"So you understand exactly what happens when you cross me and the Delgados."
No one had ever dared speak to my father like that. I knew he was furious beyond measure.
"Quite the audacity." His voice was steel wrapped in ice. "Then tell Richard Delgado to sit tight and wait. Let's see if he has the nerve to accept what I'm bringing."
Hester hadn't expected her threat, delivered under the full weight of the Delgado name, to fall completely flat. My father's commanding presence rattled her, and her face turned an ugly shade of purple.
"Fine, you stubborn old bastard. Let's see how long that tough talk lasts!"
She jabbed the end-call button and hurled the phone back at me.
Her eyes locked onto mine, frigid and sharp.
"You heard every word, Elise. If your parents are too scared to show up within thirty minutes, don't blame us for what comes next."
Half an hour. There was no way Dad could make it here in person.
Even by private jet, the trip from the facility would take at least an hour.
But if Dad had said it, he already had a plan.
These people had no idea the kind of trouble they'd just invited. Truly, spectacularly stupid.