~ SASHA ~
There were no other diners in eyeshot, they'd been given a private dining alcove. But suddenly the sounds of the dining room nearby—the clink of silverware and hum of hushed voices—became very loud to Sasha's ears, because none of the men were speaking.
Next to her, Nick had gone very still in his seat, but when Sasha turned to meet his eyes, he was scanning the other men. She followed suit and examined each of them in turn.
From what she could see, none of them were obviously impressed by her little show of backbone. But they weren't dismissive of it either.
Santa Claus was the first to speak. "So you admit that you are an unlikely leader for people like the Chimera?"