Page 23 of Sinner's Ransom: Taken
Sloan’s eyes dipped to Montgomery’s crotch. No doubt he could see the evidence of what Stone’s hold on him did to Montgomery. “Maybe he and my pet should chat one day. Conall wasn’t always as tame as he is now, and they might have more in common than they think.”
“I doubt it. I don’t bark when ordered.” It was a habit. Montgomery couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he tried.
Conall snorted, but the noise sounded almost like a laugh. He grinned around the mountain’s shoulder. “Woof. Woof.”
Sloan pressed his lips together tightly and turned his back on Montgomery, striding over to some of his men. They chatted, which gave Stone a chance to grab Montgomery around the throat, forcing him against a wall. The hold wasn’t tight enough to choke him, but his hand kept him in place as Stone leaned in.
“You’re playing with fire, Monty.” His calm voice sent a shiver along Montgomery’s spine.
He licked his lips. “I like fire.”
“Not his kind of fire.” Stone’s eyes darkened, warning heavy in his gaze. “And it’s not only him you have to worry about. If you’re planning on trying to get into his pants, you’re poaching on someone else’s territory. From what I’ve heard, Conall doesn’t like competition for his master’s attention, and he makes infringers regret it very quickly.”
Montgomery rolled his eyes and held up his hands. The rope cut at his wrists again, making every movement painful. “Cool your jets. I’m not interested in the guy. The suits remind me of Richard. I’d rather the guy I’m fucking not remind me of my dad.”
“Good.” The satisfaction in his eyes made Montgomery curious. Just how jealous did Stone get at the thought of Montgomery trying to shack up with another man? They barely knew each other and, like Stone had said multiple times, Montgomery was his prisoner. Yet, he’d had Stone’s cock in his mouth not long ago, and every time Stone touched Montgomery, something sparked beneath his skin—a want and desire so strong that it left him breathless. No other man had gotten him that hot before.
Stone and he had been looking at each other intently, and Montgomery hadn’t noticed until someone clapped their hands. He broke the stare to glance at Sloan, who made his way back over to them.
“Are you ready to get this show on the road?”
Stone tore his eyes away from Montgomery and nodded. “Yes, sir.” He released his hold and turned toward Sloan.
Sloan held up his hand, a smirk slipping across his lips. “We need to discuss payment.”
“Payment?” Stone paused, face stoic. “What payment?”
“For my services. We take a cut of ten percent.” Sloan folded his arms over his chest, his feet spread apart in a dominant stance.
“Ten percent?” Confusion twisted at Stone’s face, and his fingers twitched at his side. “George never mentioned a payment.”
“That’s because it wasn’t discussed.” The old man strode forward, his fists curled at his sides as he stepped up beside Stone. He glared at Sloan. “What’s this about a payment?”
“Did you think I would do this for free, George?” Sloan held out his hands, gesturing to the room where the camera had been set up, as well as an impressive collection of computers. It was an elaborate configuration, and clearly a lot of work had been put into it. “I’m a businessman first and foremost.”
“You owe me, sir,” George argued. “I took a bullet for Conall.”
“And I appreciate it, and that’s why it’s not thirty percent.” Sloan raised his brows, daring them to argue.
If Montgomery had learned anything about Stone over the last day, it was that he didn’t go down without a fight. He kept his calm and did things when they needed to be done. Fuck, Montgomery wished he could be like that, but if Stone was right, if Sloan Killough was the type of man who slit throats, he doubted he was the kind of guy to piss off.
Stone opened his mouth and Montgomery knew the argument was coming. If Montgomery wanted to get out of here alive, he needed to intervene. He strode forward, inserting himself between the two very dominant men.
“I’m going to interrupt here.” He slipped on a charming smile, the kind that always got him what he wanted from strangers. “And counteroffer you five percent.”
The room fell into silence; the gazes of the men occupying the room felt heavy on Montgomery. Most of them were looking at him incredulously, like they couldn’t believe he was bargaining with the mob boss.
Sloan’s brows rose and he grinned. “Eight.”
“Six, and that’s the final offer.”
He blinked at Montgomery and held out his hand. “You do realize you’re bargaining with your own ransom, right?”
“Maybe they won’t kill me after this.” Montgomery returned a smile and shook his hand. Sloan’s palm was a lot bigger than his, but apparently most of these criminals lived on steroids or something, because they were all massive.
“It would be a pity if they did, you have potential. Although, Nick needs to sort out that mouth of yours.”
“I can’t help it. It runs off on its own.”
