Last night was different from what Jericho was expecting. He traced his fingers over the palm of his hand, but nothing was there. Yesterday, Charlotte grabbed his hand and took him outside to speak. They only spoke about the future of their world, that was all. No deep, philosophical bullshit. No strange connections were formed. Just a simple conversation about how the High Council impacted the Underworld.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. He didn't have a chance. Asa ran into his office an hour ago shouting about a High Council meeting, which interrupted Jericho's dedicated hour to coffee drinking. It seemed as though his higher-ups loved to interrupt his coffee time. Half an hour after that, he found himself in his car. And now he was in a restaurant with his rival.
Charlotte wasn't the only one there, however. Jimin and Kayden were present as well. She had two nameless guards behind her, and Jericho was the same way. He had Asa and Theo by his side, guards keeping their hands on their pistols just in case. Two other mafias were there as well. Jericho didn't bother interacting with them. They weren't rivals, but they weren't friends either. That was how it was most of the time though.
They were waiting for the High Council representative to arrive. The private room located at the back of the restaurant was larger than he was anticipating. There were vines the color of phthalo swirling around the caramel pillars in the room. The darkness of the vines contrasted the richness of the walls and pillars around their vicinity, a table of mahogany in front of them to match the color scheme.
No food was placed there. Not even utensils. Whoever this representative was already paid off the workers inside. Or they said it was a meeting and they just needed the room, no food or drinks. Jericho didn't care what the representative did, as long as it didn't harm the people he cared about.
Asa and Theo were on that list. Three out of the three people he cared for were in this room. By his side, even. Asa and Theo on either side of him, and Charlotte in an arm's reach. His guards behind him were nameless to him, and the other mafias were in the same position. The prospect that this representative could change everything had his veins swelling inside his body, poking through the surface of his skin.
Chandeliers with glistening lights bounced off the gray of Jericho's suit, him tugging on the cuffs to give his wrists more breathing room. Charlotte, on the other hand, drew attention to herself by donning a burgundy dress that squeezed her curves, draping down her body in an a-line style. She was an alluring siren singing to him, each flick of her eye reeling him in more.
Jericho forced himself to focus, pretending Charlotte didn't just meet his gaze. His irises went to Asa, who had his hands folded on the table while his leg bounced under it. The sharpness of his jawline contrasted the roughness of his skin, his eyelashes clumped but long, every blink seeming painful to him.
Asa checked his watch, a tiny dinosaur sticker on the side of it. It was an inside joke between the three of them. Asa adored history and fossils. He spent his weekends visiting museums with Theo. Those two were inseparable. Theo got Asa a pack of dinosaur stickers for one of his birthdays, and ever since, Asa kept a Stegosaurus sticker on that gray watch of his.
The room doors burst, and it felt as though the room turned into a tundra. A man strolled in with two others by his side with all-black suits tight on their bodies. The man came forward and sat at the head of the table, the hazel speckles making up his eyes peeking around at the others.
"Good evening, thank you for coming," he said, and Jericho picked up on the British seeping into his accent. "My name is Eladio, and I'll try to keep this quick. As you all know, a member of the High Council has been assassinated. We are yet to discover who did this, or who called it in. If you have any information about it, please let me know immediately. Talk to Mr. Belmour, he'll relay the information to me. Understood?"
Silence was the answer.
"Excellent. Madam Amara sent me to investigate the kill orders sent in this sector. As the most trusted in this area, you are to send me all of your kill orders immediately. If you don't, Mr. Belmour will. As for the High Council, we're now looking for a new member. New York has always been our top spot, and you all in this room are our candidates. After reviewing the kill orders, I'll make my decision."
Jericho had more kill orders than he could count. All signed off on by Theo, occasionally Asa as well. To Jericho, kill orders were documents a mafia used to keep track of their activities. Any killings or assassinations were put down officially as kill orders. Mr. Belmour had a copy of each one. It seemed easy to merely fake a kill order, or never send one, but disobeying Mr. Belmour wasn't worth the risk of death and destruction. If anyone disobeyed Mr. Belmour, suddenly the entire Underworld turned against them.
Kill orders themselves were typically signed off on by the right hands. They organized the assassinations that needed to be carried out. Theo organized more killings than Jericho did. Five years ago, when Jericho had been a right hand to his boss, he signed off on more kill orders than he could count. The orders blurred together there were so many. But making them gave him power, and that was what got him to the position he was in then: leader.
"If you are chosen to come to the High Council, you can say no. It's optional, but I strongly recommend you do. Your right hand will take over, and you'll come to London to rule over the Underworld. Perhaps the best benefit is an infinite access to gold coins," Eladio said, and the entire room stiffened at that. If Eladio didn't have their attention before, he did now.
"You'll be in charge of overseeing district leaders and gold production, and you'll work directly with Madam to keep the rest of the Underworld in line. We still have our rules, though. Anyone who breaks the rules will be executed no matter your position. You can be as high as a Council member, or as low as a grunt. Break the rules, we execute you. Is that understood?" Eladio asked. Nods broke out, and he stood. "Any questions?" No one's lips dared to part. "Very well. Contact Mr. Belmour if you wish to contact me with serious inquiries. Otherwise, I wish you luck on your future endeavors."
Jericho had to admit Eladio had a figure that oozed with riches. His appearance was a suit with silky black material the chandeliers gawked over, the light shimmering down the sides of his dress pants to his pointed shoes. His entire outfit was dark, even up to his locks that had too much gel in it for how receding his hairline was.
Legs moved on their own, Eladio and his bodyguards creeping their way to the front of the room. They departed without so much as a glance back. Right away, others left their seats and prepared to leave. Jericho and Charlotte remained still as if reading the other's mind. It took several minutes of idle chatter and boredom, but the others in the room left. Asa and Theo were staring at Kayden and Jimin, Jericho keeping his eyes as far away from Kayden as possible.
"Are we ever going to leave, ma'am?" Jimin whispered to Charlotte, but Jericho heard it anyway.
"Stay put," she replied, her gaze falling on Asa. Then, she shifted her head to Jericho, her eyes following a blink later. "Permission to share my thoughts?"
"I can't stop you."
"Eladio seemed a bit on edge. Did you get that impression?" she asked, her eyes flicking to Asa's once again.
"Not that I noticed, but that's what my right hand is for. The entire purpose of a right hand is for them to protect us and judge character," Jericho said to Charlotte. Then, to Theo, "You see anything strange in Eladio's behavior?"
Theo bounced in his seat from his boss's sudden words, and he shook his head. "None, sir. It seemed like any other meeting."
"Not like we know what meeting with the High Council is like," Jericho said in a snort, motioning to Jimin instead of Kayden. "You notice anything?"
Jimin didn't answer, but he did when Charlotte gave him a stare. "Nothing. If anything, he seemed a bit too calm considering someone he worked closely with just died. I don't think we have anything to worry about."
Jericho accepted the words and positioned himself toward Charlotte. "Did you stay just to ask me if he seemed on edge, Miss Evermore?"
"I did, but now we have to go." As soon as she said those words, Jimin hopped up. Charlotte sighed and did the same albeit slower, her hands pressing into the table in front of her. "I did a task for Mr. Belmour, and he gave me the location of one of our enemies. We have a raid to prepare for tomorrow. Do me a favor and don't touch my territory tomorrow, yeah?"
"How tempting," he replied, Kayden joining his two companions. Jericho snapped his gaze away before eye contact could be made. Just like that, the members of Hakai began their journey back home.
Charlotte gave Jericho a farewell he returned, his form straightening as he pushed off the chair. It was their turn to leave. Asa and Theo got the hint and stretched, preparing to follow. As soon as Jericho swiveled around, he found himself peering directly at Kayden. His form stalled over air. He was about to fall if it weren't for Theo coming up behind him and halting by his side.
Memories of Kayden's grin flashed through his mind's eye, and it felt as though the room was shifting. Turning into what used to be a giddy friendship with someone who vowed to always stay by Jericho's side. If only he knew how wrong those words would end up being.
"Jericho," Kayden said. Even the chatter echoing from the main dining room was dull in comparison to the thumping sensation frisking around his ears. His veins pulsed under his tight flesh, his lips cracking up more by the second.
"Save it," was his only answer. His tone came out in a hush. Part of him wondered if he actually said it, but based on Kayden's slumping posture, he knew he did.
Charlotte intercepted and took Kayden and Jimin out of the room. Asa went to Jericho's side and held his shoulder in an attempt of consolation. The touch brought nothing but a splash of fire to his heart. Jericho's heart ignited with his wrath, and he had to suck in a breath in order to force more words out.
"Charlotte knows so much about me, yet I know next to nothing about her," Jericho said. Neither of them replied. "There's two explanations as to why. Kayden told her everything there was to know about me, or she's getting her information elsewhere." His eyes went to Asa, who backed up by what seemed like a millimeter. "Do more digging and see what you can find on Charlotte." Asa dipped his head twice, dropping his hand from Jericho's body. Next, Theo spoke.
"Sir, you can't act on your emotions. Attacking Charlotte or Kayden won't do anything but bring war. If you get chosen as the next High Council member, you'll leave in the middle of the war anyway. Please just wait for the results, then make your move."
His fists unclenched themselves, and the moisture pooling on his skin dribbled away. It sunk into the strings making up the fabric of his attire. Next was his heart. The beating slowed to the point where he thought it froze. It gave sharp throbs that resembled a heartbeat, and they were the only indication that Jericho was still in reality and not in the fiction blurring his eyesight."I don't know what to do," Jericho said, the confession leaving him winded. "I thought I did, but whenever I look at Kayden..."
Theo and Asa were quick to stay by his side, huddling around him as if they were outside in the middle of the freezing winter. Jericho shook and rubbed his arms, throwing the thoughts of his old friendship out of his mind. He went to speak, but Asa cut him off, stepping forward and offering Jericho his hand.
"We'll take care of this together. Do you trust us?"
The hand was calloused and bruised, black spots that were likely dried blood Asa never bothered cleaning littering the sides of his flesh. Jericho peered at it, placing his hand in Asa's and giving it a shake.
"I do."
~~~
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Heartless || •OG• ✔️
غموض / الإثارة|| 18+ Enemies to lovers gxb and bxb || Infamous NYC mafia leaders Charlotte and Jericho have been rivals for years. However, all of that changes when one of the leaders of their Underworld is assassinated. The rivals are forced together and must re...
