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I don’t say anything, knowing he’ll keep going. I lift the club behind my neck and rest my arms over it, waiting while he takes another shot.
“It’s bad enough you’re flaking on your responsibilities, but I hear you were over there, fraternising with the Cross girl when you’ve just fucked up your marriage.”
“You can’t fuck up a marriage that never happened.”
He lifts his club and points it at me, his skin reddening. “Don’t get smart with me, boy. You were getting your end away with that Cross girl, and it stops. It stops now. You’ll get Constance back, and you’ll clean up your act. I’ve let this slide for two weeks. That’s enough.”
I want to smack him in the face. Fighting the urge, I sit down on the bench against the back wall and give myself a second to just breathe. “I’m not getting back with Connie, and she’s better off for it.”
His cheeks burn brighter and he whacks another ball.
“I had a run-in with Caspar Kahn.”
He stops before his next shot and leers at me, leaning on the head of his club.
“He threatened Dayna.”
“Dayna who?”
“You know exactly who. Dayna Cross. He threatened her, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine.”
“You threatened Kahn?”
“See, what’s interesting is he was less concerned about what I was doing and more bothered about how you would react to me defending a Cross.” I stand and move in front of him. “I’d say it’s about time you levelled with me, because it sounded like there’s more to this than you thinking Roger Cross was a cost-cutter.”
There’s a flicker of something in his eyes, a darkness. “I don’t answer to you, son, and I never will.”
“Alright, then I’ve got some news. The tender I’m running for, the well in the Persian Gulf. I’m changing tactics and putting in an alternative bid. I can’t beat Caspar on capital investment alone, so I’m putting in a joint bid with SP. With SP’s blend—”
He rams me back so hard against the brick wall he takes the air out of my lungs. “You’ll get into bed with a Cross over my dead body.”
“Take your fucking hands off me or there’ll be no question about a dead body.”
He backs off, his face almost purple, his eyes bulging out of his head. “I have told you my problem with Cross. That name is scum. He cut corners, brought shame on an industry he didn’t belong in from the off.”
“Bullshit. You don’t take issue with any other company who lost a well, and you’ve never stopped me sleeping with anyone else’s daughter.”
“Not him. Not SP and not his daughter. I will get you out of my company before I let you anywhere near a deal.”
“It’s not your company anymore. You’re weak.” I push a finger to his chest. “This doesn’t work.”
“You really think you’re a big shot, Clark? That board voted you in because they knew I’d control you. They voted in a lesser version of me because that’s still better than any other option. They follow me. If you put that deal on the table, you’ll be laughed out of your own boardroom by every man who stands by me and my business, my name.”
“I think it’s worth taking a punt.” I turn my back on him and start walking away.
“You won’t take my threats? She will.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m not afraid to take down a Cross, Clark. You’d better believe that’s not a hollow threat.”
I run at him, pushing him back against the concrete pillar separating the bays, and pin his club across his throat. “You wouldn’t fucking touch her.”
“I wouldn’t?” He struggles to speak as I push the club into his windpipe. “I already took one Cross down because he came near me and my family. If you put that deal to my board, I’ll do it again.”
I step back and drop the club. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
He bends over his knees, gasping for breath. “You want to know why I hate Cross? I’ll tell you. You think you don’t respect me, you think I know nothing about being in love? I’ve protected your mother all these years.”
