“Yes. Your mother was a special one. Ternin was quite lucky to have snatched her up.” He turned toward my dad, who was already watching us as Syris saluted my dad. My dad nodded, looking at me before a familiar sadness crept into his eyes. I was used to the longing and despair, as he missed my mom, but, for some reason, there was also regret, and I didn’t understand.
I felt for my dad, not wanting to see him spiral like he usually did when he thought of Mom. I scooped up the last bit of my eggs, the soft and fluffy texture sliding down before I stood and looked at the heirs. “You guys ready? I’m going to head into the war room and get ready before we tell the others how I want to handle this.”
They all nodded, putting down their forks and taking the last sips of their drinks. Manic spoke, “Are we invited? I know we are part of the B team for this”—his head snapped to my dad in blame before turning back to me—“but I think that we could help give some insight... if that’s something you would allow?”
Ax puffed out, “Man, I want to instill fighting just for the perks of having him ask me that.”
Manic turned to his son, glaring like he was beneath him. “It would be a fifty-fifty in fighting one on one, but I wouldn’t resolve our disputes in that manner.” He gave him a smile that showed his canines. “No, I would create an obstacle to test us on who could control their wolf the best.” His smile made it evident he knew he would win.
Ax opened and shut his mouth like a fish, and I rolled my lips inward to keep from laughing. His skin vibrated as his hands curled into fists at the table. I would like to pretend like I was more mature, that I would look at that and see a little boy throwing a fit, but there was something about Ax I understood that immediately led to anger. Hell, that was how he and I first met—me throwing blows at him for not complying right away. There was a kinship in our anger issues, and the toxic part of me found it hot and wanted to pull him into the pantry in the kitchen and have him take all that frustration out on my body. I bet the pain would be delicious.
My eyes flew open when Easton called out while looking down at his watch, “The trial is up to the current leader to decide. Ternin wanted his daughter to be strong above all else, so his condition is fighting him. Manic seems to want you to learn how to control the beast inside, which is why his trial resembles something along those lines.” He sighed out like this was all taxing for him to explain. “I would make a guess that Syris would want Avery to somehow outsmart him. To trick him in a way he wouldn’t be able to catch. As for me”—his eyes slid to Falcon, who sat up straighter—“it would be a battle of the mind. We would have a category and the first to invent something workable in the field would be the winner.”
He stood up, and I studied him with rapt attention because I had not witnessed him talk this much, ever. He motioned to the current bosses. “We all value something different, something unique. This is what makes us the powerhouses we are. This is what people fear when we get together because you can’t win against everything. This trip is to find out what you value, whether it’s the same as ours or not. Then, to make sure those values add up to make the Syndicate stronger.”
He moved around his chair, pushed it in, and went to the door. We all stared at him in silence before he turned around. “Are you coming, Rayla?”
I scrambled up, chairs scraping against the wood floor as I said, “Yes. Of course.” For the first time, I learned the role Easton had in his group of friends, and I respected it.
The war room was as you would imagine—one large rectangular conference room with a twenty-seater table in the center and chairs lined against the wall, a white board on the side wall appeared as if it had never been used, and a TV was on display on the wall opposite the door. It looked like a normal business conference room; the only exceptions were the inspirational posters on the wall that my dad put up. Apparently, he read in some magazine that it made for a better work environment and would subliminally get his messages across.
Avery was the first one to notice the posters and point them out. “This is interesting.” He stood in front of a pale man smiling while holding up a bloody, severed head by the hair. Big block words were printed right below “Get the Job Done Right the First Time.” Before I could say something about it, a few hushed tones came from the center of the room. Easton and Falcon were standing in front of a poster with a large set of fangs wide open like they were going in for a bite with the words “Make Sure to Use the Right Tools for the Job.” I didn’t want them to take offense to that poster since they made our weapons, so I stepped toward them as Ax busted up laughing.
He was holding his stomach, pointing at one of the other posters. It was a bloody crime scene with lots of gore with words around it that read “Creativity Makes for the Best Solutions.”
My dad slid up next to me, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at all of them. Cosmo appeared on my other side, his face taking on his stoic-knight-to-my-queen expression, like nothing could faze him and he was ready for anything. Except for his eyes, he rolled them as Dad elbowed me and whispered loudly, “I told you that these were perfect. I bet they come up with some that they could use at their headquarters.” He looked around again before saying confidently, “I’m a genius.”
All right, shit was getting out of hand. Cosmo and I were just so used to my dad’s antics that we weren’t even surprised by them anymore. Plus, he did them sometimes for the reaction.
I clapped. “All right, boys, I want to get this figured out before the others get here.” I walked down to the head of the table, Cosmo and my dad trailing behind me before sitting on my right and left. At that moment, Rick busted into the room with a file in hand.
“Sorry. I had a meeting with my dad, then I needed to make Ray’s copies.” He saw where my dad was, sitting in his spot, and my dad grinned up at him.
“Snooze, you lose” was all he said as he wiggled his butt farther into the seat.
“It’s fine. Just sit down.” I motioned to the chair next to my dad, but he chose the one next to Cosmo while glaring at my dad. Great. Just what we need, more male fighting. The others found seats around the table, choosing to sit next to their dads for an official meeting.
“Look, I made a detailed description of what he looked like.” I held my hand out for the file, and Rick bent over to give it to me. I pulled out the first sheet of paper and passed it around. “Here is the description.” I gave them all a second to take that in before I continued. “I also think that we need to split up.” When I felt all their eyes on me, I ignored it and continued like they weren’t looking at me like they disagreed. I was in charge. The leader of this job, and they needed to take the back seat.
“I think I want Ax and Avery on the strip, one taking the left and the other the right. Falcon will take the old town. I will take the boonies on the right, near the Frenchman Mountains, Cosmo will take the left near Red Rock Canyon, and Rick will take the north. This will have us covering a lot of space at once.” I looked at my dad. “I would like the bosses to stay at home base, just in case.”
He grinned. “That’s her nice and fancy way of telling us to stay in my office.”
Syris laughed. “That’s fine with me.” The other bosses nodded as he rubbed his hands together. “Just means more of that good wine from your cellar.” My dad scowled at him, but I was happy they didn’t give me any pushback on this.
Manic cleared his throat. “If you will take some advice.” His eyebrow raised, and I nodded for him to continue. “I would say that the teams should be advised on how to handle the boy. I am sure since he had not made himself known until now, he would spook easily.” It was good advice, and I tipped my head to him.
“Yes. I think you’re right. The search is not one of a snatch and grab. We need to search covertly to ensure we don’t make him run.”
“What if we find him and he runs?”
“Then what is your suggestion on convincing him to come nicely?”
“What is the plan for after we get him here?”
The heirs were rapid-firing questions at me, and the flush of irritation rising up my neck caused me to burst out, “Look! If he runs, obviously, get him, but try the easy way first.” I glared at Ax, making sure he understood that the nice version was to be foremost. Then I switched over to Avery. “Think about it. Imagine what you would want to hear and be treated like if the group you were supposed to join abandoned you, then act that way.” I switched my gaze over to Falcon. “After doesn’t matter right now. The plan is just to get him here.”
My dad slammed his hand on the table, growling at me, “We did not abandon him! We have been searching for him for the past twenty-two years!”
