“No, Onyx, you’re not.” I state firmly. “I’m not some little lady who needs to be escorted everywhere by a big strong man.Nor do I need one to hold my purse. I’ll never be taken seriously if I show up to every meeting with you guys as my entourage. Everyone knows we’re sleeping together, I refuse to give them anything to gossip about.”
“Amelie—” he goes to protest, and I fix him with a hard stare.
“Do not fuck with me on this, Onyx,” I warn. His eyes blaze with anger, but when Slate elbows him in the side, he gives a jerky, reluctant nod of his head. That’s the best I can hope for from him I guess. The others nod respectfully, honouring my wishes.
“Glad that’s settled then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting before tonight’s shenanigans get under way.”
I drain the rest of my champagne, place the empty flute on the table, and make my way to the ballroom doors.
“Amelie, wait!” Kalen calls out. I look back over my shoulder and raise a brow at him in question. “Who are you meeting?”
“The three musketeers.”
A chorus of groans hits my back as I leave them in my wake, a smile on my face. I wait for them to demand that they attend the meeting now that they know who it’s with, but I don’t turn back. I keep my head held high, even though I’m not really alone because security will have eyes on me at all times. Nerves swarm in the bottom of my stomach; this is my first ever meeting with men like this, and I need them to take me seriously. If I can get them to respect me, I have a feeling that others will follow suit.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Amelie
“Is this some sort of joke?” I frown when I enter the conference room and see two young men sitting before me. They can’t be much older than I am, and I was expecting there to bethreeof them.
“Sorry, boss?” One of them questions. He has unruly brown curly hair, which he’s attempted to tame back into a ponytail or bun but it isn’t really working. Curls are already springing free, and I know from experience that by the end of the night, it’ll be a mess. His beard is neatly trimmed though and he looks smart in his tux. Respectful.
“I was expecting three of you. Youarethethreemusketeers, no?”
The second guy snorts derisively and my eyes cut to him. Compared to his friend, he looks like he’s made less than zero effort. Yes, he’s wearing a tux, but his short dark locks are messy, there’s oil or grease or something under his nails, his shirt buttons are open to reveal a white tee underneath and he’swearing black biker boots, which he currently has up on the table.
“People have died for less,” I snap, glaring at him until he removes his feet.
“Where’s the third?”
“We had a personal situation,” the first answers. “Sorry, we weren’t all able to make it.”
“That is not my problem. When I arrange a meeting with you, I expect all three of you to be in attendance. You’ve wasted my time.”
I go to walk from the room, but I’m stopped by the scruffy guy calling out angrily, “Are you telling me you wouldn’t skip some stuck up party if one of your family was in trouble?”
“Is the third in trouble?” I ask. It’ll be a real fucking inconvenience for me if he is.
“Let’s make proper introductions,” the first guy says, smiling warmly. He has a nice smile. “I’m East, this is Devon.”
“Amelie. And the absent guy?”
“Is Tex. Wearesorry he couldn’t be here but it was a family emergency.”
“Tell me about this emergency,” I say, taking my seat. Devon does a double take.
“You want to use our meeting time to chat? I thought you wanted to be debriefed on?—”
“That can wait. I’ve been told that you three are the best at what you do. Considering who my best friend is, that’s very impressive. So if you have a family problem, it means I have a problem, and other business can wait.”
“It’s our girl—” East begins but is cut off by Devon kicking him under the table. Thankfully he ignores the warning and keeps talking. “She got into some trouble and it left her…vulnerable. She can’t be left alone for long periods of time and obviously we couldn’t bring her here tonight.”
“I see.” I sigh. It must be so hard keeping secrets from someone you love. I hated being kept in the dark, and that was for such a short time frame. “You know we’re looking to recruit women into The Order now.”
East smiles tightly at me, a gentle refusal but Devon explodes.
“Absolutely not!”
