Page 22 of Dangerous Deviance
The drive to Brackston was about four hours, three if I was driving. But Derek preferred to drive, and either way, I didn’t care; we were going to get there one way or another. A few of my men were taking care of the deals at the gambling hall, and Derek had a team running his tasks for the day. Being on the road gave us a chance to talk things through before meeting with Miles Muro himself.
I had spoken to Muro on the phone a few times, to smooth out what should have been a done deal. But it wasn’t, thanks to my half-brother, Ethan. The whole stolen captive situation eventually blew over, but because we were his competition, Muro thought we had done it on purpose, to screw him over.
Understandably, our working relationship hadn’t been great before, and now, it was even more tenuous. Ethan had caused plenty of damage, and now, we were left to pick up the pieces. Funny how love could mess up your vision entirely.
Glancing over at Derek, his elbow leaning against the car door, eyes fixed on the road, it made more sense now than it ever had, that love wasn’t trustworthy. Ethan had lost himself to some sweet pussy, but me? I was smarter than that. I understood that family was all that mattered. I wasn’t going to choose a chick over the family just because she made my dick twitch. Better to keep them at a distance. Then everyone knew where they stood.
My dick pulsed at the thought. I had taught Ellie that lesson and had enjoyed it far too much. Which was why I needed to remember it myself. Distance was a necessity in this business.
The building for the Midnight Miles Corporation was at the center of Brackston. It stretched tall, as if it looked down on all of the buildings around it. Inside, the furniture and walls were white, and a long, low table in the middle of the lobby held a single red orchid, the only splash of color in the entire room. The guard adjusted the collar of his white shirt, then let us up to the top floor.
A woman in white opened the door and let us into the office. Muro sat up from behind his glass desk.
“So kind of you two to join me,” he said. He hit something under his desk and smiled down. A thin woman crawled out from underneath it. Once she was standing, she gave a subtle nod to Muro, then left the room. Muro watched her leave, then turned to me. “You must be Wilhelm. We finally meet in person.”
“You can call me ‘Wil,’” I said, shaking his hand.
“Ah, Wil,” Muro said, his voice raspy. “And it’s good to see you again, Derek.”
They shook hands. “Likewise.”
Muro motioned to the side, and a huge man in a white outfit, more of a boulder than a person, began pouring shots. Personal assistant, or bodyguard, or both? The shots were served, and the three of us lifted the glasses. Muro tossed his low ponytail behind his back.
“Cheers,” he said.
We drank, and as we washed it down, I studied Muro. He had a lightning bolt tattoo to the side of his eyes, tendrils curling from the edges, almost like the underside of a leaf. He was shorter than I had expected, but sitting behind his desk, you couldn’t tell. Regardless, the man had balls. No one had attempted to infiltrate Sage City in decades. Muro was the first one to try.
Gerard wanted this to be a peaceful alliance, though. Not a blood-soaked dispute. Derek and I had to remember that.
“Now, what brings me the honor of your presence?” Muro asked, a flash of light shining in his eyes. The honor? What a condescending prick.
“When I spoke to you over the phone, we had agreed that your men could sell in our territories, with our protection, in exchange for a cut of the profits,” I said.
Muro nodded. “We agreed to that, yes.”
“But your men haven’t been showing up,” Derek said.
“And when they do, they refuse to share the proceeds,” I said.
“We want to give you a chance to adjust your directions,” Derek said. “We want to honor our agreement.”
“Well, you ruined that chance, didn’t you?” Muro sneered at us. Then he threw back his head, and belly-laughed. “Kidding, kidding.” He hit the desk with his fist. “Sometimes, my people have a mind of their own, but mostly, I like finding yes-sir kind of workers, don’t you agree?” He sat up, leaning forward on the clear desk. “Makes it easier that way. Obedient pawns. Tell them exactly what to do. What to think.”
I raised a brow. “You train them well, then?”
“For the most part, yes.” Muro nodded deeply. “Down to their very core.”
There was something off about Muro. I knew our business ties would be stiff, but it was worse than before.
“I propose a new deal,” he said. He laced his fingers together. “We send you the products directly. You sell them as is.”
“So we would be paying you,” Derek said dryly.
“Precisely.” He bared his teeth in a smile, but he looked more like a hyena than a human. “My men won’t have to be in your territory. They would simply deliver. It would be your men, free to work with the product however they wanted.”
I looked at Derek, but he didn’t move, staring straight at Muro, judging him. I didn’t trust the proposal and tried to communicate that with my glance, but Derek didn’t look at me. He nodded at Muro.
“We’ll have a trial period,” he said. “To show that you’re working in good faith.”
