Page 155 of House of Payne

I advance on him and ignore the roaring in my ears. “You’ve always been jealous, you worthless piece of shit. What did you think was going to happen?”

Mathew looks up at me. “You proved my point. She’s not your plaything. You’ve let yourself get distracted, and I amnotgoing to let you ruin old alliances for her.”

I grab Mathew by the scruff of his neck and growl. “First of all, you’re not the one in charge here.Imake the decisions.”

I land punch after punch as Mathew’s unhinged laugh fills the room.

His face is a bloody pulp when Katia wraps her arms around me and hauls me away.

She releases me when we’re in another corner of the room, but I’m still seeing red. “Mason, think about this. You’re playing into his hands. He’s trying to get a rise out of you, and you’re letting him.”

I wheel on Katia and give her a cold look. “Stay out of this!”

She has no idea what she’s doing, or the kind of hellfire I can rain on her for interfering.

Maybe Mathew is right. I’ve given her too much leeway.

I don’t need another problem on my hands.

“I can’t. You’ve worked too hard to let those assholes get in your way,” Katia whispers. “Make a plan before you rush in there. That’s the Mason I know.”

She’s right.

But I can’t calm down, not when every minute without London here poses another threat to her.

That’s what you get for going after her and putting your needs above those of the business.

I have no idea why I thought I had this under control.

Everything is spiraling too fast for me to do anything but react.

“Bring the car around,” I repeat to Katia. “Make sure everything is taken care of and don’t ever put yourself between Mathew and me again.”

Katia doesn’t say anything.

When she leaves the office, I pour Mathew a drink and hand it to him. He takes it without meeting my gaze, downing it immediately.

Silence settles between us.

I’m halfway through my third drink when Carlisle returns. In the car, I clench and unclench my fists and ignore the blood crusting on the sides of my mouth and face. Mathew has a better punch than I remember, but I won’t admit that to him.

He has spent his time away gaining strength.

Is my father actually going to consider him as a replacement?

I shove the thought from my mind and stare out the window. At the traffic light, Carlisle hits the brakes, and I take my phone out. I scroll through my contacts, stop at a few names, and shake my head. A short while later, Carlisle pulls up on the other side of the city, in front of a cluster of gleaming buildings.

I wait for him to come to a stop and roll my shoulders. “Let’s get this fucking over with.”

Katia is waiting on the sidewalk, her sharp eyes scanning the area.Wordlessly, she takes down a few men who step in front of us. After she clears a path for me, I stroll through the double doors of Michael’s business complex.

A few of the employees cower behind their desks, but I ignore them and move across the tile floors, catching glimpses of my reflection in the mirrors. I push the button, take out another napkin, and wipe my face.

In the elevator, I offer the camera a wave.

Several men and women have their guns drawn when I step out.

I give them a bored look. “I know your boss is expecting me, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way. If I were you, I’d run off and get him.”