Chapter 16 #2
“Because I’m the one who discovered it so accept that or leave,” I said easily.
“Not like you’ll ever thank me when the one was thinking of letting this all out and having a gas leak at the estate to escape with his family but whatever.
Sure, Bryan and Clare are welcome but no, not me who knows this. ”
Everyone froze.
“I’m sorry, did you just say gas leak?” Ira demanded, growling when Jean told him to shut it. “Will all due respect, it’s difficult, Ms. Shaw. I was at the same interviews you were and—how could she possibly know that? She can’t.”
“We could,” Taylor cut in smoothly with the lie to deflect.
“We’ve been working in the hours since Bevin caught enough to tip us off.
So enough. You get she’s special with magic involving familiars.
Let’s just handle this so we don’t lose a top-tier family that’s trying to turn around their image and behave as they should. ”
“Agreed,” Councilman Reid said firmly. “And we’re here off the record because Bevin asked us.”
“Well, she asked me, but you’re too on edge with this family after Charles,” Mrs. Reid clarified.
Bernice immediately shut her mouth, clearing her throat even and looking uncomfortable. At least she could regret that madness, but she would never—her pride would never allow her to apologize.
Tracey and I shared a look and she nodded.
I met Jean’s gaze. “This does not get repeated mostly because we aren’t sure.
” I waited until she nodded. “Mrs. Reid is mentoring me because we think I might be able to eventually speak with animals. It tracks with the research of why I don’t have a familiar and can do magic with familiars like the owner of Familiar Treasures. ”
“And that’s what you’re hearing to get from the interviews more than us,” Ira muttered, holding up his hands in surrender. “Fine, hear isn’t the right term but—yes, you sense it from them like I sense from my own. You just can from others.”
I gave him a blank face making it clear I wasn’t going to say either way which luckily, he accepted.
And Bernice huffed as if I was the villain for not having disclosed all of this to them. Oh, right, to be sacrificed for Alex?
I wanted to find the shortest pier for her to walk off of right then… But so did Clare from the looks she was giving her. Wow.
“However it happened or whatever gifts Bevin has, we now know and need to handle it,” Bryan said, barely cutting me a glance.
And certainly not a thank-you. Douchebag.
Link snorted, so clearly he caught that too which made me feel better.
“We don’t need to be involved in the deal you make here to get some of them off the hook for what they were pressured into or reduced sentences to clear their records and not lose all of your security at once,” Tracey said, gesturing between those with the Shaws and councils.
“Also, we are not willing to take the ban off the Shaw family.”
“Then why are you here?” Bernice snapped, Bryan looking ready to ask the same.
“Because we are willing to help so it doesn’t blow up so big that it could implicate Bevin and Clare who now both work for us,” Tracey said slowly as if they were idiots for not having figured that out.
Then she shook off her thoughts and focused on Jean.
“We’re willing to hire some of the family of your guards in tight spots. Temporarily.”
Jean studied her. “You’ll hire the clean ones and allow them to have Familiar Treasures on their resume to get the stink off of them being associated with the Shaw family has given them.”
“Basically, yes,” Tracey accepted. “As long as the Shaw family keeps working towards cleaning up their… Everything and you’re on the path you promised.
I won’t let this company take any kind of hit because daughter followed after father.
” She hurried on when Jean’s eyes filled with anger.
“I hope you won’t. I’m just making our position clear. ”
“From an owner who won’t even show up when the most powerful top-tier family comes to a meeting,” Bernice grumbled.
“If you bite your tongue any harder, I’ll even smell the blood when not a vampire, poppet,” Councilman Oliveria teased me. He shot Bernice a look when she opened her mouth. “Try me, Bernice. Please, I’d love to give you a good tongue lashing on Henry’s behalf.”
“Hear, hear,” Mrs. Oliveria purred.
She wisely shut it, surprising all of us Shaw children. Wow.
“I will gladly accept, and it won’t be public knowledge,” Jean said before focusing on me. “Though the troublesome aunts and uncles are—”
“And some cousins,” Bryan drawled.
“Yes, cannot ever forget them and the very extended family,” Jean agreed with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Are circling to—”
“We’ve heard,” Clare assured her, chuckling when I gave her a confused look. “Fine, I’ve heard, and you said you didn’t have a single moment to spare for stupid without listening to what they wanted.”
I blinked at her for longer than what was polite.
“They want me to combine the Millen and Shaw families again with me bringing the new wealth the Millen family has that they don’t really know the extent of with the promise of taking over Jean’s position, and in reality I would be their puppet complete with whoever’s hand up my ass. ”
I shrugged when several people failed in covering laughs. Councilman Reid spit out his drink in fabulously bad timing.
I almost wished he’d hit Bryan. He was close enough, but he had the good manners to turn in time.
Damn.
“Your phone started buzzing all of the time after Jasmine’s press conference. Yes, I know what they want.” I winked at one of Taylor’s guys. “They can sod off and find another wanker to try and pull a penny drop on.”
“You don’t get any more running coaching from her if you’re going to teach her all the bad British everything,” Taylor told his guy, giving him a death look.
“Sod off,” I mumbled under my breath, several with us chuckling. At least he seemed to realize that I wanted to break the tension like Emma was teaching me during conflict.
It was better than puking in the bushes.
“The other problem is we don’t know what they’ve done wrong,” Jean admitted to the councilmen. “It wasn’t as if Father told me, the lowly daughter. Bevin probably knows more having been trapped in that house.” She shot me a quick glance. “That wasn’t an accusation.”
“No, you wouldn’t be petty with us sitting here,” Councilman Oliveria accepted.
Meaning she would when they weren’t. Dayumn.
I also wasn’t the only one who caught what he meant.
“You would need someone like Ira to go first and lead by example,” I told Jean, shrugging yet again when several people gave me a range of looks.
“He’s your head of security. Lead by example and you would still trust him at your side.
That sends a strong message you’re trying to clean up the past—the right way but with understanding—and move on. ”
Shockingly—and to not just me—it was Bernice who spoke first.
“You’re right, and that is the best move given the situation,” she admitted before turning to Jean and dismissing me.
“We will excuse ourselves from the rest of this then,” Tracey told Jean and the others.
“We don’t need to be here for it. I’ll get you a list of the available jobs we’re open to hiring for.
Don’t promise the moon because we’re not letting the families of your people be managers or in charge of sensitive information. ”
“No, but you pay well and are fair and that’s what they’ll focus on,” Jean accepted, hearing Tracey on what she was saying. She turned and met my gaze. “Thank you. I have a present for you as well that I believe you will appreciate, but it’s best that you are surprised about. All of you.”
“If that’s what you think, but… You know where we stand,” I warned.
“I do and you are clearly not to be trifled with,” she chuckled darkly gesturing to the Reids and Oliveria’s who came because I wanted help.
Glad she understood that.
I was really, really glad she understood that.