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“Meaning upon his death the contracts could be terminated by either party within thirty days. I’m utilizing that clause.”
“You can’t do that, Mr. Masters. Or should I say, it wouldn’t be in your best interest to do that. You seem like an intelligent man. Think of your new family.”
It was all I could do not to shove my fist down his throat.
“That sounds very much like a threat, Michael. As you might imagine, I’m not a man who takes a threat very well.”
He laughed, glancing down at my jeans. “I think you’re in over your head, Savage. In fact, weren’t you recently involved with the Silent Kings, some two-bit biker club out of Nowheretown in North Carolina? I’m aware of your methods of brutality. Killing a man in cold blood should be beneath a man with a military background.”
If the man thought he could scare me, he certainly had no clue what the Masters brothers were made of. I polished off the drink, moving to a standing position. “I appreciate your hospitality, Michael. But it’s fortunate that we won’t be doing any additional business together. You wouldn’t appreciate my work ethics.”
“You mean like I did your brother’s?” He dangled the carrot on purpose to try to get a reaction. I refused to give him any.
“My brother had his reasons for everything he did.”
He watched me carefully, the spark in his eyes keeping the level of testosterone between us high. “Your brother was a loser, Savage. At least at first. But with my tutelage, he turned into quite the consummate businessman. Not only did his business improve significantly, but the work he did for me paid off the debt owed and then some.”
I wasn’t certain why he was bothering sharing that with me. It no longer mattered. “Yet you decided it was time to end his life.”
He laughed. “As with so much in life, sometimes even good things become an issue, like a beautiful mole that turned into a wart. Your brother was careless, opening his mouth to the wrong people.”
He’d figured out Galen had attempted to frame him. I had nothing left to say to him at this point.
“You could take his place, Savage. You would make an excellent team member. I’m certain in time, I could have you polished enough to handle several aspects of my business.”
Now I laughed. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Because that’s what you’re made of. I took it upon myself to research your life as I’m certain you’ve done mine. Your… colorful background lends itself to the lifestyle I’m prepared to offer you.”
Yeah, for what price?
“Not a fucking chance in hell.”
As I started to walk away, he laughed. While there was a lot of shit that pissed me off, nothing irritated me anymore than for some asshole to dare laugh at me.
Then even though it was expected, he made the fatal error of issuing a threat. At least I’d pushed the right buttons. In a few seconds, I’d make certain he understood exactly what I was capable of.
“I’d be very careful if I were you, Savage. That happy little life you suddenly fell into just might disappear.”
As I turned around, I kept a smile on my face as I pulled my jacket back, placing my hand on my weapon. “I don’t think you want to threaten me, Michael. That won’t be in your best interest.”
“And why is that?”
“Because if you attempt to harm any member of my family, my employees or my friends, I will bring the wrath of God down on you.”
He continued laughing, rolling his eyes. “Forgive me, Savage, but you’re just one man. As you might imagine, I have an entire army.”
Maybe playing a portion of my hand was a good idea. I pulled out a small sample of several discrepancies Galen had managed to secure, protecting the damning information with his life. My brother had someone found evidence of blackmail schemes and extortion methods used as typical business tactics. How he’d used it up to this point I couldn’t be certain, but given the volume of documentation, it should have allowed my brother a way to protect his family from any attempts at revenge. Given Matt had never seen a scrap of it before, that meant Galen’s death had come prior to being able to confront Michael with what he’d gathered. I placed the envelope on the bar, smirking as he lowered his eyes.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Just a small example of information my brother managed to collect on your establishment. While I realize that you have a portion of the local police in your pocket, I believe the FBI will find this very interesting. As you might imagine, if anything happens to me, the bulk of the documentation will be sent immediately to FBI headquarters. And yes, it’s in a very secure location.”
I wasn’t able to ascertain whether he was surprised I’d discovered the data or not. He was as cagey with his reactions as I’d been with mine. However, if I had to guess, I’d say he was just learning that his tutelage had allowed my brother to get too close.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Mr. Masters,” he said quietly.
His return to using my formal name meant I’d driven him to a short cliff. “I don’t like games, Michael. However, when I do play, I play hard. And I play for keeps.”
