Bleu drops her head and sighs. “Dammit. I was so looking forward to seeing what you classified as an act so dirty it should never be done in the light of day.”
I kiss the back of her head and pull her skirt down to cover her bum. I pat it lovingly before helping her to stand. “Later. You have my word.”
“That’s a promise I’ll expect you to keep.”
* * *
My wife is pleasant to Linsey when they’re introduced but I don’t mistake their meeting for anything other than what it is—the calm before the storm. Linsey has a special kind of hell waiting for her, and its name is Bleu Breckenridge.
Since I have last-minute preparations for court, I place Bleu in the capable hands of my mum’s oldest and dearest friend, Treva, for a tour of the third floor.
I’m finishing up the final touches of my argument when my father appears at my office door. “Got a minute?”
I look at the clock. “I have exactly fourteen to spare.”
“Good. What I have to say can be said in thirteen.”
“That’ll be all, Linsey.”
“Yes, sir.”
My father waits until the door is shut. It’s his way. He never talks shop in front of anyone but those who sit at the leadership table. Doesn’t matter how trivial. “You must be proud to see your wife showing an interest in BI.”
“Of course. Mum was right to suggest Bleu make a visit.”
“I agree. It’s very important for Bleu to understand the business part of The Fellowship but as your wife, she has another very important job as well. Is she aware of the expectations placed upon her?”
I’m a little surprised my father is already bringing this up. “She knows and it’s in the works.”
My father grins. “Bleu’s already pregnant?”
“Not yet, but she’s agreed to work on it. We saw a doctor last week and he gave us the go-ahead.” I’m not telling my father about Bleu’s reproductive issues. It’ll only cause unnecessary concern.
“My grandchildren will be Amanda’s grandchildren. They’ll each carry a small piece of her and me in them. You can’t imagine how incredibly special that will make them to me.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“Your mum will be so pleased to have a baby in the family. She adores children.”
“I suspect as much.” I’m certain my mum is itching to get her hands on a grandchild since all of her children were taken from her so young.
I understand my father did what he thought was right for The Fellowship but he was wrong. And I don’t plan on repeating his mistakes. He needs to know this early on. “If we have a son, I won’t take him from her.”
“You don’t have a choice. Your son must be raised in The Fellowship way.”
“And he will be—raised by both of his parents.”
“The brotherhood will not agree.”
“Their approval is not a requirement.”
“Your son will be a weak leader if he’s not raised among strong councilmen.”
My father is wrong. “I’m stronger with Bleu by my side. The same will be true for our children. End of story.”
Chapter Fifteen
Bleu Breckenridge
Treva has shown me far more than I ever wanted to see on the third floor housing BI. The average person walking through would only see a nice business front. What they wouldn’t pick up on is the slew of illegal activities happening behind the scenes.
They steal from thieves, terrorists, rival criminal organizations, and so on. I find myself justifying the acts they commit. The longer I’m one of them, the easier it is to turn a blind eye. The agent I was a year ago would never have done that.
I return to the legal department and to Sin’s office. I sit in his chair and pick up the framed photo of us on his desk. It was taken at my initiation during the vow ceremony. He had just cut my hand, and then his own. Our fingers are laced, a trickle of blood oozing down our arms. It was such a primitive thing for him to do. And hot. I still remember how much I wanted him afterward.
My phone alerts me to a new message.
*Tied up with a client. Don’t know how long I’ll be. See you at home in a little while. Love you.*
Well, no christening the couch tonight. And no dirty deeds that should never see the light of day. Not that they would have anyway. It’s already dark out.
I pull on my coat and situate my scarf so I don’t freeze my ass off when I walk out into the frigid wind. It’s going to take awhile for this southern girl to grow accustomed to the cold.
I leave my husband’s office and find Linsey sitting at her desk. It’s after five o’clock and she’s the only one left—besides me.
“Linsey.” She jerks at the sound of my voice. She’s undeniably surprised to see me.
She clears her voice and does a terrible job of forcing a faux cough as I move toward her. She fidgets, straightening stacks of files on her desk, moving the same pile three times.
“Did you have a good day touring BI?”
“Very good, thank you.”
I’m not like other women. I don’t feed into female drama. I’ve never played their catty games and I won’t now. But I strongly suspect this woman is hanging around the office to steal a moment with my husband. She needs to understand that’s unacceptable and I won’t tolerate it.
I wheel an empty chair from a neighboring vacant desk into Linsey’s space. I sit so we’re facing one another.
My original plan was to get in her face, threaten her with bodily harm if she ever tried that shit with my husband again. The scene played out in my head most of the morning. But my plan has changed. The strong woman Sin needs by his side wouldn’t deal with this situation in that manner.
Leadership isn’t a position or title. It’s action and example. Everyone is watching to see how I’ll react to the problems thrown my way.
“Say my name, Linsey.”
“Mrs. Breckenridge.” Her eyes are large, her voice unsteady.
“Correct. I’m Mrs. Breckenridge. That means Sin has a wife so there’s only room for one woman in his bed.”
“I … ”
I hold my hand up to silence her. “Distrust is our only defense against betrayal. And I’d like to thank you for making it clear early on that I should never trust you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” There’s little that annoys me more than a woman playing dumb.
“Sin will be leader of The Fellowship when Thane steps down. I’m his wife. That will make me your leader. You’ve already lost my trust. Do you really want to lose my respect as well?”