70. Camilla
CHAPTER SEVENTY
CAMILLA
I brush my sweaty palms over the simple black dress Bishop pulled out for me this morning before we left the compound.
It’s the first time we’ve been out of the building since I came home from the hospital, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about being out in the open again so soon after almost dying, but that’s not what has me stress-sweating.
Crew takes one of my hands in his while Bishop grasps the other, forcing me to stop fidgeting. It’s also the first time we’ve been back to the meeting room at the Scarlet Lounge since Kovu’s car blew up and I spent twelve hours thinking he was dead, which most definitely isn’t helping my anxiety.
“It’s going to be fine, Little Menace,” Crew soothes, but I have no idea how he can sound so confident.
This meeting is going to change everything, and I don’t know how the other families are going to take the plan we’ve been working on the last few weeks.
After a week of bed rest, I was bored out of my mind, and much to the dismay of my men, I needed to do some work, which they eventually relented on after holding my laptop and phone hostage for three days.
Even though we’ve gone through every scenario, planned for every possible outcome, I can’t seem to feel any better about how the others are going to take it.
Knox Davenport is the first person through the door, his all-black suit pulled over his huge chest like it was sewn straight onto his body.
His cold blue eyes fall to mine, and he gives me a nod that I quickly return. I’m sitting at the head of the table between my men, which hasn’t always been well received in the past.
He takes a seat at the other end of the table, the same place his cousin used to occupy. He stepped into the role without hesitation or mourning, and I hear the funeral he threw for Charles was nothing short of dismal. A fitting end for a disgusting man.
Noah and Leroy Thorne are the next to arrive. The pair are undoubtedly my favorite of the other families and have long been allies of the De Marcos.
Noah’s icy eyes meet mine, and he gives me a rare smile as they take their seats to our left.
Luca is the next through the door and quickly takes his seat. He’s the only person in this room aside from the five of us that knows what this meeting is really about, and we’ve had his full support since we told him the plan.
Next through the door are Miriam and Donovan Sterling. The former glares at me as she rounds the right side of the table, her distaste at my position at the table clear in the way her face contorts in disgust. Her son has always been indifferent about these meetings, and I think he’s just waiting for the day he’s handed the keys to the kingdom to care about them. His amber eyes take in everyone in the room as he takes his seat beside his mother and rests his folded hands in his lap.
The last to arrive are Christopher and Greyson Knight, and they don’t bother looking surprised at where I’m seated because this isn’t the first time we’ve been in this room in this same formation.
Christopher is a little slow as he lowers himself into his seat, while Greyson unbuttons his suit jacket and drops into his without hesitation. It won’t be long before he takes over for his father.
Once everyone is settled, Crew clears his throat, and everyone turns their attention to him.
I hold my mask in place despite the anxiety rolling through me. I’ve had weeks to prepare me for this, but somehow the moment feels huge now that it’s here.
“Thank you all for coming. We know how busy you all are, especially due to the change in leadership within the Davenport family.” He nods to Knox, who returns it. Ever a man of few words. “But the reason we’ve brought you here today is different from our usual monthly meetings.”
He looks down at me, searching for hesitation that he won’t find. I’m not nervous because I don’t like the plan. I fucking love it. I love them so much for doing this for our family, I just hope they don’t come to regret the decision down the road.
“The Syndicate of the Legion is going to be taking a new role. A back seat, if you will. The contracts we have with each of the families will be amended to only disqualify trade in animals, humans, and organs, and all monthly fees will stop being paid to us.” He takes a breath, and I steal a look around at the shocked faces around the room. “We will still be available in some capacity to ensure the city doesn’t descend into chaos, but we will primarily be stepping back into our businesses and into helping Camilla with De Marco family business.”
Everyone in the room turns their attention to me, and I force myself not to flinch beneath the weight of their judgment. He’s chosen a diplomatic way of saying it, but basically, they’re stepping down from the positions they fought so hard to forge so that I can keep my family legacy, and I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay their sacrifice.
“You’re stepping down?” Miriam asks. “Just like that?”
Bishop nods from my other side. “Yes. We have done everything we had hoped to achieve in our positions over the last eight years, and now it’s time for the city’s underworld to flourish without someone watching over it. We believe that as the younger generation of heirs takes their places that the five families will work in a more collaborative way than they have in the past, and as a result, our position would become redundant in the long run anyway. We’re just moving the time frame forward.”
“Why would you do that?” Christopher asks, shock tugging at the deep lines around his eyes. “Why would you give up everything just like that?”
Crew takes a deep breath and looks down at me, his eyes searching mine for permission he doesn’t need to tell the truth. “Because there’s more to life than money and power,” he tells them honestly. “It has been an honor to hold these positions over the years, and we feel that the underworld is in the best shape it’s ever been. For the most part, all we were managing were minor disagreements, which we feel you can navigate moving forward without our assistance. As I said, we will be around in the event of major issues, but we will no longer obtain a monthly fee for this as we will not be having a daily impact on most of the families.”
“You’re giving it up for a woman?” Christopher asks, his brows so high it’s almost comical.
“In short, yes.” Bishop smiles down at me. “We’ve had our time in the roles we created, we’ve brought peace to the city’s underworld for the most part, and now we’re going to try our hands at settling down. We want to be able to enjoy our lives and any future children we may bring into the world without having to worry about whether you’ve shorted Davenport for twelve keys of cocaine.”
“That’s fantastic.” Leroy leans forward with a smile. “We thank you for everything you’ve done in the last eight years. The decades of tension and constant war that came before you were becoming tiresome, and the peace and collaboration that has come as a result of the changes you’ve made make me more confident than ever to pass the Thorne legacy to my son in the coming months.”
“Thank you for all you’ve done, even with the challenges that have been thrown your way in the last few months,” Knox adds, omitting the fact that his cousin was the reason for a lot of those issues.
Miriam and Christopher look at one another, but neither of them says anything, but I don’t miss the nod of respect that both Donovan and Greyson send Crew’s way.
It feels like the end of an era saying goodbye to the Syndicate, but really, it’s the beginning for our family, and I can’t wait for the rest of our lives.