Page 59 of Rockland

“I know, right? Only for Paige. That Beauty has our boss wrapped around her pinky finger.” Sasha grabs her cup and takes a deep swig.

Thoughts swirl in my mind. If Bronson has to go to the Hamlet—and soon—who does that leave to run the Village? “Wait…”

“Yup. Looks like the Hamlet just got themselves a new leader.”

“But then… earlier this morning, Rockland left in kind of a rush. He said Bronson was having some sort of emergency…”

“Yeah—the plus sign on a pregnancy test kind of emergency.”

“Oh, my God. But this means⁠—”

She holds her coffee cup up toward me and says, “Hail to the queen.”

Tess

Rockland has just become the head of the family in the Village.

The day is a whirlwind. Rockland comes home for a quick lunch to confirm what I’ve already heard.

I feed him the chicken salad I’ve just made. The one with the honey and red grapes and pecans that he likes. He thanks me with a kiss, then sits down to eat. He says, “What a day. I didn’t see this coming.”

I sit across from him, too keyed up to eat. I ask, “Was he upset?”

In between bites, he answers me. “Would have been if he wasn’t so damn happy. Honestly, I think you’d be surprised at what a softy Bronson really is beneath his mafia leader persona. I think this is going to be a really good fit for him. In the Hamlet, running the legal side of the business, he won’t have to have such a hard edge. And he can focus on Paige and the baby.”

“And how do you feel about being the head of the Village? And thus, the head of the family?” The words seem surreal as I speak them. He’s unfazed.

He shrugs, taking another bite of the salad. “Fine. It’s no different from running the Parish. I’m honored to take it on. Being back—in some ways, it’s like I never left.”

“But now Carter and John are leaving for the Parish tomorrow. Who knows how soon Bronson will leave? That leaves your second and third open. Who will take those positions?”

His eyes meet mine. He asks, “Do you remember Dante?”

“The man from the boat?” The massive dude with the black tee, shaved head, and green eyes. Hard to forget.

“Yes. That’s him. He’s eager to join us. He’ll be my number three. Adrianna’s been missing me and I think she’s going to travel over with him. She’ll take Sasha and Carter’s house, Dante will take Mary and John’s.”

“But if Dante’s your number three, who’ll be your number two?” I flip through the men of the Brotherhood, trying to guess before he answers.

His gaze rises to meet mine. He says, “You.”

My mind stops spinning. He must be kidding. I smile. “You’re joking.”

“Do I ever kid about business?”

He doesn’t. I say, “Me?”

He looks at me as if I’m crazy to question him. As if it’s the most logical decision in the world. He wipes his hands on the napkin, takes a swig of iced tea. “Yes. You.”

“I… but… I’m a woman.”

He shrugs. “I think that makes you all the more qualified. We could use your perspective. Management is a little cock heavy at the moment.”

“But I thought… I mean—everything the Village has been built on is the idea of women being protected, submissive⁠—”

He winks at me. “You’ll still submit to me, sweetheart. In our relationship and in the bedroom. But in business, I already view you as an equal. You’ve been running the numbers for this Village over seven years and there isn’t a man in this family who can keep up with your math skills. You’re brilliant, strong, a hard worker. Devoted to the family, loyal to the Village. You’d be a wonderful addition to the team.”

“What about the Brotherhood? The secrets, the initiation?”