He would hate being spoken to by me, the inferior one of the group. The fact they weren’t even showing emotion in his presence would also trigger him. Each little thing we did to chip away at his sanity brought us a step closer to his downfall, and he would fall. That was a guarantee.
“What? You think now that you’re prime pussy, you’re better than me?”
Tittering, I shook my head. “No, Dayton. I’m better than you because I’m a good person, unlike you. Now, you’ve made a scene by stopping the party, so please, tell us what you want. Otherwise, remove yourself from my vicinity.”
My dismissal had him grinding his jaw, his fists unclenching as he attempted to rein in his emotion.
And this was where I shined. Dayton might think I was weak because of my profession and understanding of emotions, but he forgot one little thing. I was an expert. I knew the telltale signs better than anyone, and while he might’ve fooled me at first with his game in my office, I’d come to know his mannerisms very well, and right now, he was very close to exploding in rage.
This knowledge bolstered me, and I took a step forward. Atticus held onto my hand, attempting to pull me back, but I didn’t falter. I felt the power of their love and faith in me coursing through my veins, giving me strength. This would be the last man to make me feel small.
“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. Did you say something?”
He gritted his teeth, muttering through them. I looked around the room, realizing it was now or never. The entire place watched, waiting with bated breath to see how it would unfold. Everyone liked a good show, it was time to give them one.
“Well, then. I guess you can leave, since you have nothing to say. Such a shame, since we had everyone here to listen.”
He looked around, noticing the crowd, but it seemed to incense him enough to continue with whatever agenda he had.
“You know, it’s been entertaining playing with you and my son, but I’ve grown tired, so I just wanted to come by and let you know that everything will be mine as of tomorrow.” He grinned wide, a smug look on his face as he waited for us to implode.
“Oh? How do you expect that to happen?” I asked, crossing my arms. The men stepped up, apparently over me being closer to Dayton without them. It was enough to make him smirk like he had something figured out.
“You’ll see,” he said, keeping himself tight-lipped.
“Well, as fun as it would be to watch us prove you wrong, again, I’m growing bored of this conversation, so how about I just go ahead and tell you that won’t be happening.”
“And why is that?”
“The simple fact that the properties you’re trying to overtake no longer belong to Atticus. Admit it, Dayton, you were outplayed. You have no money and you’ll be the one with no assets or businesses as of tomorrow. The only thing you have left is your name, and let’s face it, that’s starting to be equated with a lunatic.”
Dayton began to seethe, his face turning purple as the rage built in him. His eyes zeroed in on my ring, snapping him.
“There’s no way you’ve done what you’re claiming. Even if you had, I still have the family. They wanted me as their true leader!” he practically shouted.
“You sure about that, Dad?” Atticus asked, raising his eyebrow. “When I gave all the family members their rightful dues, they quickly returned to the fold. A few stubborn ones remained with you, but you’ll see that you no longer have the men you thought. You’re done.”
“No, that’s not possible.” He shook his head, some of his earlier demeanor unraveling as the words sank in and the fear of what we were saying being true grew.
“You’ve been so busy focusing on us, you weren’t even paying attention to your own family. What was it you always taught me? Hit them where it hurts. I think I’ve hit you now in all the sore spots. Did I miss anything?” Atticus turned to us, mimicking counting the things we’d taken from Dayton on his fingers. “Business, money, men, pride… Nope, I think that’s it. What do you say, little brother?”
“Oh, I’d love to have the honor of escorting Daddy Dipshit off the premises.” Nicco smiled wide, walking forward, and I stood with my head high as Dayton tried to figure out what was going on.
The two guards who’d entered with Dayton gripped his arms, and it was the final thing to seal our words in his mind, confirming everything, as his own men escorted him from the floor. He started to fling himself from side to side, and he managed to get an arm free, reaching for the gun in the guard's holster.
He turned, pointing it at me, and I stood, firm, unwavering. The last thing I noticed was the smile that spread across his face.
When the gun went off, I stared, not letting him know how scared I was we’d miscalculated, praying that everything wouldn’t fall apart right at the end. The impact hit, hurting more than I’d imagined, but I fell with all the grace I could muster in my gorgeous gown.
More guards swarmed him, tackling him to the ground as the gun scattered across the floor that I’d just waltzed across. I laid there thinking of that one perfect moment as I closed my eyes for a second, taking a breath. When a hand smoothed the hair back from my face, I looked up into Nicco’s gray-blue eyes, a smile on his face.
“You did great, Beautiful.” He reached down, giving me a hand, and I clasped it, standing to my feet. I glanced down at the gunshot, the fabric torn from the bullet, and I thanked the heavens that the seamstress had been able to sew kevlar into the gown. Atticus hadn’t wanted to take any chances this time, stating too many of us had already been shot, and no one had argued.
The others circled me, the gunshot being a little too real for them as we watched Dayton spiral out of control. He lost it when he saw me standing, going wilder, trying to find another gun. I tensed for a moment, worried he’d try to take a shot at one of the guys, our bet he’d try to take me out first, not playing out a second time. When the woman in red taffeta walked up, pressing a taser to his neck, I’d never felt prouder or more relieved.
We’d done it. Dayton Mascro had fallen.