Chapter Seventeen
Mason
I swirl the liquid around the glass, only half-listening to the voice on the other end of the phone. A short while later, I toss the phone onto the desk.
“She’s a bigger liability than you realized.”
I glance up and find my father lurking in the doorway to the study, not a single hair out of place, and his outfit looking far too pristine for one in the morning. “Liability is part of the job.”
Jack scoffs and steps into the study. “Not when it’s something like this. I spent years teaching you, but I should’ve warned you about women like her.”
I push myself off the desk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I looked into her,” Jack continues. “She dropped out of college, you know, and worked at a diner of all places.”
“You’re not the only one who knows how to check on people.”
Jack stands opposite the desk and reaches for my drink. He sniffs it, wrinkles his nose, and scoffs. Then he sets it down. “Then you know her father owes a substantial amount of money.”
Fuck.
Of all the tactics I expected, having London looked into isn’t the way I thought he’d go. Still, knowing what I know about my father, I shouldn’t be surprised.
Jack Payne leaves no stone unturned, and London is no exception.
What did you expect? It’s honestly a wonder he didn’t do this sooner.
“A wise decision on your part to stay quiet,” Jack continues. “The son I raised isn’t stupid or pathetic enough to give up that kind of property for a fucking girl.”
I ignore the lurch in my stomach and toss him a bored look. “You know about the policy I have enabling people to work off the debt at the club.”
Jack’s expression hardens. “Don’t fucking lie to me, boy. I know that you wrote off the money owed months ago. I know she’s not paying us back anymore.”
“What’s your point?”
Jack barks out a humorless laugh. “I see your brother was right. She has her claws in you. All that time I spent teaching you how to make an enemy pay, and I should’ve taught you how to make sure a woman doesn’t have you by the balls.”
I stiffen. “You couldn’t be further from the truth.”
He stops laughing, and his eyes sweep over me, leaving unease in their wake. “I’ll admit I couldn’t figure out how it all happened, but I see it now. She’s using you, and you always were fucking weak when it came to women in distress. I blame your mother.”
“Don’t you dare talk about her that way,” I snarl. “As I recall, she affected you, too.”
“I should end you where you stand.”
I let my arms fall to my sides and spread my legs. “You’re welcome to try.”
We both know he won’t strike yet.
But even I know that everything I’ve done for the empire won’t protect me for long.
I’m running out of time, and I have no idea how to stop what’s coming.
All I can hope is that I’m able to protect London from the deadly fallout.
Just say the words. Make him believe London doesn’t mean as much as she does. You know it’s what he wants, and it’ll make things easier for both of you.
A part of me still hopes he’s going to leave us alone.
But I know him well enough to know it’s going to be anything but smooth sailing.
Sooner or later, he’s going to make his move, targeting London’s parents is proof of that, and while he has softened considerably in recent years, I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.
“Your brother has expressed an interest in the girl,” Jack responds. “I don’t understand the appeal, but I’m willing to overlook a few things if you prove yourself to me.”
Bastard.
“I will not hand her over to Mathew,” I reply through gritted teeth. “Ask for something else.”
There’s a lot I’m willing to do, and lines I have no qualms about crossing.
I’ll wage a war and leave destruction in my wake if that’s what it takes, but London is where I draw the line.
I know my brother, and I’ve had enough complaints from women at the club over the years to know what kind of man he is to them.
London might forgive me for keeping secrets and for not doing more to protect her parents. She might even find it in her heart to understand if I have to bring Noah to heel.
But she’ll never forgive me for handing her over to Mathew, even if it means not having to worry about my father.
I can’t ask her to pay that price.
Jack turns away from me and walks over to the bookcase. He runs his fingers along the spine of an embossed first edition, and the flickering flames of the fire illuminate his face. I study him for a while longer and find myself wondering how everything spun out of control so fast.
Almost as if he’d been lying in wait all this time, waiting to swoop in and cast me aside.
That’s not his style. Jack Payne is not underhanded. His approach is more direct.
Slowly, my father pulls the nearest book out and flips open to a random page. He snaps the book shut and turns back around. “It’s a pity I wasted so much time on you. You’ve turned into such a disappointment, Mason.”
I offer him a tight nod in response.
“If I find out her little friend was behind the kidnapping, you’re going to wish you’d given her to Mathew instead,” Jack says. Every inch of him is on edge like he’s going to attack.
I choose my next words carefully.
How does he keep uncovering things I try to keep hidden?
It’s almost like he knows exactly where to look.
“I have a business to run. You can see yourself out.”
Carlisle rushes in as Jack leaves, and I don’t miss the knowing look.
Once Carlisle finishes relaying his message, I race from the office and into the car waiting outside.
When we reach the warehouse on the outskirts of the city, Carlisle strides ahead of me, and the men there part to let me through.
A figure is tied to a chair with sweaty hair matted to his forehead, and one eye swollen shut.
I pause to roll up my sleeves. Then, I yank his head back and press a gun to his temple. “Have you heard of Eddie Yakovish?”
The man stares at me through his good eye, and a furrow appears between his brows.
“He was from this powerful family.” I release his hair and reach for the kit Carlisle is holding out.
I select a pair of pliers and yank out a fingernail with them, and his scream echoes around the room.
“We had a brief alliance that ended badly. Do you know why? Because Eddie was a rat. Do you know what I do to rats?”
His eyes widen, and he bites back another scream as I pull out another fingernail.
I drop the pliers to the floor with a clatter.
I reach for the hammer and examine it in the moonlight.
“First, I went after his family. I’m sure you’ve heard what I did to them.
And then, I made sure to hit the business where it hurt the most. In the end, not even his family was willing to stand by him. ”
The man swallows, and a flash of fear flickers over his face.
I hold out the hammer. “I took my time with it, too. Dragged it out for weeks. He held out a lot longer than I thought, but every man has a threshold for pain. Getting to know what it is, that’s the fun part.”
“Please.” The man’s voice is hoarse. “They threatened my family unless I told them things. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
I hand Carlisle the hammer and snap on a pair of gloves. “Oh, you’re going to tell me everything you know anyway. Starting with what you know about the car crash they orchestrated.”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
I pull back the hammer and take a swing at the man’s knee, and he folds in on himself. “That’s not the answer I want to hear. Let’s try this again. Who went after my sister tonight?”
I have no idea how the hell they managed to mess with my sister’s car, causing her to nearly swerve out of control, but I’m suddenly thankful Olivia is a hell of a driver.
Olivia is, thankfully, being taken far away from any danger.
But losing control of her car like that still means she came too close for comfort.
My enemies need to be stopped before they cause some real damage.
I want whoever is responsible to pay, and I need to make sure it sends a message to everyone else.
It is not open season on the Paynes.
The man is lucky Carlisle was nearby and managed to track him down, because if it had been me, he’d already be dead.
It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to leave him gasping for air six feet under.
“I swear I don’t know anything.” Sweat forms on his forehead and rolls down the sides of his face. He licks his cracked lips as blood pours down his face. “But I overheard them talking about someone else on the inside, someone more powerful, and something about another attack.”
I set down the hammer and reach for the pliers. “You’re catching on. Good.”
He glances over my shoulders and back at my face. “How do I know you’re not going to kill me anyway?”
I shrug and kneel in front of him, so we’re eye level. “You don’t. At this point, you should be glad this is all I’m doing. Keep talking, and I might be persuaded to leave your girlfriend and parents out of it.”
The blood drains from his face. “The attack on the Payne girl. It was just a ruse. They’re planning something else. Something bigger.”
I glance over at Carlisle and nod.
He takes out his phone and steps away.
Shit.
Why hadn’t I kept Olivia and Oliver closer?
Because their lives have already been uprooted because of you, and you know neither of them will take this lying down.
I stand up and flex my fingers. Then I punch the man in the face, hard enough to hear a crunch. Blood gushes out of his nose and drips onto the floor. I turn to Carlisle, and my stomach dips when I see the look on his face.
With a frown, I turn back to face the man in the chair. “See, I think this is the real ruse. You’re lying, and you have one minute to tell me the truth, or I will have your girlfriend dragged here, and I’ll make you watch.”
He shakes his head slowly at first, then faster and faster. “I’m not. I swear—”
I hold up my hand and look over at one of the men to my left. “Bring me the girlfriend. Alive. I want her to be aware of everything I do to her.”