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Two cars screech to a halt a few feet away, but the engines are still running.
I squint and spot the top of Mathew Natori’s head first, glistening underneath the pale glow of the moon. Then I see Floyd Philips get out of the back of the same car, pausing to fasten a button on his jacket. The two of them exchange a quick look, and the car engines are shut off, plunging us all into silence.
A long moment passes during which nobody does anything. I know exactly what they’re trying to do, but it’s pissing me off. Because I don’t like it when my enemies flex and try to hammer their point across.
Humiliating them last time obviously stung more than I intended it to, and they’ve been clamoring to save face since then. Although showing up late to a meeting they called isn’t the smartest strategic move, I’m big enough to understand what it means.
They mean business.
And with the mayor no longer backing them up, they can no longer afford to make mistakes. Not the expensive kind, at least.
A part of me is almost impressed at the lengths they’re willing to go to in order to stick to their guns. If it weren’t for the fact that they’ve tried to screw me over time and again, I’d be recruiting them as my allies, but I’ve had enough rats and snakes to last me a lifetime.
With a frown, I pull their man up to his knees, the gun still pressed to the back of his head. “You’re an hour late.”
Floyd is the one who steps forward in a crisp and custom-made suit. “We had other business to attend to. We figured you wouldn’t mind waiting.”
I push the man down to his knees, allowing the bright headlights to illuminate his sickly complexion. “As a matter of fact, I do fucking mind. It’s clear that you need reminding of who’s in charge here.”
After casting a quick look at Tristan, he steps forward and clasps his hands behind his back.
“Your little display of unity and defiance is going to cost you,” I pause and scrunch up my nose in concentration. “What is the going rate for disrespect these days? One warehouse? Two? Or is it two businesses?”
Mathew Natori’s phone rings, startling a few of the men standing behind them. I count five of them in total, all of them with broad shoulders, buzz cuts, and guns held in their hands. While I know for a fact that I can take them out without breaking a sweat, that isn’t my goal.
Not tonight.
I’m not here to send a message or push them to the brink of another bloodbath.
Contrary to what they believe, I want this treaty to go through as much as they do because it is taking up too much time and energy and detracting from other, more important ventures.
I want to return home to Isabella, but I know that I need to see this through and give the empire a fighting chance to stand on its own two legs without me. Unfortunately, I don’t see a way forward without either of the rats in attendance.
So, if it means getting someone else’s hands dirty, they’re just going to have to get used to the stink.
Mathew barks something out in a clipped tone, in a language I don’t recognize. Then he hangs up, straightens his back, and looks directly at me. “You’ve made your point.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Have I? See, we’ve got a problem here because I don’t actually believe you. Last time should’ve been enough.”
A muscle ticks in Mathew’s jaw, but he resists looking at his partner in crime. Floyd Philips, on the other hand, looks appropriately smug.
All I have to do is apply the right amount of pressure, and he’ll crack.
“So, the rumors are true,” I continue, my voice rising toward the end. “You still have funding for your operations.”
Floyd’s arrogant smile grows wider. “I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out. You’re not as short-sighted as people make you ought to be, Blackthorne.”
I aim my gun at him and fire, and it sails past his ear and lodges itself into the arm of the man standing behind him. The man howls in pain and jumps backward.
“You’re as stupid as I thought you were, Floyd,” I tell him, drawing my mouth back to reveal my teeth. “Why call another meeting if you’re going to waste our fucking time again?”
It doesn’t make sense. With the backing of a new investor, all the two families need is time to regroup and build their strength back up.
The Blackthornes, on the other hand, are dangerously close to hemorrhaging money. Without the ability to get our businesses completely back on track, we’re not going to last much longer. I feel like an idiot for taking my eye off the prize long enough not to anticipate this.
How the hell did they find another backer when I’ve had them under surveillance? Most of the city reports to me, with a few stragglers here and there, which means I have a tight grip at all times.
Except for now.
