I shrug. “This is where I work.”
They sit, careful not to dirty their suits. Ace flops down across from them, boots on the table. Colten leans against a post. Beau stays near the entrance, quiet but watching.
And Rex is playing security by the door.
Nikos clasps his hands. “We appreciate the invitation.”
“You weren’t invited,” I say. “Your guy invited himself, and ended up dead for it.”
His smile tightens. “A misunderstanding.”
Ace snorts. “Misunderstandin’ caught a bullet.”
Nikos ignores him. “We’re here to discuss a partnership. Expansion benefits everyone. Surely you understand that, looking at the size of your business?”
I stare at him. “This ain’t a business. This is our life. As was our fathers, and his before.”
He nods, but it means nothing to me.
“You operate in LA. That’s a hell of a difference to Arizona,” I say flatly.
“Yes. We believe it would work well between us.”
I shake my head. “No. It wouldn’t.”
Silence.
Stefanos leans forward. “Perhaps you misunderstand our offer.”
I cut him off. “No. You misunderstand the answer.”
Nikos studies me, recalculating his options, it looks like. “Double,” he says calmly. “Whatever Enzo Testa pays you. We double it.”
Ace lets out a low whistle. Colten’s jaw tightens slightly. And I just laugh. Like they can outprice Enzo.
I stand slowly, boots crunching in the hay. “You think this is about money? You think you can stand up against Enzo and win?”
Nikos shrugs. “Everything is about money.”
I step closer to the table. “Then you’d understand you’ll make more money alive than six feet under when Enzo orders me to put you there?”
His smile falters slightly.
“You think money runs this life. It doesn’t.” I lean forward, voice low now. “Loyalty does. And how you conduct business is what will get you killed. Mark my fucking words.”
The horses shift behind me, but no one moves.
Stefanos scoffs. “Business is business. If you heard us out, you’d understand what we have to offer you.”
I laugh once. “I don’t need to hear it.”
Silence.
“What you operate… that’s corporate bullshit. The exact opposite of how we work here.”
Ace chuckles behind me.
“Greed is what destroys families. Gets men killed. Makes people forget who kept them alive.” I tap the table once. “Testa’s people? They’re family.” My voice hardens. “And family doesn’t get sold.”