Page 75 of Dangerous Love

“Or both,” Trey said. He leaned forward, scanning the joint from a distance before he handed me two guns. “We play it safe until we know who’s onsite.”

I nodded and slipped the firearms into the back of my waistband. “That’s the plan. Nice and friendly.”

He straightened, took a deep breath, and called out through the open door, “Dad? Fancy a visit from your sons?”

Jesus, way to go, bro.

My feet glided over the concrete, each step bringing us closer to my father’s office, but right before we reached the threshold, Alexandro’s barrel was pressed against the back of Trey’s head. “You boys are making a habit of turning up unannounced,” the enforcer snarled.

“Fuck off,” Trey spat. “And the next time you put a gun to my head, I’ll fucking drop you.”

I smirked when Alexandro flinched and instantly lowered his arm. He might have been built like a Tonka truck, but the dude knew his place, and he had Avery’s knife mark on his abdomen to prove it. “What?” he grunted towards me.

I rolled my eyes, my heart never skipping a beat. “I’m a better shot than he is, just sayin’, so drop the goddamn attitude and tell my father I’m here to see him.”

He pushed open the door of my father’s office, stepping in first, as the crimson on his cheeks slowly evaporated. He cleared his throat. “Boss? Trey and Riley are here to see you.”

Across the room, Hal lifted his gaze, and he and his goon exchanged a glance. Something flashed in their eyes. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

What’s Hal up to?The normally confident man seemed startled by our presence tonight. “Boys, what do I owe the honour?”

I grabbed a chair and dragged it closer to his desk. Trey followed me and settled on the small couch by my right. “Hal, I think we might have got on the wrong foot the last few years.” I braced my elbows on my knees, ready to put him and his fucked-up world behind me. For good.

My father took a double take, going from me to Trey, and back to me again. “Well, that’s an unexpected turn of events.” He narrowed his eyes to slits. “What do you really want?”

Great start…“I’m not your enemy. I’m no threat to your club.”

“You or the rest of your friends? Last I checked, Curtis and Williams weren’t on my payroll.”

I bit my tongue and ignored his comment. “I’m here to tell you that you have my word. Anything we might have had against you will disappear. We’ll never look back or ask questions. All we ask is a guarantee that neither of your clubs will cause trouble for our families.”

“Families?” Hal slammed his desk with both fists. “I think you need to reconsider who you call family, son.”

Trey and I exchanged a glance, and he straightened, leaning forward as he waited for me to reply to our father. The air crackled with tension. “I’m here, aren't I?” I kept my tone light and dropped my shoulders with a smile. The last thing I needed was to antagonise the madman.

“You’ll be done when I say you’re done,” he spat, his pupils jet black. “It’s not the youngest of my litter who’s gonna write my new rule book.”

I exhaled, my brain projecting my next move like a lame game of chess. “Listen. I don’t think you care about me being in this family or not. Let’s just cut the bullshit. What I’m offering is loyalty to the family name. And the promise that neither I, nor anyone I have anything to do with, will ever jeopardise what you’ve got going on. Isn’t that win-win for everyone?”

Hal’s dry laugh rocked the walls of the warehouse. He turned to Trey, his teeth showing through his growl. “And you’ve let this idiot come here to say this to my face?”

My brother raised his hands in the air. “Seems he doesn’t know what a dick you really are.”

“Come again?” Hal asked, his eyes wider.

Trey stood, grabbed a chair, and fell beside me. “You and I both know that you don’t fucking care about any of us. It’s all about your ego,Dad. But he’s been out long enough to still think there’s good in all of us.” He gave Hal a sick grin. “Ignorance is bliss, right?”

Holy shit.My breath hitched. Things were going to get interesting right about now.

“How dare you?” Hal’s scream vibrated the walls, before he hurled whatever crap was on his desk across the room. “You think either of you scare me? You bunch of pussies. Coming in here and giving me orders like I’m some first-timer.”

Slowly, I raised to my feet until I stared my father in the eyes. If he thought I would back down, he had another thing coming. Today I was leaving with my freedom, one way or another. “I came to offer you an agreement in good faith. It seems that’s not enough for you. So what? You’d rather have no sons than let them live healthy lives away from your shithole?”

My father’s arm flew out and backhanded me, his body heaving with rage as I stood steady on my feet. I gave him no reaction as I wiped the blood from my nose.

“Don’t confuse respect for weakness, Hal. I’m trying to show you I’ll keep to my word. Let me go and you’ll never hear from any of us ever again.”

When the door flung open, I turned around, my hand sliding to my hip. Trey gave me a quiet nod, and I relaxed when Alexandro leaned across the doorframe. “Everything all right, boss?”

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