Page 3 of Blood and Trouble

“Of course,” I said, shaking Pierre’s hand. “We met last week.”

“Made quite the deal,” Pierre said. “I’m still reeling over the details. But what else can I expect from the daughter of Uther Vanderbilt? The man was notoriously cunning, and the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.”

“Pierre!” someone called from across the room. “You need to hear this.”

The older man politely excused himself to make his rounds, and I smiled to myself. Pierre had just opened the door; I only had to walk through it.

“And who’s this?” Scott gestured to Lycan, standing beside me, his hand still possessively on my waist.

“Lycan Mitchell.” He held his hand out for Scott to shake, and my ex took it in his firm grip. “Head of Global Strategy and Partnerships for Royal Unlimited.”

“Right,” Scott said. His gaze dropped to Lycan’s curling fingers on my hip, and I struggled not to move, not to seem like this was the first time I’d ever felt them there. I caught on to the game quickly. Lycan was pretending to be intimate, acting as if there might be something more between us so that Scott wouldn’t have the upper hand. I bit back a grin. “I heard you’d made peace with your father’s old nemesis.”

“Well, you know what they say about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.” Lycan tightened his hold on my waist.

“How fabulous,” Bea said.

“It’s been incredible,” I started, explaining how we’ve managed to combine our resources to make both companies even more reputable. As I talked, Lycan ran his fingers up my ribs to my bare shoulder before sweeping them over my arm. I tried to ignore the shiver down my spine. No one had touched me like this in years, and the sensation crept into my nerves, coiling in my stomach, puddling between my legs. I ignored that, too.

“Ava’s brilliant, you know,” Lycan said. “And with our sights set globally, we’re on track to diversify our offerings.”

“The European market is expanding quite rapidly,” Scott added. “Now’s the time.”

“Exactly,” I said. “I heard your father turned over most of the control of Fitz to your sister when he retired.”

Scott tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his wince and murmured under his breath. “She’s made a grand mess of things.”

“Oh?” I pretended to be unaware of their current financial status. They needed our investment. We needed the global expansion. It was a win-win.

“Scott’s being facetious,” Bea said, trying to soothe her husband’s sour mood. “Liv’s been a breath of fresh air.”

“Quiet, Beatrice,” Scott snapped.

Sufficiently chastised, Bea trained her features into a calm facade and sipped her bubble water.

I pursed my lips and settled tighter into Lycan’s side. It probably shredded his ego when his younger sister took over, after he’d been trained and prepped for the position his entire life.

“We’re looking for a European platform. Licenses, connections, a name people recognize.” I forced a congenial smile as Lycan leaned into my ear, intimately brushing my hair over my shoulder.

“Very good. Now drive it home,” he whispered.

“I’m told there are three worth having, and I’ve already met with the other two.” Trying to keep my face neutral, I acted like we weren’t as desperate for them as they were for us. Scott stayed silent for a few moments, long enough for me to add, “Or perhaps I should reach out to Olivia. She and I were such good friends all those years ago.”

That was a stretch. Olivia barely tolerated her brother’s girlfriends, even less those who came from families less well off than hers. But for the two years Scott and I were together, she’d been agreeable, certainly enough to entertain the idea of sitting down with me if Scott proved uncooperative.

“You always did know how to go for the throat,” Scott replied.

“Consider it.” I tried to sound confident rather than threatening, but Lycan’s flexing grip suggested it was the latter. “We’re going to Denmark in the next few weeks, but our trip ends in London. I’ll have my assistant reach out.”

“Hmm.” Scott sipped his champagne and grinned. “It was good to see you again, Lonnie.” He shifted his attention to Lycan as he wrapped an arm around Bea. “Mr. Mitchell.”

As they turned to disappear into the party, Lycan smiled and shook his head. “You’re ruthless.”

I sighed. “Securing a deal with them would open our way into the British market. The others will fold as soon as they hear Fitz Global is on board. We let them keep their name on the side of the building while silently taking the lion’s share. It’s a win-win.”

I could have flown home and waited for Scott to call, but a Vanderbilt leaving Europe with one agreement in place would come across a certain way. By morning, any ground I’d gained would be renegotiated, and the term sheets would come back with new numbers on them. I couldn’t be seen to flinch. So I didn’t.

My attention caught on a blonde woman eyeing me from the back corner of the room. She was tall and lithe, with chin-length hair cropped at a lethal angle. I didn’t recognize her, but the gleaming and mildly threatening look in her eye suggested she knew me…or perhaps my family.