“I think it would be wise to take me up on my offer. The reason I have your number is from previous dealings you had with us. You wouldn’t want your clients knowing that you ran with a Devil Rider would you? Might be a bad situation for you to be in professionally speaking. Your clients might not be so good with that,” he threatened in a smug tone.
I sat my coffee mug down and glared at him. “Are you trying to bribe me?” I fired back.
He rubbed his hands together with a smile. “That’s not what I would call it exactly. Just a little friendly persuasion.” He winked. “That honey bun looks good. Maybe I should get myself one.”
“How much money is in the envelope?” I asked in a flat tone.
“Enough to carry you for quite a while. I did the count myself. Those are all hundreds in there. 18k, and that’s just the advance. There’s more where that came from. The second deposit of another 12k will be when we meet again.”
One thing flashed in my mind. Do it for your mother. She needs you. If Dad were still alive, he would be taking care of her. I missed him, but I didn’t want to give this idiot a single opportunity to see my weaknesses. I pulled myself out of the memory and back to the present.
That would be enough for me to get her the care she desperately needed. From what I could tell, the monthly payments for home care were astronomical, and the upfront payment alone would get me in the door without having to offer up my house as collateral. I would be able to pay her back in some way for putting me through law school. My mother worked hard her whole life, and I wanted her to have a high quality of life. My skin was crawling from the decision I was about to make. To me, it was the right one in the moment.
“Okay, I’ll take the deal to be your legal counsel. I don’t usually take on these types of cases, but I will help you out on this one.” I wanted to make it seem like I was in control, when really I felt as if I’d been backed into a corner. I knew from the way my adrenaline was spiking that it wasn’t a good idea.
“And I do you the solid of not releasing any information that might be potentially damaging to your stellar reputation. Rip is doing pretty good these days, in case you’re wondering. One of our top dogs.” He grinned at me salaciously.
I cringed at the sound of his name. “Appreciate that,” I countered in a clipped tone. I wanted nothing to do with this guy and now, I was about to be in bed with him for some time to come. I despised him already. His cocky demeanor was getting under my skin. Seemed like my dating faux pas with a bad boy was coming back to haunt me.
“I’m liking where this is headed already.” He nodded at me. “Welcome to the dark side with the Devil Riders.”
I kept my mouth shut as I broke off a piece of my honey bun. I hoped I could hurry up and finish it soon as possible. “Is there a particular incident that you want me to start with?”