Page 16

Chapter 16

The Council

Jade

Walking down the long corridor to the council room with my mask in hand, I open the large wooden door and head straight for the room in the back where the council members get to speak with me without our masks on. Plus, I don’t know anyone, so it’s going to be a long fucking night.

Opening the door, I find the small, windowless room to be empty, just as I expected. I sit at the head of the oval table and wait. Being that my dad is the only one who knows the identity of each council member, it’s now transferred to me and I get to sit with each person and introduce myself. I specifically came early, so I didn’t have to wear the mask longer than necessary. I’m not sure how I feel about all of this, but I will never show any signs of weakness, especially in front of them. If they even smell fear on me, they will take that shit and run wild with it, and I don’t want to disappoint the only father I have left.

Having huge shoes to fill is intimidating, but I know I can do it and I’ll make him proud whether he’s still breathing or not. I don’t even want to think about that when I have to get this meeting over with. It’s nothing but a distraction that I can’t afford to get wrapped up in. There’s a time and place to break and right now, ain’t it. Kane will meet me in the main room after my little chat, plus I have my pistols if anyone tries anything funny. I’m in no mood for anyone's bullshit tonight. I just want to get back to my room and cuddle with my husband.

Everything that needs to be done within the council will have to go through me. They can’t make any moves without my permission first. Kane told me there have been two new members that have been added to the council that I will meet tonight.

Sitting in my chair at the head of the table, I fold my hands in front of me as the door opens and a tall blonde woman enters. I almost want to say something, being that I thought I was the only woman here, but I guess she’s one of our new members. She rounds the table as her heels click against the tile floor. She unbuttons her pant suit jacket, pushing her long hair from her shoulder before removing her mask and pulling out her diamond encrusted pistol, placing both on the table as she sits in her seat across from me.

“It’s nice to see another woman at the head of the table,” she states with a beaming smile.

“It is, isn’t it? I’m glad to see you here if I’m being honest. At least I won’t be alone while the others throw their dicks around like mine isn’t the biggest in the room.” I smirk as she laughs.

“I like your energy,” she says, and I nod.

“Thank you, I’m Jade, Flynn’s daughter. I'll be taking over the IRA. I’m already the largest distributor of weapons on the East Coast. If there is anything you need, just let me know,” I quip, and she nods.

“I already knew who you were. See that ring you're wearing? It’s one of my custom designs your husband Jameson had made for you.” She smirks. Looking down at my ring, I twirl it around my finger and smile.

“It’s fucking gorgeous. You do amazing work. Which means you’re Vasilisa, the largest diamond dealer on the West Coast, but really in the whole world,” I say, and she nods.

“Yes, that would be me. I’m also the head of my family in Southern California. Your late husband also designed your guns.” She winks but continues. “My deepest condolences to you and your family. Dario was an amazing and loyal man. He will truly be missed,” she says, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Thank you. I miss him everyday, but he gave me the greatest gift before he was taken from us, so I’m thankful to have a piece of him even if he’s gone.” I frown, and she nods.

“I may not have experienced the same loss you’ve felt, but I know what it feels like to lose a child, but not the same way you have. My daughter Lilyanna was kidnapped almost three years ago and we’ve never been able to find her. With all the connections surrounding my family, no one knows where she is.” She sighs as I get up and round the table, sitting next to her. I grab her hand and give it a squeeze.

“Send me pictures of her and I’ll have my guys keep a lookout. My husband Spade’s family is heavily into trafficking which we try to intercept any time a shipment comes in, so if you don’t think she’s gone from this earth then send me pictures of her so when we steal the shipments I can keep an eye open for her. This is how I found my nephew, who is now my son,” I say, and she nods, pulling me into a hug.

“Thank you. You are a kind soul, and I’m thankful to have met you, Jade. I’ll have my men get in touch with you and give you a file on her,” she whispers, and I hug her tighter.

“I can at least try,” I whisper back. She lets me go and cups my face.

“I look forward to working with you. Give them hell out there. I’ll send the next idiot in,” she says as she picks up her mask, placing it over her gorgeous face, taking her pistol and shoving it into the back of her pants before rising from her seat and exiting the room. I get up and go back to my seat, wiping the tears that I didn’t know had fallen down my face.

A few seconds later, the door opens, and a man walks in, coming to sit to my right. He takes his mask off, placing his hand out for me to shake.

“Hey there, ma’am. I’m Harley Cyprus. It’s nice to meet you.” He grins, and my jaw drops. God damnit Jade. I school my features quickly and shake his hand.

“I’m guessing you are Axel and Caspian’s oldest brother?” I ask, and he smiles. I gotta say he looks nothing like his brothers with his long hair tied in a bun and rugged features.

“That would be correct. I’ve been in contract with your husband Spade for a while now.” He grins, and I laugh.

“Yes, I know. You’re our growers along with distro for pills,” I say, and he smirks.

“So, you’ve done your research I see,” he replies, not letting go of my hand as his thumb rubs circles over my knuckles.

“Maybe,” I say, leaning forward. “Or maybe I’m smart and I know everything there is to know about who I do business with.” I grin, and he laughs, releasing my hand. I sit back and fold my arms.

“So, you're the famous Jade Rivers I’ve heard so much about. It really is so nice to finally meet the queen of all queens,” he says, leaning on his elbow, resting his face in his palm as he stares at me.

“Yes, I am.” I laugh, shaking my head. “Your brothers really came in clutch last year. I owe you one,” I say, raising my brow.

“I’ll collect when the time is right.” He smiles then stands, sticking his hand out again for me to shake. “I won’t keep you. I know the others are waiting,” he says, kissing the top of my hand, then putting his mask back on and exiting the room. No wonder Jameson respects those brothers. Harley seems genuine and I like that. Once again, the door opens and a large man in a grey suit enters and sits in the same seat as Harley did, taking off his mask, and I roll my eyes.

“Where’s Flynn?” he asks in his thick accent as I fold my arms over my chest, ready to take this fucker out.

“Not here, obviously.” I spit, and he snickers, looking at me with disgust.

“Don’t look so disgusted.” I grin, subtly wrapping my fingers around the handle of my pistol.

“If I would’ve known you were involved, I wouldn’t have come. I will not be taking orders from you,” he states, and I laugh, leaning forward.

“Guess what? You don’t have much of a choice now, do you?” I smirk as he tries to stand, but I get up quickly, stepping into his space and pressing the barrel of my gun to his temple. He growls, thrashing away and I release the safety, cocking the gun, digging the tip deeper into his head.

Wrapping my hand around his throat roughly, I squeeze, forcing his face up to look at me.

“You’re lucky you’re a council member because if you weren’t, I would’ve put a bullet in your head the moment you took your mask off,” I spit as he grips my thighs tightly.

“I don’t fucking like you. You’re trash and the trash will be taken out,” he threatens, and I laugh.

“You wish you could, but I advise against it, scumbag. So fall in fucking line or I will make your life hell,” I taunt as I drag the tip of the gun down the side of his face to his lips.

“Open,” I order, squeezing his throat tighter. He slides his hands down between my thighs, cupping my pussy, squeezing it roughly. I wince but shove the barrel between his lips as the metal grazes his teeth. “You think by touching me where only my husbands bring me great pleasure is going to make me stand down. Guess again. I fucking said open.” I growl, pressing the tip against his teeth, ready to break them all.

My grip tightens around his throat as he does the same, not backing down even if what he is doing makes me want to scream. “Fall in line, Abran, or I will blow a hole in your face and suffer the consequences for it. Fuck it. One less Albanian scum to deal with. You can be replaced,” I shrug, laughing. “It’s not like I really have anyone to answer to anymore. I’m the queen. Do you know what happens when you disrespect the queen, Abran?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer. He opens his mouth like the bitch he is and I shove the barrel inside, making him gag, only to slowly take it out, then shove it back in. His eyes widen as his face starts to turn a deep red.

“Keep fucking with me and I’ll fuck your throat raw with my gun, then pull the trigger. I wonder where my little bullet will end up? Have you ever wondered where it would come out from?” I say, tilting my head with a sinister smile on my face. I release his neck and remove the gun from his mouth, taking a step back to sit on the table. He heaves as he rubs his neck, staring up at me with murderous eyes.

“You’re dismissed. Get the fuck out of here now before I change my mind,” I spit and he snarls, getting up, ripping his mask from the table and placing it over his still red face before exiting the room. Jesus fucking christ.

Instead of moving back to my seat, I stay where I am, placing the gun back in my holster. Taking a deep breath, I straighten my spine before another man comes into the room wearing a navy suit. He stands against the wall and removes his mask. He looks oddly familiar with his shaved head, light blue eyes and pointed nose.

“So you’re the new boss?” he asks in a Russian accent, and I nod.

“You must be Stefan, Serbian leader of the Ilich family. I was actually expecting Maximus. Is he dead?” I smile, and he nods.

“I am, and he is. We took him out along with the rest of his bloodline, which wasn’t many, but you will not have to worry about that disgusting family anymore,” he says, folding his arms over his chest.

“Ok, good. I’m Jade, by the way, but I’m sure you knew that already,” I say, and he nods again.

“You won’t have any problems with me, I can assure you,” he says.

“Well, if that’s everything, I look forward to working with you.” I smile, sticking my hand out, which he shakes, then puts his mask back on and exits the room. Well, that was easy enough. How many more fucking people are left? I’m ready to be done with this shit. I’m fucking hungry and want a damn soda.

The door swings open again and another man enters wearing black jeans, boots and a black button-down shirt. He takes his mask off, and I laugh.

“How the fuck did you get a seat at this damn table?” I say, and he shakes his head.

“Well, your father used to sit here and Ryder doesn’t want the club anymore, so someone needed to take over,” Slash says, and I shake my head.

“Jesus christ. I didn’t even know Dad was a part of the council. I swear to god there better not be anymore surprises tonight like fucking Dalton walking in here because I will blow his fucking head off,” I spit, and he laughs.

“That would be too easy, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, only two of the three made the seat, and that was a close call,” he says, and my mind whirls.

“Wait, what?” I say, dumbfounded by this revelation.

“Fuck, Jade. You really don’t know who all the counsel members are?” he says, and I shake my head.

“Well, shit. Guess it’s my turn to let the next one in. There’s only two more out there.” He smiles, but I just sit here not saying a word because I have so many fucking questions and none of them will be answered until I speak to my dad. Fuck.

“Alright. Well, let the next asshole in,” I growl, and he laughs.

“This looks good on you, Princess.” He smiles, and I nod as he puts his mask back on and exits the room. What the fuck? The Aces all sat at the table. This makes no fucking sense. How? Why?

The door opens again, and another man walks in, but his stance is so fucking familiar. He shuts the door behind him and takes his mask off, and I gasp.

“Gio?” I say, and he smiles.

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t worry. I won’t give you any issues. I’m only here in place of Dario, for today. Carmine is going to fight for this seat the moment he finds out that I took Dario’s place, so be prepared for that,” he warns, and I nod.

“Thank you for doing that. I have so many damn questions, and I can’t wait for this meeting to be done with,” I admit, and he nods.

“One more to go, then we can discuss things out there with the rest of them,” he says, and I nod as he, once again, puts his mask back on and exits the room. I’m fucking mind blown. So, Armando was here for the Roselli family, which means if Dario was alive, he would be here now. Which also means…. The door opens and shuts. I don’t even look up as he stands between my legs, cupping my face, forcing me to look up at him. I tilt my head and roll my eyes.

“Take off the fucking mask,” I order, and he laughs, removing it, pressing his lips against mine. I moan, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“How’s my Babygirl doing?” he asks, and I sigh.

“I’ve got a lot to tell you, but that can wait until later. Just hold me. I need a fucking minute.” I breathe as he wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me tightly.

“You’ve got this, Queen. Take a deep breath. Put that mask on and let me watch you work the room. And once we're done, I’m taking your sexy ass to bed and worshipping every inch of you,” he whispers, licking the shell of my ear.

“I like the sound of that,” I moan.

“Stop making those sounds baby or I’ll take you right here on this table, and all those people out there will hear their queen cumming for her king.” He growls, biting my neck. I shove him away, and he laughs, putting his mask back on and exiting the room.

Taking a deep breath, I stand from the table, place my mask over my face and exit the room. I walk over to the fireplace, giving them my back for a moment while I collect my thoughts. I can do this. I’m a fucking queen. I was made to rule.

Turning to them, I place both of my hands on the table and lean forward.

“First things first, we discuss sales, distributions, trades and shipments. We don’t leave here until there is a mutual agreement. So, I advise you all to fall in line or it’s going to be a long night.”