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Mathew Natori steps out from behind the car door and slams it shut. “We still want to come to an understanding when it comes to the treaty.”
I lower my gun and motion for him to continue.
“We want a bigger piece of the docks. In exchange, we’ll return to the original terms of the treaty when it comes to everything else.”
I lower my gun, my mind racing with possibilities.
The docks are worth far more than most of the businesses, and allowing them to fall into the wrong hands has the potential to bring everything crashing down. However, there’s no denying the appeal of having the rest of the city under my control, with the exception of a small section of land dedicated to them.
The two families can swallow each other alive for control for all I care. It’s exactly why I backed them into the same corner.
Even I know their little alliance is only going to last while they’re focused on taking me out. As soon as I’m no longer a problem, they’re going to turn on each other, and I’ll be left to reap the spoils. With a smirk, I lift my gun up and point it directly at Natori.
He doesn’t flinch or look away. “I can tell you’re interested.”
“What I am is pissed off,” I snap, with a growl in his direction. “And since you keep stalling, new terms need to be added to the agreement to ensure that you don’t step out of line.”
Mathew doesn’t say anything.
“For every infraction and every variation, you lose a piece of the docks,” I continue, my voice being carried over by the wind. “Of course, it’ll be applied on all sides.”
Floyd Philips looks like he’s going to disagree.
He opens and closes his mouth several times, but I’m not looking directly at him.
Mathew Natori is the key to all of this, and I can see in his eyes that he’s considering it. When he finally gives me a nod, I lower my gun and draw myself up to my full height. One by one, his men retreat into separate cars and drive off into the night. When only Mathew and Floyd are left, I holster the gun and approach them.
Their team of guards form a circle around me.
With one look, they fall back, shoulders squared in anticipation. I punch Floyd squarely in the face, the sickening crush taking some of the edge off. Little droplets of blood stain the ground beneath his feet and splatter on my shirt. Mathew hesitates with one foot in his direction, but I shoot him a long and measured look.
Floyd crumples to his feet, still cradling his bloody nose between his hands. “I’ll get you for this.”
I snort. “You’re not man enough to come at me yourself.”
As I walk away, I ball my hands into fists at my side, half-expecting their men to descend upon us. Although there are no bodies to bury tonight, I hold my breath until I reach Ernesto’s SUV. Once I get into the back, I shove one hand into my pocket and twist against the leather seats. Even in the darkness, I can make out Floyd’s vague silhouette as he gestures angrily.
Mathew has the good grace to look angry and ashamed.
In silence, Tristan gets into the front while Paul and Lorenzo slide into the row of seats behind me. When Ernesto starts the car and drives past them, I hold myself still. I release a deep breath once they’ve turned into a speck in the distance. After we round the corner, I pour myself a drink and down it all in one gulp.
I take out my phone and stare at another one of Isabella’s messages. My stomach dips and tightens as I listen to the crack and yearning in her voice.
Outside, the world blurs past, a flurry of shapes and colors until we reach the other side of the city and pull up outside the mayor’s office, nestled in the heart of the city. Lorenzo and Paul take down the men standing guard outside the back door without too much fuss and drag their unconscious bodies out to the abandoned alley.
In the elevator, I offer the camera a smirk.
Once the doors ping open, more men are waiting for us, so I lunge at the nearest one and take his weapon out of his hand. Using my leg, I knee him in the stomach. Then I use his gun and hit him on the back of the head. Next to me, Paul, Lorenzo, and Tristan have done the same, with the three of them pausing to tie the men up.
Mayor Hughes is standing behind the desk in his office, hair in tufts on top of his head, his tie askew around his neck, and a questionable stain on the side of his pants. He pushes himself off the desk when he sees me, and his eyes tighten around the edges.
“We had an agreement, Blackthorne. You can’t keep barging in here.”
I peel off my jacket and hand it to Lorenzo. “After the warm welcome I received? I might make it a point to pass by every day.”
And if I have the time, I will, just to watch the mayor squirm. I have no idea why I ever thought he was a more worthy foe than Frances. Both of them are cut from the same cowardly and shitty piece of cloth.
Hughes stops a few feet away and folds his arms over his chest. “What do you want? We already have an agreement.”
