“Half,” I said.“Cash.”
Bill barked out a laugh.“Half?”
“Half,” I repeated.“That’s more than you’ll get if you keep pushing.”
Bill leaned forward now, and his eyes flicked to the envelope.“And Belle?”
“Off-limits,” I said flatly.“Forever.”
Bill drummed his fingers on the table.“You’re paying off another man’s debt.”
My voice stayed calm, but something cold settled underneath it.“No.I’m paying you to walk away.”
“And if I don’t?”
I met his gaze.“Then you keep wasting time you don’t have, and I make sure every door you try to open stays closed.”
Bill studied me longer this time.Really looked.Whatever he saw there finally shifted something.
“You’re serious,” Bill muttered.
I didn’t blink.“Deadly.”
Another stretch of silence.
Bill exhaled sharply.“Fine.Half.”
I slid the envelope across the table.“Take it.And disappear.”
Bill picked it up, weighed it, and nodded once.“She won’t hear from me again.”
I stood.“Make sure of it.”
As I walked out, I felt something settle in my chest.Not relief.Not pride.
Finality.
This was over for Belle, and she would never have to worry about Bill McClure or her dad ever again.
I drove straight to the clubhouse, the truck humming steady beneath me.X was already there, nursing a cup of coffee.
“It’s done,” I said.
X raised an eyebrow.“Clean?”
“Clean enough.”
X nodded.“Good.You gonna try to find the dad?”
I shook my head.“Belle doesn’t want anything to do with him.”
“You could try to get the money from him,” X suggested.
I tried not to laugh.“Never met the guy, but I know there ain’t no way I’ll get a penny out of him.He screwed over his own daughter, X.”
X clicked his tongue.“Yeah, you’re probably right about that.So what now?”
A smile spread across my lips.“Now Belle is all mine.”
