MAISIE BLINKED. “YOU want me in charge of the south?”
“Not immediately, but yes. Soon. It’s what your father and Dr. Lopez had planned.” Val walked around to the front of her desk and leaned against it. “A Lopez would take over as head of the family, and Maisie would run the day-to-day, like her father did. That was always the plan, according to what Franco told me.”
Maisie looked over at Beto. “Did he tell you this?”
“No.” Beto frowned.
“You told your father you didn’t want the responsibility of running the south,” Val said.
“Yeah, but that was before…” He trailed off, swallowing.
“Before you realized Declan was going to take it from you? This was never going to be an easy transition, son. Maisie’s a good choice. It won’t ruffle feathers.”
“It won’t?” She was increasingly baffled.
“Well, you’ll never please everyone. But according to Dr. Lopez, you have strong relationships in the community.”
“You just want her because you think you can control her,” Beto said. “You make a deal and basically run the south. Sounds like you’ve already taken West Spencer.”
“I haven’t taken anything, son. And I’m not taking the south. I’m helping the south. The men of the Lopez family could stand to learn the difference.”
Beto sighed, and then looked at Maisie. “Dad did tell me once that he was having you out collecting for the past few years because he wanted you to build strong relationships with people. Everyone knows that he was grooming you for something.”
“For something when I was older, maybe,” she protested. “Everyone said I was too young last year, when Dad died.”
“Maisie, let me give you a tip,” Val said. “You will never be old enough for them. You will always be too young, or too inexperienced, or too much of a woman. You can either let them keep pushing you aside, or you can take this opportunity and tell them all to deal with it.”
She took in a slow breath. Declan had taken it, back when her father died. He’d swooped in and grabbed his spot before the body was cold. He’d acted like he deserved it, and maybe part of her had agreed.
He wasn’t even that much older than her. And now that she thought about it, she’d been old enough to be his girlfriend, but not old enough for his job? Why hadn’t that seemed like a load of crap at the time?
Maybe because she’d heard her father’s voice in the back of her head, telling her that no one would respect her if she didn’t toughen up. Declan was so much like her father—willing to kill and destroy people to get things done. It had seemed like the only way to be a leader, at the time.
“And I’m not saying that you take your father’s place immediately,” Val continued. “But I want Declan gone, and for you to start working with the Lopezes to take that spot. Perhaps they can partner you with someone? I’ll expect an update, if you agree, and assurances that you aren’t being pushed out.”
“Beto has a point,” she said, meeting Val’s gaze. “If you think that putting me in charge means you run the south, you’re wrong. Just so you know that.”
A smile twitched at her lips. “Understood.”
“What do you want in return?” Maisie asked.
“I want to continue to work with the south, just like I did with Dr. Lopez. I’ll expect assistance when we really need it, and you can count on the same from me. Also, Dr. Lopez was very generous in sharing his research and techniques to help us save lives up here, and I want that to continue. We’re not heavy on medical personnel in this territory.”
She nodded. “That sounds fair. I—I can try. To be the one to lead the south.”
“I’ll need more than try.”
“I’ll do it.” She tried to sound confident. She didn’t even think this was something she could promise. There was no guarantee that the family would accept her, even if it had been Dr. Lopez’s plan.
“All right.” Val laced her fingers together. “Tell me, who is this source you have?”
“We don’t know his name. But he’s been feeding some information to one of my friends. He gave me some tips on making it into your territory and into Northgate. And he’s meeting us once we get there.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really.”
“Yeah.”
“Could be a trap.”
“Could be, though I don’t know for what purpose. We only asked about the shipment, so he may not even know about Lennon. If he does want Lennon…” She winced.
“I’m notoriously easy to kidnap,” he said.
Val gave him an amused look. “If the source has been feeding you information for a long time, then I’m cautiously optimistic. Like I said, a lot of mutiny. I’d definitely like to know who has gone as far as reaching out to the south, though. That’s some high-level betrayal right there.”
She paused, considering for a moment. “Here’s my offer. I’ll send two of my girls with you. They’ll help you procure the shipment. They get to meet the source.”
“I’ll need to have my friend run that by him first.”
Val waved her hand. “Fine. Once you’re back here with the shipment, I can get you safely back south.”
“Seriously?” Maisie said.
“Yes. I control one of the roads in West Spencer. The west is weak; they need my protection. They’ll look the other way.”
“That would be amazing.”
“And I want you to keep your word about calling off this nonsense,” she said to Beto. “I don’t care how you get Declan under control; just do it.”
He nodded.
“If this falls apart, and Declan takes over the south, trust me when I say you will all regret it. I don’t want to partner with Arthur and the east to get the south under control, but I will do it if I have to. And you won’t like it.”
Maisie and Beto exchanged a nervous glance.
“We won’t let that happen,” she said.
“Good.” Val clapped her hands together. “Let’s do this, then.”