Page 137 of Lennox Lane

“You think this is funny?” He asked Lennox.

“I think you’re loud for a man whose empire is currently being audited by women in pearls,” he quipped, causing his mother to laugh.

Jason crumpled the edge of the papers in his fist. “This is your doing.”

“I told you, it’s not.” Lennox took one step closer. “But since I’m here, let’s discuss why I stopped by.”

Lennox’s smile disappeared. “Curtis Bell.” The sound of that name made Jason’s expression tighten just enough to confirm what Lennox knew.

“You’re helping Curtis fabricate financial documents against The Full Plate Project,” Lennox said. “You’re creating false laundering trails, fake vendor payments, altered donor records, and enough sloppy metadata to insult everybody in this room.”

Jason recovered quickly. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I have every idea.”

“You hacked me.”

“You made it easy,” Lennox shrugged.

Mielle leaned back slightly, watching them like a layered performance. The delight in her eyes at his father being humbled yet again also brought Lennox Joy.

Lennox continued, “The stunt you tried to pull violates council bylaws.”

Jason scoffed. “You don’t speak for The Council.”

“Effective immediately, The Council is ceasing all ties with you, Curtis Bell, Bell Community Strategies, and every company tied to the acquisition corridor,” he added as Jason’s face drained of color.

Lennox took his phone out and tapped the screen once. “The notification should be hitting now.”

Jason’s phone vibrated nonstop, and his smother smiled serenely. Jason looked at his screen, and Lennox had the pleasure of watching a man realize in real time that every door he thought he owned had quietly locked from the other side.

“No,” Jason whispered.

“Yes.”

“You little bastard.”

“Careful,” Lennox said. “Your ex-wife is present.”

That did it; Jason charged as Lennox had known he would. Jason Jackson was predictable when cornered. He could manipulate, threaten, cheat, scheme, and posture, but strip him of control and he became nothing more than a man throwing his body at a wall.

Lennox met him halfway.

His mother gasped, but he barely heard it. Jason swung once, wild and angry. Lennox blocked it, turned him, and locked an arm around him with clean, practiced efficiency. Jason fought hard for a man who hadn’t earned most of his strength honestly, but rage without discipline was just noise.

“Let go of me,” Jason choked.

Lennox tightened his hold enough to make the point, not enough to make it last longer than necessary.

“You’re done touching what belongs to me,” Lennox said in his ear. “My mother. Lane. Her food bank. Any person I protect.”

Jason clawed at his arm, feet scraping against the rug. Lennox held him until the fight drained out of him and his body went slack enough to drop. He guided Jason down onto the rug rather than let him crack his head against the table, because apparently growth had even made him considerate with enemies. Mielle stood slowly, one hand over her chest.

Mielle looked at her soon-to-be ex-husband sleeping on the floor of the sitting room she’d once arranged for his comfort, before she looked at her son, thankful he’d been there to protect her.

He swallowed and adjusted his jacket. “We’ll talk later.”

Mielle nodded.