“What have you done?”
“Not the time or the place. Are you going to do what I asked?”
“Yes!”
He had his doubts, but he also had no choice other than to believe that she would stand by her word. And more importantly, she would come out of Ollie’s house unscathed—mentally and physically.
Once they were out of the car, Shane took her hand and held it tightly in the hope that his touch gave her some reassurance as they walked to the house.
He ran the doorbell and maintained eye contact with her until he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
“Stay there.” Pushing her behind his back he waited for Ollie to open the door.
Ollie’s cursory glance at his watch was followed by a look of surprise at seeing him at close to 4:00 am.
“Shane, what on earth are you doing here at this ungodly hour?”
“Are you going to invite me in?”
“Of course?”
“Hello Ollie,” Crystal greeted him as she stuck her head from behind Shane’s back.
The smile of greeting that hadn’t quite reached Ollie’s eyes disappeared the moment he saw her.
Shane was beyond pissed that her timing was shit and that she was crap at doing what she was told. Making her presence known before they were inside the house had just weakened their advantage.
Shane breathed an inaudible sigh of relief when Ollie stepped back and invited them inside. Keeping her close, he allowed him to lead them into his sitting room.
A side lamp flashed on followed by three others that cast an unfitting glow of intimacy around the room. His task completed, Ollie looked over at them and Shane noticed that all residue of surprise had left his expression. The time it had taken him to switch on the lights had apparently given him valuable thinking time.
“You both look freezing. Would you like some tea?”
“No tea,” Shane answered for the both of them.
“A whiskey then,” Ollie suggested. Without waiting for a response, he strode towards the bar.
“Please, sit, both of you.”
The sound of liquid flowing into crystal tumblers didn’t hold Shane’s attention. Since their first meeting, he had known Ollie wanted something from him. Posh, supposedly rich boys never took an interest in someone like him unless there was a reason.
Physically attraction to him and wanting the use of his D.R.S., wasn’t the sum of it. Ollie was on a quest for personal glory. That in itself was fine with Shane. He too intended that from now on, his family name, when mentioned, would be for all the right reasons. However, the difference between them was that Shane didn’t have to manipulate others to make it happen.
Ollie handed them their drinks and moved to the middle of the room. Shane pushed Crystal down into a chair and stood by her side. For the moment, the silence was their friend. From the stillness, he would get his answers. It began to work. Sweat broke out on Ollie’s forehead.
Shane still berated himself that the uncertainty surrounding him after his attack had allowed this man to take such advantage of him. With all the lies and counter lies that had been thrown his way, he knew he shouldn’t feel the way he did, but he couldn’t seem to get the word fool out of his mind.
“God, I’m so glad the season’s over,” Ollie said with another false smile. “I have the most deviant week set up. One girl and two boys. I’d ask you to join me, but I know you.”
“Do you?”
“What?”
“Do you know really know me?”
“Of course I do,” Ollie responded with seeming conviction. “You’re the man who refuses to take advantage of what everyone is prepared to offer him for free.”
“Meaning?”
“Our status dictates that we can have free pussy and cock. Oh, sorry, I know you’re not into cock, but the variety makes my world a much better place.”
“I’ve got no problem with that. As long as no one else is hurt in the process of you satisfying your needs.”
“For goodness sake when are you going to lighten up?”
“Do you think nobody is ever hurt by your choices?”
“Come on Shane, pussy and cock only requires two things—money or drugs. Let me amend that,” he said with a self-satisfied laugh, “sometimes they necessitate both. But that’s alright because I have an abundance of money. Therefore, I can offer both.”
“Well, at least you do now.”
“Yes, I most certainly do.”
Shane wasn’t in the mood for Ollie’s unique brand of gutter humor. He was also in no doubt that this topic of conversation was a way to show disrespect at Crystal’s presence.
“I suppose I wasn’t all that clear. What I meant was, until I came along, all you had was a clapped out racing team, your father’s name, and next to none of his money. From what I could tell the old man couldn’t stand you. I bet he just gave you the team so he could get you out of his life.”
Ollie’s jaw hardened. Finally, he took a seat, crossed his legs and relaxed, swishing his drink around his glass. “Why are you here?”
“It’s time we straightened out a few things.”
“You could have called me or come over at a more decent hour.”
“Yeah, I could have, yet here I am.”
Sliding forward in his seat, Ollie rested his elbows on his knees and gave Shane his undivided attention. “What’s going on?
“Why don’t you tell me?” Shane asked pleased that the other man had finally dropped his façade of entertaining unexpected guests.
“Surely this can’t have anything to do with your failed attempt at taking over my company? If so, I don’t appreciate you calling at this hour. I will deal with you when I’m good and ready!”
“Do I look like I care what you appreciate?”
“Sorry, I seem to have missed something. Why are you pissed off with me? From where I’m standing, sorry, sitting—I should be the one exhibiting anger.”
“You talk and act posh but you’re as stupid as pig shit. So, I’ll give you a few minutes to think back five years. While you’re at it, make sure you get your story water-tight.”
“I must say, being back in the company you left behind years ago has been somewhat detrimental to your speech pattern.”
Ollie was hedging with his attempts to rile him. And it was working because Shane had to fight his urge to show him how an east end boy dealt with a pompous ass. Although his mind raged, nothing showed in his expression. He just allowed the silence to take hold once again. He wanted the other man to replay all the events of his treachery in an attempt to find a way out.
Ollie tossed down the remainder of his drink and rose to his feet. Still ignoring Crystal, he inclined his head towards his now empty glass. By way of a response, Shane took Crystal’s tumbler and placed both untouched goblets on the table beside him. Ollie shrugged and walked back to the bar.
Shane squeezed Crystal’s shoulder to get her attention. When she looked at him, he shook his head to indicate that she should stay in her seat. At her nod of understanding, he balanced his weight, and with light treads followed Ollie without making a sound.
He had seen something in the other man’s eyes that he didn’t trust, and he wasn’t about to take any chances in being caught unawares.
His drink poured, Ollie turned to find Shane standing directly behind him. A look of surprise flashed across his face. Ollie’s hand moved through the air and Shane only just managed to avoid a face full of alcohol.
Crystal gasped, but Shane didn’t react to the sound, or to the glass that shattered into tiny crystalline pieces that glistened on the hardwood floor. He finally understood the expression he had seen in Ollie’s eyes. It was desperation.
After holding in his anger since he had found out about Ollie’s meddling, for the second time in his life, Shane completely lost his temper. With deft movements, he twisted one of Ollie’s hands behind his back and locked him in a chokehold. Suppressing an almost overriding ur
ge to squeeze until the wheezing man turned blue, he loosened his grip.
Shane dragged him forward, and Ollie’s feet scraped along the wooden floor in an attempt to gain purchase. Coming to a stop in front of a chair, and using more force than necessary, Shane pushed him backward. As the back of Ollie’s knees touched the edge of the chair, his body folded and he landed with a gasp.
“Don’t move a fucking muscle until I say you can!” Shane warned.
“As a friend you are always welcome in my home. However, since you are bent on behaving as though I didn’t rip you from the gutters of East London; you can get out!”
“Bloody hell, I’ve known you all these years and I never realized you had a sense of humor.”
Folding his arms across his chest, Shane watched the other man with seeming dispassion.
When it became apparent Shane wasn’t about to leave or take the bait of his insult, Ollie settled back and crossed his legs in an attempt at nonchalance.
Nothing would have given him more pleasure than to wipe away the look of smug superiority etched across the other man’s face. But carrying out his desire wasn’t worth his exertion. At least not yet.
Once he got the information he wanted, Ollie would be dead to him. All that remained was whether that fact would be literal or metaphorical. The way he currently felt, the first choice wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
“You obviously think you know something for which this treatment is deserved.”
“Yeah, I do. And it’s what I think that counts. You can make up your mind when I’m done. Either way, I don’t give a toss!”
“Really, Shane, such vulgar language.”
“That’s the difference between us, I speak my mind while you hide behind platitudes of lies. See, if I wanted to, I could trade banalities with you. But honestly, it would just be a waste of my time. So, why don’t we start with you telling me why you wanted me dead?”
Ollie blinked in rapid succession as heat crept up his neck and seeped into his face. In a warped way, the look of surprise amused Shane. Deliberately turning his back, Shane sauntered over and perched on the armrest of Crystal’s chair. Then he waited. Tension was all around them, so much so he could smell the fear that emanated from the other man’s pores.
Ollie’s expression changed, and Shane knew he was finally about to hear the truth.
“I didn’t want you dead, just scared. Those fools took things too far.”
“What fools?”
“The men I hired of course!”
“Are you trying to get on me nerves?” Shane questioned in warning.
“I’ve never seen you like this. Where did all this coldness come from?”
“You must be bloody joking! You admit to setting me up and in the next breath you’re asking why I want to rip your fucking head off! Don’t wind me up—start talking!”
Before he could stop her, Crystal was out of her seat, retrieved her glass and was heading towards Ollie. Shane was immediately by her side, but he didn’t attempt to stop her. She was good and mad and she had every right to be. Since his warning she had kept her word and her silence. It now seemed that was all about to change.
“Start talking or so help me, I’m going to brand your smug arse face with crystal. I bet you won’t be able to ignore me then!”
Ollie’s mock reticence disappeared at her warning. It was as though from one minute to the next, he had reached a decision. Shane immediately picked up on the change, and his muscles bunched in readiness as he pulled Crystal out of harm’s way.
“I knew what you were working on before I met you. I always make it a point to know the nature of the people who surround me. You were no exception–”
“I don’t give a toss about any of that. Get to the point!”
“Maybe you don’t, but that’s part of the reason you’re here all the same. They were only supposed to bloody your nose and give you a few bruises. The throat cutting came about because you decided to fight back. So utterly difficult to find good help these days!”
Shane disregarded the other man’s arrogant nonsense and got directly to the point. “What made you think I wouldn’t fight back?”
“Because up to that point, the only emotion or reaction I’d ever seen you display was about her.”
“Such a bloody fool,” Shane mumbled under his breath.
“Yes, you were. And I’m pleased to say everything worked beautifully because of that fact,” Ollie mocked around his laughter.
It was then Shane realized how much pleasure Ollie continued to take from having manipulated his life for so many years. Yet, standing in the glow of the tastefully decorated room, he felt a strange level of detachment towards the other man.
If any reservations remained regarding his final move, Ollie’s humor eradicated them. When he was finished, Shane would be interested to see if he still found amusement from the chaos he’d instigated.
“I don’t think you understand the trouble you’ve caused by interfering in Shane and my lives.”
Ollie took the time to uncross his legs and stretched them out before he spoke. Only then did he smile at Crystal. “Oh, do you mean the baby?”
“What do you know about that?” Crystal snapped out.
With the mention of his son, Shane felt a resurgence of his rage. The Shane he once was urged him to rip the smug bastard apart—but he resisted. Instead, he curled his fingers into a tight fist and allowed the pain of his nails piercing into his palms to stabilize him.
Ollie’s attention remained on Crystal. And Shane was sure that the sick bastard wanted to observe and relish her anguish. He wasn’t about to give him that sort of satisfaction.
“I was the one who ensured Shane didn’t speak to you when you wanted to distract him with tales of your pregnancy. Poor little Emmie was so distressed when I wouldn’t let her take your call.”
It was obvious, Ollie spoke for shock value, hoping his words would hit a nerve. But he had already told her all about the way Emmie had been blackmailed by Ollie.
“Because you mentioned my son in the hope of hurting his mother, I’m going to fuck you up!”
Ollie’s gaze swung over to him. “I find you incredibly entertaining—fuck me up. Who do you think you are… me? I made you. Now that you have a bit of money in the bank, you think you’re rich enough to come into my house and threaten me?”
“Mate, it’s not a threat. Do you want me to tell you how I’m going to do it, or do you want to wait for the surprise?”
Shane would have been offended at Ollie’s laughter, but for the fact that he was a coward who used all manner of subterfuge as his hall of mirrors. “Nice try, but you’re bleeding anxiety and sweating like a pig. So, I’m calling you out for a fake arse pussy!”
Shane only had to wait a beat, as that was how long it took for all traces of Ollie’s feigned amusement to dissolve.
“You can think whatever you like, but I got what I wanted when I wanted it—that makes me a winner!”
“So anything goes as long as you get what you want?” Shane inquired in a mild tone.
“From my position, yes.”
He didn’t think it possible, but his level of distaste towards Ollie and the situation increased. Unable to remain in the same space as the arrogant bastard for much longer, he decided to move things along.
“You may as well tell us everything. Seeing as you’ve won, you don’t really have anything to lose.”
“I knew everything about you before I even made that first call. Granted, you were rather more reserved than I had expected, but I’m not easily daunted. You made me work for it, but in the end I won you over.
Although you attempted to keep what you were working on quiet, those in the know within the racing industry were already talking about it. Getting to know you personally meant I could be one of the first to test out your D.R.S., and to use it on my cars before the rest of the industry got their hands on it.
Then you started to be difficult once
you met her,” Ollie nodded in Crystal’s direction. “Your stubborn refusal to work for me meant I had to take matters into my own hands. All that driving but never coming onboard the team had to end.
As I said before, my instructions were implicit, all they should have done was mess up that handsome face of yours. Oh, and I can’t say I would have minded if they had broken a few ribs in the process. After that was accomplished, you were to be warned to stay away from that girl.”
Ollie’s lack of remorse spoke volumes about the man’s character. And, as far as Shane was concerned, his refusal to call Crystal by her name, was another mark against him.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Shane asked in a mild tone.
“No, I think that just about covers everything. Oh, silly me, there is one last thing. Thank you for making me a very rich man!”
“You have to be one of the most detestable men I have ever met. What did I ever do to you for you?” Crystal asked as she leaned forward to get a better view of the blond man.
“You exist, my dear. That was reason enough. You also had the potential to obstruct what I wanted. I couldn’t let that happen, and for the record, I regret nothing!”
Before he could stop her, Crystal darted around him and slapped Ollie with so much force the sound reverberated and hung in the air.
Ollie raised his hand, whether to touch his stinging face or to return the blow, Shane never knew. Moving Crystal aside, he was on him in an instant.
He grabbed the shorter man by the collar and used all his strength to lift and flip him down onto the wooden floor. Ollie’s back hit the ground so hard, Shane felt the shockwaves shoot through his arms and chest.
“Are you crazy? Raising your hand to her. Thinking you can fuck with my life. Do you want me to kill you? Taking me for a pussy,” Shane punctuated each of his disjointed sentences with a punch to Ollie’s face.
Shane lost all sense of reality. He wasn’t thinking. All his attention remained fixed on the man who had nearly ruined his life—who had caused him to lose so much. Even when he stopped speaking, he still rained blows against the hapless man’s face.
“Shane stop! You’re going to kill him!”
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