Page 45 of Tiebreaker

He looks shocked. He stands there, his cheek bright red. Then he looks furious and reaches for me again. I stick my finger in his face.

"No!" I say, "Back the fuck off!"

Just for good measure, I give him a shove with my hands and step backwards myself to give myself some more room.

"You need to start understanding," I say. "You've had everything handed to you in life, and you think you could just be an asshole to me and get away with it just because you have money? Money can buy property, but it can't buy my dignity. And you are going to start treating me with respect!"

He curls his upper lip.

"You're a lot braver when you don't have something to lose," he says.

Staring at him, I realize he's only here because he has to be... because he thinks that I have something that he wants. There's something in me that's so powerful and he recognizes it. Otherwise, he'd just be taking what he wanted right now. That's how he does everything else in life.

It all clicks into place. I look at him with pity and he growls.

"Don't give me that look," he says.

I shake my head.

"What look?" I ask.

"Like you... Fuck, like you... I said, don't look at me like that!" he snaps, his voice breaking. "Don't fucking look at me like that!"

Something in him is unraveling and I'm watching it before my very eyes.

He's like, "Your life is nothing. I could have you killed for $2,000, less than it cost Kai to sleep with you."

His words are so dark that I don't even know how to respond.

He laughs, "Did that shock you? You know who'd do it for me? Vincent. He'd put a bullet right through your head, between your eyes. All I have to do is give him what he wants, money, connections to certain politicians, and police officers would help him with his little project he's got going on."

I don't know what he's talking about with Vincent and a project. And I wonder if it has anything to do with a girl that's in his apartment. I do know that Everett is seriously disturbed. And even right now, I'm sorry for him.

"I feel bad for you," I say, and he looks furious. "I feel bad that you think that you have to threaten me with losing my life in order to control me. All you have to do is ask people nicely. A lot of the time, they'll just do what you want them to do because they want to make you happy."

I exhale.

"You could have come to me at any time and said that you want this venture and given me good reasons why Vice and Kai didn't deserve a say. It would have been enough if you told me that they didn't work for it, that they didn't know the running of the business like you did. And that financially they'd be better off if they listened to you, but they wouldn't. If you'd had proof of that, you know what? I probably would have just given you my 1%."

I'm not sure, thinking about it, that what I'm saying is true. Would I really give up all the chance of that money? You know what? Probably. What is money anyway? Obviously, not something I want in my life given how it's completely warped these three men and their idea of relationships with other human beings.

Everett is quiet for a long minute. And then I decide that's it

"You need to go away," I say. "I need some time to think.”

He makes a growling sound under his breath. "You're signing over that 1%," he says.

"You know what? We can talk about this later," I point out, "I'm exhausted and you just scared the shit out of me. And I want you out of my apartment," and point at the door. "Now, get going or I'll make you!"

He laughs. The sound is icy, just like the air rushing in from outside. "You really are something," he says. "Just remember, you keep your deal or I'll keep mine."

I know what he's implying, that he'll have me killed or something stupid like that, but I don't think for a minute that he will. I'm done being afraid of him.

"Out!" I say.

He walks towards the door.

It's only after he's gone and the door is shut that I breathe a sigh of relief and then bend over shaking.

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