“What do you want?” I asked, annoyed by both my attraction to him and the fact that he hadn’t told me why he was really here. “My lunch break is over, and I have a business to run.”
“Yes, your business. That’s what I want to speak to you about.” He reached into his jacket pocket, drew out a folded piece of paper, and slid it across the tabletop to me. “I have a proposition for you.”
His face was once again schooled into a calm, blank mask, and I couldn’t tell if there was any hidden meaning behind his cryptic words. So I grabbed the paper, opened it, and scanned the contents.
Surprise zipped through me, and I looked up at him. “This is an offer from Clyde O’Neal to buy my shipping yard.”
Tucker nodded. “Yes, it is. A very generous offer.”
“So that’s what you and Clyde were celebrating at Underwood’s last night. You’re working for him now.”
Tucker nodded again.
My eyes narrowed. “You could have your pick of any underworld boss in Ashland, or better yet, start your own crew. So why work for Clyde O’Neal? He’s a pompous, overbearing jackass who thinks he’s bigger, stronger, tougher, and smarter than he truly is. He’llneverlisten to you, no matter how good your advice is.”
Tucker shrugged one shoulder, although I couldn’t tell if he was agreeing or disagreeing with me. “What’s that old saying? The price was right. Clyde offered me a substantial bonus for joining his organization, as long as I can meet certain performance requirements.”
“Like getting me to sell my shipping yard to him,” I said in a cold, flat voice.
“Something like that.”
Disbelief filled me. After Tucker had saved me from the falling rubble at the Mitchell mansion, I’d thought… Well, I wasn’t quite surewhatI’d thought. At the bare minimum, that he was as interested in me as I was in him. Then, later on, when Gin had told me that he was staying in Ashland, I’d thought… Well, once again I wasn’t quite surewhatI’d thought.
That Tucker would call me? That we might go on a date? That we might finally explore this strange attraction between us? I should have known better. Hugh Tucker was simply a duplicitous pile of danger wrapped up in an extremely handsome, appealing package. Nothing more, nothing less.
I was such an idiot.
Anger sizzled through me, scorching through my disbelief and embarrassment. I grabbed the paper with both hands and slowly, deliberately, ruthlessly balled it up, cramming it into as tight a knot as I could manage. Then I set the wad down on the tabletop and used my finger to flick it back over to him. The ball of paper hit Tucker’s chest and bounced off, making him flinch.
“You can tell Clyde exactly what I think of his offer,” I growled.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Why? Because I won’t give in to an arrogant bully who’s suddenly decided that he wants my shipping yard for some obscure reason?” I snorted. “Please. Do you know how many underworld bosses have threatened me over the years? I’m still here, and most of them are not.”
Tucker shook his head. “Clyde is different.”
“Why? Because you’re working for him now?”
“Something like that.”
Even more anger sizzled in my chest, and I leaned forward and stared him down. “I don’t care if you’re working for Clyde. My answer is still the same:no. So eat your food, scurry back to your new boss, and tell him the bad news. You’re good at being an errand boy.”
Once again, I could have sworn that hurt flickered across Tucker’s face, but it was gone in an instant. Either way, the thought that I might have wounded him made something sick and oily squirm in my gut: shame.
I knew exactly what it was like to be cut down with cruel words when you hadn’t done anything wrong, and yet here I was, doing the same thing to Tucker that my father and brother had done to me. I was better than that. I was better thanthem.
I exhaled. “I’m sorry. Who you work for and how you go about it is your business, not mine.”
Tucker’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he tipped his head, acknowledging my point and my apology.
“Either way, my answer remains the same,” I continued in a calmer voice. “I’m not selling my shipping yard to Clyde O’Neal or anyone else.”
I slid out of the booth, got to my feet, and grabbed my lemonade. I started to leave, but the image of the dead guy in the woods popped into my mind, so I stopped and looked at Tucker again.
“And if somethingunfortunatewere to happen to me, you can tell Clyde that he wouldn’t be able to get the shipping yard from Mallory either. We have multiple safeguards in place to prevent things like that from happening.”
Tucker tipped his head again. “Understood. I’ll convey your message.”
