“Yeah,” I answer coolly. “We. Consider me as good as my father. March just ain’t gonna cut it if you expect protection from the Albanians. Andotherthreats, of course.”
“And what other threats would those be, Callahan?”
“Guess. You entered into a deal with us, Mac. Something we take very seriously. If you expect us to deliver on our end of the bargain, we’re damn sure gonna expect the same. And when that doesn’t happen…”
As if the tension could get any thicker.
Malcolm gets exactly what I’m saying. His body language tells me all I need to know.
The gritting of his teeth. The way his eyes shrink and jaw sets like he’s chewing on glass. He understands and now he’s calculating the situation.
Contrasted with Karter’s outright anger—his fists clenched on the table, his posture rigid and glare deadly—Malcolm’s response is controlled.
It’s the measured response of a true businessman.
He knows the family bullshit is a farce. The Langstons and Callahans are no more family than we were before the deal was struck.
But he’s married his precious daughter to me.
Us.
Now he’s locked into an alliance, supposedly playing for the same team. But it doesn’t mean a damn thing if one of us doesn’t uphold our end of the bargain. As soon as that happens, all bets are off.
He’d rather not go down that road. At least not yet. I’ve backed him into a corner.
I might not be as charming and likable as Lochlan. My older brother was always the one people liked—the popular guy who could make friends and cut deals with anybody.
But I’ve got my own methods. My own negotiation tactics. I know how to play hardball with the best of ’em.
As I sit across from Malcolm Langston, I know a smart man like him will make the right choice. He realizes he’s got to deliver.
“Fine,” he concedes finally. “We’ll find a way to do January. That’s the best I can do. We’ll move some things around at the plant and get in a shipment specifically for the Callahans.”
I shake my head. “That’s not good enough. We’re gonna need December.”
That’s all Karter can tolerate. He explodes, half rising out of his chair and slamming a fist on the table. “You think you run shit? You think you can just waltz in here and make demands? This was a mistake. Marrying Simone to this joker was marrying down. She’s worth gold, and we married her to dirt!”
If he were any guy off the street, I’d wipe the scowl off his face. I’d knock his fucking teeth out.
But he’s Simone’s cousin. He’s aLangston,and I’d rather not get blood on my shirt this early in the morning.
So I bite down on my jaw and stare amusedly in the face of his angry outburst. I mock his ass, meeting his gaze likehe’sthe fucking joke. Not me.
It only makes him angrier. He yells about how he won’t take disrespect.
Malcolm raises a hand and shuts him up mid-rant.
“Enough!” he rumbles. “Shut up and sit down, Karter!Now.”
Karter’s mouth drops open like he’s about to argue, then he throws his arms up in the air like he can’t believe what he’s just heard. But he sits back down like the obedient little follower he is, despite how he silently fumes.
Malcolm turns his gaze back to me, his expression carved from stone. “I can finagle a small shipment in December. But that’s the absolute best I can offer. The bigger shipment will have to be January when I can get more bodies at the plant and increase production.”
I hold out my hand, a crooked grin spreading across my face. “That’s more like it. Sounds good enough.”
Malcolm glares as he accepts my handshake. His grip is firm, almost punishing, like he’s tempted to clench harder.
Then he pulls his hand back and gestures to the door. “Now get the hell out. I’ve got investors to talk to.”
