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“Kee,” Mabel hisses admonishingly and darts a nervous gaze around at all of us.

The younger child suddenly remembers herself, shrinking down into her seat and bowing her head, her hand covering her mouth as she continues to chew. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, looking too dejected for my liking.

I want to comfort her, tell her it’s alright and that she’s safe again. But honestly if she could learn to chew with her mouth closed, I would be grateful. I don’t know how to navigate that conversation. Guinevere saves me, chuckling as she takes a napkin and passes it to the girl. “You don’t need to apologise for being excited, little one. Let’s just wait to show that excitement until we’ve finished our mouthful, okay? That way we get to eat all our food.”

Keeley nods but doesn’t look back up.

“No one is mad at you,princesa.” Harvey leans in to speak quietly to the girl. “You’re safe here remember?”

She nods again and lifts her gaze to me, I smile, trying to make it as warm and caring as possible but it’s not a natural expression for me. It seems to work though as she smiles back at me and sits forward again to continue eating her burger. My resolve to make these girls feel happy and safe grows significantly.

“You’re two months late paying your fees, Bradley.” I look over at the man on the other side of my desk. A relic from my father’s time.

He gives me an annoyingly smug chuckle. An errant thought crosses my brain that when Harvey smiles smugly it annoys me because it causes a surge of unwanted lust in my lower abdomen,but when this arsehole does it, it just makes me want to claw his eyes out. I told Diamond to pull this guy in today because I have residual anger from finding out about the girls’ situation and I had a craving for a fight.

“My apologies, ma’am,” he says with an arrogant smile. “It’s been a little hectic, what with the missus pregnant.” Bradley Trent is in his mid-fifties, maybe he was handsome in his youth but now he carries himself with the confidence of a man far more appealing than he is. His grey hair is slicked back, and his face is heavily lined from decades of smoking.

“I’m sorry, was that missus or mistress?” I tilt my head at him, my face the picture of ice-cold.

His smile fades, his annoyance evident as his dull grey eyes darken. I can feel Harvey’s stance change behind me, his demeanour going from relaxed and casual to tense and threatening. He’s behind my chair providing that presence I require, it’s a sad state of affairs that the idiots I deal with feel more threatened by a man stood behind me than they do of me. I could quite easily stab them in the neck with my letter opener.

“Your personal life is of no interest to me Bradley and it shan’t be used as an excuse for screwing me over.” My voice is calm and bored, a practiced technique.

“Now hang on just a minute—”

“No, I’ve hung on for two months. Now you’ll pay what you owe, plus interest.”

“Your father knew loyal people would pay, even if it took them a little while,” he mumbles, still glaring at me.

“My father is dead. He has been for over ten years now, it’s high time you get used to that.”

“His death was pretty convenient for you, huh?” he sneers.

Harvey steps forward, I think he might be about to say something, but I don’t need a man to fight my battles for me.

“You will speak to me with the respect I deserve, Bradley, or this conversation is over. And if this conversation finishes before I’m fully and completely satisfied that you understand the importance of handing your takings in on time, you and your family won’t be able to set foot in this city again without targets on you backs. Do I make myself utterly clear?”

He clenches his jaw, nostrils flaring, and anger simmering in his eyes. It almost makes me smile. It’s so easy winding up men who hate being under the leadership of a woman. “Yes, ma’am,” he manages to grind out.

“You’ll speak to Diamond on your way out and make arrangements for payment. If I don’t have takings plus thirty-percent interest by the end of the week, you can start packing your bags.”

“Thirty percent?! That’s —”

I cut him off with a cold stare and he actually bares his yellowing teeth but wisely decides not to continue his rant and gives me a firm nod instead.

“Another thing.” I stare at him, watching out for any change in expression. “I’ve received intel about a facility holding children for sale in my territory. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

His eyes widen and his mouth drops in genuine shock. “N-no, of course not.”

“Don’t lie to me Bradley.” I don’t think he’s lying but I’m just giving him a shake.

“I-I swear, ma’am, I have no idea about anything like that. I wouldn’t.” He’s visibly shaking now, and although making this idiot quake is satisfying, finding nothing more about the girls’ captors is aggravating.

I nod. “Fine, get out.”

He scurries away and when the door clicks closed behind him, I let my muscles relax, resting my elbows on the desk and dropping my head to my hands.

“You okay,rainha?” Harvey’s voice washes over me in a wave of calm. A strange feeling really. It hits me momentarily that no one asks me if I’m okay. But Harvey does.