Unravel(59)

“Were you there? Did you see whatever my daughter told you I did with your own eyes?”

My gut twisted over his condescending tone.

“I didn’t have to be anywhere to know it was the truth,” Max responded. “Since the day I met you, I knew something wasn’t right. You always have an answer for everything. That smile of yours never slips from your face. You go out of your way to be nice. I should’ve realized that smile was to hide some f*cked up shit.”

“Enough!” her dad snapped.

He turned away from Max. I got a good look at him. His hands were braced on his hips. His jaw was clenched, and his skin was pale and clammy. He took a few breaths as he stared down at the floor. I could see him scrambling to get his bearings. Max sideswiped him and even though I was scared shitless right now, I couldn’t stop the smile that came across my face.

Lana’s dad took a deep breath. A smile was already on his face as he rotated back to Max.

“We’re getting off on the wrong foot here. I just came here to fix the damage between us,” he said as he sat down in the seat across from Max. His body slightly bent, elbows on his knees and his fingers steepled. “Your eye for buying and selling stocks is unrivaled. We may no longer be working together but that doesn’t mean I can’t recommend you to fellow businessmen.”

“Is this a joke?”

“No.”

“I drop you as a client and as a thank you, you recommend me to your fellow ‘businessmen’?” Max asked in disbelief.

“I am a fair man.”

“No, you aren’t. You’re a desperate man. And you’re here to make sure that I keep quiet and don’t ruin that perfect reputation of yours.”

Lana’s dad didn’t say a word.

Max lifted a brow, that dark smile still on his face. “Am I right?”

Lana’s dad leaned close. The chair creaked beneath him. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re making a bad choice.” That calm tone had disappeared from Lana’s dad’s voice and became low and ominous. His true colors were showing.

Max spread his palms out. “I’ll take my chances. Now go. Get the f*ck out.”

Lana’s dad tapped both armrests before he stood. Max stood at the same time, ready to see him out.

But I saw the smile on her dad’s face. It was cunning and I knew he had something up his sleeve. When Max walked around his desk, Lana’s dad stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. Max looked at it with indignation and pure rage. Michael stepped into Max’s personal space and said in a dark voice: “Son, your expiration date in this town is coming up. But I’ll still be here and everything that’s been mine, will still be mine.”

Max’s eyes became shuttered and I wanted to step forward. I’d never seen that look on his face. It was hatred. A blinding rage that made everything within reach in danger. He stopped thinking with a clear head and moved so fast, Lana’s dad never had a chance to react.

His hand curled around Lana’s dad’s neck. In one quick move he slammed his face against the edge of the desk. I heard the telltale sound of bones cracking. Lana’s dad screamed. It was filled with pain and made me shudder. One hit was good enough, but Max didn’t stop. His grip on Lana’s dad’s neck tightened. Max slammed his face against the desk two more times and I realized he wasn’t going to stop until her dad was dead. I pushed open the door and ran into the room. “Stop!”

Max didn’t stop. He didn’t look up at me. His jaw was locked, nostrils flared. He moved like he was in a trance.

I grabbed onto Max’s arm and pulled. “Stop it. You’re going to kill him!” I yelled.

Max looked at me. There was a wild look his eyes that made my skin break out in goose bumps. He panted and his shoulders rose and fell rapidly. He still gripped Lana’s dad by the back of the neck in an ironclad grasp. I pleaded with my eyes for him to let go of Michael and walk away.

Max dropped him. The man fell like a rag doll. He was groaning, holding onto his bleeding nose. Blood seeped in between his fingers, dripping onto the floor. I ignored him, stepped around him and placed my hands on Max’s face. I got him to take a few steps back, but his eyes were rooted to Lana’s dad on the floor. His entire body was stiff, practically shaking with anger.

“Don’t,” I whispered fiercely.

I waited for the anger to clear from his eyes, for a bit of sanity to return. He finally swallowed and looked at me. Some of his anger seemed to fade and I saw a small piece of the Max I knew.

Lana’s dad groaned as he gripped the desk and stood up.

Max’s eyes flicked over to him. In a low voice he said: “Go.”

I kept my hold on Max. I didn’t trust him. He might have calmed down some but it wasn’t enough for me to let go. I looked over my shoulder at Lana’s dad. He reached into his back pocket and grabbed a monogrammed handkerchief and wiped away the blood on his face. He laughed derisively as he looked down at the blood staining his shirt. Instead of looking at Max, the person who did this to him, he looked directly at me.

I’d never understood Lana’s refusal to tell everyone what her dad had done to her. But having those cold, dead eyes directed at me made me understand why she had so much fear. His lips curled into a knowing smile, as though he knew exactly what I was thinking. My breath started to quicken. It felt like the air was slowly being let out of the room. Little spots started to form behind my eyes.