“Loopholes?” Where the hell is this fucker headed?
“A girl giving false identification, then being caught underage with an older man. Or a girl caught offering drugs to a client. There are just so many variables and situations that can go wrong in a business like hers.”
“That would never happen because everyone who works for Selective is thoroughly vetted.” My fists ball at my side, taking everything in me not to use them.
“Then there’s her past.” Graham shrugs. “An unsolved murder and the rumors of her mob boss father covering it up. Gossip like that could drastically hurt a business such as hers, not to mention your past in Brooklyn.”
“Are you trying to fuckin’ blackmail us?” Samson growls.
“Blackmail is such a strong word, but I’m sure I’d have no trouble convincing her clients to go elsewhere after Ienlighten them about her past. Namely, manslaughter. It would be so unfortunate for her and her little girl to have all that nastiness come out right before Christmas.”
He stands, and I lunge, pushing my palms against Graham’s shoulders until his back hits the wall. “You leave Cheryl out of any business you and I do, understand?”
“You know better than to do anything to me here.” Graham glares back at me. “So take your hands off me.”
I fist his perfectly tailored shirt and slam his back against the wall. His eyes bug out, and I sneer, “You do anything to my family, and I’ll fuckin’ put you in the ground.”
Samson flanks me. “Fuck with us, and you’re over.”
“Over? What could that possibly mean?”
I slam him against the wall one more time, then step back. “Fuck around and find out.”
“Mmmm, I wondered how long it would take the Brooklyn thug to surface.” He shifts his shoulders and smooths the front of his shirt. “Your threats are meaningless because, in this arena, my connections outweigh yours.” Graham sidesteps around me. “And no one is going to take the side of two convicted felons over an upstanding businessman with political clout.”
“Get the fuck outta here,” Samson bellows.
“I’ll expect to hear from you by Christmas Eve, or your lease will be rescinded.”
9
NICK
The door slams behind Graham, and Samson bangs his fist against the wall. “I don’t know why you didn’t just pop him.”
“‘Cause for once I used my head. That’s exactly what that bastard wanted. Exactly why he brought Cheryl and Portia into it. He wanted me to lose it, and the next thing you know, the cops would be here, and I’d be spending Christmas in Clark County Correctional.”
“I know you’re right, but that fucker has to be stopped.”
“There’s gotta be a way around this.” I pace the carpet in front of my desk. “A guy like that has got to have some dirt on his hands.”
“Maybe there’s a way to compromise with Pierce,” Jax offers.
“Compromise?” Samson barks. “What the fuck does that mean? That bastard wants Wicked after all the work we put into it, and he’s willing to throw us out to do it. Does that sound like a compromise to you?”
“Yelling at each other isn’t gonna solve anything.” I try to defuse the situation, but inside I’m raging.
“I got shit to do in the stock room.” Jax heads for the door. “You come up with anything, let me know.”
“What the fuck is with him? In the old days, he would’ve already been strapped and looking for blood.” Samson flings his hand toward the closed door. “It’s like he’s sticking up for that fucker Pierce.”
“I don’t know. He’s been acting weird all week.” I wave my hand at the door. “We got more important shit to handle than Jax’s moods.”
“All the fuckin’ research he claims he did, and he didn’t find out Pierce is a bastard with an agenda.”
“A guy like that has ways of burying shit.” But I can’t help thinking Jax dropped the ball on this one.
“I’ll tell you who I’d like to bury.” Samson smacks his fist into his palm. “If we were back in Brooklyn right now, getting rid of Pierce wouldn’t even be a question.”
