Page 59 of Power
ChapterThirty-Five
Archer
“You have got some fucking nerve.”
“So do you, you fucking cunt.”
I growl, facing off with Gryphon, Chester Chase, Bailey’s dad, in this back alley which stinks of garbage, stale beer, and urine. And something else I can’t quite place. “Call me a cunt again, and I will rip your face off and wear it as a mask.”
“Nice, we all love a good threat, but we both know that’s the Mad Hatter’s forte, not yours.”
“One phone call, and Finn will be down here to do my bidding.”
“And leave Bailey unattended. That’s not like you, Archer. So callous with her safety.”
“Owen won’t leave her.”
“No. He is obsessed with my daughter. He watches her every move.”
“She needs protecting.”
“From me?”
“Yeah, from you, asshole. And don’t think I don’t know about the fucking note you sent her.”
His eyes, too much like Bailey’s for me to be comfortable with, narrow. “Note,” he says. “Yes, the note.”
An alarm bell rings, but I’m not entirely sure why. Something seems off about his response. I shoot him a querying glare, but he smiles, that charming smile that has a way of making you forget why you’re angry in the first place.
But not this time.
“Warning her away from us was a bad move, Ches. And seriously, killing Laura was a bit overkill, don’t you think?”
He blinks. “Laura’s dead?”
I study his expression. He appears genuinely shocked.
“Yeah. Found garroted behind a dumpster near the office. We thought it was you after the shit you pulled with Bailey.”
“Ugh, garroted. What do you think I am, a barbarian?”
“Nooo, you are a fucking first-rate assassin who needs to get his head out of his ass and take responsibility for fucking with me. No one fucks with me, Ches, especially when it comes to Bailey.”
“Ah, your Queen. I heard.”
I glare at him.
“Cute blonde named Trish has a big mouth. When it wasn’t stuffed with my cock, she was quite talkative.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I groan. “That image makes me want to hurl.”
“Be my guest. It already stinks of vomit down here. Why couldn’t we meet somewhere less disgusting?”
“Because you are supposed to be on my hit list, dick.”
“Supposed to be? I take it to assume that I’m not and can come back to Court.”
“Not yet. I need you to sort out that fucking mess with Liverpool first. They can’t have her. Theywon’tget her. I don’t give a fuck who owes what to whom this year; that favor doesn’t get paid. Are we quite clear?”
