My anger boiled over. “Calm down? You’ve thrown away everything! Our future, Sean! My sister’s future!” I swung my fist, connecting with his jaw. He staggered back, eyes wide with shock.
“Andy—” He barely got the word out before hitting back. The punch landed squarely on my cheek, a half-hearted apology spilling from his lips at the same time. “I’m sorry! I can’t help it!”
“You thinksorryis going to fix this?” I shouted. “Two million dollars! You think Maxwell’s going to let this slide?”
Sean looked like a deer caught in headlights, his bravado crumbling. “I know… I’m so screwed up.”
“You’re damn right you are!” Another punch landed on his gut this time. “You know what this means for Mia? For us?”
The chaos around us intensified as patrons backed away, eyes wide with morbid curiosity. The guards reached us, their strong arms pulling us apart.
“Enough!” one of them barked, his grip like iron around my arm.
Sean’s face was a mess of blood and regret. “Andy, please?—”
“No more talking,” the guard snapped, dragging us from the thick crowd.
My mind raced as we were hauled away. Fear gnawed at me—a deep-rooted terror about what would happen next. James Maxwell wasn’t known for his mercy; he was known for making examples out of people who crossed him.
And Mia… God, I couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering because of this. She’d been through enough already—losing our parents in that car accident had left scars on both of us. This business was supposed to be our way out, our chance at a better life.
Now it felt like everything was slipping through my fingers like sand.
The guards shoved us into a small room and slammed the door shut behind us. The silence was deafening after the loud noise outside.
I stared at Sean, slumped in the corner, looking like a kicked puppy. His face was a mess—blood trickled from his nose, and one eye was starting to swell shut. The anger that had driven me here started to drain, replaced by a bone-deep weariness.
“Sean.” I sighed, feeling the weight of our predicament settle heavily on my shoulders. “How are we going to get out of this?”
He looked up at me. “I don’t know, Andy. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it,” I said, rubbing my temples. “We need a plan.”
Sean hesitated before speaking again, his voice shaky. “Maybe we can borrow money… from some people. I know a guy connected to Carlos.”
I froze, disbelief turning into a sharp burst of laughter that had no humor in it. “Carlos? As in the cartel? Are you out of your mind?”
Sean’s expression grew desperate. “It’s the only option I can think of. We get the money from them and then… maybe I can play poker and win it back.”
The absurdity of his suggestion hit me like a punch to the gut. I lunged at him again, my anger reigniting. “You think gambling is going to solve this? Are you completely insane?”
Sean’s apologies turned into incoherent mumbles as I slammed him against the wall. Just as I was about to land a blow, strong arms yanked me back.
I found myself thrust against the opposite wall with such force that the breath left my lungs in a painful whoosh. A huge muscular body pressed against mine, pinning me in place with an iron grip on my throat.
I gasped for air, looking up into stormy gray eyes that seemed to pierce right through me. The man’s stern face was inches from mine—an intoxicating mix of danger and allure that made my heart race.
“Calm down now,” he said, his voice low.
The man pinning me against the wall was like a monolith carved out of granite—tall, broad, and terrifyingly commanding. His presence filled the room, making it feel smaller, more suffocating. This guy had to be someone big. Someone who could squash us like bugs without breaking a sweat.
His grip tightened on my throat, not enough to choke but enough to assert dominance. He seemed to be taking his time, his gaze lingering on me for far too long. It was as if he was assessing me, weighing my worth or deciding how much trouble I would be.
“Hey, you gonna buy me dinner first?” I tried to quip, though my voice came out strained.
He didn’t laugh. Instead, he cupped my face with a hard hand and turned it from side to side, inspecting me like I was some kind of prize animal at a county fair. My anger flared up again. Who the hell did this guy think he was?
I glared at him, my eyes burning with defiance. “Get your hands off me,” I spat, trying to push his hand away.
