Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
No?
Watch me.
Roam looked down his nose at me for a long moment and then, he chuckled quietly. “What the fuck? My inquisitive nature has been peaked and I want to see how this pans out. We’ll take it to vote. Arthur?”
The Brit said, “I know she’s a horrid pain in the ass, but she is entitled. It’s a nay from me.”
Catalina didn’t hesitate. “If we have to have a Vero seat, I’d prefer it to be a Vero that doesn’t make me want to gouge an eye out. Aye.”
Striker spared me the quickest glimpse before peering back down at his phone. “Sure. Why not?”
Anoushka glanced at Vincenza with a tiny smile. “You sold your blood – your sister – off to buy a seat at the table?” She laughed then, “Stone cold, bitch.” I was almost sure she was going to say nay when she surprised me with an, “Aye.” And when she glanced over at Enza again, there was no humor left in her face. “Even I know some things are off limits. Let’s see you try and win it back with nothing to your name.”
Vincenza’s jaw went stiff and she avoided looking into the other woman’s eyes.
Roam then counted himself and I wasn’t surprised by his unfeeling, “Nay.”
And finally, from behind me, my husband was still a member of the table. “Aye.”
Vincenza looked at me then and I heard the pain in her voice when she muttered, “What have you done?”
Roam didn’t look too happy himself. He turned to the man next to him with the wide sharp-toothed grin tattooed onto his face. The man shrugged lightly and Roam turned back to the table. “The ayes have it.”
Oh my God. We did it. The seat was mine.
“You ungrateful fucking dog,” was the startling cry that came from Vincenza. She stood slowly, her face was red and she was huffing and puffing as if there wasn’t enough air in the world to fill her lungs. “How could you do this to me?”
No matter what she thought, it wasn’t easy.
I felt her pain, felt her fury and the hate she aimed at me, and yet, I loved her enough to save her. “I would like to ask…”
Roam sighed then, “Let me guess. You want more territory?”
“No,” was my reply.
“A loan, perhaps, to help kickstart your campaign?”
“No.”
Roam smiled but I could see he was becoming impatient. This is what Tor was most worried about. Two active seats at this table made us practically invincible. It also made us a walking target. Roam knew this and was clearly not thrilled about it. “Then what is it you want, little one?”
I took a deep breath. “I want to retire the Vero seat, permanently.”
The even look on his face told me this was not what he expected to hear and while my sister squawked, “What?” Roam simply lifted his hand in a light wave, demanding silence, and uttered a vaguely interested, “Alright. I’m listening.”
“Do I have to give a justification?” was my gentle response.
“No.” Roam’s eyes narrowed on me. “You don’t.”
“Let’s be honest,” I told the table. “One less seat at this table means a bigger slice of the pie for the rest of you. Let me save some of your precious time. We don’t need to take it to vote. Dissolve the seat.”
It sounded too easy and Roam wasn’t buying it. “And what of your territory.” He turned to Tor. “No doubt you want it to go to your husband.”
But I shook my head. “You can decide amongst yourselves who gets it. Split it, leave it stark, I don’t care, but I don’t want it.”
Behind me, Tor stroked my hair and I heard his unspoken words. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
Vincenza, however, was hyperventilating. “You can’t do this.” Her fist slammed onto the table as she boomed, “You can’t do this!”
Roam looked at me a long moment, his brows furrowed and then he tilted his head and tried looking at me from a different angle. “Actually, we can.” He snuffled a laugh through his nose and spoke directly to me, “You are a funny girl, Vittoria Vero.”
“Scala,” I corrected. My sisters’ eyes flashed when I told the table, “I’m a Scala.”
My husband’s light exhale of satisfaction warmed me greatly, but my blood ran cold when Roam’s grin bordered maniacal. “And to think I was going to kill you.”
Chapter 23
Done
Vittoria
The meeting ended almost immediately after and, as expected, my sister stumbled out after us.
“Why?” came her desperate cry and I stopped to face her. The hatred in her eyes burned so bright it resembled a flickering flame. “It was one thing, the only thing I had. I have lost everything else. Why did you take this from me?” Her voice went hoarse. “Why?”
Good God. Why did she think that was? Everything Vincenza had lost had been on her and, now, knowing all the details, I had long lost sympathy for her. “I did it for you.” I threw a thumb back to the warehouse. “Did you think that they would just welcome you back?” A look of disbelief crossed my features. “You broke the rules. You screwed up. They were just waiting for an opportunity to kill you, Enza.”