“Stefan?” I said, apprehensively. His eyes flicked back to me. “If you’re debating how you’re going to kill me, can you at least not be so calm about it? It’s unsettling.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I’m surprised at Jameson. I wonder if he realizes what he did.”
… Huh?
“What are you talking about?”
“My enforcer just took orders from you, a novice to our world, in a…pressing situation and without question. I don’t know if I should be proud of you or disappointed in him.”
Seriously? I sighed, slumping back in my chair. I was tired. Today had been a whirlwind. Imagining having to face Jamie after this exhausted me further. “When’s the next family meeting?” If Stefan wasn’t going to wring my neck, it’d be best to move on.
“Day after tomorrow,” Stefan answered.
“I still don’t have the proof we need against Samuel. Everything we’ve found all points to Dylan. You and I both know there’s no way Dylan could have pulled this off on his own. Vincent is still searching for offshore accounts. All that money they’ve been pocketing has gone somewhere. I highly doubt they have it stuffed under their mattress—” I palm smacked my forehead. Why didn’t I think of it before? “Vincent, search for any storage facilities leased just prior to or within the past two years. Don’t just look for it to be leased by Samuel or Dylan but by my aunt or another close relation, as well.” Vincent nodded, getting to his feet to leave. “If he can’t find what we need by the time of the meeting, I have something else I want to try.”
Intrigued, Stefan’s brow arched. “And that is?”
“I’m Stefan Quinn’s daughter. When people hear that, they imagine a little girl.” An evil grin grew slowly across my face. “I think it’s time to change that.
CHAPTER 32
Due to his deep seated hatred for the Italian Mafia, Stefan wasn’t thrilled about the deal I'd made with Nicoli. Still, he said he would honor it. I came to find out that if it meant keeping myself alive, I was allowed to make whatever deals I wanted. “Just don’t make a habit of it, Maura,” he ordered.
Putting myself in danger seemed to upset him more than anything. That was the father side of him coming through. His boss side didn’t hold my actions against me. I did the job he'd tasked me with. It was what he’d expect of Jamie or any other loyal member of this family.
Leaving Stefan’s study with Dean and Asher in tow, I wasn’t surprised to find Jamie waiting outside. He was pacing the hall, seeming more pissed off than before. Louie was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest with a calm yet closed off expression while he watched his best friend. That alone should have warned me of how bad things were going to be.
Noticing me, Jamie stopped his pacing abruptly. Meeting his burning eyes, my heart picked up speed. If we were going to argue, which I had no doubt we were, we should at least do it in private. Dropping my eyes from his, I walked in the direction of the stairs, intending to take our conversation up to my room.
I barely made it into the foyer before a hand locked around my arm. “Stop walking away from me, Maura,” Jamie growled, yanking me harshly around to face him. Damnit, here we go. “Do you have any idea how fucking stupid that was? Christ!” he yelled while shaking me roughly by the arm. He wasn’t hurting me, but his uncontrolled rage still shocked the hell out of me, and I wasn’t the only one. Dean, Asher, and even Louie stepped closer to us with unease written all over their faces as they continued to watch. “What if I hadn’t gotten there in time, huh?”
Narrowing my eyes, I yanked my arm free from his grip. “I’m sorry I worried you, but I’m not a child. Stop berating me as one,” I snapped, stepping backward, needing to put space between us.
“Then stop acting like one!” he snapped back.
Well, shit. That lit my metaphorical fuse. “I had it under control. In case you’ve forgotten, it was me who got us out of there, not you! So get off your fucking high horse!” And thus, our screaming match began.
“You had nothing under control! You were naked with a gun pointed at your head when I showed up! What were you going to do, hmm? Fuck your way to freedom?” He was so lucky I didn’t have anything to hit him over the head with.
A wide-eyed Brody stepped into the foyer from the kitchen. I guessed our heated argument was being heard throughout the house.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I’m sorry you had to see that—”
“You’re sorry I saw that?” He scoffed with disdain, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you fucking kidding me? How about you show a little remorse that you got naked for another man and rubbed yourself all over him!”
“I did what I had to! I won’t apologize for that!” So much for staying calm. I didn’t just chase the rabbit, I outran the bastard straight to hell. Staring at Jamie, all I saw was red. Hell fire red. “What did you think was going to happen when Stefan tasked me with all of this?”
“I didn’t expect you to act like a whore!”
I reeled back from him. Did he really think that? Why couldn’t he see it hadn't meant anything? Did he not trust me or was it his pride that was smarting? Maybe a woman taking charge wasn’t something he could handle. “Fuck you! If I were a man, we wouldn’t even be fighting about this! It’s because we’re fucking!”
“You’re damn right it’s because we’re fucking!”
I shook my head, disappointed. He was just like the rest of the men in this family. “So tell me, is it your jealousy or a fractured male ego that’s the issue here? Or is it both?”
Jamie went eerily still before taking a step toward me. I stood my ground. What the hell did he wish to gain from his stupid posturing? Intimidation? He knew it’d be a waste of time, just like I knew he’d never hurt me. Dean, on the other hand, didn’t seem to feel as confident. He stepped between us, forcing me to take a step back.
Jamie’s fevered rage shifted to Dean. The look in his eyes as they locked on my unneeded protector caused an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Move.” It was one word, but the threat behind it made my heart race.
Dean didn’t even blink. If anything, his demeanor changed slightly. He looked ready to take on whatever was to come. Even though it wasn’t necessary, his willingness to go up against Jamie again to protect me proved that I'd read him right. I'd picked a good goon.
“You need to back up,” he told Jamie as he put a hand to my stomach, gently pushing me back even further.
Jamie’s eyes dropped to Dean’s hand. It was that moment when things went from bad to worse. I knew what Jamie was reaching for when he moved his hand behind his back. It wasn’t just the movement that gave it away. It was the murderous intent that flared in his eyes. As his gun came into view, I pushed Dean’s hand out of my way and stepped between them, putting the barrel of Jamie’s gun level with my head.
I could feel the nervous shock blanket the room. Asher took a stealthy step behind Jamie. Dean, as if in tune with Asher’s thought process, grabbed the back of my shirt. The longer Jamie continued to point his gun at me, the more anxious everyone else seemed to get. As for me, my rage and hurt grew. My eyes held his while I lifted my arms straight out at my sides in a daring gesture.