and a fireplace in this space.

I had been at the sink rinsing vegetables for our lunch when the news report came on about Zaire’s businesses.

“Leigh—”

“I said turn it off!” I snap. “I can’t take any more bad news.”

Riley powers the TV off and turns sideways on the couch to face me on the other side.

“Honey, you have to calm down.”

My hands tremble, and tears prick my eyes as I shake my head.

“I haven’t spoken with him since earlier this morning,” I say.

“He’ll call. He promised that he would,” Riley asserts.

“What if he . . .”

“Don’t.” Riley stands and walks toward me.

She pulls me into a hug. “Shhh . . . he’s not being arrested. They didn’t say anything on the news like that. They would have told us if that happened.”

“What if that hasn’t been released yet, Rye?”

“Honey, you have to calm down. Stay cool for Zaire. He doesn’t need you like this. You’ve always been so calm and in control when it comes to him facing troubles, and this isn’t the first time. You need to remain that way now.”

“I can’t. I don’t understand what’s happening, Riley,” I cry.

“You’re on edge because of what happened to you. Maybe when this is over, you should talk to a therapist.”

I quickly shake my head.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of or afraid of. It will help you.”

Pulling back and holding her hands, I look at my sister and say, “Only if you do.”

She glances away from me for several seconds before turning back to me and nodding. “Okay. I will.”

Hope blossoms in my heart but then worry rises again as I think about how I haven’t heard from Zaire.

“This is just what Zaire said it is, Leigh. An attack from someone trying to take his empire down. He has a lock on this city, and someone doesn’t like it.

I just think it’s awfully ironic that it’s happening at the same time that Essence is running for mayor.

Shit was running smoothly before she stepped back into the spotlight. ”

“You’re right,” I say, walking around the couch to take a seat.

My sister comes and sits beside me.

“All of this just to keep his father in jail. I don’t know, Leigh. I think there’s more to the story than we know.”

Shrugging, I say, “It could be. But if it is, Zaire doesn’t know what it is.”

My sister smiles and stares at me for several seconds before turning around and placing her hands on her knees.

“Thanks for letting me stay here too. I know that has to be added pressure on you all with everything that’s going on. I’m planning to return home tomorrow.”

“No. There’s no rush. Besides, we were prepared for you to be here. And now, with everything that’s happening, with the baby on the way, it’s more important than ever for you to be here so that you can be safe. We have no idea where these attacks are coming from.”

“Well, Mama and Daddy will be home tomorrow. We need to go check on them,” Riley suggests.

“We do, but we also need to put a team in place for them, as well.”

“You think so? This is about Zaire, not our family.”

“He’s taught me to trust nothing, Riley.

And I’ve found that he’s always right. People know that he loves his family, and while they may not know every part of his family, they are aware of the boys and me.

As an extension of that, they know about the members of my family.

We haven’t hidden away from the world and been sheltered the way that his family has. ”

Nodding, she agrees. “I guess you’re right. Still, it’s scary to imagine that we could walk out of the house tomorrow, and someone might snatch one of us up because we’re linked to him no matter how distantly.”

“This could have easily been me caught up in this bullshit, Rye.”

“What are you talking about?”

“They mentioned the used car lot, saying that was another business that he owns. Although most people don’t know who owns Reed Used Cars, if that were common knowledge, those people could have come after me too.

Zaire bought that car lot for me and put it in my name, not just in the title, but ownership as well.

Reed happens to be a common last name, so they may not have associated it with me but with someone else.

All I’m saying is they could have set me up had that been common knowledge. ”

“This does all seem so personal. Do you think they’d come after you, though?”

“To get to Zaire? Absolutely. Whoever is doing this isn’t caring, and they’re trying to hurt him in all the ways that matter. Kidnapping me was just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t think that they’re finished yet, and who knows what’s next.”

“Or maybe they did know that you’re the owner and felt that you suffered enough.”

“No, I doubt that. When enemies come after you, they don’t give a shit how they hurt you, and they don’t have mercy on certain areas of your life. I honestly believe that if they had a chance to, they would have killed me.”

“Then why didn’t they?”

“They were waiting on orders. The order didn’t come quick enough, I guess.”

Sighing, I drop my head back and close my eyes.

“I just want my life back, Rye. I want us to be happy and healthy, and everything to be going well.”

“And it will be. Patience is what Daddy always preached when things became overwhelming.”

“Thanks for being here for me, little sister.”

“No place I’d rather be than with you, big sister."

She leans in, kisses my cheek, and then rests her head on my shoulder, reminding me of how important our sisterly bond is.

God, how I miss my man.