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“You’re the florist?” Cornelius said, pointing at Liam. There was barely restrained laughter in his voice.
“Yes,” Liam growled. He was practically vibrating with anger and possibly a little bit of fear.
Cornelius shook his head, chuckling to himself. “They told me things were a little backward in that flower shop.” He looked over at Seth with a smirk. “And you’re the bodyguard.”
Seth said nothing, just glared at the man who had made Liam’s life a living hell for the past few weeks. Okay, so maybe he also made it possible for Liam and Seth to be together again, but Seth would never have wished this stress and worry on Liam.
Weiland cleared his throat and folded his hands together on the papers in front of him. “Liam—can I call you Liam?” he asked and then continued as if Liam had answered. “Liam, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. This situation should never have deteriorated like it did. I might have lost my temper when Gerald disappeared with my money. I felt that my trust had been betrayed. I’m sure you were feeling betrayed as well when you found out where your friend got his money for your little business.”
“Yes, but I didn’t have him killed,” Liam snarled. He took a step forward and the men behind Cornelius also moved closer, their bodies tensing. Seth’s hand shot out, grabbing Liam’s elbow and pulling him to his side. He did not want to risk anyone getting between him and Liam.
Weiland lifted both of his hands and leaned back in his chair. “I had nothing to do with Gerald’s death. It was one of those unfortunate things. I don’t know if he cheated the wrong person out in Vegas or if he simply had an accident. Either way, none of my doing.”
As much as he hated to admit it, Seth found himself believing Weiland. Admitting to killing Gerald would have painted him as a dangerous man not to cross. Right now, he was trying to play the friendly businessman angle. Seth wasn’t buying it in the least.
“Doesn’t matter since you’re squeezing your money out of me.” Liam reached inside the pocket of the jacket he was wearing, and everyone in the room tensed except for the florist. He pulled out a thick package wrapped in a yellow envelope and tossed it onto the table with a heavy thud. “Here. Half a million, as we agreed upon. On time. It’s done.”
Cornelius didn’t move to open the package or count the money. Leaning an elbow on the table, he tapped the stack of cash a couple of times with his index finger as if he was thinking. That was so not good, but Seth couldn’t say that it was entirely surprising. Unfortunately, they had to let it play out.
“As I was saying, I think we got off to things on the wrong foot. When I loaned the money to Gerald, I was just looking to make a tidy little profit and move on.” Weiland looked up at Liam and smiled, but it was a frightening, sharklike expression that lacked all warmth. “But I’ve had my men watching you. You’re resourceful, and your little flower shop is in an excellent location. You’ve got some good foot traffic.”
Liam’s brows snapped together over his nose and he looked down at Seth. For the first time since stepping inside the club, he appeared to be genuinely nervous. The anger that had sustained him was leaving his body.
“Thank you,” he said hesitantly.
“That’s why I’ve decided to change the terms of our deal,” Weiland announced. He picked up the wrapped stack of cash and tossed it at Liam. The brick of cash bounced off Liam’s chest and he fumbled to catch it. “You can keep the money. I want something else.”
“Wh-what? What are you talking about? What do you want me to pay you in? Flowers?” Liam stammered. He wrapped both of his hands around the money and held it pressed to his chest as if it could shield him from the evil thing floating through Weiland’s head.
“I see the money I loaned Gerald as an investment in the flower shop. That makes me a part owner.”
“What? No!” Liam gasped. He took a step backward and Seth placed a hand against his spine, offering silent support while his blood boiled in his veins.
“Now I don’t want you to worry that I’m going to interfere with your flowers and your prom corsages,” Weiland said in a condescending tone that left Seth wanting to smash the man’s face in. “No, I want to bring in someone who is going to help with your books. He’s going to include some extra bank deposits in with yours and handle a few extra withdrawals.”
“What? I-I don’t understand.”
“Money laundering,” Seth said in a dull, lifeless voice. “He wants to use your shop as a front for his illegal activities. You’re going to move his dirty money through the bank system, cleaning it for him.”
