“Fucking lies—”
“They know your face now, asshole. They’ve got it fucking memorized. Guys, you got him clocked?” I say over my shoulder.
“We got him,” says Jake.
“Oh, yeah, I’ll never forget that ugly fucking face,” Novy says.
Troy scowls at me. “Just tell me why you’re here, Langley.”
“I’m here to tell you that you picked the wrong fucking one,” I reply. “You thought I was easy prey, but you’ve bitten off way more than you can chew with me. I am not alone in this world. I roll thirty people deep at all fucking times,” I say, gesturing over my shoulder to the lobby full of Rays. “I am stronger than you, smarter than you, and people just plain like me better. I am so far out of your fucking league.”
Troy just scoffs. “I will take such delight in ruining you.”
“You can try,” I counter. “Knowing your stupid ass, you will. Come at me all you want. I’m ready for you. My friends, my family, my team, they’re ready too. I only came to give you this message: Tess is with me now, and you will never see or speak to her again.”
“You want that rotten whore, you can have her,” Troy shouts. “She’s fucking dead to me!”
Behind him, a few people gasp. They glance between each other with horrified looks on their faces. I can only imagine what they think of Tess compared to what they think of the boss’s spoiled rotten son.
“I hope you really mean that,” I say. “Because if I get even a whiff of your stench within a two-mile radius of her ever again, I will rain fire down on you. And I’m not just talking about the harassment, stalking, and blackmail charges I’ll file for myself. You and I both know Tess has everything she needs to get you convicted by any judge or jury. We will fucking end you, Troy. You will be the one who rots…in a cell.”
“What do you want?” Troy says again, his gaze darting around the room. “I assume you came here to make a deal. You’re threatening me with all these lies because you want something.”
“I do want something,” I reply, slipping my hand into my other back pocket. “I have something here for you to sign.” Stepping over to the reception desk, I set the papers down. “Katie, can Mr. Owens borrow a pen?”
She mechanically hands me one, her blue eyes wide.
“Thank you.” I turn to Troy. “Sign this, and we leave. Sign, and Tess and I extend you mercy.”
Troy crosses over to the desk, snatching up the papers. His gaze darts across the page for all of two seconds before he tips his head back, letting out a wolfish sound that chills me to my bone. “Oh hell, are you kidding me with this? All of that to get me to sign some divorce papers? You could have saved your fucking time.”
My heart stops as I glare at him. “Why?”
He shoves the papers back at me, the pen rattling down off the reception desk. “Because I already signed them.”
I blink twice, glancing from him to the unsigned papers. “Wait…what?”
66
“Come on, you piece of junk.” I tap through the new printer set-up menu for the third time. The stupid thing is supposed to connect to Wi-Fi, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how. I stretch out my arm, reaching for the manual on the edge of my desk while I hold down the reset button. I’m in a full yoga bend, the machine giving me a warning beep as I wiggle the manual closer with my fingers.
I don’t want to be dealing with a malfunctioning printer right now, but I can’t sit still. At this very moment, Ryan and half the Rays are up in Cincinnati confronting Troy on my behalf. I meant what I said: I will never see or speak to him again. Narcissists only understand boundaries when they’re firm. I drew this line in the sand, and I’ll be damned if I cross it again.
Troy Owens is nothing but a memory for me now. Someone I used to know.
The printer makes a high-pitched whirring sound and I slap the top with a curse.
A memory he may be, but the fact remains I need those damn divorce papers signed. I’m giving Troy this one last chance to sign them uncontested. Otherwise, I’m going full-scorched earth. By going after Ryan, Troy woke the dragon. I won’t rest until I’m free, and if he is going to threaten the people I love, I will burn him to ash.
Boundaries, I have them now. Fuck around, and you will find out.
In this case, Ryan and his teammates are bringing two boxes full of “find out” straight to Troy’s office door. I’ve been sitting by my phone, waiting impatiently for an update all morning. Not even this printer can prove a good enough distraction.