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I smiled. “Good. Now, let’s talk about tomorrow.”
Grey took us through plans for Gilded’s opening night, including the vastly smaller to-do list. True to his word, he’d taken care of everything, and when I’d stopped in the day before, the club had looked completely new. The bars were done, the booths set up, and everything was perfect, including the woman rehearsing onstage. It was a goddamn miracle, and I pretended that the hours he’d been putting in at the club were the reason I hadn’t seen him since Dominic’s little announcement.
Deny, deny, deny.
Speaking of the asshole in question… As soon as Grey finished, it was time to open the floor for the others to speak. “Who has something to discuss?”
Dominic waved a lazy hand and stood. “As most of you know, I’ve come home to offer myself as the new underboss. No one can replace Rey, but I hope to do justice to Mari’s goals and honor his loss in the best way I can.”
Cameron nodded, eyes downcast as he picked at a vein in the wood grain beneath his fingers.
“We all know the rules at this table,” I said. “Dominic needs a majority vote to be considered for underboss. Do we have any nominations?”
Joaquin grinned. “I think we all know there’s plenty of room for another Marcosa man in this empire. I’ll be the first nomination.”
Shocker.
Despite the failure of the marriage between our parents, Dominic had kept the family name. When I’d asked my father, he’d explained it was a sign of respect toward us. It didn’t read as the full truth to me, but Mario didn’t give up information freely and I’d never been willing to pay his prices. He’d made no secret of how much he loved Dominic and how much his brothers still did. If I weren’t careful, my uncles would be marrying me off to him within a year.
It was no surprise when Dominic was unanimously voted in.
I could practically feel Greyson fuming from his place at my back, but I didn’t turn around. No way did I want to open that can of worms in front of everyone. We’d go someplace private after so he could vent his heart away. Maybe it would put us back together again. I didn’t like the distance between us.
With the voting done, it was time for me to keep my word. “With approval from all four of my capos, I accept Dominic Marcosa as my new underboss. Welcome to the family.”
I leaned over the table to press a customary kiss to his cheek. Dominic turned at the last second, giving me more lip than anything else. It was the first time we’d kissed since I was sixteen, and it still felt the same. Powerful and drugging.
Dangerous.
Before I could even react, he was gone, surrounded by the others in a shower of congratulations. He turned back, eyes locked on my lips when he said, “It’s good to be home.”
I wanted to leave. To have a moment in private where I could overthink what had just happened. As I peeked around at the others, it seemed only one person had seen the kiss.
Greyson.
Of course, it was another power play. Suddenly, I was just tired. The men hated each other, they always had, but I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with it. “Does anyone else have anything to discuss?”
Dominic turned back to me with a secret grin, and I just knew I wasn’t going to like what he said.
“What’s the security like at this new club? Gilded, is it?”
Ah Christ. He was going for gold in the Piss Off Grey Olympics.
“I’ve got it handled.” Grey shifted behind me, and his rage cloud got a little bigger. I wondered if I’d be choking on it soon enough.
“And Mari? What about her security for opening night?”
“Why don’t you worry about your own position and leave me to mine.” It was not a suggestion, and we all knew it. Connected as we’d always been, I could feel the fraying of Greyson’s temper. Trying to head off the argument I felt brewing, I stepped in. “I have the same personal security I always have.”
Greyson. He was my backup, and opening night would be no different.
Dominic grinned, razor-sharp and lethal. “Pretty sure Mari is my position. I’m supposed to be her heir. That means her safety is my highest priority, especially with these Aces assholes running around.” He turned to me. “One man won’t work anymore, not after the attack on Rey and these Aces barging into your territory. You need more coverage than just him.”
Greyson stepped up at my side, subtly pinning my seat between him and Dominic. Great. “Have all your years plowing through Chicago’s finest given you anything helpful to add, or are you just trying to annoy me?”
I ignored the urge to flinch. Dominic isn’t yours. What he did, does, and will do is none of your business.
Deny. Deny. Deny.
