Page 248 of A Vicious Love

Slowly over the crow wing on my middle finger, then down to the old scar near my thumb. My entire body eased by one quiet degree.

Strange.

She did it again.

I leaned back in my chair.

Better.

A third time, her nail traced the edge of the dialect line near my wrist, and the irritation changed into something tolerable.

Interesting.

One of her brothers-in-law chose that moment to speak.

“Jamison,” he said, too eager, “while we have you here, I wondered whether you had any view on the eastern corridor arbitration.”

Sienna’s fingers stopped.

I looked at him.

“Do I look as if I came to breakfast to provide corridor arbitration?”

The man opened his mouth.

No sound came.

Sienna withdrew her hand.

Unacceptable.

I caught it under the table before she escaped fully. Her fingers went still in mine. I held them against my thigh, palm to palm.

What the fuck was happening to me?

The brother-in-law sat frozen, awaiting death, bankruptcy, or both. Under ordinary circumstances, I would have allowed suspense to educate him. Crows did not hand out advice over coffee. We withheld it until someone bled money.

But Sienna’s thumb stroked the side of my hand.

Fine.

I could offer one answer.

“Your current argument is dead. Stop defending the original service obligation and attack waste. Public efficiency. Make the arbitrator feel clever for choosing your solution.”

Julian leaned forward before he could stop himself.

Her father’s eyes sharpened.

I continued because Sienna was tracing again. “Separate Bellemere pride from operational failure. Spend it only when it buys leverage.”

The brother-in-law nodded quickly. “That’s incredibly helpful.”

“Yes.”

Sienna’s finger moved over my thumb.

Ah.