It was too expensive for what was around it. The inlay made the rest look cheaper, damaged. The design should complement and raise the value of the room around it.
This failed on all levels. The regency table did not match the vintage metal patina plant stand. The gold sheen clashed with the wrought iron of the stair’s railings and the fine filigreed work.
If one had decided to cherry pick some pieces from a catalog of different periods and aesthetics, you might have come up with this.
The fact a sitting room was directly off the foyer and boasted Georgian pieces, rather than Regency or wrought-iron didn’t promise comfort for decorations or seating.
A line of paintings decorated the walls ascending to the next floor. One of them looked a great deal like Em and I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Not that I had time to study it as the man we were here to see descended the steps.
Dressed in a button down shirt, tie, and slacks, he looked like he’d just gotten up from his desk at the office. He’d failed to put on his coat though.
“Emersyn,” King said as he reached the last step and focused on her. For the most part, my best friend just folded her arms when King held out a hand to her. “It’s good to see you.”
“Can’t say it’s mutual,” she fired back. I was very fond of the bluntness. While Em had never been cruel, she’d always gone for the quiet response. The one to mitigate the damage and to disguise how bad things might be.
Not anymore.
“Understood,” King said slowly, though there was no mistaking his disappointment or disapproval. He glanced over the Vandals but continued to study all of us until his gaze landed on Milo. “Son.”
“Asshole,” Milo answered.
Another sigh.
“You know what, Jeff,” Doc said as he stepped forward. It cut King off from being able to even approach Emersyn. My initial judgment where he was concerned was a very large question mark.
Doc was much older than Milo and Em. He’d known Milo since he was a boy. But the radical age difference wasn’t what gave me pause or caution. It was the familiarity with Em when she was a baby and his ties to Milo that were closer than family in some ways.
Some.
Still, he made Em happy. That I could never fault.
“Let’s save the bullshit. No one wants to hear it and you really can’t sell it anymore.” He gestured to the other room. “If you want us to sit somewhere, lead the way.”
“Mickey J,” King practically tsked as he turned to lead us through to another room. Probably an office or a library. Somewhere he held the power.
Instead of pausing at Em, though he had glanced at her, King came to a stop in front of me.
“Miss Benedict?” He offered his arm. Milo didn’t make a sound. None of them did. But if looks could kill, I was pretty sure King would have been dead at least a dozen times over.
“If you insist,” I murmured. We had goals for being here. While I couldn’t stand the man, I was also not as personally invested as everyone else beyond what he’d done to my best friend and my lovers.
They were very much my personal investment.
“I do,” King said as my hand came to settle on the crook of his arm. He didn’t attempt to touch me in any other way and merely walked through the foyer and into the sitting room, then beyond it to what was ostensibly a library. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Perhaps,” I said, considering it. “Why don’t I get the drinks for everyone and the rest of you talk?” After all, he wanted to talk to Em and to Milo.
Those were the important ones.
King frowned briefly, but the fact he nearly ran into Bodhi when he turned seemed to give him more pause. Bodhi didn’t say a word. He also didn’t look away. In fact, King was definitely the one to stop the staring contest first.
“If you insist,” King murmured, parroting my earlier comment.
“Of course,” I looped my purse strap across my chest so I didn’t have to set it down and I turned to the room. “What can I get for you?”
“Milkshakes are probably not on the list, are they?” Freddie’s question splintered the frostiness in the air and I grinned at him.
“Unfortunately, no, they aren’t. But I can check on beer or soda.”
Freddie didn’t normally drink, so it was a safe bet he’d go for the soda or nothing at all. “Soda’s fine, or water.” He cut a look toward King. “I’m not picky.”
The man snorted. It didn’t take long to get drink orders from everyone. As I took over the bar, Bodhi drifted along with me. He just shook his head when I asked if he wanted anything.
While everyone waited for their drinks, they divided, putting most of them on one side of the room with King on the other. Based on Milo’s interrogations, most of King’s security had quit. Arguably, some had just disappeared, but you might as well say they quit.
Apparently, the odds weren’t in their favor.
Who would have thunk it?
King chose a cognac to drink. I poured a small measure for myself. Opened wine for Em, though she’d just shrugged. Beers for some of the boys. Water and soda for everyone else.
The only drink I delivered was King’s because he hadn’t come anywhere near the bar. Since I had both glasses, I gave him the choice of which he would have.
“Thank you,” he murmured and I raised my own glass in a quiet salute before I sampled a mouthful. It was sweet, but also spicy. The rich flavor demanded attention. It warmed the belly and spread that heat through the rest of me.
“You’re welcome.”
I crossed to where Em had taken a seat. None of the guys were really sitting, so I just settled on the arm of her chair. She shot me a quick smile, then we focused on King.
