“Bram Ward?” A voice startles me, and I turn to see a thick-bodied Hispanic man step out of the darkness.
“Yeah?” I raise my eyebrows in confusion.
I don’t recognize him. He’s wearing a white t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a few gold necklaces hang from his neck. I draw myself into a defensive stance. Is he going to rob me? He knows me by name…
“Mr. Diaz wants to have a talk.” He takes a few steps toward me, and I clench my fists. He stops abruptly and a cracks a smile before motioning to a car that is idling nearby.
“What? It’s not time for my next payment,” I say apprehensively.
“He still wants to have a talk.” His tone stiffens, and it’s clear that this is not a request.
I don’t have time for this. I need to get to Kiana. I could probably take this thug in a fight, but who knows how many other guys Diaz has with him. Some fights aren’t worth starting, nor are they worth the repercussions. I would take a hundred punches and kicks from Lawson if it meant I could hold Kiana when his rage was gone, but Diaz represents actual danger—for Kiana, for her brother. I’ll just have to make time.
“Okay.” I nod and walk to the car.
The door opens, and I see Diaz alone in the backseat. He beckons for me to enter. Another one of his guys is sitting in the driver’s seat, and the thug who approached me walks up to the passenger side.
“Is there a problem?” I sit down and close the door.
“We need to have a little chat.” Diaz smiles. As soon as the thug is in the car, it starts moving.
“We can talk if you want, but I have somewhere to be…” I tighten my jaw and get a quick reminder that it could be broken.
“It’s about your payment arrangement.” Diaz ignores what I said and motions for his guy to keep driving.
“You’re going to get your money, just like we agreed.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“I’m starting to have a few concerns about that agreement.” Diaz nods. “I normally allow people who aren’t in the best position financially to pay off their debts—I consider myself a generous man. I don’t like it when someone takes advantage of me.”
“I hope you aren’t saying that I’ve taken advantage of you.” I tilt my head slightly. Even that hurts. “I came to you and made a deal…”
“A one-sided deal, yes.” He nods again. “Your company makes a lot of money, Bram. I feel like someone in your position should be able to pay their debt in full.”
“My debt?” I growl under my breath. “I told you from the beginning—I’m just trying to help out my friend’s kid. Ten grand a month is extremely generous. That’s a lot more than you were getting from Kiana!”
“And I told you that once we made the deal, it was your debt to pay.” Diaz’s eye twitches. “You said you understood that.”
“You said we already had a deal.” I feel my blood pumping harder in my veins. “We shook hands.”
Diaz picked the wrong day to fuck with me. I made a deal with him. I honored it. I’m paying him ten grand a month, which is a whole lot more than Kiana would have ever been able to pay. He’s getting the best end of this deal—but he’s trying to press me for more. I’m far past the point of being in the mood to deal with an overzealous loan shark, because I have matters that are a lot more pressing.
“You’re right, Bram.” Diaz’s eye stops twitching, and a smile spreads across his face. “We’ll stick with the terms that we agreed on.”
“Thank you.” I reply cautiously.
“You can pull over here. This is his stop.” Diaz motions to his driver, and the car grinds to a stop.
I won’t even ask if he can take me back to the parking garage where he picked me up. The faster I’m out of this car, the better. The chances of maintaining my cool if this conversation gets even more heated are slim. I feel like punching something or someone, and Diaz’s face looks like a damn fine target, so it’s best if I just go.
“I’ll see you at the beginning of the month.” I start to open the door, but Diaz’s thug beats me to it.
“I got it.” He grins as I step out of the car and slams the door on my leg before my foot hits the pavement.
“Watch it!” I glare at him and jerk my leg free.
“My bad.” His grin gets wider, and he slams the door. “Guess we’ll be seeing you around, Bram Ward.”
“Yeah.” I narrow my eyes and growl under my breath. “Guess so…”
The car speeds off, and I check my leg. It aches, but there’s no real damage. Just another dose of pain to feel on my way back to the parking garage. I’m already hurting so much that it’s barely noticeable after a few steps.
The abrupt meeting with Diaz gave me a moment away from my mental torment over Kiana. It returns faster than Lawson’s fist aimed at my skull. This is a purgatory I made myself, damnation of my own design, and I deserve everything that comes with it.
Except for losing Kiana.
I won’t let that happen.
I knew the risks when I took them. I drove myself mad before I ever pulled her into my arms. It was a decision that came with the weight of the world attached to it, and I accepted the hell that could come my way. I just wanted to shield Kiana from it, to help her avoid putting herself in the direct path of her father until she was ready, and that was something we should have been able to do together.
“Fuck…” I mutter under my breath as I finally make it to the garage and see how much ground I have to cover before I
