Page 20 of Surprise Baby for the Enemy

My fear evaporates, replaced entirely by rage.

Silver shakes his head. “No need to make that face. I can assume it was your guys who ripped through every one of my men to get you out?”

Every one of my men.

I imagine Silver with a few bullet holes in his face, and draw strength from the fantasy. Also the confirmation that the man who forced me to have sex with Derrick in the first place was one of the casualties after all. “Yeah, that’s right,” I say coldly.

“Then that means we’re even, don’t you think?”

Not even close. Not by a fucking mile.

Before I can think of a response scathing enough, Silver goes on. “I hope this means you’re here to make me a better offer than the one I made to our mutual sheriff friend.”

“The one where he gives you inside information onus?” I clarify.

Silver only shrugs. “By all accounts we both gain something by killing and replacing him. Or we can play tug-of-war with his services until we eventually tear him apart. Personally, I like to get every last drop of use out of a person before I discard them.”

I don’t really like the visual image of Derrick being pulled to pieces. Which is stupid, because I shouldn’t care. I don’t care.

I’m getting distracted.

“You’re receiving his… ‘services’, then?” I can’t help but ask. It’s a mistake. I know it before the question even leaves my mouth, but even more certainly when Silver cocks his head, almost pityingly. I’ve just given away something I don’t know, an uncertainty that Silver can take advantage of.

To my surprise, though, he immediately gives up that advantage.

“I never actually planned to work with the sheriff, Miss Warwick. He killed my pops, after all. Ruined my kingdom. I like being upfront with people Idointend to have a working relationship with, so I’ll tell you this: I fully expected Mr. Lindman to cave immediately in order to save his own skin. He’d beg and blubber for a little bit, totally humiliating himself in front of me and God. And then I’d shoot him in the face.”

A chill goes down my spine. So when Silver said Derrick could work with him or die, what he was really saying was that no matter what Derrick chose to do, he would die. In fact, the only thing that saved either of our lives that day might have been Silver’s anger at his own henchmen for acting behind his back.

“But then he didn’t grovel,” Silver says, with a put-upon sigh. “Heinsistedon defending his own character. Claiming he was on my father’s side until the end. The problem I have with that, of course, is that he immediately took credit for whatever he did or didn’t do to get ahead. My father’s downfall made the sheriff’scareer. So it doesn’t really matter to me that he claims he had nothing to do with it, y’know?”

“This is all really cute,” I say, my voice a little too taut to be indifferent, “but I didn’t call you to gab about the sheriff.”

Not to mention, I don’t want to talk about Derrick anymore. I don’t want to be reminded about how close to death we were that day. And I definitely don’t want to think about how Derrick promised to get me out of there safely.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” I say, stepping up to the pool table set between us and leaning my palms on the cool wooden rim. “My brother sent me here today to tell you to stop fucking around in Warwick territory.”

I mean for it to sound domineering, aggressive. Instead I sound like a little girl on the playground bluffing to some bullies.

Slowly, Silver approaches his own side of the pool table and leans against it, mirroring my pose. I can’t tell if he’s trying to mock me or intimidate me. Both, maybe.

“Did he now?” he asks. “That’s a bit rude, seeing as how it’s not actually his territory.”

“This city belongs to the Warwicks,” I counter. “It did before your daddy outed himself as a traitorous bastard, and it does now. What you’re doing right now is trespassing. And if you don’t stop, things are going to get reallyuncomfortablefor you.”

I should not be shooting my mouth off. I know I shouldn’t. I went into this meeting knowing I needed to bluff, but getting angry was not part of the plan. I’m not supposed to be antagonizing Silver right now.

But goddamnit, I’m ready to fucking fight.

Silver doesn’t seem antagonized, though. He shakes his head, scoffing. He- he’slaughingat me!

“You forget you’re speaking to someone higher on the food chain than you, Miss Warwick,” he rasps. “I’m the son of Morgan Speare, and now that pops is gone- God rest his soul-Iam king.If you want to talk to me about who owns what and who has to pay tribute to who, you should be tellingyourking to come talk to me directly. Otherwise, I’m afraid this is all a bit above your paygrade.”

I’m red with fury, but it looks like humiliation. At his next words, though, the blood drains from my face completely.

His head cocks, and he leans just a little further over the pool table. Testing the boundary between us. “I’d also like to remind you that there has been no formal agreement between our parties that this building should still be considered neutral territory. My men and Iarearmed, and if you keep testing me, thiswillget ugly. Something tells me Iris Agostinelli isn’t waiting in the other room to get you out of this one.”

I meant for coming here alone to be impressive, to signify confidence and power. My goal was to size him up, to let him know that if he didn’t work with me, there would be deadly consequences. But now… I just feel monumentally stupid.

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