the heart of Dynasty. Without this, we hold no power. From here, we’re able to control every missile launcher across the globe, we can control governments, the stock market, everything is ours with just the touch of a button. This right here is where your criminal record vanished into thin air.”
I gape at it all, my mind reeling with the information. This room is an accident waiting to happen. More than that, it’s a fucking cyber weapon, and under the control of someone with less than pure intentions, this equipment could mean disaster. “But … why? Why does anybody want that kind of power? What if leadership fell into the wrong hands? The whole world could be destroyed with just the click of a button.”
“That is exactly the reason why we have a council. Your role is not to be taken lightly. There are members of Dynasty who are only looking out for themselves. They want to see their own success, want to see how far they can push the limits—”
“People like Royston Carver.”
“Exactly,” he says with a firm nod. “If leadership was to fall into the hands of someone like that ... Christ be with us.”
“It’s really that bad?” I ask, looking up at him. “Dynasty really holds all that power?”
“It does. It wasn’t like this at first,” he tells me, ushering me back toward the door and locking it behind him. “Your grandfather, Gerald Ravenwood, built the foundations of Dynasty, but it was your father in his younger years who truly made it what it is today, and once he was satisfied with it, he took a step back to watch it flourish.”
“But that wasn’t enough for others,” I commented. “They wanted more.”
Tobias gives me a tight smile. “Sometimes perfect just isn’t enough.”
Damn. Why does that one little comment speak right to my soul?
We continue our tour and Tobias leads me to another room filled with filing cabinets. “This room is self-explanatory. Everything you will ever need to find is in here, filed in alphabetical order,” he tells me. “But don’t be fooled, it’s a lot bigger than you think. This room goes on for nearly a mile. What you’re seeing here is just the ‘A’s’. There’s a false wall between each letter just to make things a little easier.”
My mouth drops as I stare at the massive filing room. “Who the hell is responsible for doing the filing?” I ask, instantly wondering if I have the power to give the poor fucker a pay raise. I mean, what kind of bullshit crime would someone have to commit to be dumped with that job?
“Some of the children like to volunteer,” Tobias tells me. “It’s their way of earning a bit of pocket money, not that they really need it. For the most part, we like to play it smart and keep it for those who require a bit of … downtime.”
“In other words, it’s used as a punishment.”
Tobias gives me a weak smile. “I guess you could put it that way.”
I scoff. “I bet King, Cruz, Grayson, and Carver have spent many hours down here.”
A real belly laugh comes tearing out of Tobias as he steps back and pulls the door closed. “Oh, believe me, by now, those boys would know every little square inch of the filing rooms. I bet they could tell you exactly how many bricks make up each room.” I can’t help but laugh and find myself looking up at him as a fond smile settles across his face. “You know, your father and I used to spend a lot of time down here too.”
“Oh, really?” I smile.
“Sure did, we were known to get into a bit of mischief ourselves as young ones,” he tells me, the fondness in his tone unmistakable. “It’s a real shame he’s gone. I had many great years with him.”
“I bet. I’m just sad that I never got a chance to know him. I bet he would have made a great father,” I murmur, wondering why the hell I chose now to be so vulnerable. Yet the second I started, I couldn’t stop. “The life I could have had here … it would have been amazing. I would have grown up alongside the boys and I wouldn’t have felt lost like this. I would have had a real home … a real family.”
“Your parents would be proud of the young woman you’ve become,” he says, letting out a heavy sigh. “You know, I never suspected that fire was an