CHAPTER 56
Noah Monterey sat down in the single available chair in the room reserved for him. He then stared at every member on the seat. To his right was Gabriel of course. He was always seated at the head table as if to reinforce the fact that he was the boss here. Gabriel was drunk. It only meant one thing; trouble. He noted that and promised himself not to get worked up by whatever the man said or do, on this table. Not that he couldn't handle any of his wars. But Gabriel's demons were his own and he be damned to help him face them in his current predicament now.
To the left was Nate, looking boyish as ever. Noah had no doubt he just got pulled from one of his many flings. Which one was it? He didn't need to see the lady to know it was someone vetted and approved by his brother; Gaby. Nate knew how hot headed his brother was and he did all he could to stay out of his way. Smart! It was the best gift he could ever give Noah who had enough running with Gaby over every situation. At least with Nate, he didn't have any serious clash with his cousin. The only time he had to butt in was when they dragged money. Yes, Nate wasn't just a flirt, he was a spendaholic. If a word that serious ever exist.
Beside Nate was Samantha seated gaily and poised. Though reserved, Samantha was the smartest of the Monterey. Perhaps being a woman gave her that edge. She wouldn't interfere with Gaby's affair. And she was smart to also run every of her suggestions by Noah, who was far more reasonable than Gaby. She wasn't the same sibling with any of them. Like all of them, her parents and other siblings died during the war. And though it hurts to lose so many loved ones that way, she had seen firsthand what her family was capable of. A lot had happened while growing up with them right in her presence. Perhaps her deep insight came from knowing so much about the family business. As a girl, most men would have kept her away from the shady family business but not Barry Monterey, her father. He was one of the toughest men he knew. He had also seen nothing wrong in letting his kids know about his family and the business they run.
Her father had raised his boys tough and his girls tougher. Samantha had seen more blood in her life than she wanted to. She was barely twelve when she saw him shoot a man who stole his money. She had been trained to shoot at fifteen. At sixteen, her dad had taken her on a shooting spree to celebrate her birthday. All she needed to shoot was a life bull, caged. Her brother had little luck. One of their maids had been caught sleeping with the enemy. The girl tried to explain the relationship had been based on love and nothing else. But Barry Monterey tagged her a traitor. There was no proof of this but her father was a paranoid man. He took things like betrayal, stealing too seriously. The maid had to go. It was the only way he knew to stay in control. It was that girl that her brother had to kill. He was just twelve. The boy wept and his hands shook so terribly.
Samantha was grateful not to be in his shoes. Sometimes, being a female had its speck. So, yes her father did introduce his girls to business, he still kept some inhumane acts away from them. She stared at the bull placed before her and cocked the gun. It was better than shooting another human, she thought and simply did his bidding. The first shot killed the animal. He was so proud of her that he gifted her a new car. So yes, Samantha did know more about the business just as she knew enough about every of her family to handle them appropriately.
When she lost every single one of them, she felt sad but then again, who was she to feel offended when she knew just how many lives her family had taken themselves. She had accepted her fate just like she accepted the family she had been born into. She was born a Monterey and that was who she was. Her father had raised her to study men. Every time she sits with him at the business deals, it was simply to watch the men and predict what they wanted from their stern sitting position. He trained her to watch every twitch, master every masked look. Every slight movement didn't escape her. After these meetings, he'd ask her opinion and they would discuss what they believe the men wanted. She became so good at it that she became his right-hand man. No, make that woman. She became his right-hand woman.
Samantha knew how men wanted their pride smoothed with care. All the partners and business associates where not hidden from her. This had helped her guide Noah in handling the business better. When the Monterey lost the tough hands of their family, it wasn't a surprise that most businesses wanted to overthrow them or cheat them out of their deals. But the Monterey's had trained their kids. Noah knew the books and Samantha knew the man firsthand and well, Gabriel was the muscle. The instant their partners had their first meetings with the newest trio, they were forced to fall in line. Their business was in good hands as usual.
With everyone seated, Sam looked at the two men who ran the family business now. She could see Gaby was in a foul mood and knew Sam wouldn't openly rob his ego just as she knew that he wouldn't openly attack him either. She passed everyone a bottled beer and asked the sole question on everyone's mind.
"Gabriel? You wanted us here. Why?"
Gabriel cleared his throat as usual and stared at her long and hard before giving his reply. His eyes didn't leave Samantha's but everyone knew he wasn't talking to her. "I need the fuck answer to why the Swiss operation failed" he hit the table, angrily. Nate jerked and quietly moved his seat back
