"Wesley's early," I murmur, sliding out of bed and reaching for clothes. "Something must've happened."
"Something always happens." Sergei's already up, pulling on jeans, the domesticity of it almost absurd after everything we've been through. "That's why we plan for every contingency."
"Do we have a contingency for my mother showing up unannounced? Because I have a feeling that's coming."
"If she shows up, I handle it."
"If she shows up,wehandle it." I turn to face him, catching his hand. "Equal partners, remember? In violence and everything else."
His expression softens. "Equal partners."
"Good." I press a quick kiss to his mouth. "Now let's go find out what fresh hell Matthew's planning."
31
Izzy
“The vote is in ten minutes.”
Wesley’s voice crackles through my phone as Marco navigates morning traffic toward Davenport Holdings. Sergei sits beside me, all dangerous calm in a charcoal suit that does obscene things to his shoulders. His eyes track every vehicle, every pedestrian, cataloguing threats with the precision of a man who’s survived by staying three steps ahead of death.
“Matthew’s already there,” Wesley continues. “Brought Cal Reznick and three other board members. They’re pushing for an emergency vote to transfer controlling shares to a ‘more stable leadership structure.’”
Translation: They want to steal my father’s company before I can stop them.
“How many votes does he have?” I adjust the Glock holstered at my hip, hidden beneath my Armani blazer Sergei taughtme to carry everywhere. Apparently, boardrooms are just as dangerous as back alleys when you’re a Davenport.
“Four confirmed. Needs six for majority control.” Papers rustle on Wesley’s end. “But he’s been working the other board members hard. Lunches, golf games, promises of increased dividends under his leadership.”
“Bribes.”
“Legal ones.” Wesley’s tone is grim. “Your father built that company on trust and relationships. Matthew’s dismantling it with greed and fear.”
Sergei’s hand finds my thigh, warm and grounding through the fabric of my pencil skirt. His thumb traces small circles that should be comforting, but instead make me squeeze my thighs together as my toes curl.Not now. Focus.
“We’re five minutes out,” I tell Wesley. “Stall if you can.”
“I’ll try. But Izzy? Matthew’s not going to let you walk into that boardroom without a fight.”
“Good.” I end the call and meet Sergei’s eyes. “He brought muscle. Three guys in cheap suits trying to look corporate.”
“How many?” His voice is silk over steel.
“Wesley said three. Plus Cal and Matthew.”
“Five against two.” The Wolf’s smile is sharp. Lethal. “I like those odds.”
“We’re not supposed to start violence at a board meeting.”
“Then they shouldn’t try to stop you from entering.” His hand slides higher on my thigh, possessive and deliberate. “You’remajority shareholder. They have no legal right to bar you from company proceedings.”
“Since when do you care about legal rights?”
“Since my wife decided to play by the rules.” He leans closer, breath hot against my ear. “But the second they break those rules,kotyonok, all bets are off.”
A shiver runs through me that has nothing to do with fear. His scent wraps around me like smoke, and I have to resist the urge to climb into his lap right here in the back of the town car.
Marco pulls up to the building—sixty stories of glass and steel that represent five generations of Davenport legacy. My father’s office was on the top floor, corner suite with views of the Hudson. I haven’t been back since the funeral.
