Page 41 of Freed By Fire
We are led past rows of tables with checkered tablecloths and gleaming vinyl booths. Then we reach a curtain, and the maître d’ pulls it aside to reveal Noah Sr. with a glass of whiskey in one hand and his phone in the other. His dark eyes follow me as I step in, and the curtain closes behind me. With a smile, I sit down and gesture to the nearest waiter, who hurries over.
Noah Sr. smiles. “I was wondering how long it would take you to reach out.”
I pretend to scan the menu. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“I didn’t think much of it when you took Noah, considering his… history with the girl. But now that you have Ryder, too, you have my attention.”
I abandon the menu. “I have proof of life.”
Noah Sr. waves my comment away. “I’m sure you do, but I’m not interested in that.”
I raise an eyebrow and gesture for him to continue.
“I’m a businessman, Mr. Payne,” Noah Sr. begins, “and I’m not unreasonable. I’m sure you want to make me an offer.”
Everything I’ve read about Noah Sr. has only made me dislike him more.
I’m not surprised he’s fathered a son like Ryder, underhanded and sneaky, but I wonder how Noah escaped from their shadow. In certain circles, Noah Sr. is formidable, the kind of man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, including piling up information on every major politician in the country.
He’s got even more blackmail than I do, and I would be impressed if I wasn’t so disgusted.
I don’t like the parallels being drawn between us, especially with the techniques we’ve both had to use to stay ahead of the game. That’s where the similarities end. My world is builton bloodshed, violence, and chaos, and my hands are far from clean. But, even I have a moral code that I stick to.
Noah Sr. has no qualms when it comes to selling people out, including his kin.
He’s a conniving bastard, which is why I’m surprised he’s agreed to the meeting.
I expect him to tell me to keep his sons and then steer the topic toward business matters.
He’s been trying to get my attention for years, but the only difference is that now, after five years of ignoring him, I’m the one reaching out to him.
All because of goddamn Noah and not being able to keep his mouth shut.
I still have half a mind to dump his body in a ditch, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to follow through.
I won’t let Noah have the last laugh when it comes to London and me.
Noah Sr. picks up his spoon and blows on the soup the waiter has set down in front of him. “I already ordered for us. Now then, onto other topics. I was sorry to hear that you had to make alternate accommodations. Alliances can be so tricky to maintain, don’t you think?”
I tear off a piece of bread and stare at him. “Indeed.”
“I have no use for them. I’d much rather keep the profit and rewards to myself.”
I make a noncommittal noise in response.
“The story Ryder is working on still has momentum,” Noah Sr. continues. “I was surprised when he told me about it.”
I set down my glass. “You knew about it?”
Noah Sr. shrugs and pours himself some water. “It’s not my place to intervene.”
“What’s it going to take to kill the story?”
Even a man like Noah Sr. has some kind of lingering affection for his sons, and if that’s what it takes to bring him to the table, so be it.
I’m not above playing dirty.
Noah Sr. leans back in his seat and scratches his chin. “All it would take is a few words whispered in the right ear. The editor of the newspaper is a good friend of mine. He’ll pull the story and print a retraction, no questions asked.”
