Page 83 of A Vicious Love

“You heard me.”

“I don’t panic.”

“You do,” he said. “You just make it everyone else’s emergency.”

I threw the cigarette into the ashtray hard enough to scatter ash over the desk.

“I don’t give a fuck about Sienna Bellemere.”

The sentence landed badly. I knew it before either brother reacted. Because it was too loud.

Harrison leaned back a little, studying me with the sort of infuriating pity that made me want to break expensive furniture.

“Sure,” he said.

Marcel set his drink down. “Then you won’t mind when Damius moves the merger.”

“What did you say?”

“He’s coming tonight.” Marcel’s voice stayed even.

Of fucking course he was. Apparently, Damius Crow had decided my life required scheduled haunting now.

“Good. I’ll have the staff put out dust sheets.”

Harrison didn’t laugh. That was how I knew it was worse than I wanted it to be.

The corpse arrived after midnight. He entered my office. His eyes moved over Marcel, Harrison, then me.

“Family gathering,” Damius said.

Harrison lifted his glass. “We were just leaving.”

“No,” Damius replied.

Harrison sat back down.

That was Damius. One word and the room remembered gravity. Marcel remained standing near the sideboard. I stayed behind my desk because I refused to give the old bastard the satisfaction of seeing me move first.

Damius looked at the Harrington files spread across my desk.

“Productive week.”

“Spare me.”

His gaze rose to mine. “No.”

“Oh, lovely. We’re starting there.” Harrison sighed.

Damius ignored him.

“The Bellemere matter ends now,” he said.

My hand tightened on the edge of the desk.

“I told you I’d handle it.”

“No,” Damius said. “You told me nothing of value. Repeatedly.” He moved deeper into the office, his hands clasped behind his back. “Three years have passed since the official announcement. Three years of a girl displayed as Crow-intended without the protection of becoming Crow.”