11. Chapter 11
“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath.
I was late, and this was not the night to do so. My heart raced from sprinting from the garage to the house; Marcus’ laughter rang through my ears. My last tattoo appointment ran later than I expected. Of all days, it would be a family meeting night.
Shedding my coat and shoes, I tossed them haphazardly aside as I darted towards the drawing room.
I was sure everyone was going to be there already, waiting—some patiently, some impatiently—for me to arrive.
The thought made my stomach churn with anxiety.
But as I pushed open the door, I was met with an unexpected sight. It was empty.
I checked the family group chat to confirm we had a meeting and re-read the message.
Shit, it was changed to the conference room.
I dashed down the hall, frantically bumping into the maid coming out.
Mumbling an apology, I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Instead of a room full of family members, there was only Victoria.
The sleek, modern furnishings of the room lent a whole new feel to the evening. It was dominated by a large U-shaped table, its polished surface gleaming under the soft glow of the chandelier overhead.
Kinsley insisted on it when renovations were underway. She felt it made it more elegant, never mind it was the meeting place where the Death Squad had their life-altering discussions. Plush chairs were arranged around the table, and name cards showed the seating arrangement.
A large monitor hung on the wall at the back of the room. It was on, and a slew of family photos from our last holiday to the summer house played on repeat. I smiled and felt the tension leave my body.
“I’m not late?” I asked.
“No, Pasha overheard you say you had a late appointment earlier and so I pushed it back an hour,” Victoria answered.
“You look…smart.” I grinned as I took in her attire.
“Thanks. You don’t think it’s too much?”
She worked her lower lip between her teeth. She was taking this new role as family facilitator seriously. Last week we voted, and she was unanimously picked to keep us in order and on track.
Things had gotten chaotic with everyone’s work schedules, Declan’s many practices, not to mention Kinsley and me being full-time at our various studios. Nik had taken on a new team and was training them as private detectives, so he was busier than normal.
All it had taken was one sad little boy whose entire family wasn’t sitting in the stands cheering him on to know we needed a change.
And Victoria was it.
She had transformed her appearance tonight.
She looked more like Samantha, Marcel’s receptionist, or Daphine, Nik’s receptionist, than her normal, casual mum.
Dressed in a flattering royal blue high-waisted pencil skirt and a crisp white shirt tucked in, she exuded an air of confidence and authority.
Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and I couldn’t help but notice her freshly manicured nails.
“I’m sure Marcel will love it. Maybe after the meeting, the two of you could do a little role play,” I teased.
She flushed and smoothed down her skirt.
“Why didn’t I think of that? Oh no,” she exclaimed, suddenly looking concerned.
“What?” I asked, glancing over at the small table that had been set up for refreshments and tea. Delicate flowers sat in a vase in the middle, and the tea was already set out. But no refreshments were to be found. I was starving, and my stomach rumbled in protest.
“I’m wearing underwear,” Victoria whispered as her cheeks turned pink.
I burst out laughing. “Thanks for sharing, so am I,” I offered.
She shook her head and glanced down at her watch. “No, Marcel strictly forbids it.”
“Strictly?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, you hush…Kinsley, you’re finally here.” She dropped the topic of her underwear and Marcel’s obsession with her not wearing them and turned her attention to her.
Kinsley’s arms were laden with trays of delicious-looking desserts. Declan was carrying the tray of cookies.
“Oh, hey. You’re here already,” she exclaimed, rushing to put the trays down and hug me like I hadn’t seen her a few hours ago. “Declan, be a good luv and put the cookies next to the tea,” she directed.
He happily sat them down and looked around the room. His eyes were wide with excitement, clearly eager to be a part of the evening. I walked over to him while Kinsley reassured Victoria that everything was going to be perfect tonight.
“So what did you all bring? I’m starved,” I said, ruffling his hair before pulling him in for a hug.
“Cookies for everyone. I told her she only needed to make one kind because she made cakes, brownies, and Danishes. Those are not my favorite,” he whispered the last part quietly, and then pulled my head down to say something more in my ear.
“Uncle Alek says Kinsley’s are the best ever, but her cookies are a thousand times better.
But don’t tell her. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. ”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I wrapped my arms around him once more before letting him go.
Right about that time, the conference room door swung open and the men poured into the space, instantly filling it with their presence. Alek came in first. His blond hair was wet, like he’d just come from the shower.
A smile played at the corner of his lips as he set eyes on Kinsley. Nik and Ivan followed closely behind. Ivan laughed at something Nik was saying. Marcel made his way straight to Victoria and pulled her into his arms.
My brother and Pasha came in last. The expression on Sebastian’s face was serious and focused as he stepped into the room. Pasha’s face mirrored his as he looked around. I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between their attitudes and that of the Kings tonight.
I loved that Bash had taken Pasha under his wing. They’d formed a bond, and I was grateful for it. With a swift motion, Victoria moved away from Marcel and tapped the end of a pen against the table.
“Everyone is here, excellent. Look for your names and take a seat,” she commanded.
I was impressed by the steadiness of her demeanor. Marcel must have said something to encourage her, because she radiated as she glanced at him.
“Declan, honey, run along now and find Marcus—”
“But mummy, I wanted to stay and listen. I’m family, and this is a family meeting.” A loud groan erupted from the tow-headed boy, making me stifle my laughter.
Victoria’s face softened as she knelt beside him. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I know, little man, but this meeting is for the grown-ups,” she explained patiently. “There will be plenty of time for you to join us in the future. Plus, it will get boring after a few minutes.”
It was fascinating to see her as a mum, and my heart warmed as I watched them. God, if ever I had children, I wanted to be like her.
“Nuh, uh. Aunt Kinsley told me she is going to ask Uncle Nik to instigate, no that’s not right. Integrate. That’s not right either. What was it again?” He turned his cherub face toward Kinsley.
“Investigate. And Nik, I’m serious. I know you thought I was joking earlier, but this is serious business. We simply must find Bobo.”
“And I told you a thousand times, baby girl, we don’t find missing animals.”
“But it’s suspicious, don’t you think? How does a bird let itself out of its cage and open a door? Come on, it had to have had help. We have to do something.”
“We’ll leave that to those that specialize in it, and that ain’t me, baby girl,” Nik said.
“But—”
“Do you wish to join Declan and Marcus for pizza and soccer?” Victoria asked, frowning at Kinsley. “We have a lot to discuss tonight, and a missing bird isn’t one of them.”
Alek laughed in his seat, catching Victoria’s attention. He winked, signaling his approval, and she squared her shoulders.
Kinsley pouted. “Fine, but if something bad happened to her—”
Ivan yanked her over and promptly kissed her long and hard. When she finally pulled away, she looked dazed and confused.
“You’re next to Pasha. Sit,” he ordered, gently shoving her over to the other side of the table. “I see what you did, buttercup,” he remarked to Victoria, who blushed beautifully before nodding.
The seating arrangements made complete sense now. Kinsley was sitting next to Pasha and me, opposite the Kings. Last week there were some questions on if they paid attention at all. Declan’s face was crestfallen as once more Victoria placed her hand on his back to guide him to the door.
“Poor chap,” Sebastian remarked. He sighed. It echoed through the room, a testament to the fondness he held for him.
“He’ll be fine the minute he sees Marcus,” Marcel boasted, and knowing him the way I did, I agreed.
I filled a plate with several treats and moved over to the table.
Plopping down between Kinsley and Sebastian, I bit into the brownie first. The sweet taste of chocolate chips melted in my mouth.
They were fantastic, and I eyed the tray, wondering if it would be too much to get up and grab another before I finished this one.
Victoria cleared her throat and handed out notepads and pens. Jesus, we were going to have to take notes? But for my girl, I’d play along. She wasted no time.
“Alright, everyone, let’s start with the first order of business—Nik’s new app. It has been custom designed with our family in mind. If you’ll direct your attention to the monitor, I will show you the features.”
“I still don’t see why you need to know where we are during the day,” Bash said.
“For many reasons. I know you’re not comfortable with a tracking app,” Victoria continued, a hint of humor shining through. “But let me assure you, it’s not optional. It’s either the app or a chip implant. Take your pick.”
Alek chuckled and nodded his head toward Marcel. Everyone had been working with him to get Victoria to be more assertive, so this gave her practice.
“With this app, we’ll be able to track one another.
This ensures that we can always reach each other in case of an emergency,” she explained.
“It has car crash detection, the ability to send out an SOS if the situation arises. It is important that each of you put in an emergency contact of someone else in this room. Again, it’s not up for discussion.
Pick a buddy. Also, there is no feature to turn off your location,” she directed the last part to Bash.
He tried to snatch a cookie from my plate, and I slapped his hand. “Get your own,” I murmured, finishing the brownie. “And grab me another brownie while you’re at it.”
He stood and made his way over while Victoria walked everyone through the app features. After addressing the tracking app, she shifted her focus to the second order of business. With a few deft clicks, she brought up a demonstration of the FamilyWall App.
“Now this app is another one that is going to revolutionize the way we communicate and coordinate as a family.”
She gestured toward the screen. “We have a shared calendar, where we’ll be able to schedule and coordinate family activities, Declan’s games and practices, not to mention commitments.
I expect Death Squad business to be imported.
Of course with code words, but we’re all familiar with those.
Each family member has their own color-coded section—”
“Is there lavender?” Kinsley asked excitedly.
“Yes,” Victoria answered. “The best part is that it is completely customizable and each of you can tailor it to your own preferences and needs.” Her face flushed.
“We can coordinate the playroom, as well. At least until the new one is completed. Now that Pasha has been added to the list of people who can use it, it made sense.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Perfect. Maybe we should build an entire building on the property and have six separate ones. Then no one has to worry.”
“Oh, that’s a fantastic idea. We could have a passageway built, so it connects to the main house. But we only need four. My guys can all share one,” Kinsley offered.
Wonderful use of space.
As the meeting continued, I grew increasingly nervous. Marcel wanted me to discuss the list tonight, and it was currently burning a hole in my pocket. Item number three was enough to make my pulse spike.