Even though we weren’t in person, the air between us became thick with our silent standoff… and I wasn’t about to lose. I was the oldest, damn it. I could out wait her. I could out weird her.
Ten seconds in, my left eye twitched.
My fingers drummed against my leg under the table. Still nothing. No shifting. No twitching. Not even a breath out of place.
I was just about to crack when Nova’s disheveled holographic image popped into existence, a guilty look on her face.
Oh, Nova. You really need to work on that.
“Hey!” She exhaled, rushing to get out her next words. “So I’m—” She glanced at the clock, then winced at Ezra. “Only a minute late.”
Ezra’s neck slowly turned, her expression sharpening into something dangerous, then she pointed at Nova.
Like it was planned, Aniyah’s hologram shimmered to life, right on cue.
“I’m only a minute, maybe a minute and a few seconds, but I swear it wasn’t me or my mates’ fault this time!”
Aniyah’s words tumbled out before anyone else could speak, her hologram flickering as if she’d leaned forward too fast. Her hands moved just as quickly, twisting and looping through the air as if she were trying to physically recreate what had happened.
“The twins somehow got themselves tied up in this double-dutch swing rope and pulley situation—” her arms crossed over each other, wrists tangling midair “—and then one of them shifted into a snake—” her fingers curled and slithered through the mess she’d made, “—which made it worse because she tried to get out and just…” She stopped, staring down at her knotted arms before blowing out an exacerbated breath. Her arms fell down to her sides, her shoulders slumping as she shook her head. “It was just… a mess to sort.”
Thinking about what she just said, I shook my head. That was totally something the twins would get themselves into. I wassoglad I wasn’t the Glovefox head. That sounded like such a hassle.
Her back snapped up like she suddenly got a boost of energy.
“All underwater, I might add,” she finished in awe before dropping back into her chair. The projection wavered as she slumped, her head tipping back for a second before she dragged a hand down her face.
Nova lips were pressed together, clearly fighting a smile. Riot remained still, but her eyes flicked toward each of us before returning forward. Ezra kept her hands clasped together, listening to Aniyah intently.
“I swear, those girls…” She shook her head, a tired laugh slipping out as she rubbed her temple. “They’ll go above and beyond for any client, pushing limits no one else will touch… then turn around and try to outdo each other in the most outlandish ways possible.”
Ezra cut in, clean and ruthless. “Are you going to replace them?”
Aniyah’s eyes snapped up, shoulders pulled back, as if she’d been caught mid-slouch and corrected on instinct. Her mouth pressed into a thin line before she answered with a little bite to her response.
“No. They’re my top two earners. Their client satisfaction is through the roof, and they genuinely like the work.” Her chin lifted slightly. “I was just explaining why I was late.”
I watched as Ezra leaned forward just a fraction.
It was subtle, but the shift changed the entire tone of the call. The light caught in her eyes differently now, darker. Sharper.
“What I’m hearing,” she said evenly, the words measured, like a snake slowly coiling around you before it choked the life out of you. “Is that you were late due to something outside of your control, correct?”
Aniyah opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, but Ezra wasn't about to let that happen.
“We’re all running our own clans and have a multitude of things we could be working on or doing instead of being on time for thismeeting, but thismeetingis important. This meeting ensures leadership is on the same page.”
Aniyah’s fingers tightened where they rested on the desk.
“We all have responsibilities,” Ezra went on. Although her voice never rose with a hint of anger, its strength never faltered. “We all have other matters we could be handling instead of being here.” Her brow raised in question even though we all knew she didn't want an answer.
“That’s why you have people. A clan at your back. Utilize them. Stop thinking you need to do everything by yourself.” If that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black, I didn’t know what was, but I didn't want to die for bringingthatup, so I sat back and felt bad that our baby sister, who was taking the lashes like a champ. The worst part? Ezra wasn't wrong.
“But this meeting—” Ezra’s gaze moved between us, steady and unblinking “—is what keeps us aligned. Strong. Functioning as one unit so those that want to tear us down are incapable of stepping a single toe over the line.”
Aniyah’s lips pressed together harder. I could see the fight in her eyes die down just as fast as it had risen. Her gaze dropped to the desk in front of her. Fingers curled slightly inward, then stilled.
Nova glanced down as well, her shoulders pulling in just enough to show she’d caught the weight of it too, even if Aniyah had taken the first hit.
