Page 35 of After the Chase

“Can we make this quick? I can’t deal with any small chat,” I say.

“You’re not the boss here, fuckface, it’s on our terms, not yours,” Lev snarls from next to me.

“I don’t talk to the dumb one. I’m sure your brother is aware who has the control here, otherwise he wouldn’t have called this meeting,” I say, enjoying the thrill I get from winding this fucker up.

“You wanna watch your mouth…” Lev starts to say, moving toward me, but I just lean back, completely fed up with his over the top reactions.

“Lev, quit it. Can we just get through this without any drama?” Dima asks, rubbing his forehead. Years of dealing with his hothead brother clearly taking its toll.

Lev rolls his eyes and says nothing more as he moves over to the wall behind me, but I can feel the heat of his hateful stare on my back.

"I understand you met with Marcus Reeves," Dima says without preamble.

"Obviously. Who told you? Ethan or Ivan?" I ask. Ethan, who owns the hotel and is friends with Marcus, is also an old friend of Dima’s, I learned. Chase mentioned he had told Ivan and Ty who I met, and their worried response. I was intrigued to see which one went running to Dima first.

“Ivan, but then I got a message from Ethan.”

“Ivan is a loyal boy, isn’t he?” I say, taunting. I swear this crew does nothing but gossip. But Dima ignores my jab.

"So, I was surprised to hear that it was your father who originally funded the Saints. It never clicked with me when we met that you were a Bryson."

“I had no interest in what that old fuck did. I only found out because my mother passed and the lawyer told me. But that’s none of your business, so again, what do you want?”

"Your father's arrangement with the Saints was beneficial to multiple parties, including us. As you know we have expanded with Carlos, who is now part of the organization, and expanding our business involving the Saints will be very lucrative to us to access more of the US."

“Marcus has already explained the importance of my continued involvement, but I’m not sure why I’m here still?”

Dima lets out a frustrated sigh, but talking in circles is not making this any clearer.

“Quit with the diplomacy and just fucking say what you need to say,” I say as I lean forward toward Dima’s desk, my elbows resting on my thighs. Dima watches me like he is trying to decode a bomb, unsure of how to read me. But the soft tone of Carlos’ voice breaks through the room and I turn to face him.

“This isn’t an ambush, Noah. We can all help each other and be happy. If you continue investing and helping the Saints, that benefits us, because without you, there will be no Saints. Financially they would be ruined unless they could find someone else, so you pretty much hold everyone’s future in your hands. Well, their lives, but it would be a fucking nightmare for us to look at other places we can trust to increase revenue.”

“I get that. But I’m not obliged to do this, and if my memory is correct, wasn’t it my help that got you out of Brazil? And I remember not too long ago I helped you fuckers out here too.”

“And I will not forget what you did, Noah,” Carlos says, and it appears genuine.

“We haven’t forgotten either, Noah. But I do think we can work with this, plus you and Chase will have extra protection under us and the Saints,” Dima says, and I sit back again and process my thoughts.

“I’m gonna have to think about it as it would mean having to move back here permanently. But I will say this, I have no intention of being one of your “men”. I work independently and answer to nobody. You would do your things, and you would stay out of my life.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Good. I’m sure you will find out my answer when I have spoken to Marcus. After all, my deal is with him.”

“We’re not your enemy, Noah,” Dima says as I stand to leave.

“That might be true. But to me you’re not my anything. I don’t do friends. I don’t do family. If this goes ahead, it’s purely financial.”

“Don’t worry, you’re nothing to me either,” Lev says, and a chuckle leaves my mouth.

“For someone who hates me so much you sure do love fucking talking to me,” I say as I walk out of the room. Jules falls in line beside me, and I assume it’s to walk me out.

“I like you, Noah. Nice to see someone not bend over backwards,” he says, and I grunt in response. I’m getting a bad head from the constant chatter.

“Where is Chase?” I ask him as we approach the foyer.

“He’s with Tyler at his house in the back. Do you want to go back there?”