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“That was what Harper said when we got here,” Jason, the youngest of my uncles, said in a snark-filled manner. He never really pretended with Hamilton.
None of us did, but Jason least of all. Hamilton would cheerfully knife us all in the back and step over our bleeding corpses to get what he wanted. The only thing that kept him from doing so was whatever Dad had on him.
The one thing Jason had going for him—he was Fletcher’s father. I liked my cousin. He was one of maybe three people in my entire family who I liked. And the only one to escape the lunacy that was this family.
“Are you joining us?” Dad asked, focusing on me. The frigid chill in his eyes dared me to say no.
So tempting.
“I assumed lunch was why you invited me,” I commented before draining the water. “You didn’t need me for the board.”
It was always better to show him a flicker of weakness. A strand of insubstantial self-doubt, or perhaps irritation at being called in at his bidding. He watched for those morsels, ready to swoop in like a carrion bird to pick their meat right off the bones.
If prepared correctly, it was a poisoned pill and wouldn’t fill his gullet so much as sour it.
“No,” my father agreed with a faint smile. “I didn’t.” The smugness suggested he needed no one. Of course, he didn’t. He was Harper Reed.
Hamilton scowled at him, but Jason kept his responses more buttoned down.
“Lunch?” I prompted. I’d rather get this over and done with. Mrs. Waldemar had changed the game and while I didn’t mind working for everyone—the enemy of my enemy was not my friend, but they could be useful—I was growing tired of the game.
It had cost me my mother.
Now La—
I shut that line of thought down. Focusing on her was a distraction neither of us could afford.
“Yes, we’ll eat in my office.” With that, Dad turned and led the way out of the boardroom. Hamilton shifted his glare to me and I just met his dark look blandly. Finally, he stalked out after my father and I crossed the room to where Jason waited. He fell into step with me.
I could practically feel the unspoken questions pinging in the air around him. The executive board room was on the same level as my father’s office. Hamilton’s was two floors down. Jason’s a floor below that. Hierarchy was definitely a Reed thing.
There was an office for me on this floor. I’d never used it.
At Dad’s office door, I paused a beat and swept a hand ahead of me for Jason to enter. He shot me a look, his brows tightening.
Once upon a time, I liked Jason. He was probably the least terrible of the three when it came to bad choices and horrible decisions. Then he’d shut Fletcher down.
Shut him down and the family cleaned everything up.
Fletcher never got over it.
He never got over it, and he cut his losses, and the Reeds, and got the fuck out.
I would never be Jason’s friend, even if he wasn’t currently my enemy. The office was large, undoubtedly twice the size of the conference room.
In addition to his desk, there was a conversation area with sofas and chairs, a wet bar, and a large table capable of seating six to eight. Silver-domed plates were already waiting along with drinks.
A waiter took care of setting everything out and once we were seated, he swept away the domes.
“That’ll be all,” Dad said to him, sending him out of the room. The waiter didn’t quite run out of the room, but he also didn’t lag. I could wish it was me.
No one said anything for a few moments while napkins were unfurled, drinks were sampled and food was eaten. I wasn’t that hungry, but I’d long since mastered the art of moving the food around to make it look like I was eating more than I was.
“Melissa and Sable are still in France?” Hamilton asked abruptly.
“Yes,” Jason answered before Dad did. “They aren’t due back until just before the Masquerade.”
“Good, then I don’t have to clear my plus one with them.” He smirked.
