“And then you kicked them out.”
“All part of the game. But I’m willing to make that same agreement with you, young Steven. Though with some caveats.”
I smiled a little bit. “I’m listening.”
“We’ll split Point Breeze down the middle. I’ll keep my old turf, and you can take what the Russians used to control. But I want a cut of everything you take, just a small tithe, let’s say ten percent. A tiny amount really, but it’ll keep the peace, and it’ll cover at least a small amount of my losses.”
“That seems fair,” I said. “What else?”
“If you continue to expand, you expand south or west,” he said. “You leave my people alone, you leave my turf alone. No more taking, no more killing. We run our businesses and we make our profit, and we don’t go to war.”
“Reasonable.” I nodded my head and spread out my hands, palms up. “But there has to be more.”
“I want my niece,” he said, his tone darker, a hint of anger there.
“Ah,” I said and smiled. “You mean Colleen.”
“I want her back,” he said. “I don’t know what she’s doing with you or why she turned on the Club, but I want her, do you hear? That part isn’t negotiable. You give her to me and let me handle the bitch as needed.”
I felt my pulse spike and a hint of rage ran through me. I stepped up to Mathis and he looked surprised as I drew up to my full height.
“If you call her a bitch again, I’ll end this right here and now. I’ll do the time if I have to.”
Mathis stared at me and let out a breath. “What is with you and the girl?” he asked. “Why do you care about her at all?”
“You don’t have to concern yourself with that,” I said, leaning back, forcing myself to calm down. I couldn’t start a shooting war in a public Barnes and Noble just because he called Colleen a bitch, even if that’s what I wanted.
“I don’t know what you’re paying her or what you’ve done with her, but someone has to pay for those boys dying. Now, I can sell the rest of the Club on cutting a deal with you, only if I can have the girl in exchange.”
I tilted my head to the side as his words slowly sank in. “You plan on using Colleen as your scapegoat,” I said.
“Like I said, I don’t know why you care about her.”
“She’s just a girl,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “But I wouldn’t hurt her. Not like you’re planning.”
“Someone has to pay for those dead boys. I have her father, and maybe he can bleed a bit more, but she’s the one that turned on us. She’s the one that’ll take the bullet.”
“And what if she didn’t turn on you?” I asked.
He stared at me, his face flat. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Either way, someone has to pay if we’re going to make this deal.”
I stood there and let that sink in. I really hoped Colleen heard every single delicious word this mother fucker was speaking, because it was much worse than I ever could have expected.
“All right,” I said. “I hear what you’re saying.”
“Then you’re willing to make a deal,” he said.
I held up a hand. “No, no I’m not, not on your terms at least.”
“Give me your terms then.”
“They’re simple. You vacate Point Breeze. Every inch of sidewalk, every single business, they’re all fucking mine. And you give me back Colleen’s father. You release him, make sure he wasn’t harmed, and pay for his time. When you’re off my turf, then we can consider things over between us.”
He let out a harsh laugh. “You really want to do this?” he asked. “You really want a war? I’ve fought before, son. And I’m not the kind to lose.”
“I’m sure you’re not,” I said. “But I don’t make deals with men that use women and hurt them for their own gain.”
He stood there for a long moment, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide. I could tell he was angry and trying to think of something to say, but he finally shook his head.
“You’re making a mistake. Nobody needs to get hurt.”
“Only Colleen,” I said, tilting my head.
He grunted. “Fine then. This is your choice.” He took a step back and I tensed myself, afraid he’d do something stupid.
But instead he turned and walked away, leaving me alone with the books.
I let out a breath and gripped the shelf to steady myself. My heart was beating and I felt like my head was swimming. I walked to the end of the aisle and watched as Mathis disappeared down the escalator.
I waited another minute or two for any other Club assholes to clear out before walking into the kid section. I found Colleen leaning against a shelf of Clifford the Big Red Dog books, her face drawn and pale, her fingers digging into the fake wood.