Page 42 of Rivals Next Door

“Look, can we skip this ridiculous dinner and get to the point? What does my brother owe you and how much?”

I wanted this night over as soon as possible so I could get on with finding my idiot brother to give him a piece of my mind.

“No,” Mr. Nameless said firmly. “I’m hungry, and I like the company.”

The way his gaze slithered over my torso made me feel exposed, despite my modest dress. I almost crossed my arms to ward off the chill his assessment caused. However, I refused to show any weakness.

“I’m not here to be your dinner entertainment. What’s my brother involved with that has you coming to me?”

A waiter chose that moment to approach, and I had to put a lid on my mounting frustration. Plastering on a polite smile, I listened to his greeting and a brief rundown of the evening special although my mind raced with other concerns.

When the waiter asked for our order, Mr. Nameless waved him off with a flick of the wrist, but not before he said, “Give us a bottle of the best wine in the house.”

I gritted my teeth, hating that he was prolonging this charade. I resigned myself to sitting through dinner with a criminal—it was obvious at this point. Alone again, the man regarded me with curiosity. There was a glint of another kind of interest in his eyes that I chose to ignore.

“You’re different from your brother.”

“Well, we weren’t born as carbon copies, so yes, we’re very different.” The words were out before I slammed the lid on my flippant side. I pursed my lips, hoping I didn’t upset the dangerous man. He didn’t seem mad though. He grinned… in that creepy way of his.

“Very different from him,” he murmured.

“You haven’t answered my question,” I said, clutching my purse. “What’s Liam caught up in? You might as well tell me so we don’t sit here in awkward silence.”

One corner of his mouth barely lifted with amusement. “Your brother,” he began in an even tone, “took something from my boss.”

My gaze flickered over him in his suit. It was tailored… nice… but not super expensive. I could scan men’s clothing brands like a barcode reader thanks to being around Dad and all his wealthy associates. I deduced that the man sitting before me was exactly what I assumed earlier. He was dangerous but not in charge. He was some kind of enforcer.

“So you’re what…?” I lifted a shoulder nonchalantly, hoping to show that I wasn’t afraid even though under the table, my legs were shaking… “A bookie?”

The little sound he made was supposed to be a laugh, I guess. “We don’t run that kind of business.”

To my irritation, the waiter came back with the wine and Mr. Nameless changed the subject. “Let’s pause on the business talk and enjoy the wine, shall we? Then we can order.”

My fingernails dug into my palms, but I somehow kept my expression neutral. Throughout dinner—which I barely ate because I was sick to my stomach—I listened to the asshole in front of me make subtle threats. He pretty much hinted at causing big trouble for me if I didn’t compensate “them” for what Liam stole. I still didn’t even know exactly what that was.

I smoothed my hair constantly to avoid biting my nails. I'd had that habit since childhood. Each time I lifted my hands to nibble on my nails, I remembered that I was supposed to be a paragon of composure and smoothed my hair instead. I might keel over from my suppressed anxiety at any moment.

“Alright, Mr… he-who-has-no-name…”

That made him chuckle. The scar adorning his face moved with his amusement.

“I’m sure you’re nice and full now.” My gaze swept over the empty plates from our five-course meal. “So cut the crap and get to the part where you tell me exactly what you want.” My frustration had overridden my fear of him.

He casually sat back and regarded me with his soulless eyes. “I’ve been looking for your brother for days to get the money he stole from my boss.”

Dear God. Liam was carrying out heists now? I shook my head. “Stole…?” Why would he steal when he got an allowance? Granted, it had been reduced significantly because of his substance abuse, but he didn’t need to rob anyone.

Mr. Nameless lifted an eyebrow. “He took a significant amount of product to sell…”

It felt as if all the blood drained from my head to my heart to compensate for its rapid beating. Liam had gone from abusing drugs to dealing? What the fuck?! Why? I couldn’t let Mom know. She’d lose her shit. I was about to lose my shit.

“Since he hasn’t paid up, and he’s nowhere to be found, I figured you could help me out.”

“I don't know where he is,” I said. As if I’d tell him even if I did.

“In that case, perhaps you could reach into the Brentwood family coffer… It would be in your best interest, Ms. Brentwood. You wouldn’t want the world knowing what one of their precious Brentwoods is involved in, would you?”

I let out a breath. We’d managed to keep Liam’s extracurricular activities out of the press for years. I always found the most discrete rehab centers to send him to. With BioTech being in financial danger, I didn’t need the bad press. The board would jump ship without a fight if shit hit the fan…

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