“As in Brazil?”
“Yeah. He owns a few bars out there.”
“Well, you certainly involve yourself with stand-up people, don’t you?”
Pierce leans into me, eyes hard. “Climb down, Pen.”
“I’m going.”
“No, don’t. I don’t want them following you.”
I suck on my lower lip. Fuck. He’s right. That asshole!
“You gotta stay with me right now, Pen. I can protect you if you’re with me.”
“Against the mob? I doubt that.”
“Stay here.”
“What do they want?”
“You heard them,” Pierce says. “They just want to set up a fight. It’s just business.”
“Just business?” I hiss. “At your fucking house?”
“It’s the fucking mob, Pen. This is how they do business.”
I fold my arms. “Well, I don’t like it.”
Chapter Twenty Three
My blood is boiling. I can’t believe these cocksuckers came to my fucking house. I can’t believe that Penny was here when they did.
The only thing I can think about right now is whether or not they’re interested in using her to bargain with me. These fucks are above nothing.
That, and the huge fifty mil wager they’ve put on me. I have a feeling that this isn’t exactly an offer. More like a request… and the mob requesting something typically means they have something on you, something they can use.
I open the door again, and watch the two goons while they stand. Neither of them look uncomfortable. Two pairs of neutral eyes are fixed on me. That they are so comfortable speaks to their confidence, and that tells me a lot about this Lev Fallon, who up until this moment I only knew vaguely of by name.
Down the hallway, the elevator dings, and the man who steps out is one I recognize from my last fight. He was in the stands. He’s even wearing the same clothes.
Imagine the cliché of a mob boss. Impeccably dressed, expensive suit, gold rings, the works, neat hair. Well, he’s the opposite of that. He’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, sandals, and his hair is pulled messily back into a pony tail.
My mind reels for a moment before I am able to fully appreciate that though he looks like a fucking dork, he kills people, runs prostitution rings, and deals drugs for a living.
I could take all three of them, but I’m no fucking idiot.
“Pierce,” he says. His voice drips with congeniality. “Pierce, my boy. Good to finally meet you, mate. I’m a huge bloody fan of yours.” He takes a moment to look up and down my topless body. “Fuck me, you have the body of a Greek god. I’m part-Greek you know, on my mother’s side.” He pats his paunch. “No Godly genes in me, though.”
I level steely eyes at him. “I’m not your boy. How did you find out where I live?”
“Oh, I have connections,” Fallon says, gesturing ambiguously into the air. “May I come in?”
“No.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Yes.”
“So I think you should invite me in.”
I step outside, and shut the door behind me. “I think not, asshole. You think your fucking intimidation tactics scare me? Like I told your shit-heel meathead, I’m not interested.”
Fallon sucks in a long breath of air before he pushes his lips together. “I like you, Pierce,” he says. “You’ve got fire.”
“More than enough to burn you right now.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to your sweet little girlfriend, though, now would we, mate?”
I want to explode, wail on him, crack his fucking skull against the fire extinguisher.
“Have at her,” I say. “She’s nothing but a fucking lay. A shitty one, too.”
“Nice try,” Fallon says. He’s got this smile on his face that I want to punch off. “But I don’t buy it, considering you drove her home after your last fight. You don’t strike me as the gentlemanly sort of bloke.”
I narrow my eyes. They’ve been following me.
“Ah, he understands,” Fallon says, leering at me, and then exchanging grinning glances with his two goons. “Now, you ready to talk business? Or do I need to prove myself to you even further?”
“Why are you keeping tabs on me?”
“Like I said, I’m a longtime fan. Seen every one of your fights for two years straight. But if I’m going into business with somebody, I need to know what they’re about. I need to know that they’re reliable. I need to know they don’t have a bad habit or two on the side. As it stands, up until now your habit has been girls. That’s fine.”