I plaster a smile on my face just as I round the corner to the front gates. I checked my cell for a call or emails and found none. He has dropped by unexpected and told my guard to give me a message. According to the contract we have, I still have three days with the prisoners on my land before he can take them. No one has violated the contract by committing a crime and all of them are accounted for.

When I see Mr. Slater he stands off to the side talking to the three uniformed men that he has brought with him. He flickers a gaze in...