With a growl, he launches at me, and I stay still. Once he’s close enough, I punch him squarely in the jaw. Another slice of pain shoots up my arm, but I ignore it. He growls and tries to pull me against him. I squirm and buck so that we fall backward against the table. His grip loosens, and I kick out my leg, forcing him to the floor.
He glances at me, dazed.
I drop down to dig my knee into his chest. “You’ve always been an asshole. I just didn’t think you were stupid, too.”
He tries to stand, but I don’t let him.
Adrenaline pumps steadily through me as I wait until he meets my gaze. “Nothing to say?”
“You’ll pay for this, you bitch,” Steven warns. “You have no idea what kind of power I have here.”
I remove my knee as he scrambles to his feet. “I don’t give a shit.”
All at once, the same bulky men I saw drag a man off earlier appear around us. They form a half-circle but don’t look at us. He stands up straighter and glances at them. “Well, it’s about time.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Montrose.” Jack Payne appears from the shadows, his expression blank. “Tonight is on us.”
The man nods and gives me a feral smile. “This isn’t over.”
Then, Jack Payne turns to me, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to react.
My every instinct is screaming to run.
His dark eyes sweep over me, tight and emotionless pools of black until they land on my face. With a flick of his wrist, he dismisses the men until we’re alone, and I wish he hadn’t. I know the men won’t lift a finger to stop him, but having them nearby made me feel better.
Fuck.
Is he the reason Katia didn’t interfere?
What did he do to her?
“I tolerate your presence, but only because my son has made it clear that he’ll burn everything down for you,” Jack tells me, each word dripping with ice and disdain. “You’ve already caused a lot of trouble, and now I find you here, assaulting one of our best patrons.”
I swallow and clench my hands. “I wasn’t assaulting him. He forced himself on me.”
The look Jack gives me is one of malice. “I didn’t tell you to speak. You will learn to do as you’re told, and if my son is incapable of teaching you that lesson, I will.”
Fear blossoms in my chest.
He takes a small step in my direction, and I remind myself not to move or even breathe. “I know everything there is to know about you, London. I know where you went to school, and I know about your pathetic attempt to protect your parents.”
I don’t look away.
“Sooner or later, my son will grow tired of you. In the meantime, I won’t allow you to cause any more disruptions to the business,” Jack says. “There are plenty of ways your parents can be dealt with.”
Without waiting for a response, he takes out his phone and holds it up to me.
It takes a full minute for me to realize what I’m watching, and when I do, I grow cold all over.
“All it takes is one word from me,” Jack says, in a low voice. “My man will even make it look like an accident.”
I try and fail to swallow.
Jack presses something on his phone, and the image shifts, and I find myself staring at an unfamiliar building, overlooking the water. My heart twists on itself when he swipes through and shows me another picture, this one of Mathew on the other side of the street, and half-hidden in the shadows.
“Your mom almost slipped under the radar,” Jack continues, in the same tone of voice. “It’s a good thing she decided to come visit her darling daughter. I have special plans for her.”
“Stay away from my parents.” The words are out of me before I can stop them, and I want to kick myself.
