I’d handle him myself if he didn’t.
I held up my hands for silence after another minute of laughter and drinking. Ivan and Igor shushed the room like librarians then gestured for me to take the floor again. I nodded my thanks then held my hands out toward Leigh, fingers pointed toward her.
“You all might’ve noticed we have a special guest today.”
“We couldn’t help but notice,” Camillo said. “Since you brought a little something for the table.”
Some laughter, but most of the guys looked wary. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath then opened them again.
“Come here, Cam.”
He hesitated, still smiling at his own joke, then stood up. “What’s the matter?”
“Come here.”
He walked around the table, sauntering toward me with a grin. I waited until he was within range then slapped him across the face with an open palm.
He stared at me, shocked. His cheek turned read and he let loose an animal growl, fist cocked back and ready to smash in my face—but Rolan stood up and grabbed his arm.
“You fucking prick,” Camillo said. “What the fuck is with you and this bitch? What do you—”
I slammed my fist into his face and felt the little bones in his nose crunch and snap. He grunted in paint as blood squirted from both his nostrils, staining his lips, chin, and shirt red.
“I warned you,” I said. “I tried to slap some sense into you. But now you went too far, mother fucker.”
Rolan released him and Camillo dropped to his knees, gripping his face, and bleeding on the expensive green and gold rug. I’d have to pay to have that cleaned ore replaced, but it was worth it.
I stared at the rest of the men. “Leigh’s one of us now. I know you don’t like it and I know you all think a woman can’t be part of the crew. But she’s a partner in the pill game, and if you all don’t fucking like it, you can get up and walk the fuck out of here. You can follow Camillo and fuck off.”
Silence. Everyone stared.
Leigh took a breath, let it out, then smiled at the guys.
“Nice to meet everyone.”
The sound of her soft, girlish voice, mixed with the pained grunts of Camillo, and combined with the heavy, tense vibe around the table made every single one of my guys burst out laughing.
She grinned at them and winked at me.
I shook my head, smiling. Only Camillo didn’t laugh, since he was too busy trying to stem the floor of blood from his face. He returned to his seat and shoved a napkin up his nostrils, grunting in pain as Danny jammed his elbow into his shoulder.
“Leigh’s taking on a lot of risk to help us move our product. She deserves a seat at the table as much as any of you do. I understand she won’t be out there killing on the front lines—but she’s already bled for me, more than some of you have. I need you all to get over your macho shit and accept her right now, because I don’t have time for you to be a bunch of weak, emasculated little man babies.”
“Hear you loud and clear boss,” Ivan said. “She’s cool in my book.”
“Girls, boys, I don’t give a shit, so long as we all make money,” Ignore added.
“I’m glad I have your approval.” Leigh pasted a smile on her lips and leaned forward. “I look forward to doing business with you gentlemen.”
Danny cackled. “Gentlemen? The girl don’t know us at all, boss.”
“I’m a gentleman,” Viktor said.
The room stared at him. He shrugged and smoked his cigarette.
“That’s all I got for now. I need you all to get on board. More orders are coming down the pipe, and some of those order might be dangerous. Prepare for war, boys and girls. Now drink, eat, and don’t be a dick.”
I sat down, kicked my feet out, picked up a glass of whisky, and drank it.
Leigh stood before the guys could start talking. She raised her glass.
“To the crew,” she said, “and to making a lot of money.”
She got a good cheer from that. The boys drank back their whisky, and she slammed hers down her throat.
I watched her carefully as she sat down and the boys went back to smoking, drinking, and playing cards.
She shouldn’t have fit in this room, but somehow she did, or at least she was good at faking it. I had to admit, I was impressed by her performance. Camillo wanted to intimidate and scare her, but she didn’t give him what he wanted, and that won her more points with the others.
That was good. That was real fucking good.
I needed harmony in the crew right now. If they started talking shit about having a girl at the table then things might start going bad, and with the Jackals breathing down my neck, I couldn’t have that.
Leigh was here to stay. And they were going to have to accept it.
I drank my whisky and let the night unfold, and when it was over and the guys left full of steak and drink and reeking of cigar smoke, I took Leigh back to my house, dragged her into my bed, and tasted her until the sun rose the next morning.
20
Leigh
I stood at the front desk of my store and stared out the windows at the familiar view. Couples walked past, groups of young men laughed and pushed each other, old women in workout gear traveled in tight-knit packs, and the world moved along like it always had.
The shop was different. I couldn’t make it look exactly like it used to and maybe I didn’t want that. I was starting fresh, starting a new life—and I needed a decor to match.
I sold a few shirts in the morning, and around noon a guy came in wearing khakis and a
