Page 17 of Still Forever

Jax

Remy peeked her head out of the master bedroom, “Everything okay?” She questioned. I nodded, and she went back inside, closing the door behind her like it was none of her business.

I went to open the door. Trouble pushed past me, shoulder-checking me in the process. He walked into the house, and I closed the door behind him. I knew he would be coming after I didn’t take his calls last night, and here he was.

“I woke up with this on my fucking door,” he pulled something from his pants and pushed it into my chest. I took it from his hands, and instantly I knew what it was.

It was the summons: a sealed single matte black envelope, with nothing on the outside of it but the fangs of a snake.

I opened it; there was no other writing except the date, time, and location.

Then I checked the time; the meeting was set to take place in an hour and thirty minutes.

Once I finished reading the envelope, I looked at him. But he didn’t say anything, probably waiting for me to explain. His temples flexed. This nigga had never been this hot with anyone other than Judah.

“So that’s it? You went against orders. You don’t pick up the phone when I call, and now you standing in front of me, quiet like you don’t have shit to say for yourself?” He gritted.

“Not a fucking word. Nigga you handled Unc, so Storm knew your position, and we backed you. That was our blood, and we didn’t question your call.

You think I give a fuck about what the elites say?

So, nah, I don’t have shit to say, cause I’m not explaining myself.

To nobody , not even you.” He took a step forward, and so did I as I closed the gap between us.

Our bodies touched, and his nostrils flared.

We had always fought as kids, but we didn’t do that shit now.

We barely argued or disagreed. I respected Trouble and vice versa.

But I did what I did, and I don’t regret it.

I knew he was holding back. He was the leader of the family, and his position was being challenged.

Yet we were cut from the same cloth. If I had to stand in front of the elites and tell them that same thing with my chin up and chest out, I would.

His voice was low and cold; his mouth was clenched, as if he were speaking through his teeth. “Go get dressed, so I can go with your tender ass to the summons. I’m not letting you go alone.” He brushed past me again and swung open the door, letting it slam behind him.

I walked back up the stairs and showered.

Underneath the shower head, I let the water fall over my face.

The tightness that I had felt in my chest was gone after I got a chance to talk to KD.

That let me know that no matter what the outcome, I was cool.

As long as she didn’t have to lie in bed at night and wonder why I never came looking for her.

And why I was choosing to be with another woman.

I couldn’t dwell on it, though, because I had to go ahead and get dressed.

Before I left, I tapped on the door of Remy’s room at the end of the hallway.

“Come in,” she said lightly. When I walked in, she was lying across the bed watching something on TV. When her eyes met mine, she smiled.

“Look, I’m about to go; I might not be back.” I chuckled.

“What happened?” She sat up, confused. I told her that I had gone to see Kennedy.

Her eyes went from joy to sadness once I told her about the black envelope summons.

Everybody in this life knew what it meant to be summoned by the Mafia.

But no one knew exactly what happened in those meetings, because no one had ever made it out to tell the story.

“Love always wins; it’ll work out for you.” She said this as she gave me another smile, but her eyes told me that she had seen this ending before, too.

“Preciate you,” I nodded, walking away.

Trouble sat outside waiting for me; I opened the truck door and slid into the seat.

The drive to the chamber was longer than I remembered.

But it’s not every day that you get called to meet the Don of New York.

We went down unpaved back roads and through a tunnel before we finally made it to the chambers.

There were three guards outside waiting for us with rifles.

Two ran wands over us and then patted us for weapons before we were escorted to the office.

Inside were the same stone walls and polished floors that I remember. The same design as the one on the envelope, fangs of a snake, engraved into the marble.

I heard muffled screams as soon as we turned the corner of the building.

We continued to walk, then we bypassed two doors that were cracked open.

In one, a nigga was strapped to a table, his mouth gagged, and three men were beating him with a chain.

Not the small kind, either, but the kind used to tow cars.

As soon as we neared the door, one of the enforcers swung the chain across his head.

I could hear that nigga’s skull crack. Trouble shot me a look but didn’t say anything.

The other door had a man in a cage. The floor was covered with blood, and he was crying. I could tell that he was weak by the way his hands lazily tried to bang on the cage.

We made it just outside of the Don’s quarters before the guard pushed the door open. There was nothing else in the room but a lone table, in the middle of the floor, with the three board members sitting at it like they were the jury. The Don, The Muscle, and the Matron.

The Don of New York was a black man around the age of my father. His grey hair and beard are evidence of his stint in the game. Nigga was known to be grimy as fuck. The rule of no women or no kids didn’t apply to him, ever. He’d take out whoever was in arm's reach.

The Muscle was his son, who had been rumored to have done the biggest blackout in the state of New York by himself. Coldest nigga to ever wear a suit.

The Matron was his mother, Grace, a seventy-plus woman who looks harmless but calls the biggest plays on the East Coast and will shoot without a second thought. She tapped her long red nails on the desk and looked with a cold stare as I stood in the middle of the floor, facing the table.

Trouble stood in the shadows. He didn’t say a word. Just nodded his respect and stepped off to the side to watch the meeting unfold.

“Mr. Jennings,” The Muscle began. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Not to renew my life insurance.”

He scoffed. “You’ve been busy.”

I stepped into the circle. Hands behind my back.

“If that’s what you call it.” I knew that I had broken the code. But I wasn’t here to be respectful, and I damn sure wasn’t here to be apologetic. They had interrupted my life and taken one of the most important things from me; I wasn’t apologizing for my response to that.

The Matron cocked her head. “And yet, you had time to disobey orders with Kennedy Davenport again.”

I didn’t speak.

“We gave you one directive,” The Don said. “End the relationship and secure the alliance with the Cross Family.”

“My girl ain’t no chess piece,”

“She is a chess piece, Jaxon,” the Matron snapped. “Everything outside this room is the board.”

The Muscle stood. He walked toward me slowly, hands in his pockets.

“You’ve made your choice. And now, we’ll make ours.”

I straightened, head high, looking him in the eyes. Ready to accept whatever fate they gave me. He stopped just inches in front of me. I held his stare; if intimidation was what he was going for, he wasn’t going to have any luck here.

“We’re not exiling your organization,” he said. “Not yet. You’re too valuable, you have too much power. You can carry secrets, and you’re good with negotiations.”

“But from this moment forward,” the Matron finished his sentence, now standing from her seat, “we will be watching every move you make. Every. Move . ”

“And if Kennedy becomes a problem,” The Don chimed in, “we won’t go through you next time.”

I clenched my jaw. “If anybody touches her-” I didn’t care that I was talking to The Don. Disrespect is met with disrespect.

“No one has to lay a hand,” The Don interrupted. “Accidents happen every day.”

He let the statement hang in the air. Not a threat, but an intention. A promise to stand on what he said.

“Your loyalty isn’t in question, but your judgment is.” The Muscle said smoothly.

“You love her,” the Matron smiled bitterly.

“So now she’s your weakness.”

I didn’t argue.

Because they were right, Kennedy was the only person who could have me in this position.

“Then let me be clear,” I said, voice laced with acid. “If a hair on her head is touched, accident or not. Then I’m going to stop being loyal and start being a muhfucking problem.” I looked each of them in the eye.

All at once, I could see their faces change. The Don’s eyes gleamed with something close to respect before he adjusted his cufflinks. “Dismissed.”

I turned to leave.

“Jaxon,” the Matron called, just before I hit the door.

“Yeah?”

“Clean it up, end it with the girl. Or next time, we’ll be forced to notify the head of the families, and they’ll have this meeting with Kennedy instead.”

I continued walking. No thanks, and no gratitude to them for not notifying the higher powers that I broke orders to see KD.

We walked out of the chambers and down the hallway. I could feel the heat coming from Trouble’s body, but his anger didn’t faze me. He would do the same for Storm, and I knew that without a doubt. As soon as we stepped out the doors, he turned me.

“You think this was a win?” Trouble gritted. His voice was low and sharp. “That wasn’t a pass, Jax. That shit was a warning.”

I didn’t respond. Just stared at him, jaw tight.

“You lucky they didn’t make an example out of you. Or her. And don’t act like you didn’t hear the Don when he said accidents happen every day.”

“I heard him.”

“Nah, you listened , but you didn’t hear , cause you have a point to prove, Jax.” He pointed a finger at my chest, firm, like he was stamping the words in. “You standing on the board with your whole chest out like you untouchable.”

“She ain’t collateral, Trouble. I ain’t folding on her.”

“And I respect that. I do . But understand this, loving her don’t mean you get to be reckless, my nigga.

” His temple flexed. “You brought heat to the family. You ignored my calls. Then risked us getting exiled. That’s not love, that’s pride.

I ain’t defending that shit. But I am standing next to you because I know what it’s like and I’m the only muhfucka around this bitch that’s gone threaten y’all. ”

I smirked slightly. “You done?”

“Hell no,” he muttered, walking toward the truck.

"Getting old, bro. Sound like Pops." I chuckled.

He shot me a glare. “I don’t lead with my pride no more. And I’m too seasoned in this game to be arguing with crash dummies in love.” He let out a frustrated laugh as he swung open the truck door and slammed it behind him.

We got inside the Suburban, and for the first time since I got the summons, I exhaled. I was ready for my consequences, but all I could think about was if I died, my girl would be left in this world to be with a nigga who still wore ties and followed rules.