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Scotty flinched, ducking his head, and murmured an apology. “S-sorry. I d-didn’t?—”
“Hey!”
There he was, Vince the Savior, always rushing to Scotty’s rescue. Irritation flared, but Zander swallowed it down. He didn’t have time for any of this.
“Scotty, you don’t have to apologize for being a good person. It’s not your fault Zander’s a fucking psychopath.”
Zander bit back a snarl, refusing to take Vince’s bait. He got to his feet, keeping his eyes on Scotty as he backed away. “We are not friends.” Apparently, that needed to be said? “I don’t give a fuck about either of your sob stories. You’re here for a reason and that’s not to hold hands and indulge in self-pity or whatever the fuck you’re doing because of what happened to you.”
Scotty kept his gaze on the floor, but when Zander glanced at Vince he found the fed glaring at him. If looks could kill, Zander had no doubt he’d be rotting in a landfill somewhere.
“Why didn’t you tell me before that DuBois was your uncle?” Vince asked, eyes blazing.
“Why would I? I don’t know you and you don’t know me. I don’t go around telling randoms my life story.”
Vince smirked. “Clearly, you do. And it’s the so-called junkie who got you to spill your secrets.” His eyes mocked Zander and he wanted more than anything to close the distance between them and shut Vince up with a fist to the face.
“Someone is coming to kill you?” Scotty’s question broke Zander and Vince’s stare-off. “Zander’s uncle?” Fear gave his voice weight, but Zander didn’t care.
He didn’t.
“Come here.” Vince beckoned Scotty over and the younger man went to him, sitting next to Vince on the couch. Vince pulled him close, murmuring something in his ear, something too low for Zander to catch, but Scotty started trembling.
“I don’t want you to die.” Tears rolled down Scotty’s face. Big, fat drops. “I don’t want to die.”
He was a mess, a blubbering fucking mess, and Zander took a step toward him before he caught himself. He stopped, but not fast enough. Vince noticed. Because of course he did. And he didn’t break Zander’s gaze as he told Scotty, “Zander will not let you die. Zander will protect you.”
He really thought he could give Zander orders, didn’t he?
“But what about you?” Scotty asked Vince before he turned to Zander, eyes wet, lashes clumped together. “Will you protect him?”
“I’m protecting no one.” There should be some vehemence behind those words. There should be more force, more surety. What kinda voodoo had those two done on him? “If my uncle wants you dead then you’re dead.”
Vince’s eyes darkened. “You walked away from your uncle. Why?”
That was the very last thing Zander was about to discuss. Vince stared at him, and he stared right back at Vince, barely registering Scotty getting up with a sniff, wiping his face as he walked out of the room.
“My business with my uncle has nothing to do with you,” Zander growled.
“Of course it does!” Vince shot back. “You’re about to hand me over to him, Zander. Of course it does.”
“I didn’t do shit!” Zander snarled, poking his own chest as he closed the distance between them. “Your people handed you over a long time ago. Just your dumb luck you ended up at my shop.” He’d bet anything that Vince never considered the possibility that his own people, those he trusted the most, would sell him out. Likely those same people never thought they’d do it either, but his uncle always found your weak spot. And everyone had them.
Vince gazed up at him. “You could do something,” he said softly. “You could let me go. You could let Scotty go. You could?—”
“No. Not happening.”
Vince lifted his chin and Zander pretended he didn’t see the hurt and disappointment in his eyes when he said, “So I’ll be your bargaining chip? And what will Scotty be?”
Scotty would be whatever Zander needed him to be. But he didn’t answer Vince. No need. He broke their stare, going over to the drawer where he kept the burner phone hidden and then retrieving it. As Vince watched, he powered it on and it vibrated, alerting him to multiple missed calls and texts from Derri.
He immediately dialed his ex.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Derri greeted him with a hiss in his ear. “I’ve been calling and texting you.”
“I was busy,” Zander told him. “What’s up?” He kept his back to Vince and his voice low. “Talk to me.”
“Company is just about over an hour out.”
