At this, Dillon lifted a curious brow, his eyes as narrowed as Gavin’s.
“Ah yes, my friend,” Gavin continued. A slow “I’ve got you now motherf.u.c.ker” smirk slid across his mouth. “I know about your big ticket. You’re churning out your transaction-based accounts in order to make more money on the buy and sell side with your clients. Your return on a.s.sets is higher than some of the most powerful drug lords in Columbia. No wonder you don’t need my cash flow any longer. I wonder where you’re harboring all that money. You don’t live like you’re on top of the world, so I’m sure it’s buried somewhere. When one partakes in illegal doings, it’s safe to a.s.sume they need to appear… frugal in their spending.”
“f.u.c.k you,” Dillon hissed. “I only make money for my clients.”
“Right,” Gavin drawled. “Will that be your defense when the Security Exchange Commission starts ripping into your files? The investigation’s a phone call away.” Gavin slid into the booth right next to Dillon. If it was possible, Dillon leaned farther against the wainscoting. Gavin chuckled at Dillon’s attempt to all but camouflage himself alongside a signed photo of Magic Johnson. “Emily,” Gavin said calmly, staring into Dillon’s eyes. “Go ask the hostess for a piece of paper and pen for me, sweets.”
“Okay,” Emily answered, turning to do as he said.
Nostrils flaring and breathing picking up, Dillon cleared his throat. “What the f.u.c.k are you doing?”
Gavin popped a smirk, resting his chin in his palm as he continued to stare at Dillon. “I’m getting rid of poison. We’re about to come to a… truce, Dillon. A halfway mark. You’re going to sign, in your finest penmans.h.i.+p, a piece of paper saying you’re no longer going to f.u.c.k with me or Emily. I’m no fool. I know you can pet.i.tion the courts to try to gain access to the doctors’ visits and delivery. I’m willing to be a nice guy and allow you to the doctors’ visits because I’ll be there and I’m more than sure you’ll be on your best behavior in front of my girlfriend. That’s where I draw the line.
“You will not be in the delivery room while she gives birth. You have no right. That’s reserved for her and me, no matter whose child this is. You’re also not dragging me to court because I beat your a.s.s when you deserved nothing less than a slow death. Try to challenge me by not signing, and I’m on the phone first thing in the morning with my lawyer, who’s a pitbull who’ll rip you to shreds in court, and the SEC.” Gavin paused, his smirk widening. “Looks like you and I might be doing a bid upstate together, Dillon. And orange would most definitely look better on me than you.”
Before Dillon had a chance to mutter a word, Emily returned with a blank piece of paper and pen. She handed them to Gavin, and he started writing down everything necessary to cover his a.s.s. Once finished, he slid the paper and pen to Dillon. Gavin’s dimple deepened with his beaming smile. “Your John Hanc.o.c.k makes this relatively easy for us all. No Hanc.o.c.k, and my phone call tomorrow makes it quite difficult. Wouldn’t you agree?” Gavin could recall two times in his life when he wanted to stop time dead in its tracks. Hold the minute hand down, preventing it from ticking by another second. The most important was the first time he saw Emily. Next was right now, staring at the man he loathed more than words could define. Gavin observed Dillon’s eyes drooping in this battles defeat. His shoulders slumped, and his face held not a hint of victory. After what appeared to be a moment’s hesitation, Gavin watched Dillon sign the paper. Rising from his seat, Gavin swiped the paper from the table. For the second time tonight, without another threatening reminder spoken, Dillon surged to his feet, exiting the dinner like a flaming bat out of h.e.l.l.
Eyes like two confused saucers, Emily looked at Gavin. “What just happened?”
Gavin twined his fingers through hers, leading them through the diner. “I just saved us from a.r.s.enic with an insurance policy.”
Gripping Gavin’s hand tighter, she shook her head. “I don’t understand. What was all of that Security Exchange stuff? How did you know he did something wrong?”
“I didn’t. It was a guess,” Gavin said, reaching for the door.
“A guess,” Emily repeated, the exasperation in her voice heavy.
As they stepped into the cold air, Gavin pulled her into his arms. “Well, it wasn’t a complete guess.”
She tilted her head. “Can I get some elaboration, please?”
Gavin chuckled. “Ah. Let me think.” He dipped his head, resting his lips on her hair as he spoke. “Over the summer, Trevor came to my house and we indulged in a wicked game of Texas hold’em. I have to add, I took him down.” Gavin heard Emily sigh, and he smiled. “He got pretty f.u.c.king trashed and started talking about some illegal dealings with annuities Dillon said he was thinking about getting involved with. I was pretty tanked, so I didn’t think too much about it. I did start watching the funds Blake Industries had tied up with him more closely though. I never found anything wrong with our accounts, so I allowed him to keep making me money.
“What did I just do in there? One: I rolled the dice that even though Trevor had a good bit of Jagermeister running through his system, he wasn’t making the s.h.i.+t up. Two: I banked on your ex following up with his plan. I think we got lucky.”
“I think we did too,” Emily said, looking at him. “Why didn’t you bring that up earlier?”