Page 70 of Surprise Baby for the Enemy

Derrick’s hand squeezes my thigh again beneath the table, and the set of his jaw tells me he’s not forgotten his own anger against Silver.

Thomas’s expression darkens. “What would you prefer be done?” he asks.

Since it’s revenge I’ve asked for, I’m the one who gets to decide Silver’s punishment. Except I don’t think anyone here is going to like what I have to say.

“I want to meet with him,” I say. “At Cooper’s. I’ll bring two bodyguards, just like he always does, and we’ll revisit the topic of our previous discussion. If he doesn’t agree to pay our tithe, we kill him, right then and there.”

In some ways, this isn’t about giving Silver one last chance. The voyeurs who ruined my first time died in the house under Iris’s gun, and while I can still hold him responsible for their actions if I want, I find that it doesn’t matter so much to me anymore. This is about givingmyselfa chance to face Silver on even footing at last. If I don’t, I’ll always wonder what I could’ve said differently to get him to listen to me or take me seriously. Maybe, after today, I’ll find out nothing I tried would have made a difference. But I need to know.

“Cooper’s is neutral territory,” Graham, one of the generals, protests.

“Not anymore,” I counter. “That was a previous arrangement with Morgan Speare, and he’s dead now. This is a new generation we’re talking about, and he considers the slate wiped clean, so I will too.”

Thomas nods. “We’ll do the meeting.”

A grin splits my face- then evaporates when he says, “ButI’lllead it. You’re not going face-to-face with him again.”

“The fuck I’m not!” I burst out.

“Raleigh-”

“We wouldn’t even be talking about this guy if it weren’t for me,” I say. “He hasn’t declared war on us. Sure he exists on our territory without paying tithes, but have we even sent him an official cease and desist? No! This is personal. He wrongedme, and I need to be the one to tell him he can pay up or die.”My throat is closing as I speak, but I force the last words out. “Otherwise, I’m still just your property.”

Anyone else might look like they’ve been slapped, but the only sign of how low that blow went is a twinge in Thomas’s jaw. The silence at the table is thick enough to cut with a steak knife, and in it, I hear echoes of his apology from last night. Did he really mean any of it? Or will old habits refuse to die?

For a moment, I think my words will be labeled as a tantrum and I’ll be dismissed. But, slowly, Thomas finally nods.

“Very well, then. He’ll pay up, or he’ll die. You’re sure you only want two bodyguards?”

My chest feels so light I’m afraid I’ll float away. “Seems fair.” Not to mention that if we bring in more people, Silver could decide against the meeting, and slip away like smoke once again.

“And what are you if not fair?” Thomas quips, and I smirk. “Who do you want?”

“Iris,” I say immediately, earning a sharp smile from her. “And-”

“I’m coming too,” Derrick says immediately.

As if I had anyone else on my mind.

Thomas’s eyes narrow on him a little, but this time, he remains silent. “All right then. That’s settled. We’ll contact Silver for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. Meeting adjourned.”

As the generals all stand and slowly file out of the room, Thomas settles back in his chair, letting out a long-suffering sigh that he saves just for me and my worst troublemaking. “I’m going back to Amsterdam,” he jokes dryly. “And if you live through this, you can be the one to answer all these threat letters from London.”

“I don’t do paperwork,” I say, with a toss of my head.

CHAPTER 38

Derrick

When the ramshackleshape of Cooper’s comes into view through the windshield, I debate bringing up for the third time that I really should be allowed to call for police support on this. According to Raleigh’s insight into her last meeting with Silver, he was ready and willing to fight. This time, we’re going in armed, and I tightened the straps on Raleigh’s body armor myself, but still. Will Iris and I be enough to fend off Silver and his usual bodyguards?

Raleigh seems to think so. And as much as I admire the vote of confidence, I’d rather be totally sure of this victory.

Iris parks us outside the bar and leads the way up the short stairs to the front door. She’s been very quiet since we climbed in the car and left the Warwick estate, and at first I wanted to believe she was just deep in thought. Now I wonder if she’s trying to figure out how to kill me during the fight that’s bound to happen and make it look like an accident.

Across the street from us, a biker stops on the curb to fiddle with straps on his jacket. Two men chat over steaming takeout coffees while waiting at the bus stop just beyond the parking lot. In a car idling at the edge of the lot, a man is talking into his phone, having an argument with a business partner.

They’re all Warwick men, and they’re ready to storm the building at a single word from Iris.

---