The tension in the room changes, sensing a power shift. Darren’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. Grae’s almost invisible lips show the early hints of a smirk. And Terk flinches back like Jenny actually punched him in the throat.
“What the fuck did you say?” He raises his voice, which only draws attention from my coworkers who are trying to keep a low profile for the night.
She waves her hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I misspoke. I meant to say it’s brave of you to come out tonight, since you’re nominated in six categories at tomorrow’s Aurora Awards.” She bats her eyes and traces her neck. Then she shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Silly me. That’s not you.” She turns away from Terk and gazes at Grae. “You’re the one up for the awards.”
Grae’s lips return to a smile. “I’m up for seven awards.”
She taps herself in the head. “That's right.” She turns back to Terk, whose whole face is a shade of red, with hints of green like he’s sick. “You own the second largest… no wait, that was ten years ago. Now you’re what, the sixth largest music company in the world? That’s nothing to sneeze at. You should be proud of what you did with your daddy’s company. I mean, Legacy hasn’t been nominated for any major awards in the last three years. But maybe next year.”
Holy shit. Cam turns away, his shoulders shaking. The magic returns to Grae’s eyes as he tries to hold back his smile. And Darren has the biggest “oh damn” expression ever.
Terk’s rage is unable to be contained as he points at me. “Control your bitch.”
Now my Triad allies stand from their side of the room. My hand slides to my belt, but Jenny giggles. “Only insecure small men are threatened by a woman who speaks the truth.” Then she taps him on the nose. “Boop.”
Yep, there’s nothing more emasculating than getting booped. My girl is a menace. She’s done more harm to Terk’s ego than I ever could. She’s a verbal assassin.
The music changes, and she bounces on her toes. “Oh, I love this song. Did you write this one, Grae?”
He nods, and there’s no point in hiding his smile. She glances over at me and I say, “Cam, why don’t you take my lovely lady friend out on the dance floor.”
“Right boss,” he says, linking his arm through hers.
As Jenny walks past Terk, she says, “I’ll be living rent free in your head for years, but I won’t give you another thought once we walk away. Object permeance and all.”
Bang Bang. Verbal assassination. A room full of witnesses. I swear to God I’ve never been prouder.
Grae starts laughing and announces, “I’ve got to pee.”
Darren shrugs. “I’m legally required to go with him.”
Now it’s me and my cousin. I’ve got a few inches on him, am objectively more attractive, and definitely stronger. His suit hangs on his frame. He’s no threat at all.
“You got something to say?” My eyebrow raises.
My cousin, through a long-ended marriage, exhales. “Your families have made a lot of enemies lately.”
I shrug. “We’ve got more allies. I’m not worried.”
“Nothing lasts forever. Your families’ empires will fall, all four of them.”
“Probably. That’s what they do. Companies and titans of industry—one day you’re at the top, and a few years later you’re in the middle of the pack, scraping by, a shell of what you once were.”
Terk pulls on the corners of his suit jacket in a sharp downward motion. He squares his shoulders. “Sometimes a low profile is better.”
“I agree, if it’s something you intended.” I lean into his space. “But intel has it you were supposed to be running Majesty for The Deviant… What happened to that?” My lips curl into a shark grin. “Riiiight… The entire world’s supplies of Majesty vanished in an hour.” I shrug. “Shit happens, not even plans last forever.” I pat him on the chest. “Have a lovely evening. Not. Here.”
My eyes drift around the space, and the table of Triad and some of Duncan’s Irish guys stand. With a raise of my eyebrow, a small army of criminally minded circle my cousin. By the time I blink, he’s been ushered out of the section.
My rage dims as I turn to the balcony. Jenny is easy to spot in the crowd. She moves to the music, eyes closed, and even from here I can tell she’s enjoying the moment. How does she do that?
“Thanks for taking out the trash,” Grae says behind me. He’s back to his golden retriever self, eyes bright, all smiles. He leans against the balcony watching the crowd. “I wasn’t hitting on her.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
He throws his head back and laughs. It’s a sound that makes you want to turn around and find the source of the humor so you can witness it and share it with generations to come. “Bullshit.” He shakes his head. “She’s great. Good vibes, razor wit.” He shrugs. “But she never looked at me the way she looks at you.”
She was all swoony when she did finally tear her eyes off him and set them on me. “You couldn’t steal her if you tried.”
