Rogue Chapter 3

Rogue

Chapter 3

Masen

I watch Carlisle close the door behind him.

I continue to pace wincing from the pain. My back still feels like it is still being branded, except you can add an intense throbbing to searing hot pain on top of.  

The branding is done for a reason. It all started with me actually, and I am the first one to do it. Moving into the more advanced age of technology, I thought it would be best that we require that the Boss of Bosses, who steps into the role be marked. This way there is no mistake in case they go missing. The only way it identifies us if we are in fact in tact enough to be identifiable should someone take us out. If we become a meal for sharks, or fish food, then that theory is tossed out the window but there is another important reason. We need to know if they ever make it into the database of any government agency. Since people are identified by the marks on their body, this one will stand out and can easily be searched. A branding is not as common as a tattoo so it would be very easy to search with the right keywords and access to the systems.

“I need a fucking pain pill.” I hiss at Carlisle.

“I will see what I can do.”

I glare at him for such a ridiculous reply. What I expect to hear is, “Whatever you need Masen,” and for his ass to get right on it.

“We have drug dealers all over the damn city, get me something right fucking now!” I snarl.

I know I am being an ass, but at the moment, I am not in the best of moods, and not just because of the pain.

He holds his hands up as if to surrender, “Alright, I am on it.” he pulls his cell phone out and walks out of the room closing the door behind him.

I feel like I got bested by a fucking female. In my line of work, females have never held a position in the organization, other than arm candy. Don’t get me wrong, I am all down for equality, but this just isn’t any female. It’s her. The one that out of room full of half dressed females, dancing and drinking, she is the only one that stood out over all of the rest. She caught my attention. The one that seems to affect me in ways I can’t explain.

I wasn’t even looking to hook up with anyone. I have plenty of females I could choose from without going to a meat market. I was there for Jasper, and to relax. But then she happened and I lost myself in her. I can’t say why or how it happened. I just know it did.

Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she fucking bolts on me. She says she is going to ladies room, only to sneak out of the fucking club after our dance.

Who does that?

Okay I admit it, yeah my ego is a little bruised, so the fuck what! Sue me, just because I am a cold blooded killer, doesn’t mean I don’t have a fucking heart like any other human being out there. I am not the living dead for christ sakes! I push that memory back to the far recesses of my mind for now.

I stand here staring at my father and grandfather.  

“That went motherfucking….swimmingly.” I glower at them both.

“You need to watch your tone young man,” my grandfather warns.

I laugh. “You can’t say that to me now. I am not a teenager! I am the Don of this family!”

“Don’t let this position go to your head grandson.” he wags his finger at me and I remember my place.  

“Grandfather, I apologize. I am just upset. Did this meeting you two had with Swan give you any idea that his daughter was his underboss?”

My father shakes his head no, “He informed us that he hadn’t done it alone that he had someone that had skills no one else in the world possessed, and emphasized his point that he had help.  He never once mentioned his daughter's involvement. We are just as shocked as you are.”

“So, the burning question I have is, why are we still here? If they can wipe out five families both here and abroad, why in the hell are we still here along with the other families? Why spare us and not take over everything? It makes no sense.”

“It will soon enough Masen.”

I slam my fist down on the conference table hard while shouting, “No! That will never happen again! Do you hear me?! I will NEVER be blindsided like that! Tell me now. I didn’t appreciate that surprise, and I am lucky that the rest of those don’t see me as a fool! You want my respect, then I expect a little in return! I am not letting it go to my head, but I am the Boss, and as such I expect to get the respect you would show anyone that holds this position!”

“Fair enough Edward.” My grandfather says nodding.

Just then the door opens and Carlisle walks in with a glass of water and a pill, holding it out to me.

“Thank you.” I take it turning it over in my hand, “I hope this doesn’t knock me out.” I groan tossing the percocet in the back of my throat and chase it with water.

I pull out a chair, flip it around, straddle it and sit down, allowing Carlisle to attend to putting ointment on my back to help the healing process.

I wince and bite down on my back teeth when he touches it.

“FUCK!” I shout out, glaring at the floor.

“What is the meeting going to be about, please. I need to know.”

“Fine, I was going to let Swan be the one to explain it to you since he did such a good job of presenting it to your grandfather and I , but you are right son, I should be the one to tell you.” my father says.

He is now pacing in front of me and I wait.

“Your request to have Zafrina look into their background was already in the works. I ordered her to do it after they left last night. I am getting information back slowly, but it seems there is a huge gap in the progression of Swan’s life. It suggests that something is being kept hidden and you know what that means. I do know that he was in the military, and that is a red flag that we need to stay mindful of. I am not suggesting we let our guard down and trust them fully, but I do believe that it would be in our best interest to at least hear him out and consider this plan of his. Eventually we will discover what is missing in his personal files.” my father says.

“My hunch grandson, is that he is not a man to get into any unnecessary conflict with.” my grandfather states. This surprises me because Anthony Masen is not afraid of anyone. He never has been.

“I will take that into consideration,” I agree, waiting for one of them to continue.

“After watching her this afternoon, I am inclined to believe she doesn’t carry a weapon for a good reason. If I were a betting man, I would put money on her ability to kill a man with her bare hands. The young lady isn’t a liar. She is too confident in her claims. Her beauty alone is one hell of a deadly weapon and it makes idiots like us males vulnerable. Think about that for a minute, before you discount her.”

“Point taken,” I hiss, “so, what you are saying that if there is any truth in their claims, what do we do next? It will take a lot to convince me that anyone male or female can pull something this big off.”  

“Do not doubt her son, I mean it, that is exactly the attitude that can, and will get you killed. Once we know what is in the timeline and gap of his history, we will be able to decide from there.”

I shake my head and marvel at my father. “Just because she is female father, doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to do to her, what we do to the rats we flush out.”

“Masen, you just took over the entire dance floor of a club and put her in the middle of it and showed her attention you have never shown a woman before, are you going to tell me that now, you can and would break her kneecaps, leave her in a rat infested house to become a meal for the vermin?” Carlisle questions me, while giving me a look that suggests he wouldn’t believe anything I say next.

I walk towards him, stop merely inches in front of his face, our noses nearly touch. I stare him directly in the eye to drive in my point, “No enemy is off limits female or not and I am more convinced the Swan’s are not our allies.”

“As I was saying, Swan is on a mission of his own and I honestly don’t think he is leaving much out. I don’t trust him, but I have to say I respect him son, simply because he says that tonight he is not going to leave out anything when he presents the rest of his ‘big plan’ to us. They are not done taking over.” My father adds.

I turn towards him, as he spoke that last sentence causes me to stiffen. “What do you mean?”

“Swan can’t handle his next takeover alone. He needs an army, we have the numbers, he also needs a well managed family with members who have experience in certain areas. The Black family and their large numbers of street fighters, the Volturri and their various connections and ties to government officials, and more importantly you son. The Boss with the knowledge and skills no one else has and who is brave enough to change the way we operate.”

“Who is their target?”

“They have started work on taking over Los Angeles.”

My mouth hangs open, “That is, suicide! The gangs there lack code of honor, no one follows any rules, it is not controlled by any single entity. In that part of the world it is every man for themselves, endless random violence and their loyalty to even their own is for shit. That city has never been under any one that holds all the control! There are too many who think they are in charge not to mention the strong hold the cartel has over the drug trade. Then you have the rampant corruption in the police department. There is no way...”

“Swan wants our help to take all of them down. Leaving no one alive. He is also targeting the higher ranking officials that have created fortresses in their compounds down south of the border.”

“This is beyond fucking insane! He is planning on taking out the Cartel? Those bastards shoot first and ask questions after the fact! It is a self imposed death sentence if we join them in that!"

“You heard her Edward, she has already started, so far it seems like she is getting off to a great start.”

“And so we are just supposed to accept them into our world after what they have done,  not to mention join them in their quest for self-destruction?” I ask looking at them in utter disbelief.

“If anything Edward, we have everything to gain by hearing them out. We need to understand them, don’t you think?” my father suggests

He has a valid point.

I am still shocked beyond words and frighteningly curious as to how they think they can do it. 

Doubtful they can pull this off.

“We consider it neutral territory.” My father argues as he pulls out his chair.

“Not to mention, a place they have the advantage over, since they suggested it.” I disagree.

“In my own restaurant? Really son?” He looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

“They suggested it. Did you not see the Godfather?” I smirk, pulling out the chair at the head of the table that sits now in the middle of the restaurant.

He rolls his eyes and I have to laugh a little at the absurdity of it. “I guess we will know if Swan makes a move to go take a piss,” I take my seat.  

My father shakes his head muttering, “Sometimes I question if you are of my own flesh and blood.”

“Aw come on it is funny!” I look over to see my grandfather chuckling to himself as he settles in his seat next to my father.

Maria comes out with our drinks. The woman already knows our usual, and I find her attention to detail, a nice touch on her part. I will make damn sure to tip her well for excellent service later.

We are meeting Swan at my father’s restaurant this evening. Vince’s spaghetti house is a little place he opened up that originated in some city in Southern California. He insists on eating there every time he goes to LA, but it wasn’t enough. It cost him a small fortune to have the owners of that place provide the same menu as the one on the other side of the world. The sauce is an old  family recipe that is handed down from generation to generation. I admit though, it is good fucking shit they serve here. I have never eaten spaghetti anywhere else since he opened this place. I wasn’t fond of the name but the original owners insisted it be Called Vinces just like the original one located on the West Coast.   

The restaurant of course is closed for the night, strictly for the purpose of this meeting. We don’t have to wait long before my father makes his way to the door to let Swan in. What surprises me is that he isn’t alone.

I stand up and wait for them to approach. “Edward Masen.” Swan says holding out his hand. I compose myself stepping into my role and respond with a firm grip as we shake hands. “Swan.” I nod.

Neither of us shows any weakness towards the other. He moves on to greet my father and grandfather as well and I face his daughter now.

"Miss Swan, I didn't realize you would be here as well." I glance over at her father who just flashes a smirk.

"I keep nothing from my daughter Masen."

I take in the outfit she is wearing and I find it amusing at the very least. She has an affinity for black and white pinstriping. I wonder if she isn't mocking it, in some odd way. Either way, she wears it well. Who am I to judge?

When she holds out her hand gesturing for me to shake with her, I make a quick decision on how to proceed. I can’t help but wonder if she is testing me. To see if I will consider her an equal or to see if I repeat my action like before when I kissed the back of her hand.

I go with the theory that if she thinks I find her equal, then she will feel a little more comfortable. I shake it and that strange buzz that sparks when our skin makes contact is unnerving.

I wonder if she feels that too, or is it just me?

I wave for them to take their seats and call for Maria to get them something to drink.

“Can I just say that it is nice to not have to relinquish my weapons at the door.” Charlie states nodding at me taking his seat.

I let my gaze look off into nowhere and mutter just under my breath, ‘valar morghulis’, believing that he won’t have any idea what I am referring to.

“Game of Thrones fan?” his mustache twitches.

I narrow my eyes at him and his daughter laughs,   loudly. All of our eyes are trained on her when she says, “Why am I not surprised a bunch of gangstaz watch the one most violent tv show there is on television?”

Her father comes back, “What? It is a great show!”

Sadly, I can’t dispute that. It is the only thing I actually watch. I am not one for Television. “I agree.” the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. This just got too casual all of a sudden.

Maria returns with their drinks and my father gives her instructions, “Maria bring them whatever they want off the menu.”

I wonder for a moment if they are going to accept the offer to dine with us. Once again they surprise me by ordering a plate of spaghetti each.

How in the hell can they be so trusting?

That is, when Charlie begins to speak.

“My daughter and I would like to address you Edward, as the Boss, we want to offer our apologies to you. We were made aware by your father here, that we didn’t go through the proper channels before we made our move on the territories of New York. Had we of known that there was a hierarchy that went above the five families, I can assure you, we would have followed the rules. We meant no disrespect to you or any of those in your organization.”

“I agree with my father, we are sorry.” her soft voice causes me to turn my gaze on her, because it was the most sincerest sounding apology I have ever heard. I had to see the expression that went with it. Strangely, I believed her. It was as genuine as the one she had offered Alec about Aro.

I glance over in the direction of my father and give him the look before I address Swan.

“You came out of nowhere, you muscled your way into something before you knew what you were doing. I don’t know what to make of you Swan. All I know is that if you are going to pull a stunt like you did, I would think that you would have taken the time to find out what you were getting yourself into. If it weren’t for my father and grandfather asking I hear you out, I would have executed you the minute you entered the conference room. You are lucky that I respect my elders and respected their request. I must warn you now though, just because my father and grandfather have asked for me to be here, doesn’t mean I don’t have the intention of still following through if I find there is still good reason. Might I add that your daughter here would technically fall under our oath that women and children are off limits. However, with the skills your daughter claims to possess, I have to make it known she is the exception to that rule. So, let me make myself perfectly clear so there is no misunderstanding from this moment on, if you need to address anyone in this organization, it will be me. Not my father, or grandfather. Yes they are men of honor who have held high positions in the commission, but neither of them have held the power nor the position that I now have. Is that crystal clear?” I don’t blink staring him down. His eyes remain steady and unphased as well. I can’t bother to look at his daughter because I am directing my demand at Swan personally.

He finally gives a slight nod, his eyes moving over to his daughters and I quickly glance over at her as well. They are sharing a pointed look at one another and if I were to guess, she looks a little put out by my little speech. Too fucking bad.

“Fair enough, agreed Isabella?” he asks her.

I raise my brow up a little surprised he is asking anything of her.

“It wasn’t optional.” I am already up on my feet, before either of them have a chance to respond.

I have both my weapons out and both guns, now pointed at the both of them, I see his mustache twitch and her hands are nowhere to be seen. I realize my mistake and wait for her to shoot me from under the table. To my surprise she says in a clear concise voice, “Agreed.”

A few seconds later I relax, return both guns into my holsters, and sit back down throwing back my patron in one swallow. My adrenalin is flowing and my heart is fucking racing, but I do what I have to and show no emotion.

Maria comes out with our meal setting down plates in front of us. I however am no longer hungry.

“You claimed your territory. I am going to let you keep it for now. Explain to me what this brilliant plan of yours is that you want to put the rest of my organization at risk. I am   curious as to what your plan is and why you think you deserve help from my family.”

He nods in his daughter's direction and I lock eyes with her. I can see the hint of anger boiling behind her brown eyes. I don’t fucking care. Get mad baby, this isn’t your fucking rodeo. It is mine. I hold my ground as we sit here staring at one another.

She finally relents and it is far easier than I thought as she glances down at her plate, moving her food around. She gives a wistful look at her fork and for that split secod , I wonder if she is contemplating sticking it in my neck.

The odds are pretty good that would be a yes.

I glance down at her knife then back at her, as if to let her know that I am on to her, if that is what is going on in her head.

She drops it, puts her hands in her lap, sits back and addresses me.

“The reason we eliminated the Italians is simply because they are old school. None of that clan were loyal to their own family members. It is our philosophy that you don’t go against family. They are all you have and they are the ones that can ensure you are successful. As an organization, you work together, not against each other. We felt like we could do it better. We didn’t do it without a pretrial. The short time we were in Russia, we did the same thing but on a much smaller scale. Wiped out the Russian mafia and took over their business. It is still thriving under us today, I can assure you. Once we were satisfied, we could move on, we headed for Florida. Took out a huge drug ring and took over the suppliers. We now have ties with some of the largest suppliers of drugs coming into the US, but not the largest. I am talking about the granddaddy of them all. We know them as the Cartel or Mexican Mafia. The Crips, Bloods, even Hell’s Angels would be considered seperate groups. Now, that we have control over the New York territories, we have the income to fund our next target and that would be going after Goliath. We are here simply because we need a little help and if you help us, we will more than happily split the profits that we can make once we take total control of Los Angeles. It won’t be like New York. It is going to be a hell of a lot bigger.”

I shake my head, deepen my tone of voice and direct my reply to her little spiel.  “LA can’t be controlled sweetheart, no one has ever been able to conquer the City of Angels. I have to at the least give you some credit for being braver than most, but that titanic intellect of yours is about to sail into a world full of icebergs."

Her glare should burn me from across the table, but she manages to keep her anger in check.

"Don't take it personally, but I am throwing this out there any way, are you working with any government agencies?"

She shakes her head and giggles. “We are not cops Masen, nor are we the Feds, you have my word that we are no different than you. It is all about business. We are The Swan’s and when we want something, we take it, need I remind you?” she shifts slightly and I can see her hand pick up her butter knife.

For some reason, I have little doubt she wouldn’t be able to use it. Even as dull as it would be, in the hands of a woman like her, it could be lethal if she has in fact quoted her body count accurately.

Charles tosses a cell phone on the table and nods at it.

My father picks it up and presses the button. A series of pages open and I watch him scroll through them. His expression unreadable as I wait while he studies what is on it. The room is deadly silent.

Finally, he glances up at me with a small curve of his lip in an odd little triumphant smile. He simply says, “The gaps just got filled in.” And he finishes with that look that tells me, he got what he needed to know and to relax.  

I glance over at Swan who is focused on me. He lifts his hands as if to show me he isn’t armed and he states, “I got nothing to hide from those I choose to bring into my family. Ask me anything, I will answer you honestly. My intentions are simple, I want the power that you have here on the east coast, but I want that power on the west coast. Specifically, the city of Angels. I am more than willing and will happily share whatever profits we make  because after all, you and I both know there is going to be more than enough to go around. There is so much money to be made, neither of us would know what to do with all of it.”

His eyes move to his daughter and he winks at her and you can see the pride shining in them. “She was seven years old when she asked her Daddy to place the world in the palm of her hand. How can any man deny his little girl the one thing she desires?"

I look over at his daughter and she is smiling at him with adoration, all while blushing. Their love for each other is clearly obvious. She means everything to him and I believe him.  

I wasn’t kidding when I said her looks are deadly, because if I keep looking at the beauty that this woman has, I may as well start to dig my own grave.

I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life than Isabella Swan and if she can actually pull off this big plan of hers,  I really want to be right there to witness it.  

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