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“Well?” I turned to Virgil, sure he had an opinion on my actions since every-fucking-other body did.
Virgil shrugged his broad shoulders and shoved two final slices of bacon into his mouth.
“He’s not wrong, Ma. But you’re gonna do what you want. Always have. Always will.”
His words didn’t sound like a compliment, and my frown forced a deep rumbling laugh from his mouth. “What do you need me to do?”
I sipped my coffee, needing a few aspirins as a chaser. “Just keep an eye on things. Get your men out there. Get with Calvin about surveillance. Make sure no one is hanging around places they shouldn’t. And don’t kill anyone unless you have to.”
“Got it. Later, Ma.”
Virgil left me alone with my thoughts in the dining room, and moments later, Thomas appeared, a tall Bloody Mary in a chilled glass in his hand. “Feeling better?”
I gave a short nod. “The food helped, but this is just what I need.” I appreciated having Thomas around because he always seemed to read my mind and made sure I had what I needed.
“Good.” He stood in that stoic, judgmental way of his, hands clasped in front of him like he had something else to say. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I took a long sip of the Bloody Mary, hoping it would cool the fire in my blood at the constant challenges this morning. “I always know what the fuck I’m doing, Thomas. Don’t question me again.”
He nodded and let out a long-suffering sigh. “You’re drinking a lot and being irrational and worse, paranoid. That’s not the Sadie I know.”
“I’m the same badass Sadie I’ve been since the day we met. I’ve worked hard to be powerful, to be firm in my decisions. My choices. Don’t you forget that, Thomas.”
“No. You’re not,” he insisted. “This Sadie right here? She’s a drunk. Prone to make mistakes and overlook details.”
I wanted to punch something at his insolence, but at least I could rein that impulse in. I snapped, “Bullshit,” and took another drink of the Bloody Mary. “I know everything that goes on, Thomas. Everything I need to know to maintain my control.”
Thomas arched a brow and nodded. “Then you must know that Madison is seeing Jameson Ellison, the local liaison for the feds investigating the deaths of Bonnie and Mueller?”
What?His look of satisfaction was so damn smug I didn’t know whether to smack his handsome face or push him on the dining room table and use him like a human fuck toy. “Bring her to me. Now.”
“Madison isn’t here, hasn’t been for days.”
“I don’t give a shit, Thomas. Make it happen. And don’t disappoint me.”
“Never,” he answered with a sly smile and left to do what I ordered.
I smiled at the sight of the Bloody Mary pitcher that sat just out of reach. I stretched across the table, noting the wobble in my hand when I retrieved it and poured another to enjoy while I finished breakfast.
The first order of business today was to find Kat and see if I could undo the damage from yesterday. She was a stubborn bitch, just like her mother, but I had to try.
She wasn’t at home, and I doubted she was at Terry’s since he was with Jasper and lived at Kat’s place these days. I tapped my phone screen until I found Oliver’s number.
“Yes, Ms. Ashby?”
“I need to go to Emerald Isle. Bring the blue Rolls around.” I traded in the Phantom for the Black Badge, the real status symbol for those who mattered. That and it was as bulletproof as I was.
“I’ll meet you out front, ma’am.” His words were respectful but short, probably still smarting from how I snapped at his concern when he picked me up after my appointment in the seedy hotel with Mueller.
I shouldn’t give a fuck.
It wasn’t my job to worry about the feelings of my employees, but goddammit, I did. Oliver was a trusted worker and did his job well, even went above and beyond when necessary. It wasn’t his fault I could be a stone-cold bitch at times, but it was my fault that I cared so fucking much.
I slipped into the backseat with Oliver’s silent assistance and waited for the small professional smile he always had for me. When it didn’t come, I turned my attention to my phone and ignored him until the Rolls stopped outside the casino. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kat sat tall behind her desk, serious gaze focused on the computer screen in front of her as she typed, referred to notes, and took phone calls at the same time.
