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I spoke in a calm voice. “You’ll regret this, Dante.”
“I’ve never regretted anything in my life.”
“Well, that’s about to change.”
He stared at me.
I stared back.
“Should have taken the deal.”
He walked up to me, his hands sliding into the pockets of his slacks. He stopped just inches from me, close enough that we could knife each other. “Watch your back, Axel. I’m coming for you.”
I entered the bar through the front entrance. The private room was in the back, so I walked through the crowd of people trying to get a drink and headed into the rear. There was a single round table there, away from the music and the conversation.
Theo was already there, a cigar in one hand and a drink in the other.
I took a seat, seeing the glass of scotch Theo had ordered for me. “You know me so well.” I took a drink then grabbed a cigar from the tray before I lit up. This one had a hint of cocoa. I let the smoke soak into my tongue and felt the hit of the nicotine almost instantly. “He fired me last night.”
Theo was slouched in the chair, relaxed. “How’d that go?”
“It was obvious he planned to kill me then and there.”
“You brought your guys?”
“He was outgunned. He had no choice but to let me go,” I said. “That means you guys have broken ground on your new business venture.”
He nodded. “I just started moving his product. I’ve taken it to a few other territories, and once I claim the French territory, our profits will be far greater than yours. I have to say…his product is of great quality. I think he should charge more for it.”
“I’ve made the same suggestion.”
“Compared to the other shit on the street, it’s golden.”
“His logic is to be the best and have the best price.”
“Maybe if you’re selling shit at the outlets,” he snapped. “People will respect your product more if you command a respectable price.” He put the cigar back into his mouth. “Once I’m more involved with his business, I’ll take it from the inside. It’ll be ours to do with what we wish—and I’ll charge whatever the fuck I want.”
I raised my glass before I took a drink. “I can’t wait to see his fucking face.” Now that this transition had taken place, I couldn’t afford to be seen in Theo’s company. Otherwise, Dante would be tipped off, so we had to sneak around like clandestine lovers. We sat there and enjoyed our drinks and cigars like kids enjoyed candy on Halloween. “So…how’d it go?” I could barely bring myself to ask the question. The details would make me sick, but my imagination was about to kill me.
Theo looked at me across the table. “You really want to know?”
“Yes…and no.”
“Nothing physical happened.”
I did my best not to care, but my breath betrayed me when I breathed a sigh of relief. “Did she…like you?”
He stared at me before he took a drink. “I don’t think so.”
“So, she didn’t make a move?”
His answer was immediate. “No.”
Theo was one of the best-looking guys I’d seen, apart from myself, and I was afraid one look at him would send her into a whirlwind. Imagining her with any guy made me uncomfortable, but one who could compete with me was a different situation. “And you didn’t either?”
“Like I said—nothing happened.” He popped the cigar back into his mouth.
“So…was it a boring date?”
“I guess you could say that. I didn’t want to be there, and she seemed caught off guard that I asked her out.”
“What did you guys talk about?”
He gave a shrug. “Not much. But you did come up…”
My heart gave a painful squeeze. “I’m guessing good things weren’t said.”
He let smoke float out of his mouth. “No.”
I hated Dante more than I ever had. “Fuck.”
“She says she’s over you…but not over what happened.”
“You asked her that?”
“I asked if she was looking for a serious relationship, and she said she wasn’t ready after her ex burned her so bad.”
“Motherfucker.”
“Why don’t you just relocate your parents and tell her the truth?”
I gave him an incredulous look. “I can’t get my parents in the same room with me, but you think I can convince them to leave their home and go into hiding for who knows how long? Yes, I’m sure they’ll jump right on that.”
“Sorry, you’re right.”
“He’s got me by the balls, and he fucking knows it.”
“But what if I told her?”
My eyes moved back to him.
“You wouldn’t be breaking any rules.”
“Once he realizes we know each other, he’ll figure it out and kill my parents anyway.”
“That brings us back to the most obvious solution here,” Theo said. “We shank that motherfucker?—”
“No.”
“She’d be better off.”
“Trust me, she wouldn’t.”
Theo crossed his arms over his chest with the cigar in the corner of his mouth. “You always do everything the hard way.”
