Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Rush
The bathroom door no more than closes when the elevator opens, Vigo Sinclair appearing in the large open reception space of my office.
He’s a striking man, but his slicked-back hair and hawkish nose, along with beady eyes, make him look like a weasel to me. Just behind him are two of his nephews.
Two of my security guards step out of the elevator to his right. The elevator door to his left opens, and more of my security appears.
While I don’t think he’ll try to kill me in the middle of a crowded office, one can’t be too careful with a snake like Vigo.
From the stairwell, Killian appears, his long black jacket flapping behind him. The gang is all here.
“Watch him,” I mouth to my brother, and then start for the bathroom. What the fuck is Gigi doing?
I pass Vigo, who glares at me. “Don’t have time for me?”
I don’t look, don’t respond. He can fucking wait. He’s the one who showed up uninvited.
Killian passes by me too, his gaze drawn into a frown, an oddity for him in a situation like this. Normally, he’d look…blank.
I wait for Vigo to be shown into the conference room and then I push into the ladies’ bathroom.
Likely not my finest moment, but Gigi should know better.
But I’m not a foot in the door when I hear the retching.
I bend down and catch the sight of her heels, tossed aside, as her knees rest on the porcelain tile.
The vomiting stops, her ass plopping on the floor. “Gigi?”
She gasps. “Rush. I’m so sorry. I just…”
“You’re sick,” I say as I push at the door of her stall. Which isn’t locked. I find her in the stall, her head resting on her arm, resting on the toilet seat.
She looks pale, her eyes huge and watery as she stares up at me. I scoop her up into my arms and carefully turn, exiting the stall and then the bathroom.
“You can’t,” she says weakly in my arms. “Your meeting.”
“He can wait,” I rumble. In fact, tactically, the longer I make him wait the better. It will take all the power out of his impromptu visit.
“But…” Gigi is limp in my arms as I reach the elevator bank and push the button. The door slides open and I step into one of the elevators with her. “Can they see us?”
The conference room is equipped with fogging glass and it’s opaque now. Thank you, Killian. “No. They can’t.”
She melts into me. Is she embarrassed?
I brush a kiss over her forehead as the doors slide closed. It only takes a few seconds for us to reach our floor. Opening her apartment, I bring her inside and slide her into her bed. She crumples like a blanket but then sits up again… “Emma.”
“Emma will be fine in school.”
She shakes her head, big brown eyes staring up at me. “But there are hostile parties in the building. Is she in danger?”
Is she talking about Vigo? “I can assure you, the Sinclairs won’t be anywhere near the daycare.”
She wilts into the bed, her eyes sliding closed. Her shoes are still in the bathroom downstairs. I’ll collect them later. Right now, what she needs to do is sleep.
I brush her hair back, my thumb stroking over her temple. “I’ll be up to check on you soon.”
“I’ll be fine,” she says, not opening her eyes. “Don’t worry about me.”
That makes me smile, and I bury my hand into her hair. “I’ll do my best.” And then I kiss the top of her head, before turning back toward the door.
She doesn’t stir as I leave her apartment and then make my way back downstairs.
I’m not sure Gigi realizes what a beautiful woman she is.
Until I met her, I didn’t think that was an actual thing, a woman who didn’t understand her allure.
But I can confess, that I would have liked her by my side today.
She would have been a distraction to Vigo.
Having a woman that attractive directly under me speaks to my power, my position.
I let out a small breath of frustrated air. Whatever Vigo wants, he’s not getting it. The elevator doors open and I step back into the open lobby of my office.
I can hear Vigo yelling and I smile, knowing that I’ve already won. Fucker thinks he can come in here and intimidate the Smiths?
My brother is a duke, directly under the King of England, and one of the richest, most powerful men in the world.
But go back a few generations and we were nothing but bastards, men who clawed their way to the top.
When my father nearly lost everything, that was the part of ourselves we had to find.
My father made one incredibly smart decision in his life, he married our mother.
She gave us love, but never coddled us as children. She taught us resiliency, control, fair play, and the shrewdness to understand when to be ruthless.
I draw in a deep breath of air, clearing my lungs and my head as I stride toward the boardroom.
Gris sits to the right of the head of the table, looking bored as Vigo bangs his fist and fills the air with his angry and stupid words.
And Killian? He leans against the wall, picking his nails.
One corner of my mouth turns up. Killian knows how to go snake cold. I wanted to do this on my own, but looking at my two brothers, I’m glad they’re here.
I don’t know why I didn’t understand that sooner. I want to prove myself, still, but why not do what we’ve always done best? Act as parts of a whole.
Some of our power, even my eldest brother Win’s, has always been in family. I should have remembered that sooner. I see the green light of the table speaker. Triston and/or Win are silently listening on the line. The gang is all here.
Behind Vigo stands one of his nephews. Angel is his name. His swept-back dark hair, thick muscles, and wealth of tattoos are all suited to his role as intimidator, as are the freaky fucking contacts he wears.
He cracks his knuckles, showing off the large skull ring on his finger. If Vigo is blowing hard, Angel is in complete control, his silence and stillness far more worrisome than the behavior of his fucking uncle.
I step into the conference room, my gaze meeting Gris’s. Vigo goes silent, but his red face tells me he’s far from calm.
“Sinclair,” I say, my voice neutral, as I slide into my chair. “To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure.”
“British twat,” he growls, showing his incisors.
His temper has no effect on me. My father used his sons like punching bags when he drank. He tried it with our mother too, but my brothers and I made an unspoken vow that it was our job to protect her. I lean back in my chair, my hands tenting in front of my mouth. “You’re here to call me a twat?”
Gris dips his head to hide his smile, but Vigo catches the attempt.
It’s like watching a peacock, Vigo’s feathers rising as his fist comes down on the table again. “I’m here to make you an offer.”
“I’m listening.” I’m in the position of power and we both know it. He’s come to grovel and a man like Vigo hates groveling.
I see his lip curl. “First I want to hear you admit that you making this deal happen has been difficult.”
My brows lift. He doesn’t fool me. He’s all played out. The deal is about to be mine. That’s why he’s here.
“If we were working on the same side, all of your problems would disappear.”
I lean forward again, my elbows coming to the table. “My problems have already disappeared.”
He snarls, pushing up from his chair. “You haven’t begun to know the kind of problems I can create.”
I don’t stand. His threat doesn’t bear consideration. “Understand that I have been deftly deflecting your ‘problems’ without the aid of my family or friends. But if I decide you have become too annoying of a fly, I am going to turn you over to them.”
“A man who can’t be his own enforcer?” He sneers, looking pleased, like he’s finally found my weak point.
I give a soft snort. “I am but one cog in a massive wheel.” I finally rise from my chair, staring him down. “Machines don’t have egos…they only create progress.”
Angel cocks his head, his tawny gold eyes considering me as he pushes off the wall. Next to him, his brother Rock. If people question Killian’s sanity, there is no question with Rock. He screams psychopathic monster. But I turn my attention back to Vigo.
“The wheel will crush you,” I add, shoulders straight as I look him dead in the eye. “So, I’d suggest you go back to playing in your little pile of shit.”
“What the fuck did you say to me?”
“Shoo, little fly.” I know I am pushing his every button. I want him to whip back at me, I want him to give me a reason…
“I will fucking end you,” he spits across the table. But I smile, because that is exactly what I wanted to hear. “I will make you wish you were never born.”
“Yes. Of course.” And then I nod to my brothers, a sign the meeting is over.
Killian pushes off the wall, striding directly toward Vigo. “I’ll show you out.”
“Fuck you, Smith,” he bangs the table again, Rachel jumping in the corner from where she sits to take notes. She’s completely pale and she looks like she’d like to hide.
I’m going to have to give her the rest of the day off, which is unfortunate because Gigi is ill.
Gris pushes up from the table to stand in front of Rachel. I can’t hear what he says, but I know he’s comforting her by the quiet hum of his voice.
Vigo is yelling at full volume now, pushing against Killian’s chest. I give him a cold smile. I could have been nice. But he’d just be a bigger problem later if I had. Vigo understands one language. Dominate or be dominated. There is no negotiation with a man like that.
Which is why he needs to learn his place. He’s a criminal. I will allow him to exist in this city, provided he doesn’t make trouble.
Killian finally manages to usher him out, his hand now tight around Vigo’s collar. Angel and Rock following behind. Angel gives me a last glance, his eyes assessing, before he walks out the door.
Gris has his hand under Rachel’s elbow, as he helps her from the chair. “Give her the rest of the day off,” I say to Gris.
Her eyes flick up to mine. “Are you sure, Mr. Smith?”
I nod, doing my best to look relaxed. “That meeting deserves combat pay.”
A ghost of a smile touches her lips. “Is Gigi all right?”
I jerk my chin, knowing that she and Gigi talk a great deal. Which is why I give Gris a subtle raise of my finger to hold up. “She was very ill just as Vigo came into the office.”
Rachel winces. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
“Does it?”
“Her ex was a real piece of work. She hasn’t said much, but I know he asked her to marry him right after her dad died and she…” Rachel stops, her eyes going wide. “Shoot. I didn’t mean to share too much.”
“You’re fine, Rachel,” I give her an easy smile. “I promise I will only use the information to do good for Gigi and Emma.”
Emma’s name seems to relax Rachel. “Oh good. Gigi is the sweetest person. There doesn’t seem to be a mean bone in her body.”
“That, I knew.” I wink at her and her smile grows wider, as she ducks her chin to hide her blush. “Just like I know that she and Erika are very close friends.”
Rachel nods. “They met at a support group for battered women. Erika took her in when she first left her husband and again recently when he…” She waves her hand. “I’m sure you know all this.”
She looks uncertain, so I give her the smallest wink, “Of course.”
Then I glance at Gris. He gets my meaning and leads Rachel out of the room. For a moment, I stare into the empty space of the conference room and let out a long slow breath. That’s when the phone crackles, my brother Win’s voice filling the room. “So. You’ve decided to go to war.”