Page 124 of House of Payne

I might not be calling the shots, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Everett and his lackey have another thing coming if they think they can pull one over on me.

Michael takes a step back and rolls his shoulders. “The deals our families struck have been in place for decades. Don’t you think it’s time we renegotiate?”

I raise an eyebrow. “I assume you have specific terms in mind.”

Fucking hell.

This is what they’ve been gunning for? A bigger piece of the pie?

I might’ve underestimated them after all. How did I not see this coming? I can usually spot ambition and deception a mile away.

Michael shrugs. “Perhaps. It depends on how amenable you are. We could continue to have a beneficial partnership.”

I growl. “Stop beating around the fucking bush.”

“We believe a share of the profit is only fair.”

“You son of a bitch.” I advance on him, and Michael wheels around to face me, the smug smile falling from his lips. “You’ve been gunning for this all along, haven’t you? You never had any intention of honoring the deal.”

Even if a new deal is long overdue, I’m not going to let him think he can’t honor the alliance, especially not one as old as ours.

There’s a time and a place for negotiations, and it’s certainly not when Michael Everett decides it is.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says.

I tower over him, so he’s boxed between me and the bookcase, and fear and uncertainty are oozing off him in spades. “I can smell a rat a mile away, Everett, and I hate it when people lie to me, but I guess you haven’t learned a thing.”

Michael frowns. “What are you—”

I pin him against the wall. “Don’t even think about lying to me again. I will put a bullet through your head before you have a chance to finish the sentence. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

Right now, I’m dying to make him pay.

I have a sinking feeling he’s the reason behind a lot of my problems, including not being able to find a decent front, and while I know that killing him would only make things worse, I can’t think straight through my anger.

Michael Everett has a habit of stoking my bloodlust.

Ambitious bastard.

He has no idea how close I am to snuffing the light out of his eyes.

Michael’s expression is blank as his eyes sweep over me. “Yeah, you could, but then you’d have a much larger problem on your hands. I doubt you want to go to war with us.”

For someone whose life is no longer in his own hands, he’s awfully cavalier about the whole thing.

What does he know that I don’t?

What contingencies does he have in place?

I grab him by the scruff of his neck and shake him hard. “I’ll do what I fucking need to do, and I won’t hesitate. One less problem to worry about.”

Fear isn’t an emotion I’m used to, or one I like.

I want him cowering at my feet.

Michael swallows, and some of his certainty slips away. “Be smart about this, Payne. We’re offering you a golden opportunity.”