There’s a council meeting in thirty minutes but I know members will start to arrive soon.
“I won’t be joining you for dinner,” I tell her as we walk out of the gym and back toward the house, the short walk outside enough to make Olivia start shivering.
“What a shame,” she says dryly.
“I have taken the liberty and requested Willow come keep you company.” I tell her.
“Wait, what?”
“All I ask is that you stay away from the meeting room on the first floor.”
“Why?” she asks suspiciously.
“Because it would please me,” I tell her seriously, holding my breath to see what she will do.
It takes a few seconds but then a quick burst of laughter spills from her lips. I can feel the scowl settle onto my face the longer it continues.
“That was probably the wrong thing to say to me,”She giggles, holding her stomach.
“I’m serious, Olivia.”
My tone halts her laughter.
“The men coming here tonight are not the company you want to be around.”
I can see the color drain from her face, the whites of her eyes getting wider.
“Stay away from that room, Olivia. Do you understand me?”
She gives a barely there nod.
“Good.” I check my watch again, “Willow will be arriving any minute. Go and greet your friend. I will see you at the end of the night.”
She mumbles something that I don’t catch and walks away from me, the sway in her hips drawing my eye.
With her gone, I head through to the back of the house, opening the door to see several cars already parked on the gravel. They would have already let themselves in, so I don’t wait. I don’t want Olivia running into any of them and I need to contain them to the meeting room.
This gathering needs to be over and done with as quickly as possible, there will be no lingering in the house as usual tonight.
For as long as I can, I will keep Olivia from the shadows of my life. From the blood money and death and the men that deal it like master gamblers.
I’m not blind to the fact that I am just like them, if not worse. I’m as highly trained as any of the assassins inmy employment. I know she understands the role I have in this business, but she doesn’t fully understand the depth in which that root grows.
“Gentlemen,” I greet as I open the meeting room door. As large as any corporate office, the room boasts a large oak wood table with chairs to seat twenty, not including the two high backs on each end of the table. I always sit at the back of the room so I can see everyone and the door, and Sebastian takes the seat at the other end, closest to the door so he can be the one to call in my inner circle and the others should anything go wrong.
There’s only been one time in Farrow history when the council members turned on their leader and that was a long time ago, but things happen, and I already know I am pissing people off.
They don’t like my age for starters. The youngest Farrow to sit on this throne ever. But they also don’t like my leadership style, don’t like that I am taking away their control, questioning the old rules and laws.
I don’t need them. They need me.
And I have no issues reminding them of that fact.
Chapter Seventeen
My fingers tap on the table, eyes scanning the room of men. Sebastian sits opposite me, doing the same. One of the reasons the man is my second is his ability to turn from playboy joker to ruthless killer in a matter of seconds.
People second guess themselves when he steps into a room.
