4

The following afternoon, Amelia arrived at Daniel Whitmore’s law office shortly before the scheduled meeting.

The building stood along one of the older streets in Blackridge, occupying a renovated brick property between a small accounting firm and a private insurance office. She had been there several times as a child, usually accompanying her father when he needed to discuss business matters. The reception area had changed little over the years, although the furniture had been replaced and the walls freshly painted.

Daniel greeted her as she entered. “Amelia. Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too.”

He led her towards his office, where a folder containing the relevant property documents had already been placed on the desk. “Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thank you. I’d rather get this over with.”

Amelia placed her handbag on the chair beside her and took a seat opposite him. She had dressed for the meeting in a fitted cream blouse, tailored black trousers and heels. Her dark hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and a pair of small gold earrings completed her appearance.

She glanced at the folder. “Have you prepared everything?”

“Everything I could find relating to the original arrangement between your father and William Kane.”

“Good. I want this matter settled as quickly as possible.”

Daniel was about to respond when a knock sounded against the office door. “That should be them.” He stood and crossed the room to open it.

Two men entered the room. The first was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark jeans and heavy boots. Tattoos covered much of his forearms, disappearing beneath the fabric of his shirt. His expression was unreadable as his eyes moved briefly around the office before settling on Amelia. The second man was slightly shorter, solidly built, with close-cropped hair, a short beard, and a lot of tattoos as well. 

“Ryder,” Daniel greeted him. “Thank you for coming.”

Ryder nodded, looking at Amelia again, and Amelia had a feeling that he was sizing her up. Kind of in a way people in competitions did their opponents to decide if they could take them or intimidate them. 

“Amelia Carter,” Daniel said, making the introductions. “This is Ryder Kane, president of the Iron Vipers Motorcycle Club, and Mason Reed, the club’s vice president.”

Amelia rose from her chair. “Mr Kane. Mr Reed.”

“Miss Carter.” He held out his hand. 

Ryder’s handshake was firm, his gaze steady, and Amelia met it without hesitation before turning to Mason, who simply greeted her with a polite nod.

“Please, take a seat,” Daniel said.

Ryder stared down at the handbag she'd placed on the chair opposite her without speaking. Amelia followed his gaze, then frowned before grabbing the bag and placing it on her lap as she sat back down. Ryder took the seat and Mason settled beside him, while Daniel returned to his place behind the desk.

Amelia had expected Ryder Kane to be intimidating. After she spoke to Daniel yesterday she'd done a little research on the man. His size, the tattoos and the reputation that preceded him certainly contributed to the impression, but she was prepared to face him, and she had no intention of allowing herself to be intimidated. She opened the folder in front of her.

“Thank you both for coming. I’ll get straight to the point. As you’re aware, I’ve inherited the Carter Estate, and I intend to move forward with its development.”

Ryder leaned back in his chair, but he did not interrupt.

“I’ve been working on the plans for some time. The property is going to become a luxury resort, and the area currently occupied by your warehouse is part of the proposed development.”

Ryder spoke then, “And?”

Amelia looked at him. “And the warehouse will have to be vacated.”

His expression remained unchanged. “I don't think so.”

The blunt response caught her off guard, although she quickly recovered. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, Miss Carter.”

Daniel cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should discuss the arrangement first.” He said, opening the folder and removing several documents. “As I explained to Ryder yesterday, Thomas Carter allowed the Iron Vipers to occupy the warehouse approximately twelve years ago. The arrangement was informal, and there was no registered lease or transfer of ownership. However, your father permitted the club to use the building and surrounding grounds, and they have remained there ever since.”

“I know what the arrangement was,” Amelia replied. “My father allowed them to use the warehouse. He didn’t give it to them.”

“No one is suggesting otherwise,” Daniel said.

Ryder rested one arm on the back of his chair. “Your father had no problem with us being there.”

“My father isn’t here anymore.”

“No. He isn’t.”

Something in his tone made Amelia pause briefly, but she quickly continued. “Which means the property now belongs to me. I have plans for it, and I expect those plans to be respected.”

Ryder gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Then maybe you should have chosen a different location.”

“Excuse me?”

“The warehouse isn’t available.” he told her, as if saying the same thing with different words would make any difference. 

Amelia stared at him in surprise. She'd expected some pushback, but she'd not been prepared for such defiance as well as his arrogance as he claimed a property that did not belong to him. “You seem to be under the impression that this is a negotiation. I am the legal owner of the Carter Estate. You and your club have been using my property for years without paying rent, and now that I intend to develop it, you’re refusing to leave.”

Their eyes locked, “Look, Amelia… May I call you that?”

“No, you may not.”

“Very well then, Miss Carter,” he smirked, “One thing you need to understand is that we've maintained that property for twelve years. We’ve invested our own money into the warehouse, repaired the building, secured the grounds and built our headquarters there. Your father knew exactly what we were doing when he allowed us into the premises, and he had no objections.”

Amelia shook her head, unable to believe that she was actually arguing about this with him, “That was his decision.” she replied, “But it doesn’t give you the right to remain there indefinitely.”

Ryder leaned forward, and rested his forearms on the desk. “Your father and mine had an understanding. We upheld our end of it. I don’t see why that should suddenly become our problem because you’ve decided to build a resort.”

“Because it’s my land.”

“And it's our home.”

The words were delivered without hesitation and Amelia glanced briefly at Mason before returning her attention to Ryder. She took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly even though deep inside her, her temper was starting to rise. “I understand that you’ve been there for a long time, Mr Kane but that doesn’t change the situation. I have contractors, architects and investors waiting to move forward and I cannot put an entire development on hold because your club refuses to cooperate.”

“Then don’t.”

A quiet breath escaped her. “You cannot be serious.” She turned to Daniel, “He cannot be serious.”

Daniel shifted in his chair. “Ryder, perhaps we should consider a reasonable transition period. It would give the club time to make alternative arrangements while allowing Amelia to proceed with her plans.”

Ryder turned towards him. “I can tell you right now, Daniel, that there won’t be a transition period.”

“I’m trying to find a solution that works for everyone.”

“And I’m telling you right now that there isn't one if it involves us vacating the premises,”

Amelia closed the folder. She was done with this bullshit. “Let me make this simple, Mr Kane.” She said, “I want the warehouse vacated within thirty days.”

Mason exchanged a brief glance with Ryder. Ryder, however, didn’t appear particularly impressed or moved. He let out a short laugh and shook his head. “You really have no idea what you’re dealing with, do you?”

Amelia narrowed her eyes at him, “Oh, I know exactly what I’m dealing with, thank you very much. A group of men who have mistaken my father’s generosity for permanent ownership.”

Ryder’s frowned, “Careful, Miss Carter.”

“Or what?”

For the first time since entering the room, Ryder looked at her with something approaching genuine interest. Most people were more cautious when speaking to him. Amelia, apparently, had no intention of being one of them. He rose from his chair, and Mason followed.

“You’ve made your position clear,” he said. “I’ve made mine. The Iron Vipers aren’t leaving.”

Amelia stood as well, reaching around his shoulder level in her three inch heels. “Then I suppose we’ll have to find another way to resolve this.”