Page 71 of Against All Odds

Mav replied immediately:Okay.

And that was it. No questions, no explanations.

As I expected, Daniel confronted me as I was loading my clubs into the trunk of my car at the end of the day, probably when they got done with their eighteen holes and martinis.

“Heath.”

I turned to find him standing a few feet away. He wasfeeling it all and showing it—anger, frustration, disappointment. I was looking forward to the show. I was pissed as hell at him and Alexa. I’d have a conversation with my ex-wife shortlyafterI talked to my daughter. The Vikar family needed to stay the hell out of my personal life.

“You’ve got some nerve,” he snapped.

Well, well, well. Aren’t we going straight for the jugular?

Daniel was letting his temper get the better of him—just as I had at the farmer’s market. And that hadn’t ended well for me. It wouldn’t end well for my former father-in-law, either.

I leaned against my Jeep, crossing my arms.

“You think you can waltz in and threaten me in front of my friends? You’re out of line.”

I shrugged. “Let’s get our facts straight, Daniel. I only threatened Joe and Tom.”

His eyes widened.

“I told them to not support your vindictive bullshit about going after my woman’s business.” I waited a beat and then added, “That was underhanded, shoddy,andstupid.”

“You son of a bitch.” He took a step toward me; his hands were fists.

“You hit me, I’ll have you arrested,” I warned him with amusement.

His jaw clenched. “You’re going against me for that trailer trash?”

I pushed off of the car, stepping closer to him. “Youcall her that again, and Iwillgo about ruining you, former fucking mayor or not.”

Daniel wasn’t used to being challenged. His face was beet red. It wasn’t a good look for him. “You think you can? This is my town.”

“You fuck with Sable and the tavern, I will show you that I definitely can. Now, Tom and Joe are going to make sure that everyone knows where I stand on this. I better not find you working against Sable. Are we clear?”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “You really think you can take me on? My family was here before you were born, you asshole. People listen to me. They respect me.”

“I’m Maverick Royal’s fixer,” I replied calmly. “You think your influence matters more than mine? Think again. I know more people, have more connections, and carry more weight in Aspen and the whole fucking state than you do. I will fuck you up so bad, you won’t know what hit you.”

For a moment, he just stared at me, his face unreadable. Then he let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he demanded. “You’re choosingthat…over my daughter?”

“I left your daughter over two years ago. I’m getting on with my life and finding a partner who is right for me.”

There it was. For all my bullshit about not wanting a relationship, only wanting companionship and sex, the truth was, I wanted itallwith Sable. Or at least to have the opportunity to explore it. How could I be such a moron to think acasualrelationship would be enoughwith her? She consumed me, and that should’ve been a clue. Fear was insidious, and it had made me hurt and lose a good woman—my second chance at love and happiness.

“You have a nice evening, Daniel.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond. I got in my Jeep, started the engine, and drove away.

CHAPTER 24

sable

Ireviewed the week’s invoices at the bar with a heavy heart.

It wasn’t going well—it wasbetter, but not like it used to be, not like I’d forecasted based on historic revenue numbers. Our bills were marginally lower than our revenue. Our profits werelow.

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