“Alex isn’t interested in you.” He took a broad step forward. “You need to forget about her and move the hell on.”
Cyrus coughed, but it sounded a lot like the guy was doing it to cover up the words, “Told you.”
Crawford’s stare grew cold as ice. “You didn’t forget about her, did you, Cole?” He glared. “You and Alexandria both made me think there wasn’t anything real between you. Yet here you are, in her apartment building, holding her hand and walking her to her door.”
Stick with the cover.
With a shrug, “Cole” explained, “I had some downtime the other day, so I decided to drop by her gallery and ask her to dinner. She agreed, and we just spent the evening catching up. Anything else you’d like to assume?
“Nice try, but I know a man who’s smitten when I see one. I do wonder, though.” Crawford’s head gave a slight tilt. “What would Miss Webb think if she ever discovered your little side business? Or the real reason you were at my gallery that night?”
Bypassing the comment about his presumed feelings toward Alex—and who even uses the word “smitten” anymore, anyway—Coulter inched closer to where the man stood.
“You threatening me now, Gordan? And before you answer, keep in mind, if I go down, you’ll be right there with me.”
Fiery daggers shot straight through him fromCrawford’s sinister glare. “Be very careful, Cole. You know the kind of man I am, as well as the extent of my reach. You want to stand there and lecture me about keeping my head in the game?” he scoffed. “Seems to meyou’rethe one getting distracted from the goal. This auction was your idea, remember? I put my plans on hold based on nothing but your word. You’re supposed to be very good at what you do, yet you’re out on a date instead of preparing for the implementation of our plan.”
“What can I say?” Coulter smiled wide, shoving his hands into his front pockets. “Multi-tasking is kind of my jam. While I may not have billions in the bank, I have more than enough money and connections to disappear without worry of being caught. And before you try to one-up me, I should also point out that it would be a helluva lot easier for me to vanish than someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“You’re a public figure,” he pointed out the obvious. “Your face has been on the front of countless magazines, and your wealth and bullshit philanthropic endeavors have made you instantly recognizable in every corner of the world. So it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Your fall from grace would be a lot faster and much harsher than mine.”
“Hate to say it, boss, but he’s right,” Cyrus grumbled.
Crawford ignored his guy and kept his focus on Coulter. “Now who’s the one tossing out threats?”
Me, that’s fucking who.
“Forget about Alex and go home. Find some otherclueless woman to occupy your time and let me and my men handle things from here.”
“And if I don’t?”
A low curse sounded from the not-so-jolly giant standing to Colt’s left.
“You continue your pursuit of that woman”—Coulter pointed to Alex’s door—“which is obviously unwanted, by the way, the deal’s off. I’ll send my men home and there will be no fucking auction.”
“You’d risk losing your share of millions just to keep me away from Alexandria?”
You bet your ass, I would.
“I’d risk losing millions to keep you from screwing this whole thing up. The fewer connections you have to Charlotte, the better. Especially when we’re literally days from the auction going live.”
“You don’t even have Miss Owens in your possession.”
“Not yet, but my men didn’t need her to get it all set up. They’ve got the buyers in place, the date’s been set, and the digital invites are ready to go out. All we need are the individualized links, which will go live sixty seconds before the sale begins. We’ll start with a minimum amount, and when there’s only one bidder left, that individual will be given instructions on when and where to meet. Me and my people will deliver the goods, and once the transfer of untraceable funds is made, we’ll give them the Owens woman. After that, we’ll send you your part, and you and I can go our separate ways.” Colt paused before adding, “That being said, once this thing goes down as planned, I suspect you and I will become very good friends.”
“Friends,” Crawford huffed. “Yes, well, we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Only way this works is if you leave Charlotte tonight. Otherwise, I’m out.”
His target stared him down as a muscle twitched at the side of his weaselly jaw. A tense stretch of silence passed before Cyrus spoke up a moment later, looking to his employer for direction.
“You already know what I think, boss. It’s obviously your call, but if we’re flying back tonight, I need to make sure both the pilot and the jet are ready.”
Crawford kept his focus locked with Coulter’s a few seconds longer and then?—
“Make the call.” He cleared his throat. “Tell the pilot I want to be in the air in under two hours.”
