Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
NOAH
This house reeks of vanity, making my skin itch every step I take further inside.
The whole place screams ‘my dick is bigger than yours’.
The only part I liked was what the guys call “the holding pen” down in the basement.
I remember when I spent a little time down there with them, I was quietly impressed with the set-up. But the rest of the spoils, not for me.
Dima is dressed sharp today in his custom made italian suit that’s a dark navy with a white open shirt underneath.
His hair is as dark as night and cut like it was art.
The color of the suit highlights his tan and sharpens his features.
He’s a good looking guy, I suppose. Jules, who is walking beside me, remains silent.
He’s the only one who doesn’t really chatter nonsense for the sake of it and he gives off a laidback vibe.
Dima leads us into what I assume is his office from the over the top large desk with a leather chair that looks more like a throne.
That prick Lev is standing scowling in the corner, and the guy I remember from Brazil is here too, Carlos, I think his name was.
This guy is pure elegance without trying and stands out like a sore thumb against all the tatted hard guys in the room.
He looks like a vogue model. If anyone had a dream of hot psycho gay men, they need to join this family as I’ve never seen anything like it.
Its a horny fucker’s wet dream. As long as I’m taken out of the equation, because I’m more likely to cut you to pieces.
“Noah, take a seat,” Dima says, and his voice is softer than normal. I think he is being polite. I take a seat and lean back into the chair, my legs spread as my hands tap on the chair arms. I’m starting to get bored. It’s all the talking, it makes me want to hurt someone.
“Can we make this quick? I can’t deal with any small chat,” I say.
“You’re not the boss here, fuckface, it’s on our terms, not yours,” Lev snarls from next to me.
“I don’t talk to the dumb one. I’m sure your brother is aware who has the control here, otherwise he wouldn’t have called this meeting,” I say, enjoying the thrill I get from winding this fucker up.
“You wanna watch your mouth…” Lev starts to say, moving toward me, but I just lean back, completely fed up with his over the top reactions.
“Lev, quit it. Can we just get through this without any drama?” Dima asks, rubbing his forehead. Years of dealing with his hothead brother clearly taking its toll.
Lev rolls his eyes and says nothing more as he moves over to the wall behind me, but I can feel the heat of his hateful stare on my back.
"I understand you met with Marcus Reeves," Dima says without preamble.
"Obviously. Who told you? Ethan or Ivan?" I ask. Ethan, who owns the hotel and is friends with Marcus, is also an old friend of Dima’s, I learned. Chase mentioned he had told Ivan and Ty who I met, and their worried response. I was intrigued to see which one went running to Dima first.
“Ivan, but then I got a message from Ethan.”
“Ivan is a loyal boy, isn’t he?” I say, taunting. I swear this crew does nothing but gossip. But Dima ignores my jab.
"So, I was surprised to hear that it was your father who originally funded the Saints. It never clicked with me when we met that you were a Bryson."
“I had no interest in what that old fuck did. I only found out because my mother passed and the lawyer told me. But that’s none of your business, so again, what do you want?”
"Your father's arrangement with the Saints was beneficial to multiple parties, including us. As you know we have expanded with Carlos, who is now part of the organization, and expanding our business involving the Saints will be very lucrative to us to access more of the US."
“Marcus has already explained the importance of my continued involvement, but I’m not sure why I’m here still?”
Dima lets out a frustrated sigh, but talking in circles is not making this any clearer.
“Quit with the diplomacy and just fucking say what you need to say,” I say as I lean forward toward Dima’s desk, my elbows resting on my thighs.
Dima watches me like he is trying to decode a bomb, unsure of how to read me.
But the soft tone of Carlos’ voice breaks through the room and I turn to face him.
“This isn’t an ambush, Noah. We can all help each other and be happy.
If you continue investing and helping the Saints, that benefits us, because without you, there will be no Saints.
Financially they would be ruined unless they could find someone else, so you pretty much hold everyone’s future in your hands.
Well, their lives, but it would be a fucking nightmare for us to look at other places we can trust to increase revenue. ”
“I get that. But I’m not obliged to do this, and if my memory is correct, wasn’t it my help that got you out of Brazil? And I remember not too long ago I helped you fuckers out here too.”
“And I will not forget what you did, Noah,” Carlos says, and it appears genuine.
“We haven’t forgotten either, Noah. But I do think we can work with this, plus you and Chase will have extra protection under us and the Saints,” Dima says, and I sit back again and process my thoughts.
“I’m gonna have to think about it as it would mean having to move back here permanently. But I will say this, I have no intention of being one of your “men”. I work independently and answer to nobody. You would do your things, and you would stay out of my life.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Good. I’m sure you will find out my answer when I have spoken to Marcus. After all, my deal is with him.”
“We’re not your enemy, Noah,” Dima says as I stand to leave.
“That might be true. But to me you’re not my anything. I don’t do friends. I don’t do family. If this goes ahead, it’s purely financial.”
“Don’t worry, you’re nothing to me either,” Lev says, and a chuckle leaves my mouth.
“For someone who hates me so much you sure do love fucking talking to me,” I say as I walk out of the room. Jules falls in line beside me, and I assume it’s to walk me out.
“I like you, Noah. Nice to see someone not bend over backwards,” he says, and I grunt in response. I’m getting a bad head from the constant chatter.
“Where is Chase?” I ask him as we approach the foyer.
“He’s with Tyler at his house in the back. Do you want to go back there?”
“No, I want to get back to the hotel.”
“Okay, I will drive you both.”
“Thanks. I’ll text him.”
Jules goes out front as I grab my phone and text Chase. I need to get out of this place before I go crazy.