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I got to Ethan’s Diner in record time, coming to a screeching halt in the parking lot. I didn’t care that I took up two spaces or that I’d scared the crap out of a couple of late night patrons who looked more than a little drunk.
Fuck them and everyone else who had anything to do with Ethan Chambers.
I was tired of the people he had tucked into his back pocket as much as I was tired of the man himself. And I was about to tell him as much.
The diner was open twenty-four hours, which meant that even at about four in the morning, there were several people there. A lot of them were truckers just passing through, though there were a few regulars, I was sure. A couple of them were cops. I assumed the worst of every last one of them and couldn’t even manage a shred of guilt for writing them all off like that.
One of the waitresses, a pretty little thing with tits as fake as they were big, came over to me with a pad and pen ready. “You can sit anywhere. Want me to start on your drink?”
I calmed myself enough to keep from shouting that I wouldn’t take a free water from here. Instead, I said, “I’m looking for Ethan Chambers.”
Instantly, the girl stepped back. She motioned with a hand over her shoulder, calling, “Louis!” A large man in a suit that looked out of place for a basic diner like this stood up suddenly, his bulk hidden behind the booth he was sitting at. He turned to look at the waitress. Then his gaze slipped to me and without another word he headed over to us. “Problem, Lily?”
She shrugged and gestured towards me. “This lady’s looking for Mr. Chambers. He expecting someone?”
Louis didn’t take his eyes off me as he answered, “As a matter of fact, he is. I’ll take it from here, hon.”
She nodded once, then turned away, as good as ignoring me from then on out.
I turned to Louis, about to give him a piece of my mind, but he reached out and grabbed me by the upper arm first. “Keep your mouth shut, and we’ll do just fine.”
“Get off me,” I told him, trying to jerk my arm free. I wouldn’t let his size or unfriendly demeanor scare me.
Instead of listening, he leaned forward until we were eye level, then he said, “Shut up or I’ll hurt you.”
For the first time since getting there, I finally realized I’d probably made a really poor decision by coming here. A dangerous one. But it was too late to back out now. I’d have to see this through to the end—one way or the other.
He escorted me through the back of the building and down a hallway that ended in a basic door. He didn’t bother knocking, just opened the door and shoved me inside.
There, I found the man himself sitting at his desk, a cocky grin on his face.
“Ms. Leone, what a pleasure.”
He’d been expecting me.
Chapter 6
“What the fuck have you done?”
He raised a dark eyebrow at me, his mouth playing at a smug smirk. If anything, my choice of language seemed to please him as oppose to upset him. Not exactly what I’d been going for. “Why, Diana, honey, do you kiss your son with that mouth?”
I stomped forward, slamming my hands down on his desk like I wasn’t terrified about being here in his office with a huge bouncer standing at the door. “You leave my son out of this!”
He shrugged, bothering to sit up at least a little as he spoke again. “All right. Then to what do I owe this lovely little visit?”
Straightening, my jaw worked in anger until I managed to calm myself enough to speak again. “The Cut. What the hell are you playing at?”
Letting one large hand trail along his jawline—strong, chiseled, distinct in all the right ways—he considered me. After a moment, he said, “I made you a perfectly reasonable offer, if you recall. An offer that you declined for absolutely no reason at all.” He lifted both of his hands as though to say, What can you do? “I’ve decided to take it very personally.” He smiled at me, almost sweetly if I had been blind to the lingering smugness.
Bastard.
“You set fire to my store,” I leveled at him point blank. I wasn’t interested in playing anymore. He’d taken things way too far. That was my life he was ruining!
He sat forward abruptly, slamming his hands palm flat down on the table. They hit with a heavy, loud noise that made me jump before I could stop myself. “Be careful, Diana. Accusations like that are dangerous. Haven’t you learned anything about danger today?”
I swallowed back the venom that surged at his words.
