"We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Zakhrov," said the IRS agent, a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense demeanor.
"Let me guess, an anonymous tip-off?" asked Ivan, as he and Annette sat in the living room.
"Not so anonymous in our case Mr. Zakhrov, we were able to trace the tip to the Clarke estate," said the agent.
"Senator Sarah Clarke? But why? I'm a proud supporter! I've donated to her campaign!" exclaimed Annette.
"Well, I was pulled over by CPS on a tip that I was illegally holding a minor against her will. I suppose this is her way of doing a background check on me," growled Ivan.
"Well, regardless of her reasons, everything checks out. Your tax records are in order, and we have no reason to believe that you are involved in any illegal activities," said the agent, standing up.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Zakhrov. We'll be on our way now," she said, shaking Ivan's hand.
"Thank you for your understanding," said Ivan, as the IRS agents left the house.
"Ivan Zakhrov, just who is Daisy Eddington that we've had visits from the IRS and CPS in one day?" asked Annette, her voice trembling with anger.
"A victim of abuse and bullying, Annette. And somebody who needs our help," said Ivan, his voice firm.
"I don't like what you're implying, Ivan. Are you saying that a senator who is an advocate for women's and minorities' rights is abusing her own employees?" asked Annette, her voice rising.
"All I know is that Daisy came to me for help! And I'm not going to turn her away until she rescinds her request," said Ivan.
"Fine, but you better know what you're doing, Ivan. I'll not tolerate the besmirching of Sarah Clarke," warned Annette.
----
"Wow Aaron, you sure pick things up quickly," marveled Daisy staring at the bullet holes clustered in the center mass and head of Aaron's target paper.
"Well, I seem to do better with this rifle rather than handguns," said Aaron holding a Kalashnikov SR-1.
"Well. I do think that rifle suits you better. What do you think? Do I look badass with this pistol?" asked Daisy posing with the Sig-Sauer P226 Equinox 9 mm pistol she was practicing with.
"Well yes, you look beautiful and dangerous," said Aaron, as Daisy blushed.
"And I must say you look very gangster like with that mean looking rifle," she told Aaron.
"Those were stationary targets. Let's see how you kids do with moving ones," chuckled Sergeant Rodriguez, the instructor at the shooting range.
"All right Mr. Rodriguez we're ready," said Aaron, taking aim with his rifle.
Rodriguez activated the skeet shooting machine, and Daisy and Aaron took turns in trying to shoot the ceramic discs down.
Daisy braced herself and fired her 9 mm pistol shooting down the discs one after another. She missed a few, but still managed to get an impressive score.
Aaron racked up an impressive score as well, even taking into account the semi-automatic and anti-recoil features of his rifle.
"Very good. You both have excellent aim," said Sergeant Rodriguez.
Daisy beamed with pleasure at Sergeant Rodriguez's praise. "Thank you sir," she said.
"Well I must admit I was reluctant to bring you two here, but it looks like you both know how to handle guns responsibly," said Ivan.
"Mr. Zakhrov, can I speak to you for a moment?" asked Sergeant Rodriguez, beckoning Ivan aside.
"Of course, Sergeant," said Ivan, following him to a quieter corner of the shooting range.
"I'm frankly a little worried about Aaron. He's excellent with that rifle, and I don't think it's just because of the anti-recoil features," said Sergeant Rodriguez.
"Don't worry, Sergeant. I don't have any guns in my house, and I don't plan to get any," said Ivan firmly.
"That's good to hear. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of the potential risks. I did a couple of tours in Syria, and I've seen child soldiers. The scary part is Aaron's way better than they were," said Sergeant Rodriguez, his voice low.
"I understand, Sergeant. I will keep a close eye on him," said Ivan, his voice serious.
"Good. I don't want to scare you, but just be safe and careful," said Sergeant Rodriguez, clapping Ivan on the shoulder.
----
"So Natasha, do you have anything to report?" asked Sarah Clarke.
"It appears that the rumors about Aaron Zakhrov and his family are just that. Rumors. From my investigations he is a normal, albeit socially awkward boy." said Natasha.
Sarah's mouth twitched in annoyance. "And his newly acquired marksmanship and driving skills are not a cause for concern?" she asked.
Natasha remained calm. She knew Sarah had a backup PI tailing her to make sure she couldn't hide information.
"No they are not. He is still a minor and cannot obtain access to firearms or vehicles without parental consent. His parents are both cautious and strictly control the access to such activities," she said.
"I see, and my Emily's claims -" began Sarah, but Natasha coldly cut her off.
"Emily's claims come from a place of envy. Daisy is not being abused or exploited, in fact, she is well cared for, and has achieved remarkable growth over the winter break." said Natasha, her voice firm.
Sarah's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Very well, continue to investigate," she snapped, tossing Natasha an envelope full of cash.
Natasha picked up the envelope, nodded and left the office.
----
Daisy quickly checked herself in the school's bathroom mirror.
"Maybe I should start wearing eyeliner or mascara," she mused, batting here eyelashes in the mirror.
The bathroom door slammed shut, and Daisy jumped, turning to see Emily inside the bathroom, her face twisted in rage.
Daisy tensed, preparing for the worst.
With a snarl, Emily launched herself at Daisy.
Unfortunately for Emily, Daisy had been taking self-defense classes, and had anticipated the attack.
She leapt to the side, barely dodging Emily's hands aimed for her throat.
Emily's momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled past Daisy, crashing into the bathroom sink.
Daisy quickly pressed her advantage, and smashed her fist into the small of Emily's back.
Emily cried out in pain, and collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
Daisy kicked Emily in the stomach, causing her to double over, and start to cry.
"Stay away from me, Emily! I won't let you bully me anymore!" growled Daisy, leaving a sobbing Emily on the bathroom floor.
----
"The award for best improving student in the 9th grade goes to Daisy Eddington!" announced Vice Principal Catherine Cormac, to polite applause in the cavernous auditorium of St. Ignatius Academy.
Daisy walked confidently up to the dais and gratefully accepted the shining gold medal and rolled up certificate.
"Congratulations my dear you've earned it" said Catherine in a low voice as Daisy politely curtsied and left the stage.
Unbeknownst to Catherine and Daisy, Sarah Clarke was looking at Daisy with a very ugly expression, and her fists clenched.
----
Michael Eddington lay quivering on the cold concrete floor of a basement. His naked body covered with welts and bruises. Sarah Clarke stood over him with a thick, mean-looking leather bullwhip in her hands. "Let this be a lesson to you. My Emily does not get upstaged by the daughter of a filthy limey servant! Know your place!" she spat in cold fury, unleashing another barrage of lashes on him. Michael's screams of agony echoed futilely around the concrete basement.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah finally got tired of whipping him and left him bleeding and quivering on the floor.
Michael painfully staggered to his feet and stumbled for the basement door.
"Need to get out of here," he panted, fumbling for the latch.
----
Aaron, Ivan and Daisy were just getting ready to drop Daisy off at the Clarke estate, when a large black limousine pulled up in front of the house.
The rear door opened and Michael staggered out, supported by his wife Linda.
"Mom! Dad! Is everything OK?" asked Daisy in concern. Michael was limping, and shivering. His butler uniform was hanging in shreds, and stained with blood.
"I-Inside! I'll explain inside," panted Michael. With Ivan's and Linda's support he staggered into the house.
----
"Those girls are evil!" said Daisy, struggling to hold back tears at the sight of her father covered in welts and bruises.
"We need to call the police!" said Ivan, his face pale with shock.
"No! No police! They will just make things worse!" gasped Michael, clutching his stomach.
"What do you mean?" asked Daisy, her voice trembling.
"Sarah has them in her pocket," said Michael hoarsely.
Feeling powerless, Ivan called Father Abel who came immediately along with a friend of his who was a lawyer.
"I'm afraid this employment contract is pretty well-designed. While it is certainly possible to fight it in court, it will be a very long and very expensive process," said Andre Esposito, Father Abel's lawyer friend.
"If I didn't have crippling debt, I would have left as soon as Emily started bullying poor Daisy," gasped Michael as Father Abel dressed his bleeding wounds with a first-aid kit.
Andre's eyes lit up. "I think I have an idea, we deport you, and you can start with a clean slate while Sarah gets stuck with paying off your debts," he said.
"Deported? But I'm an American citizen!" said Michael wincing as Father Abel applied antiseptic on an open welt.
"I have a friend in ICE who can make arrange for your citizenship to be revoked, and you to be deported. We stick you on a plane to England, and you'll be able to start fresh. Unfortunately, that would also mean you would be declared a persona non grata and be banned from entering the US," he explained.
"Does that apply to just me or to my entire family?" asked Michael.
Andre's face fell and looked sadly at Aaron and Daisy. "Unfortunately that means your family as well, at least until Daisy turns 18," he said.
Tears welled up in Daisy's eyes as she processed this information.
"Can you apply it to just me and Linda? Daisy was born here. With us out of the picture Daisy can stay here and finish her education without worrying about us," said Michael.
Linda nodded. "It doesn't matter where we are as long as Daisy is safe and protected," she said.
But Daisy shook her head. "I hate this! I hate Sarah and Emily! Why do they want to destroy my family like this?" she wailed.
Michael and Linda hugged Daisy tightly. "It's my fault Daisy. I led our family to ruin with my bad investments. If I hadn't been so carried away by the cryptocurrency boom, we would have been safe, happy and comfortable," sobbed Michael.
"I'm at fault as well. I thought working for Senator Clarke was a wonderful opportunity, and I foolishly asked her to help us. If only I knew what a horrible witch she was!" cried Linda.
"I hate to break this up, but blaming yourselves is not going to help right now," said Father Abel firmly.
He laid a gentle hand on Daisy.
"Daisy, what would you like to do? Do you want to stay here with Ivan and Aaron, or do you want to go back to England with your parents? It is a horrible thing to ask of you, believe me I know. But the fact is your parents are not safe here," he said gently.
Daisy took a deep breath, dried her eyes and looked at Father Abel with renewed resolve.
"They are my family. They have already made too many sacrifices for my happiness. I'll go with them," she said firmly.
She turned to Aaron and Ivan. "Thank you both for everything. I mean it from the bottom of my heart," she said tears welling up in her eyes.
"You are a very brave girl Daisy. It was a pleasure knowing you," said Ivan gently hugging her.
Aaron's Stoic facade was crumbling. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Goodbye Daisy," he said softly.
"I'll never forget everything you've done for me. I owe you my life Aaron," sobbed Daisy hugging him tightly.
With their farewells said, Andre acted swiftly to put his plan in action.
Plane tickets were booked for Daisy, Michael and Linda.
An airport shuttle quickly and efficiently took them to the airport where they boarded the flight to London.
"Ivan. I want Aaron out of that horrible school!" snapped Annette as soon as Father Abel and the others had left.
"Calm down Annette -" began Ivan, but Annette was past reasoning.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! We have been subjected to investigations and scrutiny by the IRS and child services! That little tramp Daisy has brought nothing but trouble to us! And now she just breaks Aaron's heart and runs off to England!" raged Annette.
"That's enough, Mother!" shouted Aaron.
Ivan and Annette jumped.
They had forgotten Aaron was still there, and they had never heard him shout.
"I will be going to St. Ignatius Academy. It is where I feel I belong. The other students can go to hell for all I care. I will not be intimidated into running away!" growled Aaron. A fierce determination shining in his eyes.
Annette broke down into hysterical sobs. "Why won't you listen to me?" she wailed.
Ivan held her gently. "We'll be all right Annette. We'll be all right. Aaron is strong. He feels alive in St. Ignatius. Even without Daisy, he will be all right," he softly assured her as her sobs subsided.
Annette slowly regained her composure. She looked at Ivan and Aaron reproachfully.
"Summer break has started. Please use it to reconsider transferring. That's all I ask," she pleaded.
"All right," said Aaron.
----
Natasha coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood as she swayed in the chair she was tied to.
Her face was bruised and swollen, and her clothes were torn and bloodied.
A massive hulking man stood silently behind her, his arms crossed, while his face had a cruel smirk on it.
"I told you to tail Zakhrov, so why is it that my pets have now gone missing?" snarled Sarah Clarke, her voice cold and furious. Her fists covered in blood.
Natasha winced as she touched her swollen face. "I did tail Zakhrov, but he is not the one who is responsible for the Michael Eddington's disappearance. I found out that ICE had revoked Michael Eddington's citizenship and deported him and his family to England," she said.
"This is the second time Zakhrov has foiled my plans. Natasha, I want you to tap into his online accounts. I want dirt on him, even if you have to fake it!"
snapped Sarah, her eyes blazing with fury.
"He's thirteen years old, Sarah. Why are you so obsessed?" asked Natasha.
"Don't delude yourself! He forced Mamba Waziri to leave St. Ignatius Academy, and me to lose a lot of political capital! He stole my Emily's pet, and enabled even my pet to escape! I could kill him, but that's not enough! I want him broken!" shouted Sarah, smashing her brass-knuckled fist into Natasha's abdomen.
Natasha doubled over in pain, gasping for breath.
Sarah grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back to look into her eyes.
"Get me that dirt, or I will feed you to Jamal over here. If you thought Libya was bad, he's worse," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous.
"Understood," rasped Natasha.
"There's a good girl! Now run along," purred Sarah, gesturing to the man to release Natasha.
Natasha staggered to her feet and out of the office.
"Jamal, I need some fresh meat. Go and find me some, and you can have some fun as well, just not with mine," said Sarah.
"Yes, mistress," rumbled Jamal, and left the office.