Page 55 of The Bourbon Bargain

“What do you want, Rex?” Hayes asks, shifting me over so he stands between us. Gone is the playful tone, or the heat of moments before. Now he’s all business and protective posturing.

“Relax, I come with only good intentions.” Octavius turns and sets the mask on the bar. “Get your brothers. We need to talk.”

“Not the time. Not the place,” Hayes growls.

“I think it is. You’re being played right this moment, and if you don’t act immediately, you’re going to be facing another industrialaccidentthat’s sure to bring Olympus down. Ready to take me seriously, yet?“ His tone is harsher than he used before, and he’s not employing the easy-going affectation any longer. He means business and wants Hayes’s attention right now.

I look between these former friends turned bitter rivals and wonder what they could be talking about. How would Octavius know anything about some potential industrial accident that could hurt Olympus? Does this have anything to do with the South African mining accident? I have so many questions, but Hayes is too intent on staring daggers at Octavius for me to expect answers.

“Fuck,” Hayes exhales in a harsh whisper, looking down at the bar where he twists his tumbler of bourbon. He faces me. “Do you want to go up to the flat while we handle this?” His question is gentle, providing me a release from whatever is about to go down with Octavius. My curiosity is piqued, though, and if there is an option to finally get to the bottom of why Octavius has been following us and wanting back into Hayes’s life, I would like to take it.

I shake my head. “I’d rather stay with you unless you don’t want me to be a part of this discussion.”

Hayes looks torn, his obvious instinct to keep me far away from Octavius and anything to do with Olympus is warring with his desire to keep me close and give me anything I ask. Finally, he nods tightly. “Let’s get Zander and Payton.”

The three of us move back to the crowded ballroom, scanning the area for the elusive brothers. It doesn’t take long to find them, though, as they are heading our way, heads bent together.

“A little angel told me we had a visitor that wasn’t on the guestlist,” Zander says when they get to us. He lifts his eye mask off his face and pockets it. “Bribing the doorman gets you in, but not for long.” He aims that last sentence at Octavius.

“We need to go upstairs, now.” Hayes’s words are final, leaving no room to argue. Both Zander and Payton look at Hayes for a moment, then nod. He keeps me tucked against his side as we make our way back to the lobby and the elevator vestibule. Hayes uses his keycard to call the private car and take us up to the third floor where his office is situated.

“You’ve been busy these last few years. What brings you to our little slice of hell tonight?” Payton asks Octavius amiably as the elevator ascends. He removes his mask, but his face is carefully neutral, while his cerulean eyes remain shrewd.

“Saving your asses, it would seem.”

“Oh, this is going to be good. What can you possibly do that would be considered saving our asses?” Zander asks with an air of dismissal.

Before Octavius can answer, the elevator stops, doors opening on the hallway that leads to Hayes’s flat and office. We file out of the elevator and Hayes opens the office door, letting us into the spacious room with large windows showing off the Savannah skyline. I stare at the desk where just a few days ago, Hayes had me bent over the top and was asking to have my behind for the first time. My cheeks grow warm, and I look away, settling myself in a corner of the tufted Chesterfield sofa to be out of the way. Hayes sits next to me, his hand resting heavily on my thigh, his thumb brushing over my skin absently. Payton takes the chair by the desk, and Zander leans against the opposite end of the sofa.

Octavius takes the remaining chair in front of the desk, his face hard. “The South African mine was sabotaged. It wasn’t an accident at all, and you boys took the blame for it because someone has it out for you. Round two is about to happen and I’m allowing you to make sure it doesn’t go down like that again.” He cuts to the chase without preamble and I am left shocked by what he says.

“More like you’re behind the collapse and playing us,” Zander accuses. “We know you’ve had it out for Olympus since we bought Rex, Inc.; it’s no surprise you would stoop low enough to put innocent people in danger.”

My eyes grow wide, and I swallow the gasp that wants to make its way out. Could Octavius Rex have really orchestrated the mine collapse? Would he have enough of a vendetta against the Olsens to not care about the resulting casualties? I grip Hayes’s arm and hope it’s not true for many reasons, but mainly for the loss of life that the collapse caused.

“Why the fuck would I be here now, telling you about the potential devastation of your holdings if I was behind it in the first place? You’re not that big of a player in my long game, Zander, no matter how highly you think of yourself.”

“What’s in it for you? What do you want in exchange for this supposed warning?” Payton asks, lounging back in his chair. “You haven’t given us anything concrete to go on other than some doom and gloom accusations and rumors.”

“He wants a seat on the board at Olympus,” Hayes says from my side, and my eyes snap up to his face, which is deadly.

“You can’t be serious,” Zander says with a laugh.

“You couldn’t possibly expect that we would grant you that kind of access and control with what you’ve said so far,” Payton says, his tone more diplomatic than Zander’s outright humor over the situation.

“I have everything you need to make sure what’s already set in motion doesn’t happen and you can hold the responsible party accountable for what has already taken place.”

“Despite wanting to use your likely ill-gotten information to prevent another casualty and secure yourself a position of influence, why tell us anything at all? Why not just let it play out and watch us suffer, since we probably deserve it in your eyes?” Hayes asks, voice low.

Is that what Hayes would do if he were on the other side of the situation? Heisruthless, but I would hate to imagine he would let others unduly suffer.

“Not even I would want to see the devastation that is set to happen just because I don’t like that you took something from me. I can see past my own personal feelings. After all, it’s just business.”

Zander scoffs and Payton leans forward, forearms on his knees, eying Octavius speculatively.

“So why don’t you blow the whistle on whatever is happening yourself?” I ask, unable to hold back my curiosity. “Why bring it to Olympus first when you could just as easily play the hero?”

Octavius slides his gaze my way and Hayes’s hand tenses on my thigh.

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