Page 209 of Dirty Rival

Tabitha’s voice lifts in the air and everything that was said last night is right here in this room. About halfway in, Elijah sits down in the chair across from me. When the first part of the recording is over our eyes meet. “You still fucked my wife.”

“I didn’t know she was your damn wife, man,” I bite out. “You just heard that on the audio.”

“That’s not what you said when it happened.”

He’s right. I egged him on and did it without guilt. “We’re competitors and you were being a little bitch.”

“Little bitch?” he demands. “You fucked my wife. What if I fucked Carrie?”

“You wouldn’t get the chance,” I say, not taking the bait. “She’s not Tabitha, who’s a bitch, by the way. There’s more on the tape.” I hit the play button again and a number of phone calls between Tabitha and Mick, in which they plot to use me to distract Elijah, follow. Once it’s over, I meet his stare. “She’s the little bitch.”

He scrubs his jaw and stands up, walking to the window to stare out at the city, though I’m doubtful the city is what he’s seeing. More likely it’s red and revenge. I push to my feet and join him, stepping to his side. “We have a decision to make,” I say, and the two of us turn to face each other. “We can remain enemies or we can align and end this.”

“You expect me to believe that Reid Maxwell would align with me after what I did to you this morning?”

“Then you admit you started the press frenzy?”

“Fuck yeah I did it,” he says. “I thought you fucked my wife and my wallet. So, I repeat. Why would you align with me?”

“One word. Carrie. I want this over for her.” I hand him the recorder. “Take it. Use it to get out of whatever fucked up divorce is to follow and as for Mick, I can fuck up that deal he signed. I can get that company back on the market.”

“How?”

“It doesn’t matter how. It matters that I do it. I’ll even broker your buy-in, but then it’s done. We’re done. In or out, but know this: If you say you’re in and you fuck me, I will bend you over, and fuck you so hard and fast, you’ll wish you were dead. I’m making you money and saving you on that divorce. You owe me peace.”

“And you’ll have it,” he assures me. “Peace.” He offers me his hand.

I grab it and turn him to shove him against the window. “Touch my woman again and I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”

Elijah holds his hands up. “I was trying to scare her. I wasn’t ever planning to hurt her.”

“I. Will. Kill. You. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” he says. “It’s done. We’re done except for the part where we make money together.”

I reach in my pocket and hand him a data drive. “Proof of your illegal activities. I could release this to the press and do a whole lot more damage than you did to me today.”

“I told you,” he bites out, no denial to be found, “we’re done except for making money.”

“We’re done or you’re done,” I say, and I let him look in my eyes and read how deep my promise to kill him runs. When I’m sure he knows exactly where I’m coming from, I release him and leave. Once I step out of the offices, Blake is waiting for me in the lobby.

“Well?” he asks as we walk toward the exit.

I stop walking and we turn to face each other. “What he does next decides if this is war or peace.”

“We’re listening and watching,” Blake assures me. “What’s your gut?”

“I gave him a chance at peace he doesn’t deserve because Carrie matters more than my need to ruin him, but if he crosses me now, I will put him down in every sense of the word. If you can’t handle that, walk away.” I turn and head for the door, ready to be back by Carrie’s side, but it’s not that simple. I need to know where this is headed with Elijah and be ready to make a move to destroy him.

Blake steps to my side and glances over at me. “I’d recommend our offices as your next step. We’ll be well-armed and in striking territory should Elijah make any moves that aren’t what we expect.”

I nod and a few minutes later we’re in an SUV headed that direction when my phone rings with Grayson Bennett’s number. “Fuck,” I curse before answering the line. “Grayson,” I greet.

“I don’t believe you used that woman as a shield,” he says. “I believe someone couldn’t beat you so they decided to cut you.”

“That’s exactly what happened.”

“How’s Carrie handling it?”

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