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The urge to say no rose and fell. Hadn’t I learned this already? Nate was his own person. I couldn’t command him. All I could do was hope he made the right choice.
Besides, I didn’t want to say anything to bring back that distance again. So, I didn’t.
Selfish. Coward.
“You’d better go get ready, then.”
We walked into the building that evening looking like a team. Dominic and Nate took Greyson’s typical approach and wore something to match the delicate lace bralette I wore under my black suit. The pops of deep blood-red suited them in their matching suits. My own suit—an Aislynn Marcosa special—was tighter than I usually wore. The shoes were higher too. Hell, I’d even left my hair in waves down my back.
Everything about me was feminine and dangerous. Beautiful and deadly. Rafael was wrong about me; I’d always been a black widow. It seemed people needed a reminder I was all too glad to give.
The conference room was the same as always, except for the seating arrangement. Kosas, Ajilon, O’Bannon, Two-Bit, and Haru crowded around one end of the table and the single empty chair at the head. A half dozen chairs separated them and the other end, where one man sat alone.
Cash.
Ignoring the elephant in the room, I allowed Nate to help me into my seat. When I was settled, he didn’t retreat. After a long conversation, we’d decided that he would take the typical bodyguard position just behind my shoulder. It was obvious Cash thought of him as a weak link, and if I wanted the attacks to stop, I had to show my faith in his abilities.
So, he got a temporary promotion. Or maybe not so temporary.
Folding my hands on the table, I finally looked up and feigned a frown at the sight of gauze on the side of Cash’s face, even as it filled me with a visceral kind of joy. “Oof, that looks bad. Did you get a new tattoo or something?”
Cash’s stupid smile wilted just a touch, and I couldn’t help my smirk.
Payback, motherfucker.
“Apologies for the delay, gentlemen. We had a late night.” I made sure my laugh was low and heavy with innuendo. The other leaders would assume we’d spent the night fucking, but Cash knew better. As expected, the men chuckled under their breath, though none were stupid enough to look at me while they did it. To his credit, Cash didn’t take the bait. Not that I expected him to. He was too smart for that.
Smoothing his suit, he waved an arrogant hand. “A few minutes won’t matter in the long run. I’m just glad you could make it.”
The dig was subtle, the reminder that he had called the meeting. It gave him the upper hand, but not by much. Especially when he’d forgotten the most obvious fact.
He could call all the meetings he wanted. They didn’t start until I arrived.
Cash knew it, I knew it, and so did everyone else at that fucking table.
“Still, I appreciate your waiting for me.” I smiled benevolently at him. “Shall we start?”
“Let’s. Why are we here, Beckstrom?” Kosas asked, leaning back in his chair. “We’re all too busy for this cat-and-mouse shit. So if you’re here to play games?—”
“On the contrary, I think it’s time we let bygones be bygones. I’m here to propose a truce.”
After losing all the capital he had stashed in Sevenroe, I wasn’t surprised. But admittedly, I was a little disappointed. I wanted to beat Cash at his own game. Still, a truce without bloodshed would be a win for the entire city.
Surprisingly, O’Bannon was the one to laugh. It was loud and angry. A warning if I’d ever heard one. “You’ve been dicking around the city for months, fucking with supply lines and making things harder for all of us. Why should we agree to a truce when we could kill you and be done with your shit for good?”
“Because I’ve got an army that won’t stop if I die.”
“Why is that?” Ajilon asked.
“Let’s just say they’re very radicalized.”
Of course they were. If our suspicions were right, half his army wanted to be there, and the other half was being blackmailed. I didn’t fault them for it, though. I understood doing anything for your family.
“What would a truce look like to you, Cash? I think we’re all dying to know what we’re signing up for if we agree.” I lifted a hand to encompass everyone at the table, and they all nodded.
Cash sat back, calm and in control. “Our gangs integrated under one banner. One ruler.”
The men at the table stilled, predators ready to strike, and I swallowed down the instinctive spike of panic. He’d just thrown gasoline on a raging fire. Most of the other leaders had gotten their positions through blood, sweat, and death, and they’d do no less to keep them. Especially when Cash was suggesting one throne to rule them all.
