“She’s not sending me off,” I say as I get in. I try to make the words sarcastic, but they fall short.
My older brother doesn’t comment, and I wonder if he can sense my frustration. Thankfully, the car ride is quiet. I take most of the ride to distance myself from thoughts of Rose and our impending marriage.
Finally, we arrive at an upscale high-rise in downtown Boston. The top floor is restricted access for the Assembly only.
Most of the other families are already in the meeting room on the top floor, a wide space with a large oval table in the middle. The room is encased in tinted glass. From the outside, only the shapes of bodies are visible. The glass is bulletproof.
There are six criminal syndicates in The Assembly, and typically, the heads of each family will skip the meeting if there’s nothing important on the schedule. Today, every head is here. They each have a representative with them, usually their second. There are twelve of us in total.
Of course, the moment I walk into the room, the first person I see is Dmitri.
He looks just as smug as he did at the gala.
I always have the urge to punch the smile off Dmitri’s face, and my hands curl into fists without thought, but I control myself. I’ve taken the drive to force everything aside, tamping down the fury and complex tangle of emotions that surround Rose.
I can handle Dmitri, although I’ll still imagine kicking his teeth in every moment of this meeting.
“Don’t indulge him,” Lachlan mutters under his breath as he settles into his seat.
I lean over to pull a chair out and answer back in an equally quiet whisper. “Don’t worry. He isn’t worth the time.”
Of course, Dmitri takes the seat directly across from me when he sits.
“Aiden. Lachlan.” He nods in greeting before shifting his focus to me. “Rose looked lovely the other night.”
Just hearing her name come out of his mouth makes fury rush through me, straining the control I thought I had so carefully cultivated. Lachlan shoots me a warning look, and I grit my teeth, satisfying myself with glaring at Dmitri as I snort softly.
“I wish I could say the same for your wife,” I murmur, my tone biting. “At least Rose will never look as strung out as her.”
I made sure of that. Even if it meant I lost Rose too.
Dmitri’s eyes flash, his lips pulling back, but before he can respond, Antonio strides into the room, drawing my focus.
As usual, anger flares inside me at the sight of the older man’s face, but his presence does afford me a new object to focus on, a new thing to pour my energy into. I can survive Dmitri’s prodding if I can focus on Antonio and the ways I’d like to humiliate him in front of the Assembly.
And Dmitri has given me the perfect idea.
The meeting begins. There are minor disputes to smooth over, a few politicians and city council members that have been bought off, as well as discussions about how to negotiate existing partnerships.
Once the formal business is taken care of, the floor is opened up for any new matters, and I sit up straighter as Lachlan gives me a small nod.
He knows what I want to do, and he’s letting me take the lead in it. He knows just how personal this has become for me. I know he trusts me enough to break the news, despite Rose and everything I’m dealing with.
It doesn’t matter what I feel or don’t feel for her. Right now, I have Antonio to worry about. And I’m going to enjoy holding this power over him in front of the entire Assembly.
“Antonio Donovan and my family have reached an agreement,” I say, and the rest of the Assembly members turn to look at me. I can feel Antonio’s gaze on me, feel the hatred in it, but I ignore him as I continue. “Our families will be joined by marriage soon.”
There’s a barely-noticeable ripple through the gathered Assembly.
They’ve heard the rumors. They knew already, really, but this is different. This is an official announcement, a formal declaration. It pulls the noose around Antonio’s neck a little tighter, making it even harder for him to try to fuck us over or back out of this deal.
“Well. Congratulations are in order,” Kade Underwood says, but there’s an amused edge to his voice.
He’s the most relaxed member of the Assembly, always looking on with a sardonic smirk curving his lips. That’s not to say that he’s ever sided with my family. He likes a good show, but he rarely sticks his neck out. He knows where to draw the line.
“Indeed,” Nikolai Kozlov says, his voice low. “If we had known, we might have arranged something.”
“No need,” Lachlan replies smoothly. “We’ve been busy with arrangements. The wedding date is set, and you’re all invited.”
