MY RESPONSIBILITIES
I hated running a gang.
That's literally such a lie but right now, I was stuck in a two hour meeting that felt like it was never going to end. It was a good thing that I had alcohol to cope.
God I needed to go to AA or I was going to be Brooklyn 2.0 and that was not the greatest thing to do. Brooklyn could handle being drunk off their ass, I on the other hand can not.
"So everyone owes me money." I interrupt James.
"No, three sub gangs do." James pulls her blonde hair away from her chest and lets it fall to her back. "The Black Phantoms paid, with interest."
I grinned. "See, a little motivation always works."
"You didn't even give her hand to Dahlia." Brooklyn snorts.
"The whole waitresses dying ruined it." I said unkindly. Leyanna didn't even know her hand was gone by the time I gave it to Diana. "But I did give it back to her, they sowed it back on."
"That's kind?" James muttered as her face flushed green. "Well, it got us the 1 million dollars."
"There are four police stations looking into the influx of drugs on the market." Misha deadpanned. "They weren't exactly subtle with the push."
"Fuck." My grin fell and I groaned, I look at Delphi. "Get some throwaways to incriminate the detectives or give them money, I don't care how. Just get them off our ass."
"Got it," She murmured lost in thought. I eyed her before dismissing it — she was always a head in the clouds kind of girl but she seemed off.
"Brook, I need you to go to the Georgia house and run things a little bit closer to Baby."
"Regina and I don't get a long, you know that." Brooklyn growls and I roll my eyes. Oh that was to put it kindly because Reggie didn't really like anyone who breathed in her direction. One night of dancing had led to the soft kidnapping of Reggie that I definitely should've ended earlier. But we were young and stupid and we had power over her that we could extort. Either way, somehow by the end of the night Brooklyn had ended up leaving Reggie on the side of the road...in the rain.
I got an earful from Reggie's older brother and her.
"You're grown ass adults. Plus, with Baby taking over her brother's gang, we need to make sure she's on our side."
"Do you know the shit that's going down? The fact that she's the heir to-"
"I don't care. Our concern is having her on our side, what she does with her new title is something we need to be in the loop in but we don't know shit all the way up here."
Brooklyn's eyes turned dark as her jaw clenched but she said nothing. I glance at Misha worriedly but she nodded in agreement with me. "Baby is a wild card, we need to know she's not a danger to the system."
"You're right." James speaks up even though the atmosphere has turned sour. "They're a vital part in distribution, if Baby decides to end things after our contract is up in five months, then we are going to suffer greatly."
"I'll get her on our side." Brooklyn says softly even though there's an edge to her tone.
"Delphi, I need to know more about what Scotty Fraiser is doing."
She is looking at me but it's not until I snap my fingers in her face that she really sees me. "What?"
"What is going on? Did you not sleep?"
"I did..." she looks around the room as if she has information she doesn't know if she should tell. "It won't happen again, what did you ask?"
"Scotty Fraiser intel."
Delphi nods before flipping open her spiral of notes. "There's no activity. The wires have been cut, any people we sent in has not come out, but that doesn't mean their dead. We got nothing."
"That's not good."
"The last time we saw or heard anything was two Fridays ago. He was talking to Richard about killing you and they discussed Alana's betrayal. I would not suggest you listening to the recordings."
"Why? I always do."
"Because they do not refer to Alana as her name." Delphi answers truthfully.
Anger bubbles within me. "What do they call her?"
"The Italian Bitch or um...Wop." She swallows as if the word weighs on her tongue. "And worthless guinea bitch."
My hand snapped the pencil and I jumped at the force of splinters and lead. Fury runs hot in my veins and if my ears could steam then they would be making the room a sauna by now. "I am going to skin them alive as their bodies hang over burning coals."
"We can't kill them." Clary announces as she slams the door behind her.
"Clary, I know you're all about humanity a-"
"Chesc, respectfully, shut up and listen." She drops her briefcase on the table and opens it with a satisfying clicking. "Scotty Fraiser can't kill you until after your twenty-fifth birthday."
"I'm sorry that makes no sense."
Misha hummed. "Actually, it would explain why he has backed off."
"He must have realized that if he kills you before the wedding then your gang doesn't go to him. It goes to whoever you have in your will." Clary places her hands on her hips. "It's a very skimmable portion of the contract but it is there. He only gets the hang of you die of natural causes before your twenty fifth birthday."
"Okay? So -" my blood runs cold and all the anger inside me cools into a choking fear. "Fuck this isn't happening."
Everyone but Brooklyn looked confused at my statement. Brooklyn's face seemed to instantly glisten with sweat. Clary shakes her head, "what's wrong? It would go to Brooklyn, she's your right hand."
"Except they weren't when I completed the will and got it notarized." I drop my hand into my face.
"Who was?" Misha questions and I look at her knowingly. "No."
"Yes, my gang belongs to him if Scotty Fraiser kills me."
Delphi and Clary's phone buzzes. They both quickly grab for it and I can see their faces fall. Delphi hands me the phone and I read the bold text from one of the guys we have in Scotty's gang. After two weeks of nothing, this message would be the one to come through.
PI:
SF MT WHT HIE MN
45 DA N GN
Scotland Fraiser met white haired man and made a 45 million dollar deal for the my gang.
PI:
KL HR
Kill her.
As long as he killed me, Scotty would get why he wanted without blood in his hands. Would he kill me for 45 million dollars and then hand my gang over to my enemy? Yes, I can say with full confidence that he would do that.
"Putting a bounty over my head is one thing..." I glance out the windows and watch the manhattan sky. "This is not good."
"We can get you to another safe house, we can ride this out until we get a new will drawn up. It shouldn't be hard." Brooklyn commands.
"The contract states that there's a cutoff date for an eligible will renewal." Clary looks terrified as she plops down in her chair. "That was six months ago."
"We can lie about when it was done." Delphi attempts at helping but I know it's useless.
"No, we can't, Delphi." Misha snaps and our eyes meet.
I know Misha, she's trying to think of a million different ways that I could get out of this situation. She is always trying to save me from my own mess. That's why I adored her, but even her skill was useless here.
"I can't go to another safe house, they're not very safe." I rub my forehead. "James find a realtor and get all our properties sold. We're starting from scratch."
"I'll do that right now." James mutters before collecting her things and leaving through the penthouse.
"What are you going to do about everything else?"
"I'm not running." I declare. "I'm not hiding from him anymore. If he wants to kill me, he's going to face me."
"Chessy, you couldn't kill him last time, what makes you think you'll be able to do it now?" Brooklyn looked concerned but they knew me more than anyone else.
"He's no longer my friend, now." I look into the traffic of the busy city. "And I have a reason to fight now."
Alana Salvatore really was my saving grace. I would be damned if anyone ever laid a finger on her. I refuse to fail her.
"Where do we start?" Misha questions.
"By making him the most wanted man in the world." The mafias needed to come together and so did the government. I needed to get into contact with my Firefly friends. "Get me on the phone with the America Mafia and the Arrowcross Mafia. It's time I tell them about the reality that I'm facing and why they should care. Oh, and tell Sapphire Ashes that we need to have a little chat."
_____
The curly haired girl grinned at me and I almost didn't recognize the agent in front of me. It had been five years since the last time we had seen each other. I couldn't believe the brave and fierce agent could look so docile and ordinary.
"Hello, agent." I greet and she blows me away with a causal smile.
"You already know my identity, we might as well be casual, Chessy."
"True, true." I say as I slip into the hard booth and relax. "So, Saph, are we alone?"
"We never are." Sapphire confessed. "But then again, you already know that considering your own team is here."
"How do you know that?"
"I know what your inner circle looks like. I am a secret agent for the United States government, did you expect me not to know what I was walking into?" Agent Ashes had me there. I hated that she knew so much more about me than I knew about her. I was usually the one with ask the information when I went into a meeting.
"I hate that you have this endless loop of information and yet I know nothing about you." I lay my hand into my palm. "What's your family like?"
Her face reddened and anger ribbed the space between her eyebrows. "Don't push it, Gray. I came here because you did me a solid once upon a time, you're walking on thin ice."
"Two solids," I flash her two fingers. "I also gave you the guy who was selling drugs to eighth graders."
"Right." She says before relaxing into her seat and bringing a cup of coffee to her lips. "You have fifteen minutes."
"I need the agency to go after a sort of enemy of mine."
"We don't meddle in mafia drama unless it's a pressing matter on the public good."
"It would be good for the public if he's dead."
"Why?"
"He's trying to start world war three." Agent Ashes didn't like the sound of that obviously but she didn't seem to take my declaration lightly. "There will be civilian deaths on every continent."
"I can't know any of this for sure." She says as if she needs more convincing. "Even if my team takes on this task, we're complicated right now, and to go after something that's not for certain is most definitely not a great idea."
"It's certain, I promise you." I let myself be vulnerable for a moment. "I swear on my life all he wants is deaths and destruction."
"And how do you know this?"
I look at her guiltily. "Because he told me that was his life's dream."
"But how do you know that it's actually going to do it?" She questions and I take my own cup of coffee into my hands.
"I helped him plan it," I snap, "and he's already completed part of it. He's making deals with as many mafias and gangs as he can and I've signed an allegiance with The American Mafia and I am under the protection of the Arrowcross mafia. Therefore if I'm killed or threatened, everyone is going to be picking a side."
"You? Why you?"
"Because he wants revenge."
"For what?"
I swallow hard as bile creeps up in my throat. "For getting the girl he was in love with killed."
Sapphire nods but I look away from her questioning eyes. "What's his name?"
"He has three, I know his birth name, the one he went by when we were in school, and the one he goes by now." I write the three names down.
"Veronica Deacon, Rory Starring, and..." She stops at the names listed on the napkin. "He's the one that calls himself the Angel of Death."
"Wait his name was Veronica Deacon. Isn't that your original last name?"
I contemplated giving her his first name but it was necessary for many reasons. Sapphire had more resources than I could and she needed all the information to properly do so. Just after so many years, hearing that name was like taking a cold shower.
"Yes," I finally tell the truth after so many years. "He used to be my half-sibling...he identified as my sister at the time."
Times have changed and so have people.
"Your what?" Sapphire questions in awe.
I clap my hands as I feel the room's energy go still. "Yeah, deja vu right? Anyways, so now you know that my half-brother is trying to kill me and start World War 3 because I got his girlfriend killed. Where's that waitress? I'm starving!"
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You guys should read my other books because so many characters all interact with each other and I personally love it!
Two new gxg books are coming from me soon! There first chapters should be released by the end of the month.