Now, as I glanced at them all together, I wasn’t laughing anymore either.
“New business,” was all my husband responded with to the man they called The Demon King.
Roam considered that and when he leant back in his chair, it creaked. He was a large man. The tallest I’d ever seen. “Fine.” He appeared unimpressed when he checked his wristwatch. “This bullshit costs me half my day and a single minute of my time is worth more than all of you combined. So, get a fucking move on.”
I couldn’t stop looking at him. It was dumb and dangerous, but I simply couldn’t. There was something about him that was magnetic and although new business was being discussed, I couldn’t hear much of it. Even less when Roam seemed to feel my eyes on him and met them with a probing gaze of his own. I felt my neck heat and when his slow smile revealed sharply pointed canines, my gut clenched and a shiver stole down my spine.
The man definitely looked like his bite was worse than his bark.
I swallowed hard and glanced away and as each seat went around the table airing their grievances with one another’s men or the overstepping of turf, it wasn’t long before Roam called on us. “Tor, your new business had better not run long.”
“It won’t,” he assured the man, and what Tor said next was for my ears only. “Just as we practiced. You can do this. Cool, calm, collected.”
When I stood and cleared my throat, there were equal looks of surprise and confusion as I addressed the table. “A lot of you knew my father. I know some of you had close, personal relationships with him and I think for the most part, he was a good man. The seat he fell into,” I motioned to where my sister now sat, “fit him perfectly. He was loyal and happy, and he never demanded more than his share of things.” Vincenza glared at me then, knowing it was a stab and it most definitely met its mark. “There has been a great amount of unpleasantness surrounding the Vero name and with good cause. Some would say the change in management has been,” I hesitated to say it out loud, “a let down.” Vincenza’s jaw steeled, but I went on. “My sister doesn’t always go with the grain, but to be fair to her, I don’t think anyone could properly fill the shoes my father left behind. I know the mockery that is being made of our name and I have a request if council would so grant it.”
I took a moment.
Oh, Lord. This is not going to go down well.
They listened intently. I stood tall, straightened my spine and said it. “That seat is as much mine as it is hers and,” I glanced at my sister and hoped she could see the apology looming in my eye, “I wish to claim it.”
“Excuse the fuck out of me?” was Vincenza’s furious response as she shot up out of her seat.
“Sit the fuck down,” uttered Roam with little to no heat at all, and it took her a second but my sister acquiesced, and if that didn’t speak of the power he held at this table, nothing did.
Light chatter began as Roam drummed his nails on the edge of the table. He pondered a moment and when he spoke, the chatter stopped and he was heard. “I will have you know the reinstatement of the Vero seat is not something I support of and I, for one, did not give an aye.” Uh oh. Not a good start. “But you have me curious. Vincenza is the eldest and entitled to the seat. Why should we grant it to you over her?”
Take a breath. Keep calm. Speak slowly and clearly.
I lifted my chin and did my best to hide my emotions when I stated steadily, “I was sold for that seat. Without me as payment, it never would have been brought to council nor reinstated. I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request to wish to claim what I paid for.”
Murmurs of agreement sounded and Enza glanced around, looking a little shook. “Vicky, no,” Vincenza uttered. “You can’t do this.”
No?
Watch me.
Roam looked down his nose at me for a long moment and then, he chuckled quietly. “What the fuck? My inquisitive nature has been peaked and I want to see how this pans out. We’ll take it to vote. Arthur?”
The Brit said, “I know she’s a horrid pain in the ass, but she is entitled. It’s a nay from me.”
Catalina didn’t hesitate. “If we have to have a Vero seat, I’d prefer it to be a Vero that doesn’t make me want to gouge an eye out. Aye.”
Striker spared me the quickest glimpse before peering back down at his phone. “Sure. Why not?”
Anoushka glanced at Vincenza with a tiny smile. “You sold your blood – yoursister– off to buy a seat at the table?” She laughed then, “Stone cold, bitch.” I was almost sure she was going to say nay when she surprised me with an, “Aye.” And when she glanced over at Enza again, there was no humor left in her face. “Even I know some things are off limits. Let’s see you try and win it back with nothing to your name.”
Vincenza’s jaw went stiff and she avoided looking into the other woman’s eyes.
Roam then counted himself and I wasn’t surprised by his unfeeling, “Nay.”
And finally, from behind me, my husband was still a member of the table. “Aye.”
Vincenza looked at me then and I heard the pain in her voice when she muttered, “What have you done?”
Roam didn’t look too happy himself. He turned to the man next to him with the wide sharp-toothed grin tattooed onto his face. The man shrugged lightly and Roam turned back to the table. “The ayes have it.”
Oh my God. We did it. The seat was mine.