“I’m here on business,” Jared replied smugly.
“What kind of business?”Enzo demanded, arms folded tightly over his chest.
“The kind that is none ofyourbusiness.”
I knew this could go on forever with the three of them ending up in a chess match.I didn’t have the time or energy for that right now.
“Long story short, my father got in over his head with a few bets, and Jared’s dad bailed him out.He’s been working off the debt he owes him, but recently fell behind on a job.When Jared moved back to Haven Brook a few weeks ago, his dad assigned him to my dad, thinking that I still had access to my mother’s life insurance money.Apparently, Jared never bothered to tell his dad that we weren’t still together.”I paused and let out a heavy sigh.
“How much does he owe?”Enzo asked Jared, his tone cold as steel.
“Fifteen thousand,” Jared replied as I whipped my head toward him and frowned.
“What?You told me it was ten thousand.”
“Yeah, the price has gone up due to the delay in getting paid.”
“You smug little asshole,” I seethed, raising my fist as Asher stopped me and pulled me into his waist.“You’re such a piece of shit!”
“And you’re just a little whore—”
Jared didn’t get the last few words of his sentence out before Enzo punched him in the side of the head, forcing him to lose his balance as he toppled to the side.
“Speak to her like that one more time and your dad willneverfind your body,” Enzo growled in warning.
Jared touched the side of his face and glared at Enzo.
“Call your father now,” Asher said, staring down at Jared.“Put him on speaker phone, and we’ll get this sorted out.”
Jared gave him a dirty look as he got to his feet and pulled his phone out.He pressed a few buttons and then held his phone up and put it on speakerphone.
“Is it handled?”a male voice answered.
“Not yet,” Jared replied tightly.
“Then why are you calling—”
“He’s calling because I told him to,” Enzo said loud enough for Jared’s dad to hear.
“And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the person who is going to pay the debt for Bret Sanderson.What is the amount he owes?”
“I don’t do business with—”
“What is the fucking amount he owes?”Enzo repeated, his voice raising enough to catch the attention of a few nurses passing by.
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“Ten thousand and you leave him alone?”Enzo pushed, doing something on his phone.
“Yes.”There was a pause before Jared’s dad spoke again.“Put me on the video call, I want to see who I am doingbusinesswith.”
Jared pushed a few buttons, and then an older man appeared on the screen.Jared moved over to where Enzo was standing and pointed his phone at him so his father could see who he was dealing with.
“Who exactly am I talking to?”he asked, resting his elbows on a mahogany desk and steepling his fingers in front of him.
“You don’t need to worry about that.What you need to worry about is your son trying to screw you over.He raised the amount to fifteen thousand.I’m sure you were never going to see that extra five thousand that he kept for himself,” Enzo said.“How do you want your money?”
