Page 33 of They Will Burn

I shove the door open and throw the keys to the valet, barely taking a second to make sure he works for the hotel, and then stroll into the lobby. My gaze darts around for the meeting rooms, and I finally find a hallway full of security guards.

Can never be too careful, I suppose.

It’s one of Thorne’s men who sees us first, his face paling slightly as he takes us both in, but we don’t stop as we make our way toward the door they’re all surrounding. How fucking obvious are these idiots?

I mentally roll my eyes as I reach for the door handle, only for someone to grasp my shoulder. “You can’t go in there,” they snap, and I turn my glare to them. The guy is big, but I don’t recognize him, meaning he probably hasn’t been in the game for long. I guess it’s time to teach him a valuable lesson about who owns this city.

Without missing a beat, my hand shoots out and wraps around his thick neck, and I shove him against the wall behind him. His huge body cracks against the stark white plaster, and his brown eyes flare with a moment of panic when no one immediately jumps in to help him.

“I think you’ll find we can go wherever the fuck we want,” I growl.

Kovu chuckles behind me. “These assholes will never learn.”

I release him and turn back to the door. Time to get this show on the road.

He pushes the door open, and we both walk in, leaving it wide open for their guards to see exactly who they’re fucking with.

Davenport sits at one end of the long table, his shoulders relaxed like he thinks he’s the king of the fucking jungle. If I didn’t know better, I’d wonder if his insistence on overthrowing us has more to do with his desire to take our place than it does with his desire to expand his businesses.

Knox is sitting beside him, his eyes meeting mine and a small smirk tugging up the corners of his lips. Most wouldn’t notice the slight move, but I’ve been doing this for too many years not to see every single move my opponent makes.

On the right side of the table sit Leroy and Noah Thorne, their matching ice-blue eyes peering up at us with no surprise to see us here. Beside them sit Christopher and Greyson Knight. The former seems somewhat surprised to find us strolling in, but Greyson’s expressionless face doesn’t budge as he looks at us like he does the rest of the world, with nothing more than boredom.

On the other side of the table, Miriam Sterling sits with her son, Donovan. Her creased eyes flare with annoyance at our presence, but his amber eyes seem almost amused by the interruption. If there’s one heir I’m looking forward to taking over, it’s him. Miriam is nothing more than a pain in our ass, and the day she’s six feet under will be a cause for celebration. And beside them sit Michael and Scott De Marco. Fear shoots across both their matching green eyes, further proving exactly why they’re not fit to have the role they’ve stepped into. Hell, I’m surprised Michael’s even lucid enough to be here. Normally he’s drunk by midday and passed out by three, if the stories I’ve heard are anything to go by.

“Did you start without us?” I ask, a smirk toying at the corners of my lips.

“You actually weren’t on the invite list,” Davenport snarls, his eyes locked on us as he rises to his feet. “This is not a meeting you need to be privy to.”

Kovu chuckles as he strolls further into the room, throwing himself into one of the few free seats and crossing his ankles. He’s the picture of calm despite the tension radiating through the room. “Actually, I think considering this little meeting you’re having here is about us, we should definitely be here for it.”

“Plus, if you’re going to have a meeting of the five families, you should probably make sure you don’t miss any of the leaders,” Crew says as he strolls into the room with Camilla hot on his heels.

Her dark hair is pulled into a high-styled ponytail, and the dress she’s wearing is as dangerous as it is elegant. She glides with ease despite the height of her heels, and she doesn’t tear her eyes off Davenport as she steps behind her uncle and cousin. “Thanks for keeping my seat warm, but you can both go.”

They stare up at her with a mixture of shock and horror, but neither of them seems to be able to find the words to deny her.

Davenport slams his hands down on the table, and Camilla graces him with her gaze, a brow quirked up and a smirk tugging up one corner of his lips.

“You can catch me up once these two are gone. Neither of them is my number two, so there’s no need for them to stay,” she tells him.

“What the fuck do you mean we’re not your number two? We’re the only family you have.” Scott barks, his green eyes wild with anger, and it takes all my strength not to step between them, not to protect my woman, when that’s the only thing that makes sense to me right now.

“I mean, neither of you are capable enough to stand by my side.” She shrugs. “I guess there’s a reason my father chose to start training me at eight rather than consider having either of you as his heir.”

“If you’re the rightful heir, then where the fuck have you been for the last two months?” Miriam snaps, her cold hazel eyes settling on Camilla.

“I was recovering. Unfortunately, Davenport’s men made an unsanctioned attack on me after my father was already dead, and I was incapacitated up until last week, when I was kidnapped by Davenport. If you’ll refer to page sixteen of the contract you each signed with the Syndicate, you’ll find both of those actions are in breach of the bylaws.”

Leroy chuckles from the other side of the table, his icy gaze amused.

“How the fuck would you know? You’re not even the rightful leader of this family,” Scott snaps.

Camilla draws a calming breath, her gaze calm and controlled, as she pulls a knife from seemingly nowhere and holds it to his throat. “I’ve asked nicely out of courtesy because we’re family, but I’m growing impatient. You can either get the fuck out of this room by your own merit, or I’ll slit your throat. I’m sure the decision shouldn’t be too hard for you to make.”

Kovu groans next to me, and I know without looking at him that his cock has reacted the same way mine has at her threat. Perhaps I was kidding myself when I thought Camilla wasn’t the woman for us, but as she stands before us today, I know with every fiber of my being that she’s the only one that could ever go toe to toe with us.

Her uncle looks between her and his son before shoving his chair back. The sound of the metal dragging along the floor makes me cringe.

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