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.