“Gannon,” Max stated flatly. “He called me. Said he needed to talk to me about some things.”
“Is that right?” Rose fisted his mustache. “You need me to stick around?”
“Nah. I ain’t worried about him. I got a few soldiers waiting outside in the lot in position, just in case,” Max answered.
“I think I’ll stick around anyway.” Rose nodded. “I’ma go check on this fool Finn and make sure him and Luna don’t tear the parking lot up.” Rose half joked.
He felt better if he stuck around while Max handled business. Nobody knew what Gannon was on, but Rose’s instincts kicked in when he arrived in town. The way he wormed his way into the family during his absence was unsettling. Max continued to scan the scene before he looked up and noticed Gannon peering down through the office window. Other shadows danced around, and Max took strides over to the staircase. The party scene wasn’t one for him anymore. He spent most of his time finding ways to make money and keep his family afloat. He reached a narrow hallway with one door and raised his hand to knock. Tapping three times, the door was pulled open, and Gannon waited on the other side.
“Max, thanks for coming through,” Gannon greeted him.
He stepped aside so that he could enter. Max was taken back by the other dark-skinned man in the room. He was seated behind Gannon’s desk like he owned the place.
“Who the fuck is this?” Max demanded as Gannon closed the door behind him.
Eirian fell back in his chair, arms crossed over his abs, a cocky smirk on his face.
“Maximiliano Ward.” He welcomed him. “A living legend around this mothafucka.” Eirian chuckled. “Have a seat.”
Max got the feeling that he was now in the midst of his enemy. His finger twitched, and spider senses tingled as Gannon went to stand beside his desk. Max didn’t budge from the doorway. He crossed his arms in front of him and breathed in through his nose.
“I got your welcome gifts. Kind of harsh. What them young boys do to you?” Eirian mocked, sparking a fresh blunt.
“Them young boys violated someone in this town. Like they didn’t have to answer to anybody. That’s not how things work around here,” Max clarified.
“I guess I missed the memo where you were the mayor or some shit.” Eirian chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
“Why did you call me here?” Max looked at Gannon when he spoke.
“This is Eirian. He’s new in town.” Gannon introduced them.
“And what the fuck that got to do with me?” Max kept his cool.
“See, I came to town because I want to expand my business. I heard this was a good place to do that,” Eirian stated.
“You heard wrong,” Max replied, eyes landing back on him. “We don’t need or want you here. So you can pack your shit and get on the next thing smoking away from here.”
“That’s not very welcoming,” Eirian kidded. “I thought we could play nice. I would hate for us to start off on the wrong foot.”
“You should have thought about that beforehand. I don’t play nice. This is my city. The people I care about live around here.We take care of each other, and we don’t let outsiders come in trying to rule shit. So if that’s all you got, I have some other shit I need to handle.”
“See, it’s not that simple. Things are changing… all the time. I think you could benefit from some of those changes. We just need to work together.”
“I don’t work with anyone. Maybe you aren’t hearing me correctly,” Max retorted, hand going to the pistol on his hip and resting there.
“I think I heard you just fine. No compromise,” Eirian concluded. “I hate to hear that.”
“Max—” Gannon chimed in.
“I thought I could trust you.” Max turned on him, rage flaring up behind his eyes.
He didn’t even need Gannon to cop to anything. This moment told Max everything that he needed to know. He was a traitor. The lowest kind of snake to have around you in fact. Gannon was the nigga that would smile in your face while stabbing you in your back.
“What you can trust is… if we don’t get some cooperation around here… bodies will drop. It will be the people you claim to love and care so much about, and I will enjoy sending them all back to the Creator,” Eirian disclosed.
“You threatening me?” Max grimaced, eyes narrowing into thin slits.
“You can read that however you want.” Eirian emphasized calmly.
