Page 38 of Broken Dream (Steel Legends #3)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Angie

“Do you mind?” Ralph gestures to the stool next to me, the one Aunt Mel vacated.

“Knock yourself out,” I say. “I’m just leaving.”

“Stay. Please.”

He’s got to be kidding. “Thanks. But no.” I rise.

He grabs my arm.

I yank it away. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I say through clenched teeth.

He rolls his eyes. “For God’s sake, Angie, we’re in a public place. What kind of man do you think I am?”

I sit back down so I can lower my voice and be sure that he hears every word.

“You’ve already shown me who you are. You threatened to blackmail me with a story that isn’t true.” The lie is bitter on my tongue.

He looks at me, cocks his head, narrows his eyes. “You know, I wouldn’t expect you to be such a good little liar, yet here we are.”

His words hang heavy in the air, a foul stench that makes me want to vomit. “You think you know me, Ralph?”

He smirks. “I know enough.”

“You know nothing.” The words escape my mouth before I can stop them. There’s no point in playing nice anymore. Not with this man.

“Is that so?” He leans back on his stool, his eyes never leaving mine. “Enlighten me, then.”

I inhale deeply, the smoky scent of bacon somehow making me stronger. “I’m not going to let you blackmail me,” I say, meeting his gaze head-on. “I’m not going to let you ruin my life or Dr. Lansing’s over a lie.”

He chuckles. “You’ve got guts, Angie. But your little miss innocent act is lost on me. I saw what I saw, and the two of you were in a clench so tight that it could choke a snake.”

“If you saw someone kissing Dr. Lansing—and I’m not convinced you did—it wasn’t me.”

He crosses his arms. “Believe what you want. But the truth is a stubborn beast. It refuses to stay buried.”

“ Your truth,” I reply, forcing the words out between gritted teeth. “Your twisted version of reality. It’s not a weapon you can use against me, Ralph.”

He leans in closer, his breath reeking of alcohol and stale coffee. “We’ll see about that,” he whispers, his voice slithering into my ear.

I shiver but hold my ground.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I say quietly.

“I know you’re not. You can pay me off in the next minute if I demand it. And if I do go to the dean, nothing will happen to you. Not to the sweet little heiress. Dr. Lansing is another story, though. He’ll lose his job, and wouldn’t that be a shame after all he’s been through?”

I tilt my head. “What are you talking about?”

“Save your little innocent routine. After that clench you were in, do you expect me to believe you didn’t stalk his socials and find out everything you could about him?”

I gesture to the waitress. “Could I get another cup of coffee, please?”

She flashes me a smile. “Coming right up.”

“And a Denver omelet for me,” Ralph says, “with hash browns and bacon. Put it on her tab.”

I glare at him.

He shrugs. “You can afford it. Right?”

I suppose if I want to protect Jason, breakfast is a small price to pay.

“Sure,” I say, “it’s on me.”

“That’s more like it.” Ralph grins and settles back onto his stool. He takes a sip of his coffee, the smugness in his expression making my skin crawl.

The waitress returns with my coffee, and I thank her as I wrap my hands around the warm mug. The scent of fresh coffee fills the air, and for a moment, I let it distract me from the man sitting next to me.

“What do you want, Ralph?” I ask eventually, breaking the silence that has settled between us.

His grin widens at my question, and he shrugs. “I’m looking for information,” he says nonchalantly.

I narrow my eyes at him. “And blackmailing people is the way to go about it? Haven’t you heard of the internet?”

He laughs again, that horrible, low rumbling sound that reverberates in my ears. “The information I’m looking for isn’t the kind you’d find there.”

I grit my teeth and take a long, slow sip of my coffee, forcing myself to stay calm. “You’re making a mistake,” I say quietly.

His smile fades slightly. “Is that a threat?”

“No,” I reply, matching his tone. “It’s a fact. You’re making a mistake if you think I’m going to let you destroy people’s lives for your own enjoyment.”

“Oh, I don’t intend to destroy anyone’s life,” he retorts. “Just shake things up a little.”

I set down my coffee cup with more force than necessary. “You have no right?—”

He cuts me off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Save your moral outrage, Angie. We both know this situation isn’t about rights.”

“Then what is it about?” I grind out, struggling to keep my temper in check.

Ralph’s eyes glint with a predatory anticipation. “Power,” he says, his voice low and menacing. “And control. And people getting what’s coming to them.”

A shiver of fear and revulsion runs down my spine, but I refuse to let him see it. “I won’t play your games, Ralph,” I say quietly.

He chuckles, looking thoroughly amused. “Angie, you’re already playing.”

The waitress returns then, setting down Ralph’s breakfast with a cheerful smile. It’s an abrupt return to reality that momentarily stuns me into silence.

“Enjoy your meal,” she tells Ralph before shooting me an empathetic look.

“Thanks,” Ralph replies, his attention already on the food in front of him.

“Well,” I say after a moment’s pause, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. “I hope you enjoy your breakfast.” With that, I push back my stool and stand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice is casual, but there’s a hard edge to it.

I toss some bills onto the counter for his meal, ignoring his question.

“I’m not bluffing, Angie,” he says. “Don’t you want to hear what I want?”

I turn back at him. “I don’t know what information I could possibly have that would be of any use to you. What do you want to know about? My family’s history? It’s posted all over the tabloids. All over the internet. I’ve got nothing that would give you any leverage over the Steels.”

He scoffs. “Why the hell would I want information about the Steels?”

I blink. “Because we have money. Because we have power. Isn’t that what you said you care about? Power and control?”

He rubs at his forehead. “Christ, you’re dumber than you look. No wonder you want to go into psychiatry. You’re not smart enough to be a real doctor.”

I want to blow up at him, but that would just be giving him what he wants.

“If you don’t want information about my family, then I really don’t know what use I could be to you.”

I’m about to turn my back to him when his words slink into my ears like a deadly viper.

“I want information on Jason Lansing.”

I give him a dirty look. “All I know about Jason Lansing is that he’s our anatomy professor. My knowledge of his life begins and ends with that.”

Without another word, I walk out of the diner and into the cool morning air. But Ralph’s words follow me like a shadow.

Power and control. And information about Jason.

What kind of information does he think I have?

His dick size?

And that’s assuming he knows that we’ve slept together. Which he couldn’t possibly…

Shit. We were in the anatomy lab. If he saw us kissing there, he could have…

Jason locked the door.

But not soon enough.

The chill of the morning seeps through my clothing, but it’s a welcome respite from the toxic warmth of the diner. I draw in a lungful of crisp, clean air, hoping it will rid my senses of Ralph’s stench.

Control. The word echoes in my mind as I start walking through the town. What control does he think I have? Yes, I could pay him off, but that’s not what he wants. He wants me to feel helpless, powerless under his threats.

And he wants some kind of leverage over Jason. Leverage that he thinks I can provide.

I’m glad Aunt Mel is still here.

She said she had a meeting and then she’d be flying back to the Western Slope this afternoon.

I quickly text her.