Page 16 of Come Ride With Me
“What are you doing here? Who are you meeting up with?”
Henley had taken a seat again and was acting like he was reading the menu. “I came here to eat.”
“You traveled twenty minutes out of town to get something to eat. Try again,” Nash said before yanking the menu from his brother’s hand.
Henley sat back and frowned. “Man, you need to get laid real quick. You always this damn uptight?”
“When I’m not getting a straight answer? Yes.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll answer your question even though I don’thaveto answer to you. I’m a grown man, remember.”
The jury was still out on that one, but Nash didn’t bother to comment.
“I got a business meeting.”
Nash frowned. “A drug deal?”
“What you a cop now? Last I checked you were still scribbling your drawings on papers and locking them in that closet in your bedroom,” Henley snapped.
“I’m working a legal job, making a decent living. That’s what a grown man does, Henley. You’re getting’ too old to be hustlin’ in these streets doing who knows what to make a quick buck.”
“Oh no big bro, I’m not into the quick bucks anymore. I’m about to make a big score.”
Nash almost asked for more information, but he stopped. Henley had been running the streets, dealing drugs, robbing people, and places, and stealing cars since he was thirteen years old. Nash and his uncle had done their best to try and keep him on the straight and narrow, but after his parents’ death, Henley hadn’t been interested in anyone telling him what to do. Now, years and jail time served by them both, hadn’t changed his brother’s train of thought. Nash was getting tired of this shit.
“Whatever, man. You don’t learn lessons, that’s your problem,” he said zipping his jacket and looking back to see that Mica was coming towards them.
“Don’t worry ‘bout my lessons, big brutha. Worry about that hot little number you’ve got there. Cause I can promise you, if you don’t take care of her, I certainly will.”
“No. You won’t,” Nash said tightly. “You won’t get anywhere near her. Do you understand me?”
Henley grinned, looking around Nash as he waved to Mica.
“Like I said, I’m a grown man. I don’t take orders from you or anybody else.”
Nash turned away from Henley then, not bothering to issue another warning. For as tough as Henley was, he ultimately knew not to fuck with Nash, not since the sacrifice Nash had made for him.
“The new ownerof Bellamy Motors and the executor of Bell’s estate is a Mr. Michel Monroe. I finally got that weasel Finksburg to at least give me that information,” Earl said as he stood at the head of the table in the lunchroom.
Two weeks had passed since Nash had submitted his designs to Blackbond and he’d been unable to think of anything but what was going to come of that situation. Well, that’s not totally true, he’d thought a lot about kissing Mica again. What he hadn’t wanted to think about—and now felt slightly guilty for—was Earl’s next move. Henley had warned him, but that was before his brother had also pissed Nash off by coming on to Mica and being the same person he’d been all his life. Mica had remained closed up in that office day after day so Nash hadn’t had an opportunity to ask her the status of the finances.
Truth be told, Nash figured she was hiding from him and he was damn sure steering clear of her. A smart move he thought, but now, listening to Earl’s irritated voice, had him thinking he might need to put his attraction aside and get to the bottom of what was happening here.
“Is this guy a relative of Bell’s?” Kandra Taylor, one of the salespersons asked. “I mean usually businesses and estates are left to relatives or very close friends.”
“Who knows,” Earl said with a wave of his hand. “Regardless, Finksburg believes the guy will be here by the end of the month for a meet and greet.”
“That sounds nice,” Rock said with a sarcastic grin.
Earl frowned, his steely gray eyes holding an especially icy glare today. “It sounds ridiculous. I don’t need a meet and greet with some hand-me-down owner and I don’t need that nosey little accountant here either. I can run this place just fine.”
“The question is, can you continue to do it well enough to keep these doors open,” Nash said, his tone level and his gaze focused directly on Earl.
As there were only three people sitting between Nash and where Earl stood, the man was in his face instantly. “You got a problem with how I’m running this show? Go ahead and say it, Waters! Say what you’re thinking so I can have a reason and witnesses for when I fire your sorry convict ass!”
Nash stood from his seat slowly. He didn’t tower over Earl, but he did have at least fifty pounds over the shifty bastard. That made the man back up, but only slightly at first as he glared back at Nash in an attempt to act like he wasn’t afraid of him. Nash took another step forward and another, until Earl’s continued retreat had him stumbling. “Don’t fuck with me, Earl. I don’t give a damn what your title is or how much power you think you have. You’re not ready for me. Not on any level.”
Webby came to Nash’s side and took hold of his arm before he said, “He’s not worth it man. Just walk away.”
