the people who owe us go somewhere else looking for a loan, we can’t stop them. I look back to the pen on the desk and run the tip of my finger along the engraved lines. It’s a habit I have. This is tricky.
The guys are quiet while I try to think of a way to stop this shit from becoming a bigger problem. I’d say we could just stop doing bets with the clients that know of him, but there are a lot that have come to us after dealing with that prick.
“How much of our business came from him?” I ask.
Zac shrugs his shoulders. “How the fuck should I know?”
I imagine it’s a lot, considering his name is brought up in our circles with regularity. He’s got a right to be mad since we took his business, but if he was better at his job then that wouldn’t have happened. That shit is on him.
“The only thing I can think of is requiring the cash up front.” I settle on a solution, although I don't really like it.
Tyler whistles in his seat, and his eyes widen. Apparently, he doesn't like it either.
“We’ll lose a lot of business that way, Liam.” Zac’s right. We would lose a lot of business, but that’s the only way we’d guarantee not having to deal with that asshole.
“Do you have any alternatives?” I ask him.
“We could take care of him,” Tyler says flatly. It turns my blood to ice. Tyler’s father, my uncle, was a member of the mob. It doesn’t mean much to Tyler if someone’s gotta go, but I don’t like it. It’s best to avoid that situation in the first place by preventing it from happening. I shake my head and nod at Zac.
“Okay, not our high-end clients. But the others, the ones we know came from him. We’re going to require their payments upfront. How much business do we stand to lose from that?” I ask Zac.
Zac looks up to the ceiling and taps his fingers on his knee for a moment before he looks back to me. “I’d really have to check the numbers, but it’s probably as high as twenty percent.”
I lean back and say, “Problem fucking solved. We can take that hit. Our profit margin can handle that, and it'll get that prick off our backs and out of our territory.”
Zac’s face finally cracks a smile and he nods, looking at Tyler and then back at me. “Alright, I’ll let ‘em know.”
“We could’ve used that answer a month ago, Liam,” Tyler says from the corner.
“Yeah, well, I’m here now.”
“So no more sneaking off?” Zac asks.
I take a deep breath and look away. I don’t have to answer to either of them, but I’m not gonna lie to my brother. “I’m going back tonight, actually.”
“You moving into that place?” Tyler asks with disbelief.
A rough chuckle rises up my chest, “No. No, I am not moving into Twenty-two Wyoming. I’m giving it back to the old man’s daughter.”
They know all about him. And for the most part they gave me some time and space while I was away. Zac was younger when pops passed. But they know it took a toll on me.
“Why you going back then?” Tyler asks.
Zac butts in with a smile as he says, ”Let me guess, the daughter.”
My lips turn down into a frown.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Zac says, happy as a fucking snot-nosed kid in a candy shop. “Tell me I’m right.”
“Fuck off,” I say with a bit of humor.
“You for real?” Tyler asks.
“I knew it!” Zac slaps his knee. “You’re such a bastard, Liam.”
I shake my head, not wanting to tell them anything. Besides, it’s not like I’ve been fucking her.
“Who is this broad?” Tyler’s asking questions, and Zac’s making assumptions. I don't like either.
“No one. Unless you two have any more business to discuss, I suggest you get the fuck outta here.” They don’t need to know about her. All the stories Richard told me flood back to me. But in an instant they’re gone and replaced by that look on her face when she accepted my offer.
She looked so fucking beautiful with her skin all flushed from just getting out of the shower. She’s a natural beauty. But she’d look better if she wasn’t wrecked from exhaustion and stress. And I could tell she wasn’t happy to go out with me.
I want it though. I'm a selfish asshole, so I'm going through with it. A small piece of me is