Lover (Betrothed 3)

Smoke almost exploded from my ears. “Even? No, asshole. Not even close.”

Maddox walked closer to me, not the least bit afraid because all his cronies were ready to pull me off if I launched another attack. “Well, we need to get down to business. Your little vendetta can wait.”

“Business?” I had no business with this fucking lunatic. The only business we would ever have would be buying a plot to put his body. “The only business I have with you is my vendetta. If you came here expecting me to surrender, I won’t. I will not stop until you pay for what you did.”

He placed his hands on his hips. “Well, I guess I could pay you for your wife’s time.”

Within a single snap, I lost my shit. I sprinted into his frame and grabbed his head so I could snap his neck.

He was lucky his men pulled me off so quickly. If they hadn’t, I would’ve gotten him.

“Will you calm the fuck down now? Do I need to let you wail on me a little longer so you’ll listen?”

Two of his men held me back by the arms because I could no longer be trusted to stay sane. “If you really want me to listen, let me kill you.”

He slowly walked toward me with his hands on his hips. “In my experience, the dead don’t say much, and they listen even less. I’m sure you noticed that after you killed my brother.” He mentioned the murder of his brother like it was no big deal, like he didn’t need vengeance for what I’d done. He was so disassociated from reality. He seemed to operate on a completely different field.

“I hope you aren’t expecting an apology.”

“I hope you aren’t either.”

I tried to free myself from my restraint, but it was no use.

Maddox held up his hand, like the gesture was going to soothe me. “This is what we’re gonna do. You successfully put me out of business.” He brought his hands together and slow clapped. “Congratulations. Now, I need a new partner, someone who has channels all over the world. The Tuscan Rose is really impressive because it’s the perfect place for such a complicated network of distributors. I think it’s the perfect place for me to settle.”

I stared at him with a blank face, unable to process what he was saying because it was so ridiculous. “You really are out of your mind, aren’t you?”

“No, you are. What did you think was going to happen when you stripped everything away? You know what they say, destroy one monster and you make a bigger one.” He raised both arms and gave a shrug. “I think you and I could work well together. I’ve always admired you. Why do you think I’ve kept you alive so long?”

I pushed his men off of me and continued to look Maddox in the eyes. “I’d rather die.” I wouldn’t work with a man who’d raped my wife. I wouldn’t form an alliance with the man who’d nearly beat me to death.

Maddox’s face slowly turned serious. “You know what they say. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. You and I would no longer be enemies, and if we aren’t enemies, we all get along real nicely. Your wife is safe, your kid is safe. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“I’d. Rather. Die.”

His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked into my face. He held the look for a long time, oscillating between all the different emotions that occupied his body. His hands slid into his front pockets, and his chin tilted toward the ground as he considered my response. “Then I guess I’ll have to kill you and Damien right here…and then have some more fun with your wife.” He lifted his chin to meet my gaze again, this time his look threatening. “After I kill your son, of course.”

I couldn’t process the million shocks of rage that flooded my body. Like being electrocuted with a bolt of lightning, my body could barely handle the voltage. I wanted to kill this man more than anything else in the world. I was so livid, I actually couldn’t speak. My life meant nothing to me, but my wife meant everything. And my son…I couldn’t even go there.

Maddox continued to study me. “Good. You changed your mind.”

Once I was reminded of the stakes, I couldn’t defy him. I had too much to lose. Provoking him like this was another mistake to add to the pile. I had to protect my family above everything else, even if that meant I had to swallow my pride.

Maddox didn’t gloat at his victory. “I think you and I can do great things. We’ll be the most powerful men in the drug world. We’ll be untouchable.” He slowly stepped away from me and motioned for his men to get ready to leave.