Looking me up and down, Carlos sneered. "Yes, you are clearly your own man."
Caden spoke up. "Rest assured, Mr. White, we are equally committed to the alliance between our Families as it has always been. We have a gift for you, as a token of our gratitude for the continued peace."
"Do you?" Carlos had an odd look on his face, as though he thought it was a trap.
"Yes." Logan took an envelope from his inner jacket pocket and handed it across the coffee table.
I picked up my wife's hand. "Please accept it as a gesture of goodwill going forward. And if there is anything I can do for Pepper, please let me know."
After opening the envelope, Carlos raised his eyebrows.
"It's one of my most profitable companies, now in your name. It practically runs itself, so you shouldn't have any trouble with it."
"Very generous, Burke." Carlos rose. "Shall we go into the dining room for lunch?"
The rest of our time was tediously boring. Posey made her appearance, a woman desperately hanging on to the beauty of her youth with enough plastic fillers in her face to prevent her from showing any expression other than shock. Finding it unnerving to look at her, I focused my conversation on Carlos. The other man seemed intent on flaunting his wealth as several servants tended to us during the three-course meal.
Pleased we'd made amends, I rested my hand on Kinsley's lower back as we said our goodbyes before making our way to the car. As a matter of routine, Mike and Sam checked the undercarriage of each vehicle for anything we didn't bring with us attached to the bottom. Finding nothing, they signaled me to stop making small talk and get in.
"That wasn't bad," Kinsley commented as soon as the door closed behind us.
I slung an arm across the back of the seat. "It was boring."
"Good God, Kinsley, please stay away from plastic surgery," Logan said as he started the car.
"Seriously, I don't know how she ate with those lips." Kinsley giggled.
The image of Posey trying to dribble soup into her mouth around overly filled lips made me grimace. We cleared the gates, and I felt the change under the tires from one road to the next. "She can't possibly think she looks good."
"Or youthful," Kinsley added. "Don't worry, I don't have any plans to do that to myself. My mother aged pretty well."
I massaged the back of Kinsley's neck. "For your first Family meeting, I think it went well."
"I think so too." She scrunched her nose. "Carlos is condescending."
"You'll find that's the case pretty often in the mafia."
"I think—" Oliver cut off, craning his neck to look in all three mirrors. "Keller, we have company."
Logan made the same mirror checks as Oliver and then changed lanes. "Yes, we do."
"Motherfucker. Kinsley, get down on the floor." Without waiting for her to comply, I pushed at her shoulders until she curled on the floor in between the front and back seats.
"Burke, we'll be fine." Logan checked his side mirror and made another lane change. "The Mercedes can withstand more than they can carry in that puny car."
"They're not alone," Oliver said, picking up his phone and dialing. "Mike, we've got a bogey at seven o'clock and another at nine. Engage evasive maneuvers." He hung up and shifted, reaching beneath his seat to pull out the gun he'd stashed there.
"No way this is a coincidence," I commented.
"They're sending a message." Logan jerked the wheel, and the car careened down an off ramp.
I had to brace a hand on the ceiling to keep upright. "How you doin' down there, Kinsley?"
"Terrified."
"Here." I reached down and helped her up, positioning her so her head was in my lap and her legs were along the seat. "The car is bulletproof, baby, up to a point. We'll make some sharp turns and try to shake them, and Caden will do his best to slow them down and let us get home safely."
"What about Caden?" Her voice was small and scared, and this was exactly the scenario I had worried about when I involved her in my business. Goddammit.
