Page 36 of Ruled By Wizard

“And why would I stop helping him get his kid away from a bitch like you? Burn was happy with the fifty-fifty arrangement you agreed to when you divorced. You’re the one who decided to move away and drag him back to court for sole custody.”

Taylor pretended to wince at the insult. Wizard nearly burst out laughing at her performance.

“I can think of several reasons for you to help me.” Beguilingly, Taylor placed a hand over her heart, drawing his gaze to the expanse of skin exposed by the top four open buttons of her blouse. “I really wouldn’t want to drag The Last Riders into our custody battle, but I will if I have to. Burn lives here. We both know this isn’t an appropriate environment for a child. Some of The Last Riders haven’t exactly displayed role-model behavior, either. I don’t want to air my friends’ dirty laundry in court, but if it comes down to that, I will.”

Wizard cocked his head. “Exactly which Last Riders are we talking about? Reaper?”

“I still love Reaper, so it would kill me to air his dirty laundry. But for my son, I would.”

“Taylor, you aren’t capable of loving anyone but yourself—not even your son,” he said bluntly. “Do whatever you want. Reaper’s a big boy; he doesn’t need me to protect him from any shit you decide to spill. On the other hand, I don’t think even God could protect you if you intend to hurt The Last Riders by using Reaper.”

Wizard leaned forward and stared directly into her eyes. “I’ll give Burn my last dime to help him get custody of his son, regardless of the shit you try to pull. All this bullshit about wanting custody is nothing but payback because Burn wouldn’t take you back after you left him for Reaper. When Reaper didn’t want your ass, Burn wouldn’t give you the time of day, and that burned you up.

“You’re too afraid to take Reaper head-on for not wanting you anymore, but with Burn, you have something you can use to hurt him—his son. The funny thing is, you were married to Burn. You should know him better than anyone, yet you keep underestimating him.

“Go ahead. I’ll enjoy the show, you dumb bitch. Burn let you get away with a lot of shit before you dumped him. You were too stupid to realize Reaper was never going to give you the life you wanted. Once you finally dropped the act and he saw the real you, he would’ve shown your ass the door.

“To Burn’s credit, he’s such a stand-up guy that he would’ve stepped aside if you’d been honest about wanting Reaper back. Did you do that? Fuck no, because you’re a fucking conniving bitch. You waited until you heard Reaper was getting his head on straight and wouldn’t need you to lift a finger to help with his recovery. Then you discarded Burn and the kid you’re now so determined to keep like yesterday’s trash and went running to Reaper.

“Burn filed a missing person’s report before Viper called and told him you were in Treepoint. So, excuse the fuck out of me if I don’t give a flying fuck about whatever dirt you want to dish up on The Last Riders. Sling all the mud you want. Just don’t be surprised when you end up covered in it, too.”

His voice rose. “We’re done talking. Get the fuck out of my club.”

Taylor never broke character. Standing, she gazed down at him sorrowfully and even managed to shed a couple of tears. “You’re making a big mistake. You could have ended this dispute before any enemies were made.”

“I live with my mistakes every day. You’d be at the bottom of the list, if that tells you how few fucks I’d give.”

As soon as Taylor left his office, he pressed the button on the side of his computer to stop recording their conversation.

He was about to grab his phone and warn Viper about whatever Taylor might have up her sleeve when Doom walked through the door she’d left open.

“Someone else wants to talk to you.”

Wizard was so hungry that he wouldn’t have cared if it were Bella Hadid.

“Did Puck heat up my frozen dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Then tell whoever it is to fuck off and bring me my food.”

Scrolling to Viper’s number, Wizard raised a finger to tap the screen.

“I’ll tell Natalia you’re busy.” Doom shrugged.

Wizard let the phone drop onto his desk. “What the fuck? Nix the frozen dinner and bring my hot mama to me.” Wizard’s lips twisted into a rarely-seen smile.

“Oh, Doom,” Wizard stopped him before he could leave. “While I’m talking to Natalia, don’t come knocking on my door until she leaves.”

CHAPTER 15

I CAN TAKE ANYTHING YOU DISH OUT

“Let me drive you home,” Arden pleaded, “before Doom tells him you’re here.”

Natalia propped an elbow on the bar and rested her jaw in her palm, blinking at Arden’s blurry image behind the counter. “You can drive me home after I talk to Wizard.”

“Mama …” Arden leaned over the bar. “I think you’ve had too much wine,” she whispered.