Mercifully, Roy spoke in her earpiece.
“Sorry,” she mumbled to them both, patting her ear.“Duty calls.”
She quickened her steps towards her office, pleased to have an excuse to leave.
“What was that, Roy?”
“Just thought you should know, had to turn away some particularly insistent assholes.”
Her mind immediately flew back to Max and his gang.
“Just thought you should know,” he repeated.
“Yes, yes, thanks Roy.”
“Hopefully just some drunkards who heard the music, thinking it was a club anyone could come to, but I’ve called down Kev and Henry to join me on the door, just in case.”
“Good thinking, thank you.”
She turned the handle to her office and shut the door.It wasn’t until the chair spun around that she saw there was a man in it.A terrifying-looking man, hugely muscled with jet black hair with a stripe of white through it.That wasn’t the terrifying part.It was his smile, like he had practiced the art of it in the mirror.The kind of smile that promised violence, that wasn’t pleased to see you, that cracked at the edges, like if she pulled it the thread would come undone.
“Alana.How lovely to put a face to the name.”
She willed her racing heart to calm.“Max, I presume?”she said, repeating the line she’d used on the phone a day earlier.
“My friends and I were very ...put out when we received your email.”He stood.“You see, we aren’t used to rejection.But no matter, I thought I’d make an appearance, to show you just how keen we are on joining your little club.”He walked over to her, but not before picking up a large bag.He chucked it at her feet, and she couldn’t help but flinch.“I think that should be more than sufficient.”He kicked the bag over, and money spilled over the floor like blood.
She bit her cheek.How dare this man?This was her club, her baby, and he was threatening it.She found her voice, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mr.Billington, what I said stands.You aren’t welcome here.Now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, this is private property.”
He clicked his tongue.“Alana, Alana, Alana, you can call me Max.After all, we are going to come to know each other very well.”The lift in his voice, the tilt of his head, everything was predatory, and all her instincts screamedrun, run, run.
Her hand scrambled for the door handle, but not before it flew open.
Chapter Four
