When Nora didn't come back, I released mom and lowered her into the seat, fearful she might fall. I left her with a promise to return and rushed to the front to see what was going on. Nora stood on the porch talking to three large men in black suits, white shirts, black ties, and shades. Despite the differences in skin tone and nationalities, they appeared cut from the same cookie cutter mold. I wouldn't have been surprised if they all played linebackers in college.

"Nora, is everything okay?" I asked, watching for their reactions.

"These men say they work for Holangi Kim-Jones. Apparently, she wants to see me."

I studied the big men and the cars parked in front of my house.

"They sure don't look like Jones-Eternal Labs staff," I said, stepping in front of Nora and nudging her toward the door.

"Ma'am, due to recent security threats to company personnel, Mrs. Kim-Jones has hired the Iron Bear Security Firm to assist in matters of personal security."

"So you guys are security?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well they definitely have the bear part right," Nora added.

We both laughed. One of the men struggled to keep a straight face. The others showed no emotion.

"Mrs. Kim-Jones sent you bears to collect Nora?"

"Yes, ma'am. We-"

His chest started buzzing. He pulled out a smartphone and answered. He nodded vigorously.

"Yes, ma'am." he handed the phone to Nora.

"Hello?" she looked at me, as confused as I felt. "Yes. Ummm... yes. Of course. Can I bring someone with me? Thank you so much, ma'am."

Ma'am? Nora didn't even call our mother ma'am. She wasn't a ma'am kind of woman. She ended the call and gave the phone back to the bear.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Holangi Kim-Jones. She's inviting me to meet with her. Says it's about Ulysses and the baby."

We exchanged a look. She was just as uncomfortable as I was.

"Give us a few minutes to freshen-up, big guy?" she said, pulling me into the house.

We rode in two cars. Nora, myself, and the head bear in the lead car. The other two in the car behind us. Nora felt like a celebrity or a diplomat. I felt a bit like a prisoner again. I'd studied the men after I spoke to mom and changed into my own clothes. They felt nothing like the strange doctors. They were just really beefy guys. It didn't change anything. Whether drugged and tied to a hospital bed or surrounded by men who outweighed me by a few hundred pounds, I was at someone else's mercy.

We drove further away from the city, taking the turnpike for most of the trip. I didn't get a chance to see the exit and the driver kept assuring us we were almost there. Needless to say, I was feeling apprehensive.

"Hey, big bear, what's your name," Nora asked.

He turned, lowering his shades with a smirk.

"Robert. Robert T., ma'am."

"Roberty? That is not what I expected."

I shook my head. I'd seen it many times before. First she lured them in...

"Robert Towers."

"That, you do," Nora purred.

Robert darkened under the collar. The driver chuckled as he switched lanes and took the next exit. Robert sent Nora furtive looks as we drove down an empty stretch of Highway.

...once lured in, she snagged them in her net.

On either side of us were row after row of headstones. Flattened land, dotted with graves. A massive cemetery dominated the landscape. A chill swept over me, blossoming goose flesh along my arm. I didn't like it, but Nora was too busy flirting with Robert to notice.

Staring out at the sea of graves, I noticed wisps flitting about. They might have been my imagination, but there was a sense of personality about them. The word ghost came to mind, yet seemed too broad and too vague.

As we turned off the main road and through the cemetery entrance, my hairs stood on end. I grabbed Nora's hand and squeezed.

"What's up, Nikki?" she whispered. "You... okay..." Her eyes took in our surroundings. "What the fuck."

"Robert, where are you taking us?" I demanded.

"To see Mrs. Kim-Jones."

"This is a fucking graveyard," Nora said, stating the obvious and taking the words right out of my mouth.

"I know."

Staring at Robert Towers, my focus narrowed and suddenly I saw him lying in blood stained dirt. He reached for his phone and a huge blue hand grabbed his head and crushed it like a ripe melon. With a gasp I returned to the present.

"Nikki?"

"I'm okay," I lied. I'd just witnessed a man's last moments.

"Ladies, calm down. There is no need to panic."

"This. Is. A. Fucking. Graveyard. Robert." Nora had a way with words.

The driver took us deep into the cemetery past endless rows of wellkept tombstones. Eventually the tombstones gave way to beautiful mausoleums surrounded by picturesque trees and professionally trimmed grass. Each structure bore a family name, many familiar as prominent business and celebrity bloodlines. We pulled to a stop in front of one such mausoleum, the name Jones carved in marble. More members of Iron Bear stood outside. There were women among them, as large and imposing as their male counterparts.

Robert got out and opened the door for Nora.

"Mrs. Kim-Jones is waiting for you inside."

She looked back at me, and, though she didn't say anything, I knew she was nervous. So was I. I climbed out after her, but Robert was already leading her through the entrance. One of the bears stepped into my path.

"Mrs. Kim-Jones requested that she not be disturbed," he said.

"I'm with her," I said pointing at Nora's back, even as she disappeared from view.

"Ma'am, I-"

"Nora!" I called, my anxiety going through the roof.

"Ma'am-"

I pushed past him and the bodyguard fell to the floor, the air knocked from his lungs. He moaned and rubbed his chest. The others all raised surprised eyebrows, one wide-eyed woman removed her shades.

"You okay, Boon?" she asked, amused.

I didn't wait for his answer.

Rushing into the Jones mausoleum, I turned the corner and bumped into Robert. He raised a finger to his lips and gestured for me to continue down the hall. I could hear the CEO of Jones-Eternal Labs speaking, her voice as rich as it was when she spoke to cameras. I stopped at the corner, not wanting to interrupt.

"I know we have never met, Ms. Baccus, but I have been watching you closely," she said.

"Me?" Nora's voice sounded small.

"Yes, you. From the moment my son showed interest, I set my investigators to work. My family is extremely wealthy. It draws the attention of people interested in taking advantage of us. Ulysses especially."

"I had no ulterior motives when it came to Ulee. We'd clicked in a way I'd never..." Nora's voice trailed off.

"My son felt the same way. He spoke of you with great fondness."

"He did?"

"We spoke often. When his father passed away, I took on his responsibilities as head of our family. I left Korea, bringing with me my family's fortune. Ulysses' father, Grant Jones III, had amassed a large estate of his own. When we married, it was in part to start our own dynasty. Unfortunately, my first pregnancy left my womb too damaged to carry another child. Ulysses was our only heir... we were close"

I peered around the corner and watched Holangi sit beside Nora on a marble bench looking upon a wall bearing two name plaques.

"I placed his ashes beside his father's."

"His funeral service was beautiful," Nora said, her voice heavy with emotion.

I had no idea Nora and Director Jones had become so close. Part of me assumed Nathan was the result of a fling or maybe a one night stand, but I knew my sister. She wasn't the type to shed tears for just anyone. She loved him. Realizing that made his death even more painful. The two sat in silence for a while.

"Thank you for allowing me to see where his remains are being held. I truly appreciate it... but why am I here?"

"My son's child."

"Your... what?"

"As I said, my investigators have been hard at work."

"Look," Nora jumped to her feet, "I don't know what you think you know, but I'm not going to stand for some rich bitch trying to take my baby. With all due respect, I will fuck you up, Mrs. Kim-Jones."

Robert and I looked at each other, neither one of us sure how to react. For Mrs. Kim-Jone's part, she merely started laughing.

"That is exactly the kind of fire I'd hoped to find." The CEO stood, and I feared Nora would punch her, but my sister kept her composure. "I was always extremely selective about who I allowed my son to date. When he asked my permission to propose, I gave him my blessing because I saw something in you."

"He what?" I blurted. I was too surprised by my own outburst to hide.

Spotted, I stepped out so Mrs. Kim-Jones could see me. She was shorter than Nora with silver-gray hair and crows feet pulling at the corners of her half-moon eyes. She looked young for a woman in her mid-sixties, with strong features and surprisingly smooth skin. Her brown eyes studied me as I walked to Nora's side.

"I... I don't understand this," she whispered, hints of her accent breaking through her practiced speech. "Everyone at the lab has been labelled missing and presumed dead. How... how are you here?" She stepped forward and touched my arm, a tentative brush as if afraid she were seeing a ghost. She said something in Korean that sounded a lot like a prayer. "Nykia Baccus, how is this possible?"

"I don't know," I said.

She looked from the plaque bearing her son's name back to me.

"Is... have you... My son. Is my son with you?"

My chest tightened. The desperation in her voice, the look in her eyes. To see such a strong and powerful woman so vulnerable was painful.

"No. There's only me."