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“Fine.” Christ, short answers at the start. I could already feel the conversation dragging on for days.
Not willing to waste my whole day on the Irishman, I just went for it. “I’m calling with news. The wedding is being moved up.”
“What?”
“Your daughter’s wedding is being moved up. Two weeks from Friday.”
There was nothing but silence, and then he exploded. “Is this a fucking joke? How am I supposed to get my family out on such short notice? What will people say about a quick wedding? This is because of your cousin. He wants her, and he’s willing to make her look like a whore to get her.”
I wished he were upset because it was his only daughter’s wedding or even because he loved Aislynn enough to want it to be perfect, but that wasn’t it. He was using the wedding the same way I was, as a show of power. In Sean’s case, he needed the elders of the Irish mafia to see that he was stable and in control of his children. The same people who were still mad he hadn’t been able to oust me early on in my reign didn’t like it when women exercised their right to bodily autonomy. Pricks.
“I’ve already warned you to watch your tone when speaking of my cousin. Don’t make me repeat myself. As for Aislynn, she’s a grown woman, one who’s already agreed with me.”
“I can’t get everyone out here on such short notice,” he growled.
“Frankly, that’s not my problem, but I’m willing to help. Charter a plane to bring them in, and I’ll take care of the cost.”
“And the prep? Arranged or not, I want this marriage to be something my daughter can look back on fondly.”
Doubtful. The more likely scenario was he was worried Aislynn would whine about how much she’d hated her wedding, and he didn’t want to hear it. If he truly thought that of his daughter, he didn’t know her at all.
“I’ll take care of that too. I’m hiring the best wedding planner in the city. Everything will be done to Ash’s specifications.”
He huffed, and I could hear the animosity in the small sound. “Of course you will. I thought this marriage was intended to make us partners.”
“That was your mistake. This marriage was intended to make us allies, closer than just our truce. We’re going to be family, but there is still only one Marcosa queen, and you’re talking to her.”
“So I’m just supposed to sit back while you toss money at things like it’ll solve all your problems?”
“Won’t it?”
“No.” He paused, and when he spoke again, it was markedly more cheerful. I didn’t like it, and I definitely didn’t trust it. “Some things need a human touch. Your father understood that.”
The reminder of my father’s personal touch sent shivers down my spine. He was a brute in the worst sense of the word, apt to kill before asking questions. I obviously employed more self-control.
“I think you’ll find I’m still very much hands on. My father was a lot of things, but a delegator wasn’t one of them. It’s why he died so soon. Had to have control over everything.”
“Maybe that’s what kept him alive for so long. He wasn’t trusting the wrong people.”
I had no doubt we weren’t talking about the wedding anymore. This was something far more dangerous, and warning bells sounded in my head. “Are you the wrong people, Sean?”
A long pause and then a laugh that wasn’t even attempting to be real. “Of course I’m not, Mari. Like you said, we’re allies. Family. Isn’t that right?”
He said it like he thought I was being paranoid, but I wasn’t a fool. I could smell lies from a thousand miles away, and O’Bannon reeked of them.
“As I said, I’ll take care of whatever needs to be done to make Aislynn’s big day everything she’s dreamed of. Just let me know what I can do for you, as well. I always take care of my family.”
“I’ll let you know when to send the plane,” Sean said before ending the call, and I knew I’d made another enemy of O’Bannon. We’d already been treading the line, but I knew he wouldn’t let it go anymore. I just had to see if I could win him back before he did something we couldn’t recover from.
Chapter Nine
Mari
Iprided myself on being a leader my people could interact with. One they weren’t scared of. That was not to say I wasn’t feared, but I didn’t want to be my father. I didn’t want my soldiers worried I’d kill them for speaking out of turn. So, I made myself accessible and approachable. Even though I had a private gym that I could and did use, I often sparred in the gym connected to the barracks. The building was still on my property, making it easy to stop by when I wanted to check on everyone, and I took advantage whenever I could. It gave me a better understanding of my people’s strengths and weaknesses and allowed us to connect one-on-one.
As an added bonus, they got to see me fight too. Women were so often viewed as the face of an organization, not the muscle. It did my men good to be reminded not to underestimate me. I was just as vicious as they were, and I had more to prove.
I wasn’t on display today, though. Nate was center stage in the ring with Tennessee, hands wrapped, body sweating as they ducked and weaved, throwing punches here and there. After reading his file, I knew he had skills, but words on a page didn’t always equate to real-life experience. This time, they did.
