Page 29 of Insidious Threats
“I’m still not hearing a threat to us, to you.”
She twisted her wedding band around on her finger as she recalled the way Amanda had put it. “She wanted me to twist Maisy’s arm and make her agree to a smaller payment. She said that if the full payment goes through to Maisy, we were all going to wish it hadn’t. And she specified she meant herself, Maisy, and me.”
“Not Naya? Not Mickey?”
She shook her head. “That’s what she said. She said the three of us would, and I quote, ‘incur Leith’s wrath.’ And she was shaken.”
He twisted his lips to the side and stroked her hair as he thought. “That’s definitely a threat.”
“Right.”
“Are you going to tell Maisy?”
She groaned. “I have to, I think. But I can’t advise her to voluntarily refuse part of the money she’s owed and the ADR neutral ordered the station to pay. Not even, or maybe especially not, to protect us. That’s a violation of—I don’t know, maybe a dozen ethical rules?”
“What about to protect her?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. She was surprised he was pressing the issue. “You don’t think we should bow to Delone, do you? You, of all people? You know you can’t get rid of a tyrant by acceding to his demands. I don’t see the point in letting him intimidate us. Where would it end?”
“It might end right here,” he said, not unreasonably. “Delone’s billionaire boy ego is assuaged, and you, Maisy, and your new friend don’t have to look over your shoulders until the end of time.”
She huffed.
“I know you don’t want to hear that,” he told her. “You don’t like being pushed around. Believe me, I get it. But I think you have to let Maisy decide for herself.”
He was right. She hated it, but he was. She heaved out a long sigh. “You’re right.”
He smiled and pulled her closer. “Say it again. I love it when you say that.”
She laughed despite the tightness in her chest at the thought of giving in. “You were right. Enjoy your moment. But don’t get used to it.”
She snuggled into his side. He sipped his drink.
“Are you going to call Maisy tonight?”
“No. When I left, she and Naya were most of the way through a bottle of ouzo. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Ouzo? That’s a choice. Hope they drink a lot of water before bed.”
“Me too. We wouldn’t have ordered it. Prescott & Talbot sent it over to the table.”
“Seriously?”
“Mmm-hmm. Marcus, DeAngeles, and Porter were there. Mickey told them where to find me.”
“Ugh. Those three crashed your celebratory dinner? What did they want?”
She rubbed her hand over her eyes as she remembered their conversation, which had been overshadowed by her encounter with Amanda. “Apparently, Cinco’s in the wind. They want me to track him down for them.”
“And people in hell want ice water,” he scoffed.
“That’s more or less what I told them.”
“Do I hear a ‘but’?”
“But, tomorrow, after I deal with Maisy’s money, I’m going to drive out to Cinco’s place and talk to his family.”
“You don’t owe Prescott & Talbot or Cinco, for that matter, anything.”
