Page 46 of Blood & Heartache

“Head of the table,” I instructed. “I don’t want there to be any question about who and what I am, no matter how they feel about it.”

Luca settled me in, and instead of taking a seat, he stood behind the chair to my left. The others followed suit except for Hound—he took the seat to my right. “I’d stand behind you gladly, Moonflower, but I’m not Family, and it won’t mean anything to them. By sitting here on your right for this meeting, it shows I’m a trusted friend.”

“Should I even ask how you know that?” I sighed.

“Probably not,” he muttered as he pulled out a laptop and a few other gadgets. “I’m gonna record all of this so we have documented evidence of this meeting and all that was said here. Can’t be too careful when it comes to assholes like these guys. Also, if you see me typing away, it’s because I’m fact-checking something they’re saying.”

“Fucking show off,” Ryker grumbled.

Hound flipped him off and continued with what he was doing just as someone knocked on the door. Without having to say a word, Liu went to answer it. I took a deep breath and sat up tall like the motherfucking queen I was. Nothing they could say or do would change that fact, and I was about to prove it.

Chapter 21

Liu ushered in five men, all of whom looked to be around my father’s age. They all wore three-piece suits, had their silver hair neatly cut and styled, and gave off the air of being men of authority. My instinct to respect my elders kicked in, and I wanted to stand, but that wasn’t the game we were playing today. This was a power move, and I needed to show them that I wasn’t going to rise upon their arrival. The person in control of this room was me, and there was nothing they could do to change that.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” I greeted. “Would you please join me? There is much we need to discuss before tonight’s oath ritual.”

The way the five of them looked around the room, it was clear they’d never been brought in here, which was how it should be. After today, they’d never be brought in here again, but intimidation wasn’t the only reason I wanted to talk here. Whatever was said in here was privileged, and no one else would be listening in or overhearing what either party had to say about me being in charge.

Like armies facing off across the battlefield, the Old Guard sat on one end, and my men and I on the other. Resting my elbows on the table, I folded my hands and got right to the heart of the matter. “Which one of you isn’t trying to knock me off my throne?”

Apparently not familiar with being talked to so bluntly, the men took a moment to get over their shock before speaking, “Mistress Astin, I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” Santino said, his voice hesitant.

“All right, then let me rephrase the question,” I offered. “Which of you isn’t in support of me being the first female to run the Caprioni Family as Boss?”

The five men looked at each other like this was a trick question. Then Prospero, the oldest of the five, stood, removed his gun and knife, placing them on the table. “I’m ready to give you my oath right here and now, Lady Astin. You have no quarrel with us of the Old Guard. We support you and will be honored to stand behind you as you grow into your place of leadership.” Pausing as the others stood to offer their weapons, once done, Prospero continued, “We humbly offer any assistance you might need through our combined years of experience. This is what we assumed you were asking for when you called us here this morning. We’d gotten word about the death of the mayor.”

Well, this wasn’t going at all how I assumed this conversation would be after what Athos said. I rose slowly, making sure I was steady on my feet before holding out a hand to my guys. They looked at it dumbly for a second before Luca had a knife out and offered it to me.

“I’ll get some paper towels,” Liu mumbled and headed for the wet bar.

That had me smirking as I limped my way to the other end of the table. “If you’re sincere about offering up your oath to me, then I’d happily accept that before we move further into this discussion. I feel like I need to remind all of you that if you do this and I find out you had anything to do with a plan to undermine my place and authority in the Family, I’ll kill you.”

The men nodded, and Benito even smiled. “Mistress Astin, we have seen the rise and fall of many leaders in various families over the years. We don’t take this offer lightly and are fully aware of the extent of this oath. The world is changing and so must we if we plan to survive it.”

“In fact, it’s that very thinking that caused us to leave Italy and come with your father here. He had a vision for the future, and we wanted to support that vision, which is why we’re thrilled to be alive to see the first woman taking the role as Boss,” Durant informed me.

Gianni just grunted and nodded his head in agreement. I knew from my studies he was a man of few words and only spoke when he felt he had something to say. Glancing at Hound, who’d been typing away looking up something or other, he nodded his head in agreement. Apparently, whatever he found supported what Durant was saying. While it might be crazy to trust a man I hardly knew in reality, I didn’t doubt for a moment that he’d protect me. The man had proven that time and time again with my heist jobs when he owed me nothing and was an imaginary person on the other side of a screen.

“Very well then, I’ll accept your oath,” I said, walking up to Santino first. “In reciprocation of your honesty, I’ll warn you that I plan to do things my way, and it’s going to change quite a few things as we go.”

He just nodded and offered his hand, but I shook my head, asking for the left hand. As Hound deduced, only those I trusted with my life and were part of my inner circle were given the mark on their right hand. It didn’t take me long to do the ritual for the five men, and since they knew the way of things, they gave their response in unison. Efficiency was always appreciated, but this gave me a chance to improve my slicing skills. By the time I was done with the five of them, I got the feel for how hard I needed to press the knife.

“That’s a much more aggressive way to ensure people are aware they gave an oath,” Benito chuckled. “I like your style, Lady Astin. You’re taking no prisoners.”

Taking my seat once more, I handed back Luca’s knife and drummed my fingers on the table. “Funny you should say that because as we speak, I have three prisoners. One, I’m waiting to see what the right move will be, the other two, you lot might be able to help me with.”

“As Prospero said, we’re happy to help in any way,” Durant reminded. “Tell us what we need to know, and we’ll see what we can do.”

“The reason I had you summoned here this morning was because it had been brought to my attention, by someone I believed to be reliable, that not all of you were willing to support me as head of the Caprioni Family. Clearly, as you’ve explained, that isn’t the case,” I said, gesturing to the hands they were each wrapping with handkerchiefs. “Maybe you can help me to understand why they would say this and who might be the people they were talking about?”

“It’s true there are some of the Family who are not at all happy with the change. Many stubborn, patronizing male chauvinists believe only a man has the balls and fortitude to pull off this job. I haven’t seen any go so far as to say they’re going to do anything about it, though,” Benito shared.

Gianni shoved to his feet and pounded his fist into the table. “It’s that conniving bitch Flora. She’s managed to get her claws into a few people, mainly your Uncle Athos.”

That tidbit of information caught me off-guard. “I don’t understand.”

“The snake was sleeping with him. Any time he’d be gone on a business trip or leaving the estate for personal reasons, he was meeting up with her,” Gianni stated, then sat back down, clearly having said what he needed to.