Page 12 of Glitter & Guns

“She’d be so proud of you, Astin,” Mathis said, pulling me into a side hug as we paused in front of a door on the third floor of the house. “This is you. Your old man’s room is on the other side at the end of the hall. He wanted to give you some space so you didn’t feel like he was crowding you but close enough if you ever needed him.”

Mathis opened the door and stepped back for me to take a look at the room. The first space was a sitting room with an overstuffed couch and armchair facing a television with bookshelves on either side. It looked like someone already started to unpack my things from the New York house. The room’s color palette was of soft pinks, grays, and creams with fluffy blankets making the whole space inviting and someplace I could escape to and relax. Moving further into the space, I found double doors that led to an office decorated in all grays with a more modern touch with built-in bookcases and large windows facing the backyard, making it feel more open. Through the office was the bedroom that carried the same colors as the office but more white and light blue. The bed was giant and had a cushioned platform frame around it so it looked like it was sunken into the floor. All the furniture was white with simple, clean lines, but like the sitting room, everything was soft fabric and begged me to snuggle in. More windows from floor-to-ceiling took up one wall, hiding the French doors that opened onto a patio overlooking the pool.

“Dare I even ask why the bed is big enough to fit a whole family?” I chuckled, turning to look at my uncle.

He just shrugged and shook his head. “He hired a designer, and they said it was the latest trend to make the bed a statement feature. Kept telling the old man he had a vision for the room that would be perfect. Clearly, they thought you needed a bed big enough for any size slumber party you might want to have.”

“This has to take custom sheets and everything.” I laughed. “Oh God, Daddy got suckered into buying something ridiculous, but I love that he tried.”

Opening one of the doors in the sleeping portion of my room, I found a walk-in closet that was more like a mini boutique. All my clothes and accessories were put away along with new additions I was going to have to check out later. The other door led to a bathroom that should have been in a resort spa, not my bedroom. Although I couldn’t argue that the tub was everything a tub-loving woman could dream of.

“Is this the last of it, or is there a trap door somewhere I’m missing to the super-secret hideout?” I called as I returned to the sitting room where Mathis was relaxing on the couch.

Grinning, he patted the spot next to him. “Nope, I think half a wing is enough space for one person, don’t you?”

“It’s massive,” I agreed, plopping down beside him. “Like having my own apartment inside the house. It’s just missing a kitchen, then I’d never have to leave the place.”

We both laughed and enjoyed the fact we were back together again. The smile on my face faded as I looked at my uncle with a serious expression. “So, you gonna give me a heads-up on how bad the fallout’s gonna be? Or do I just get to find out when I show up at the next meeting with bullets flying everywhere?”

Mathis pulled me against him, and he rested his head on top of mine. My uncles have always been extra affectionate. With the training they put me through after high school, they used it as a way to show me no matter how hard they pushed me or how rough things got, we were still family. Being the only girl out of the kids in our family doesn’t hurt either. I guess you could say I was a tiny bit spoiled.

“Your old man did everything he could to get things ready for you to take your place, Astin. Problem is, he was reaching the point where leaving the spot open was causing problems. They were trying to get your half-brother into the spot instead of you. The boy is much easier to manipulate, whereas they don’t have a clue what to expect with you. Being the first woman in power is more than a statement, it’s changing all the rules. So many of them, even the younger generation, are brainwashed by their fathers to believe women can’t run a business. Obviously,wedon’t agree since we’ve been fighting for you to do this the whole time.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

“It’s not going to be pretty,” he stated. “They’re going to push you to the breaking point, squirt. You’re in the big leagues now, where all the players have bloody hands and don’t mind shedding a little more if it gets them what they want,” Mathis continued, not really telling me anything new. “The best we could do is create a support system with your lieutenants. The plan is your old man will be working with the other heads of the allied families, leaving the rest to you. When those bastards hear the news, it will be a waiting game to see who will retaliate first.”

“You mean like the bikers who run drug distribution or the Aprians who think they rule the border?” I questioned, trying to figure out who would be the bigger threat.

“Don’t forget the local gangs who are the dealers and don’t like being the small fish in the city. They give us our cut for getting the goods here and keeping law enforcement off them, but if they feel like they have a reason to rebel, they will. We don’t know when it’s gonna happen or if it will. All that depends on how you handle yourself right out the gate. I know you’re trained to be as deadly as we could make you, but training versus actually having to kill someone are two extremely different situations.”

“Mathis, are you worried I won’t follow through?” I asked as I pulled away from him to see his face. “I know I haven’t always shown it, but this is what I want for my life. Already I can see how to improve things for the family, better ways of doing business as well as new avenues to gain power and leverage. The only way I’m not going to runmyfamily business is if I’m dead. Don’t worry about me. I’ll make sure they know messing with me is the last thing they want to do.”

He kissed my forehead and got up from the couch. “Glad to hear it, squirt. I always hassled your old man about never asking you if you even wanted to do this. It puts me at ease to know you do, and whatever happens next will be worth getting you to this point. Get some sleep. You have your first meeting with your lieutenants after breakfast.”

Mathis opened my bedroom door then paused, looking over his shoulder at me. “Oh, I should probably mention they live here in the main house and not just on the property like Athos and I do. Your old man wanted them to be at your beck and call no matter the time of day.” With a wink that had me even more suspicious of Daddy’s motives regarding these men, he left.

I decided that was a problem for another day, and I was wiped out after all the excitement. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was two in the morning. Father always had breakfast served at seven-thirty sharp—he didn’t give a shit what happened the day before. The man had a cruel streak when it came to routine—if you didn’t follow it, you went without. He’d made sure Glenda upheld his routine even in the Huntingford house so when I got home, it was normal life.

The shrill sound of my alarm pulled me out of a deep sleep, the kind where you don’t know what day it is or where you are when you open your eyes.

Of course, being in a different room doesn’t help things either, but after a moment, I remembered I was back home in Eastrose at the family estate. Groaning, I crawled out of my giant bed and shuffled into the bathroom where I looked at myself in the mirror. I’d been so tired, I broke the cardinal rule of skin care. I didn’t wash my makeup off before going to bed, so I looked like the girl fromThe Ring.

“Oh God,” I muttered, brushing my hair back out of my face. “Shower, we need a shower, stat.”

The shower was one that didn’t have a door—you just walked around the curved wall into the wide-open tiled space. I fiddled with the overly high-tech panel to get the shower on and found the whole ceiling was the showerhead. Another button turned on the sprayer heads in the walls, so no matter where I stood, I wasn’t left out in the cold. Whoever came up with this concept was a godsend, and I’d kiss them for making this experience happen. As much as I wanted to linger, I knew I didn’t have time. I’d only given myself thirty minutes to get ready and make it downstairs to the dining room on time. I’d spotted it last night on the first floor and guessed that’s where we’d be eating.

Once I was clean, I blow-dried my hair and was thankful for its ability to pin straight naturally, leaving me with less work in the end. Quickly, I put on a simple combination of makeup and headed for the closet. Today would most likely be full of meetings and getting up to speed on what was happening in the family business. Then there was the whole figuring out what the hell to do with the lieutenants.

Slipping into tight black slacks and a silk ivory wrap shirt, I wanted to keep business casual but added a little flair with the metallic rose gold heels. Grabbing my phone, I headed out into the hall, moving swiftly down the stairs trying to clasp my watch and ended up crashing right into someone. I bounced off them as the impact knocked me off balance, and just when I thought I was going to eat shit, a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back against their chest.

“Whoa there, Tin-Tin,” Ryker chuckled. “Someone’s cutting it a little close to breakfast.”

I groaned internally. Of course, it would be Ryker because the universe was just that cruel to me. “Clearly, I’m not the only one if you’re here and not already in the dining room.”

“Your father asked me to come get you in case you didn’t know where the dining room was,” Ryker explained with a creased brow, clearly surprised by my snarky attitude.

The two of us always had an easy friendship. He’d never been on the receiving end of the tongue lashings I gave to others when they deserved it. “We just going to stand here, or are you going to show me where to go?”

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