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No one moves. No one speaks. Broderick only stares across at the gathered people with a small hint of disdain showing through his eyes. “This is what happens,” he explains at last, “when you displease me. Does anyone have any further questions before we continue?”
I wait for anyone to speak or someone to show emotions at the blood currently pooling on the floor. But in reality, no one liked Dougherty. Certainly not me. This is one meeting where Broderick is forced to take the reins. His circus, his monkeys.
And he has yet to get to the good stuff. The stuff where he says, in front of everyone, “Yes, Aria Darklyn is my protege. She will step up and be trained to replace me once I retire. She has earned the right.”
I resume my furtive squirming as Broderick clears his throat.
“I’d like to give credit where it is due,” he says. “Aria? Please stand.”
Every eye in the room turns to me, with most of them narrowing the way they always do.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the years. Your prowess on the dark web has opened up multiple avenues for expansion for the Syndicate,” Broderick adds.
I blink at him. He isn’t going to rail me for getting caught at the Galleria today? For being taken downtown to the warehouse of the Ninth?
“She’stoopowerful, boss.” Antoni wipes his gun on the leg of his pants, as much because he’s an asshole as anything else, before replacing it in the holster. “She’s going to make trouble for us.”
He bares his teeth at me, and I jut out my chin, ready to fight fire with fire. Unless he decides to whip the gun out again. In which case, I’m dead.
“She is one of my greatest assets. Aria, congratulations on all your hard work.” Broderick pauses to clap, and I wait. Tense and ready.
The rest of the room offers up half-heartedly claps, but Broderick says nothing else.
I wait in vain.
“She’s the youngest to set up channels online that move such vast amounts of money so quickly, boss.” This from Kline, Broderick’s third in command. He’s basically useless as a man, in my eyes anyway, but he’s better than any accountant I’ve ever seen.
“Yes, thank you, Kline. I understand what she does for the organization.”
“She moves more money than you do.” Kline finishes his statement in an undertone and winces.
He’s the numbers guy. Nothing moves to the banks without Kline knowing where, when, and how much.
But what he just admitted to Broderick, in front of everyone—
I hold my breath, waiting to see what will happen.
Broderick says nothing for the longest time before he shifts in his seat, tapping his fingers in front of him. “Antoni? How are we doing with expansion into Pennsylvania?” he barks out.
It’s not what I expect him to say, which only makes the ball of lead in my stomach grow heavier. I’m proud of my job, and I’m damn good at what I do. I’ve been tireless in my online expansion in the name of the Black Market Syndicate.
But the look on his face at Kline’s words…it wasn’t good.
Nowhereneargood.
The kind of look I knew would lead to an extra hard fuck later, where I’d leave with an ache between my legs and multiple orgasms.
Broderick waits until he calls an end to the meeting and everyone is on their way out the door before he snaps his fingers.
“Not you, Aria,” he says in a low tone. “Don’t move.”
He walks to the door and talks to the guards, too soft for me to make out any of his words before he closes the door behind him. The echo of footsteps in the hallway is barely audible, and then it’s only the beat of my heart.
“You didn’t think to tell me?” he asks.
My mouth goes dry. “Tell you about what?”
“How much more money you’ve been pulling in. It seems to me, since the last time we spoke, you’ve expanded your online empire?”
