“As far as I can see, you’ve got enough muscle of your own,” I shot back.

“Ah, yeah, but you know society’s a bitch. Ya have to be a tall bastard for people to be afraid of ya these days. They don’t realise us little guys are quicker on our toes.” He paused, eyes darting across the room to give Karla a wink. “Plus, we have the advantage of a lower centre of gravity.”

Lee wasn’t exactly little, but I got where he was coming from. My ex was well over six feet, the big dumb oaf. I had to resist the urge to laugh when Stu gave his brother a vacant stare at his mention of “a lower centre of gravity.”

“How’s it going, Lex?” said Stu as his attention came to rest on me, his eyes doing a quick sweep of my body.

“It’ll be going a lot better when you piss off out of here. None of this concerns you.”

Lee held up a hand. “Now, now, don’t go getting your knickers in a twist, Clarky. You called me asking for help. I was kind enough to answer, but if you want me to stick around, you’ll have to deal with my brother being here, too.” His voice was hard and broached no further argument. In the next second, King was beside me, introducing himself.

“We haven’t yet had the pleasure,” he said urbanely. “My name is Oliver.”

Lee gave him a quick once-over before glancing at me, his lips twitching in amusement. “Bagged yourself a posh bastard, did ya?” He nudged his brother with his elbow. “She’s moving up in the world.”

“Don’t be an arsehole,” said Karla in an annoyed tone.

Lee seemed to enjoy her barb. “I’ll never be an arsehole to you, Snap. In fact,” he went on, his voice lowering, “I’ll be so fucking pleasant, you’ll never want me to leave.”

Karla rolled her eyes, not bothering to retort. I noticed Stu was now eyeballing King, and I didn’t like the angry slant to his mouth. Jesus, all of this would have gone so much more smoothly if Lee had just left his brother at home. Stu flicked his gaze between me and King.

“You together?”

My posture grew stiff. “And if we are?”

Stu snorted. “If you are, it’s a fucking joke.”

King, who was silently observing the exchange, spoke up, seeming unthreatened by Stu’s presence. “I believe we have more important matters to discuss.”

“Yeah, we do,” said Stu. “Like how you’re trying to take what’s mine.”

Oh, for Christ’s sake. I cast Lee a pleading look while King stared emotionlessly at my ex. Deciding to be less of a prick, Lee nodded to the door. “Eh, Stu, go wait for me outside. Make sure no one tries to come into the flat.”

Stu didn’t look happy about his brother’s order, but he did as he was told all the same. Between the two of them, it was clear who the alpha was. As soon as Stu left, I finally felt like I could breathe. I sent King an apologetic look as he leaned in and whispered, “An old flame of yours?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“He wants you back.”

“Well, he can go on wanting.”

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you,” he went on, and the dark note in his voice made me shiver. I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

“It doesn’t matter.” I paused to eye him meaningfully. “He’s my past.” I left the second part unspoken. You’re my future. If his satisfied expression was anything to go by, he caught my meaning. Turning, I found Lee had plopped himself down on the sofa beside Karla and was sitting a little too close. She shifted away, being none too subtle about putting distance between them.

“Oh, Snap,” he chuckled. “It’s so funny how you want me.”

Karla bristled. “Don’t call me Snap.”

“You don’t like it? It’s short for Gingersnap. I thought you’d appreciate my creative efforts and shit.”

“Well, I don’t. Go focus your creativity elsewhere. In fact, pretend I don’t exist.”

He shot her a heated look, his eyes trailing slowly down her body.

“Sorry, can’t do that,” Lee whispered quietly. Karla took a deep breath, as though summoning the willpower not to slap him. I felt bad for subjecting her to Lee, but I needed her there for moral support.

Tugging King forward, I led him over to a chair and perched myself on the edge. His hand went to my thigh, and I savoured the warmth.

“So, what have you got for us?” I began, looking at Lee. “This needs to be good.”

Lee scoffed. “Don’t insult me with low expectations.” Pausing, he eyed King. “Did you bring the money?”

Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention that Lee wanted 50K for this favour? It was pocket change to a man like King, but still, Lee had some balls asking for that amount. I’d expected it, though. He might have had a good heart, but he was a survivor, and surviving meant making money in any way he could.

King slid a briefcase across to him and Lee took a peek inside, letting out a low whistle when he saw the cash. One eyebrow went up. “Shit, should I have asked for more?”

It must have been Lee’s tone that made King chuckle. Karla let out a long sigh and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re making me be a witness to this. You seriously owe me one, Lexie.”

Lee cocked his head to her. “I’ll owe you one any day of the week, babe.”

She scowled at him and he grinned in delight. I mouthed a silent “sorry” at her and thought maybe she should stop being so disgruntled with him, because it was obvious that he liked it. A moment of quiet passed before Lee clasped his hands together and started to speak.

“So, Mr King, it seems you’re in luck. I’ve done some discreet asking around, and it appears Brucey’s been getting sloppy in his old age. If you ask me, it’s all the prostitutes. Syphilis fucks with the brain.”

King grew stiff at Lee’s words, and I reached over to lace my fingers with his. Silence followed. Lee chuckled. “What? Was that poor taste?” No response. He raised his brows. “Okay, I’ll keep the jokes to myself in future. So, word has it that Bruce shot a copper a couple of months back.”

Karla gasped. “What?”

Lee nodded. “True story. But don’t worry, this cop was dirty. It won’t happen to you, Snap. You’re lily white. I can tell.”

“Fuck off.”

Lee flashed her a toothy smile. “Feisty. I like it. Anyways, shit went down. The cop was on Bruce’s payroll but sold him out to the competition, a bloke named Tiny McGee. Ironic, since he’s a fat fucker. I’ve managed to get my hands on the gun Bruce used to shoot the cop. He chucked it in the Thames, but one of his men, seeing an opportunity for blackmail down the line, as you do, fished it out and kept it for future use. This fella’s agreed to sell the gun to me for 25K,” he said, and glanced at Karla. “See, I’m not completely despicable. Half the money isn’t even for me.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re a real saint,” Karla deadpanned.

Lee brought his attention back to King. “So all you need to do is sit back, relax, and let me take care of the rest. Shooting a cop is bad business, and he’s not going to want this to go public. I’ll give Bruce a little call. Tell him how it’s gonna play out, and see if he wants to be clever or stupid. I can’t guarantee he’ll be clever. Like I said, it’s the syphilis.” He paused, waiting for us to laugh. “What? Still not funny? Fine, I give up.”

Lee stood as King addressed him. “When can I expect to hear from you?”

Glancing down at his watch, Lee answered, “Around this time tomorrow.”

“Very good,” said King, holding out his hand and shaking with Lee.

“It was a pleasure doing business with ya.”

Lee stood to leave, but before he did, he bent over the couch, startling Karla by giving her a surprise peck on the cheek. It might have been a sweet gesture if it wasn’t so brazen. She immediately recoiled, glaring daggers at him. He winked at her. “Little something for you to remember me by, Snap. Until next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” she called after him.

He flashed her one final grin. “We’ll see.”

When he opened the door, I saw Stu standing there impatiently. “I want to talk with Lex,” he told his brother.