Page 155 of Maddening Fixation

“In the meantime,” Romeo continued, “you’ll receive a full refund before the sun comes up.”

He paused. “And when I recover what’s yours... It will be delivered personally.”

Zachary let out a harsh, humorless laugh.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with a refund?” His voice dripped with contempt. “Do you honestly think this is about the money?”

The amusement vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

His eyes turned frighteningly still.

“We need those weapons.” Each word landed like a hammer blow. “Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.”

The room seemed to tighten around the single word.

“If my buyers don’t receive what I promised them, no amount of money will fix what’s coming.” His gaze hardened into something cold and merciless. “And I have very little patience for people who waste my time.”

Then, with nothing more than the lazy lift of two fingers...

Everything changed.

The Chicago men raised their rifles in one smooth motion.

Metal clicked.

Safety catches disengaged.

Across the warehouse, Romeo’s soldiers reacted instantly.

Pistols appeared as though conjured from thin air.

Within a heartbeat, dozens of weapons were aimed across the room.

My pulse hammered painfully inside my ears.

One wrong movement.

One nervous finger.

One misunderstanding.

And this warehouse would become a slaughterhouse.

“This doesn’t benefit either of us,” Romeo said, calm and controlled, like the guns being aimed by the Chicago mafia men at his men and vice versa do not even move him a bit.

His gaze swept lazily across the room before settling back on Zachary.

“Besides, this is Florida. My territory. So think very carefully before you decide to start a war here.”

His emerald eyes darkened.

“Because even if your men somehow manage to walk out of this building alive, they won’t make it out of Florida. I’ll make sure of that.”

“You’re making the mistake of assuming these are the only men I came with,” Zachary said, his expression unreadable.

“This estate is surrounded. Dozens of my men are positioned beyond your perimeter with one instruction only—to reduce this entire property to rubble if I fail to walk out of this building alive... or if I leave Florida without the respect I came here expecting.”

A faint, humorless smile crossed his face.