"My daughter called me crying on Easter Sunday—then her millionaire husband screamed and the line went dead."

Two broad-shouldered private security guards wearing dark suits stood outside the gatehouse, stepping onto the asphalt with raised hands as my truck approached.

I didn't slow down.

CRASH!

The reinforced steel bull-bar of my Ford F-250 smashed directly into the center latch of the iron gates, shearing the locks off in a shower of sparks. The heavy gates swung violently open as my truck roared up the winding cobblestone driveway toward the limestone manor.

The two security guards drew their sidearms, but before they could align their sights, Marcus Vance’s blacked-out Yukon pulled up, two veteran operators stepping out with non-lethal tactical suppressors, neutralizing both guards in four seconds flat.

I slammed my truck into park in front of the sweeping marble porch, stepping out into the cold rain, my SIG Sauer held at low-ready beneath my tactical jacket.

The heavy double oak front doors of the mansion were locked from the inside.

I didn't knock. I stepped back, raised my combat boot, and kicked the lock housing with three hundred pounds of explosive force.

BOOM!

The heavy door burst inward, splinters of oak showering across the grand marble foyer.

Inside, standing near the grand staircase, wearing a rumpled Italian silk shirt with blood splatters along his cuff, was Ethan Caldwell.

Standing behind him were two male orderlies wearing white scrubs from a private medical facility, holding a leather restraint harness.

Ethan’s handsome, arrogant face contorted in sudden, sweat-slicked rage when he saw me standing in his foyer.

"Richard?!" Ethan yelled, his voice cracking into a high, furious pitch. "What the hell are you doing breaking into my home?! This is private property! Get the hell out before I have my security team put you in a cage!"

I didn't answer him with words.

I stepped across the marble floorboards, my heavy combat boots echoing cleanly off the high ceilings. I grabbed Ethan by his silk collar, spinning him around, and slammed his face flat against the stone pillar beside the staircase.