Page 93 of King of Ruin
His eyes roll back in his head. “Calling Charlotte wasn’t enough?”
“Not even close.”
I get up on my knees, my forehead still pressed to the floor as I try to breathe through the pain. As soon as I’m able, I’ll jab him hard in the arm. “Consider that my letter of resignation.”
“Even I have to object to you quitting, Roman,” Leo calls from his chair. “No one is better at keeping all the details in line, not even Mason. We need you.”
I let out a rumble of dissent. This isn’t about them. It’s about me and Maddie. I blink my eyes several times looking over at her. She’s still holding Josh’s arm, her eyes wide with fear.
“Maddie would like to sell her house, the full house, to us. Original offer.”
“But—” Mason starts. I hit him again. Hard. “Fine,” he rumbles.
“I don’t want to run the casinos anymore, I need time to help Maddie with her nonprofit. But you could convince me to stay on in the business operations department.”
Mason pushes up, his face still etched in pain, but I know he’s calculating. “This could work, actually.”
That one catches me off guard. “What?”
“Nia can take over the casinos.”
“I can,” Jake’s wife speaks from the table. “And what a powerful message of cooperation that will be for the other families.”
“And a nonprofit division for Kincaid will only strengthen our interests and potential deals as developers.”
I stare at my brother.
Fucking Mason. He’s found his advantage. But I don’t care. As long as I have time to help Maddie, I’ll be happy. And using Kincaid Enterprises’ might and money to further some worthy causes, that is a win/win.
But Maddie doesn’t need to stand here and listen to Mason and I hash out the details. “Josh,” I finally manage to push my head off the floor. “Why don’t you take my car and drive Maddie and Lucia home. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”
“You want me to take your Tesla?”
I give a single nod. “Yep.” I just manage to get to my feet. “Maddie, I’ll have all the papers for you tonight for the sale.”
She lets go of Josh then and slips into my arms, half supporting my weight. She lifts up on her toes and presses her lips to mine.
Mason pushes up on his feet too. “Maddie, are you next in line for a shot?”
She turns toward my brother with a soft smile. “Of course not, I think we all know I don’t possess a warrior heart. I’ve always just been…” She winces. “Like my patients, I guess.”
I see Mason’s eyes close. He knows he took advantage of her weaknesses. No man worth his salt ever feels good about doing that to a woman.
Maddie is doing a much better job of making him feel badly than I ever could.
“Maddie, it wasn’t personal?—”
“It was…” She shakes her head. “But I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want my brother to marry someone like me either.”
“Maddie,” Lucia cries even as my gut clenches into a million knots. I’d rather be punched in the balls a hundred times than hear her say that she wasn’t good enough for me.
“That’s bullshit, Maddie.”
“I know I’m broken, Roman, I’ve always known,” she whispers. “And when you love someone, you think of what they need, not about yourself. I know what you need, Roman, and you, you need someone who isn’t so?—”
“Do not say it,” I feel my throat close. “I need you.”
“No. You need?—”