The faces of the Cariman Family turned every shade imaginable in an instant.
The family head went livid. The silent pressure radiating from the giant before him weighed on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
The matriarch farther away went white with terror. Five Astartes Chapter Masters-she would never have dared dream of such a thing. This was not something a little money could make go away.
The security captain's face was scarlet. That was hardly his fault; an Astartes had him by the throat, and he could not breathe.
The other Cariman scions looked ashen. Most of them had seen Astartes before, but when one charged right into your face, death was certain.
As for the envoys from the various factions... they were not particularly panicked. Offending the Cariman Family was one thing; offending all three hundred-plus factions present was another.
Except for one: Rifu.
He kept muttering, "I'm done, I'm done. From diplomatic envoy to diplomatic corpse. What do I do? Damn it, I should never have come for the free food..."
Big Guy looked at Rifu with contempt. Couldn't he keep those thoughts inside his head? Did he really think the Emperor's Angels couldn't hear him?
"Hey, stop talking. They can hear you," Big Guy whispered to Rifu.
At that, Rifu snapped his mouth shut and faced the ceiling, pretending to be a waiter while his eyes stole glances at the surrounding Astartes.
They aren't looking at me, they aren't looking at me, they aren't looking at me. Oh hell, why are more coming?
If they were putting on an act, they had to see it through. After Evan finished speaking, several warriors in ancient livery entered the hall, filling the entire banquet room with sharp intakes of breath.
The Cariman Patriarch suddenly shouted, **"What right