Page 27 of Consort of the Crime Queen

Now I definitely want to smack him. Hard.

Ricky glowers at Tony. "Fuck off, Tony. I didn't see you with your gun out that night. You were hiding behind a fucking wall."

Before Tony can respond, Hadria cuts in, voice glacial. "That's enough, both of you. Are you questioning my leadership, Ricky?"

Every eye swivels between them. Ricky's jaw works, but he doesn't back down.

"Of course not," he says. "But I thought this was a Syndicate, not a dictatorship. As your lieutenant, I should get to speak freely."

"You are no longer a lieutenant," Hadria pronounces coldly.

"Hear, hear!" Tony crows, and I can barely stop myself from throwing something at his stupid head.

Hadria ignores Tony, piercing Ricky with her arctic stare. "Get out. But hang around, Ricky. We'll have words later."

Ricky shoves back his chair and stalks out. The door slams behind him with an ominous finality. My dread deepens. What will Hadria do to him for daring to question her so openly? Surely she won't have him killed…right?

I sneak a worried glance at Lyssa. Our eyes meet and her forehead creases in concern before she smooths her expression. Trust Lyssa not to openly react.

Abruptly standing, Lyssa addresses the group in a carrying voice, cutting through the mutters. "Enough chatter. Listen to Hades."

The Syndicate members obediently turn their attention back to Hadria. But as Hadria begins speaking, going over the precautions and protocols she wants Syndicate members to take on jobs for the near future, I drift into troubled thoughts.

Not a member, she said. So what am I to her? Just a pawn, still? Bait to control Nero?

A weak, pretty little thing for her to bed?

What the hell would earn me an equal place at this table in her eyes? Because this seat I'm in is obviously just for show.

Hadria concludes her briefing, oblivious to my turbulent thoughts, and then heads immediately to her office at the side of the war room. As the others file out, I slowly approach the door and knock on it, ignoring Lyssa's warning glance from across the room.

Time for some tough conversations.

Hadria sits ramrod straight, flipping through paperwork with feigned nonchalance. I know she's anything but calm beneath that veneer of control. Her knuckles are white around the pen.

Sensing my presence, she looks up with one eyebrow quirked. "Shouldn't you be training?"

I lift my chin. "We need to talk. About Ricky." And about me.

Hadria's eyes instantly harden. "He disrespected my authority publicly. I won't let that stand unpunished."

She returns her attention to the paperwork, a clear dismissal. Anger sparks in my chest.

Striding forward, I plant my hands on her desk and lean down to force her gaze back to me. We stare at each other from inches away.

"Reconsider his demotion," I implore softly but firmly. "Please. He meant well, he just wants?—"

"It doesn't matter what he wants!" Hadria snaps. "I am the leader of this Syndicate. If I allow challenges and dissent, everything will unravel."

I press on gently. "I understand that. But you told me yourself, a kind heart can be a strength, too." I reach for her hand and she stares down at my fingers on hers. "Ricky is a good man. Loyal. He only wants what's best for the Syndicate."

Hadria remains silent, but her rigid posture relaxes slightly under my touch. Sensing an opening, I move closer.

"He cared enough about me to raise an uncomfortable truth." I gaze at her beseechingly. "Promise me you'll reinstate him. Please."

Hadria sighs, eyes conflicted. "Ricky should have known better than to raise it in public. He could have come to me privately."

"Or maybe he knew you'd never tell him the truth if he didn't confront you publicly," I counter.

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