Free Delta: Rescue: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) by Cristin Harber Page A

Mercier office did not possess the same swank feel as Love. Maddy acted different here. Cold, more ruthless.
    Hale loomed over what was basically a negotiation. His sidearm on his waist and his bulky arms crossed over his wide chest, he looked the part he was to play, the muscle. Sitting in front of her was Felipe Rivera’s great uncle, a wealthy cartel man who wanted to throw money at the Mercier-Rivera problem. The man didn’t want bad blood between their families, and he was making amends for Felipe, who had already been sprung from federal custody. But US federal agents were not Rivera’s concern. He was concerned that she would exact her revenge against Felipe, which she would, and he wanted to make sure Papa was not irritated, which he was.
    Maddy pursed her lips together. “Nothing, Mr. Rivera, that you’ve said changes my mind.”
    He’d gone from haughty to indignant to knowing. A thin sheen of sweat decorated his forehead. Miami’s harsh heat wasn’t making him perspire. The office was cool, almost to the point of cold. The uncertainty that danced in his eyes was an indication of fear. “We’re all in business together.”
    “ We are not.”
    “To some extent—”
    “No, we are not.”
    “Ms. M—”
    “I don’t like you , and I despise your nephew. He was wrong to teach my father a lesson with my girl. For as much as this is business between our families, I want you gone.”
    He leaned back, a shimmer of relief working its way across his features. “I think we both know that I’m not going anywhere, and you don’t have the clout to make that happen.”
    “We both know that your nephew will continue to be hunted.”
    His lips went flat again. “This conversation is a joke.”
    “He will go to jail for rape.”
    The uncle shook his head, as confident about his disagreement as her father was with his law-enforcement dealings. “The charges will never stick.”
    Maddy’s molars ground. “I hope they don’t. I hope Felipe roams the wild, waiting for the day that he”—she nodded toward Hale—“finds him.”
    Hale growled his interest and agreement.
    “He’s a barracuda.” Maddy smiled. “Even meaner than he looks.”
    Rivera failed to hide a concerned glare. “What do you want?”
    “He’ll take a beating. But live. And you get out of South Florida. No more business with Mercier.”
    “He lives, and I get out of Miami.”
    “No.”
    His brow furrowed. “He lives, and we’re out of business with Mercier.”
    Maddy smiled. “Deal.”
    “ He lives. ”
    “Those are the terms. Now, leave.”
    This was not a man used to being bossed around. Bristling, he regained the composure that made him feared on the streets and stormed out.
    Asshole.
    Hale sauntered over, still glaring, but he fell into the chair that Rivera had been in. “Doing okay?”
    “Of course,” she snapped. But no, she was wound up more tightly than a cokehead in detox.
    His all-knowing eyes narrowed, but he let it drop. “Schedule says you’re scouting tonight.”
    “That’s what it says, that’s what I’m doing.” Though after going one-on-one with the elder Rivera, she wanted to search for girls to save, not models who needed a sandwich. But she couldn’t do the first one without the cover of the second, and truthfully, she did find enjoyment in that side of her business also. Dreams were made. Beautiful things were noticed—Maddy had made a point to find the models who weren’t considered perfect by society standards. Then she kicked society’s opinion on its ass when her models strutted their stuff. For what had once been awkward, with her light shining on it, was now hip. What had been considered a flaw was now a selling point.
    She took a calming breath, trying to tap into the control that lassoed her anxiousness. “Yes, Hale. Tonight’ll be good.”
    “You need to blow off some steam.”
    She smiled. The man knew her better than most. “True.”
    “Get yourself some fancy cocktail, do your