brewing in his eyes. “So, what do you want to do?”
Maddox was gone, and now I was in charge. I was going to take over the world, take over everything. “Business as usual.”
“We kill all his men?”
“No. We inherit them.”
“And what about us?”
I looked at him coldly. “What about us?”
“Are we gonna keep working together?”
I shrugged. “That’s up to you. This business is mine. I was doing all the work when Maddox was around, so I’m not gonna leave.”
He cocked his head to the side. “That only happened because Maddox hijacked the whole thing. Don’t make it sound like I don’t do anything. I bust my ass, asshole. We went into this together, and you can’t kick me out…no matter how much you hate me.”
“I’m not kicking you out. But I want to buy you out.”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I’d pay you fairly.”
“It’s not about the money.”
“Then what is it about?”
He grabbed his drink and pulled it closer to him. “You know exactly what it’s about.”
Power. Prestige. Reputation. Those were the reasons I didn’t want to walk away either.
“So, we’ll keep doing things as usual.”
Unfortunately.
Now that the conversation was over, Damien left his cash on the table and slid out of the booth without another word.
I watched him go with a mixture of hatred and resentment in my heart. After everything we’d been through, he’d betrayed me again. He was a weasel who couldn’t be trusted. Since my gaze was focused on him, I didn’t notice the beautiful woman who took the seat beside me. She had two glasses of scotch…one was for me.
“You drink fast. Just want to make sure you have a refill.” She leaned close to me, pushing her brown hair over one shoulder. Her perfume wafted into my nose, smelling like peonies on a summer day.
My arm moved over the back of the booth, and I leaned close to her. “That was thoughtful, sweetheart.” I grabbed the glass and took a deep drink. “It’s got a nice kick to it.” I continued a quiet conversation with her while the music played overhead.
Twenty minutes later, Ash fell into the seat across from me.
I was so distracted by the woman whispering dirty things into my ear that I almost didn’t notice him. “What are you doing here, man?”
“I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for like two hours.”
I’d silenced my phone because I didn’t want to be bothered. “Then how did you find me?”
“Damien.”
“Of course. Fucking snitch.”
Ash turned to my date. “Scram. Let the men talk.”
I kept my arm around her shoulders. “You’re fine, sweetheart.”
My brother gave me a heated stare. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Getting laid. What are you doing?”
“What about Sofia?”
She pulled her hand from my thigh. “Who’s Sofia?”
Before I could say anything, Ash blurted out the answer. “His wife.”
“Whoa, I’m not married…” I pulled her closer so she wouldn’t slip away.
She gave me a disgusted expression. “Pig.” She pushed off me and left the table.
Since my brother chased off my tail, I shot him a pissed-off look. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I want to ask you the same thing. Sofia kills Maddox and saves you, but then you dump her?”
“I didn’t dump her. We haven’t been together in months.”
“You slept with her a month ago.”
I hadn’t expected my brother to corner me late at night in a bar. “That doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t want to sleep with her in the first place. I’m ready to move on with my life. It’s been a long time coming, and I feel free.”
“What about the conversation we had on your terrace?” my brother asked. “You said you could never move on.”
“Well, I found a way. And if you don’t mind, stay out of my business.”
Ash stared at me in annoyance. “I wouldn’t have to be in your business if you weren’t being a jackass. I know this isn’t what you want, so I don’t understand why you’re doing it.”
“It is what I want. That relationship was bullshit from the start. It’s always been a one-way street, me busting my ass for her. I’m over that shit. I want to be single again. I want to fuck whomever I want and then kick them out the next day. No more heart on my sleeve, no more relentless sacrifice. I’m glad I’m not married anymore, and I don’t want to be married again.”
Ash stared at me in disbelief, like he couldn’t believe a single word that came out of my mouth. “Did Maddox do something to