Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Knuckles shrugged. “Or when someone needs it.”
“Exactly!” Tillie’s smile was genuine as she continued. “I’m sure every single one of you has a mean streak in you, but you’re not the kind of men who’d beat up on people weaker than you are.”
“I like this girl, Xavier. Wasn’t sure about her at first. Seemed a little too gentle for this place, but she’s got fire.” The big oaf grinned. At my woman.
“You got your own old lady, asshole. Don’t grin at mine.”
“Wouldn’t think of it. And you’re a jealous prick for thinkin’ I would.”
“Damn straight I’m a jealous prick!” I draped an arm around Tillie and pulled her closer. “Mine.”
“Why not just pee on her and be done with it?” The voice wasn’t one I recognized. Instinctively I turned, sweeping Tillie behind me to keep myself between her and danger. “Knuckles.” He addressed our president instead of me, which was just as good.
“Antonio.” Knuckles stood and took the hand Antonio offered. “Thank you for coming on short notice.”
“Kiss of Death has made my life easier since our collaboration began. And, to be honest, if we work something out here it’s going to benefit me much more than her.”
“What does that mean?” I could feel my hackles rising. “Who are you talking about?”
Antonio turned his attention to me. “Antonio Miles.” He held out his hand. I didn’t immediately take it, but Antonio didn’t drop his hand yet. “Xavier, I presume?”
“That’s my name.”
“I’m here to help Ms. St. Martin with a piece of property, which includes a house she might wish to liquidate.” Antonio didn’t seem impatient and still stood there with his hand out, like he knew he had to let me have time to make up my mind.
I thought about telling the bastard to fuck himself, but that was the green-eyed monster inside me I hadn’t realized existed. I took his hand in a firm grip. “Sorry. I’m a bit rough around the edges.”
“No apology necessary. Might I speak to your woman?” The bastard had to be all polite and shit. Didn’t change my answer.
“Not alone. You want to talk to her, you do it here.” My tolerance only went so far.
Antonio grinned. “Of course. Ms. Matilda St. Martin?”
“Tillie,” she said.
“Tillie, then. Please call me Tonio.”
“Why would you want to speak to me?” I felt Tillie curl her fingers into the waist of my pants.
“Because you have a house I’m fairly certain you’d like to never see again. I’m willing to pay you a fair price for that little farm.”
“You realize that place isn’t safe. Right?”
Antonio smiled at her. “Of course, you’d warn me. But yes. I’m fully aware of everything going on there. So, my question to you is, would you be willing to sell the property to me?”
“Not that I’m not grateful or anything, but why would you want that place? I don’t know you, but you seem nice. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
I had to bite back a growl when Antonio Miles grinned at my woman. “Sweetheart, the very last person you need to worry about is me. I promise you I am fully aware of everything and will take all necessary precautions.”
Tillie seemed to consider Antonio for a long moment. I expected she’d ask why he wanted her land but when she spoke, that’s not what she said. “I paid cash for the place, so the guy who sold it to me came down on the price so I could afford it. I don’t think it’s right for me to ask for the market value when I didn’t pay that for it. I mean, you’re doing me a favor. Not the other way around.”
“There’s where you’re wrong.” Antonio sat in a chair on the other side of Knuckles’ desk and spoke to Tillie. He wasn’t mean. In fact, he seemed amused. Not in an obnoxious way or anything, but like he found it cute Tillie was concerned she was ripping him off. “I can’t get into specifics, but by purchasing your farm from you without an agent, and since I’d have control over your end of the paperwork as well as my own, I have a unique opportunity to obtain a property with the most prolific narcotic highway in the country. The one maintained road that’s not on a map. I can control the paper trail and everything official in the sale, then I’ll be in a better position to control the flow of narcotics from Mexico all the way to the Great Lakes.”
Tillie groaned. “Why did you tell me that? Now I know!”
“You do?” Antonio’s amusement was really grating on my nerves. I hated the guy on principle because he was rich, good-looking, and could give Tillie everything I couldn’t. I never thought I was insecure, but it seemed like I was finding out more about myself than I ever cared to know. “What exactly do you know?”