“I asked you a question,” Brax states, not giving me a moment to answer, which is nice. “What did you do, and who did you do it to?”
“I don’t know who the fu—” Lucas starts, but Brax isn’t having any of it.
“I’m going to give you one more chance toanswer, and then you’re going to be running from two people, not just one.”
I see Brax in an entirely new light. He’s been so laid-back and easy every time we’ve been together, but he’s got a temper simmering underneath the cool exterior.
“I borrowed money. A lot of money,” Lucas replies softly.
“How much, and from whom?” Brax asks.
“Two mil from a guy I know.”
Two million dollars? What the hell did he need two million dollars for? Lucas was a successful investor with a large client list. I can’t imagine what he’d need that kind of bankroll for. None of it makes sense.
“What the hell did you need two million dollars for?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
“That’s not important,” Lucas tells me.
Asshole.
“Who did you borrow it from?” Brax asks again through gritted teeth.
“A man named Malakai.”
“Fuck,” Brax mutters as he shakes his head. “I have Iris handled. She’ll be fine. You…not so much,” Brax tells him. “Don’t call again. Iris wanted nothing to do with you before this, and now she really doesn’t want anything to do with you. Forget she’s alive. Forget this number, or else you’ll be running from me too. Got it?”
“But I…” Lucas starts.
“Do we understand each other?” Brax states in such a steely voice, I sit up a bit straighter.
“Who is this?” Lucas asks.
“Another nightmare,” Brax answers, tapping his finger roughly against the phone screen.
I sit in silence, unable to speak. A slight tremble overtakes my body.
Brax tosses my phone down on the couch between us before he reaches out, cupping my hands in his. “Don’t worry, Iris. I got you,” he says in a soft voice that almost makes me believe what he’s saying is true.
“I…I can’t believe this,” I whisper, staring down to where our hands are connected.
“I know Malakai. He won’t hurt you.”
My gaze snaps to his. “You know him?”
Brax nods. “He’s a neighborhood guy, and since I run the bar and my family has been in the area forever, I know almost everyone, especially someone like Malakai.”
I try to process his words, but they don’t seem to penetrate the way they should. “You know bad people?”
“Bartenders know everyone.”
I blink, soaking in everything that was said on the phone and the words we’re speaking to each other now. “But you said especially someone like Malakai.”
“My grandpa wasn’t always on the up-and-up.”
“The up-and-up?” I ask, confused.
“He has an illustrious past.”
