CHAPTER 15 THE BAR

JARED'S POV In the leather booth, I reclined with a glass of whiskey clasped in my palm. The bar was softly lit, with occasional bursts of laughter from close tables breaking the still, quiet hum of discussion around us. The only two people in the world I trusted and who were with me were my two friends. We appeared to be any three men enjoying a drink to the untrained eye, but those who knew us well knew differently. All three of us were among the most powerful men in the nation, but I was the one at the top, the person to whom they all reported. Nicklaus and Sebastian, two of my pals, were seated across from me. The more reserved of the two, Nicklaus had calculating eyes and a three-step forward mentality. Sebastian, on the other hand, was a hot-tempered businessman who liked to take chances and had a harder edge. They were the only people I could trust and who knew how much the empire weighed on my shoulders. Nicklaus leaned forward and spoke in a serious, low voice. Saying, "The