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Too bad for me, I had to pretend they did anyway.
His mouth formed a crooked smile. “You must be looking forward to getting to take charge and show what you can do.”
Take charge, while my mom had me on a leash of my own? Show what I could do, when I couldn’t pursue the one thing I was actually good at?
I stifled a dark laugh and forced my mouth to form a warmer smile than his. Time to give another Oscar-worthy performance, after I’d already contributed a few thoughts on territory lines and underling discipline earlier in the conversation.
“It’s been a long time coming. I know my mother’s made sure I’m fully prepared. I’m looking forward to standing more prominently by her side.”
Mom’s eyes burned into me, silently evaluating my response. I hoped my clown-smile was enough to satisfy her. I was here; I was doing what she wanted. Wasn’t that enough?
It turned out that it was. She gave my shoulder a graceful pat as if any kind of physical affection was normal between us.
“Luciana has been doing exceptionally well at every task,” she said. “She’s going to be a great leader someday. I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
Other than me actuallywantingto be that leader, sure. But this was the third time this week that Mom had trotted me out for one of her major local allies. She was putting on a show of how cohesive our family was, how stable the line of inheritance.
I had no idea why, though. Was she afraid someone would challenge her authority? Surely showing me off wasn’t going to make much of a difference.
The wind picked up, blowing a lock of my hair across my face—dark brown strands that I swiped away. Mom had sent me to a salon within a day of my return to restore my dyed red waves to their natural color.
Even on that small scale, she controlledmecompletely.
We meandered on into the parking lot and parted ways with the gang boss with respectful nods on both sides. Mom rested her hand on my back, guiding me back to the sedan we’d arrived in. I slid into the backseat, thankful that the tinted windows meant I could drop my false smile for just a moment.
Until Mom eased in after me.
As her driver started the engine, she shot me a triumphant glance. “You handled yourself well, as you did before. But of course, as a Cordova, you’re a natural at this.”
A natural at faking my devotion to her life of crime? Wonderful.
“I learned everything from you,” I said honestly. “What are all these meetings leading up to, anyway?”
Mom leaned back in her seat, but I knew her too well to believe she was actually relaxed. “Not every action needs to be building toward an immediate goal. It’s important that you build your relations with the people we rely on. Speaking of which, I have a more important meeting scheduled for you tomorrow.”
I restrained a groan. “Another gang boss?”
“Not exactly.” She aimed a narrow smile at me. “You’ll be having lunch with a representative from the March Wind—one of my colleagues in the Devil’s Dozen. On your own. I want you to feel her out without me present, see what she might reveal if she lets her guard down a little.”
My heart sank. I’d had my fill of dealing with Devil’s Dozen people after getting harassed by the Harvester’s associates in Boston. “I’m supposed to just show up and chat?”
“Well, the meeting is technically to set up the terms for a possible business trade that the March Wind and I are discussing. That’s all the excuse we needed. What I really want you to do is figure out how friendly the March Wind is towards the Deadly Rose in general.”
My brow knit. “That’s all?”
Mom clicked her tongue. “That’s all?” she echoed. “I think you’ll find, Luciana, that determining who our friends are is critical—sometimes even more than discovering our foes.”
* * *
Sitting on the sleek chair in the high-end Houston restaurant, I fought the urge to squirm. Fidgeting definitely wouldn’t fit the white-table-clothed, sparkling-chandelier atmosphere of the place.
My brief reprieve alone at the table didn’t last long. I could tell who the March Wind’s representative was the moment that she appeared at the host stand. A twenty-something woman in a posh business dress, her sleek black ponytail trailed between her slender shoulders. The hostess smiled at her and pointed in my direction. My stomach flipped over.
I let out a slow breath, girding myself. Now was not the time to be uncertain. I definitely didn’t want to piss my mom off by screwing this meeting up out of nerves. To top that off, the March Wind was just as dangerous as the Deadly Rose.
I had to keep my balance on this tightrope walk; I had to do this right. It wasn’t just my happiness at stake but my guys’ lives if I screwed up and Mom decided to punish me for it.
The woman sank into the chair opposite me and offered her hand over the table. “You must be the Deadly Rose’s heir. My name’s Mara Reilly. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
