02

~JADE~

I was not fond of Crystal. At least not like I was with the rest of the girls. Crystal was new and she had joined us much later so I never really bonded with her.

But she was one of my girls…

My hold on the helm of my gun tightened as I stared from Lazarus to the unwelcome visitor. From the relaxed look on Lazarus’s face, it dawned on me that he knew who this visitor was. This visitor killed Crystal before our eyes…, and Lazarus had allowed it.

For whatever gain?

“If you needed to punish anyone for failing this mission, it should have been me. Not her!.” I gritted the words out to Lazarus as I stared daggers at the two men by the door. “You put me in charge of securing the chip and I failed, that was totally unnecessary!.”

Silence.

Lazarus’s face remained calm and indifferent. All the words I uttered had fallen on deaf ears. Rather, he stared at the men by the door and tapped his cane impatiently on the floor.

“You mean… this chip?.” A smooth voice expressed and I frowned to see the stranger take further steps into the room with a little object in his hand. He flung it my way and I caught it just before it flew past me.

“You had it all along?!.” Ruby muttered with astonishment and anger while Pearl maintained her distance, she was closer to Crystal

than the rest of us had been and she was still slightly shaken over her sudden death.

My eyes narrowed as I stared at the chip we had been looking for and I swallowed. Things started to get a little less blurry and the clarity brought a sick feeling to my stomach. I could finally understand why Lazarus was in such a bad mood.

Crystal had betrayed us. Under my watch.

The door opened and two men swiftly carried Crystal’s body away.

“Who are you?. How did you get this?.” Ruby questioned and took cautious steps forward.

“It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Jade.” The stranger declared as he ignored Ruby and walked further into the room. “Though I would have preferred a better circumstance.” He added on a second thought which earned a mocking laughter from the man who followed swiftly behind him.

I squeezed the chip in my hand until my palm ached. I felt foolish and I hated it. I didn't know which was worse, Crystal’s betrayal or the mockery from these strangers whom I didn't even know.

“I’m sorry Lazarus. I should have known…” I said in a rushed voice but he cut me off.

“Sorry?. Why dear?.” Lazarus’s voice was still calm but anyone in the room could sense the storm that brewed underneath his ragged breathing.

“You had failed at not one but two tasks. You shouldn't be sorry no. You should be devastated.”

My head hung low. I was the best shadow in the game, yet, I was getting trashed in front of my juniors and two narcissistic strangers who were definitely having fun as they stood next to Lazarus.

“Your minor mistake would have cost us a ton if Vince hadn't proposed to have this mission closely monitored!.” The old man wasn't done talking yet.

My patience broke as anger surged through me. I didn't like the idea of being ridiculed in public. “I would have handled it just fine if you did me the courtesy of letting me in on the mole instead of sending a stranger after us!.” I snapped back and Ruby rushed to backtap me to order.

I knew she was scared. Lazarus Russo had no favorites, only top players. To him, no one was indispensable. One of us was already down and she did not wish to lose me too.

The men chuckled but Lazarus did not find my words funny.

“He’s no stranger, girl. Vincenzo is my son, My successor, and you will address him as such!.”

My eyes widened as I stared at the man behind Lazarus. He had an arrogant smile on his face as he enjoyed the shocked look on my face.

Ruby and the rest of the people in the room were equally taken aback.

We’ve only heard rumors. Rumors that Lazarus Russo had a son, a dark knight who operated the wheels of the ring behind the scenes and did the more difficult jobs on the Don’s behalf. But no one had actually confirmed that it was true… until now.

The man who suddenly seemed more welcomed to the room than I was stepped forward and for a second he seemed more intimidating than before as he looked me straight in the eyes.

“I’m Vincenzo Russo. Your new master and I will be assigning your final mission to you.”

“Vincenzo!…” Lazarus warned from behind. “That can wait!.”

I frowned.

What final mission?. I was in the Russo's command for two reasons. One, to have my parent’s debt to Lazarus paid back in full, and two, to pay back the people who had caused my parent’s death and took my brother away from me, until they disappeared from the surface of the earth just like my family had done years ago.

I had worked under Lazarus for seventeen years and my debts to him were still a long way from being fully paid.

Therefore, Vincenzo’s words made no sense to me. A final mission?

“Wait?.” Vincenzo scoffed at Lazarus's statement.

I broke out of my thoughts and wondered what trouble the Don’s son had brought with him.

Vincenzo seemed frustrated.

“No, Father. It can't wait. None of this can. The underboss has gotten too much of his shit in my business and I can no longer fucking ignore it!. I have been at the frontline of this battle for far too long and it can no longer be awarded the luxury of waiting!.”

Don Lazarus frowned, his hold on his cane tightened as he stared at the people in the room. “EVERYONE OUT NOW!” He ordered.

Vincenzo’s aide left at once and I made a signal to the girls for us to hurry out as well only to be stopped by Lazarus’s next words.

“Stay back Jade. I’m not done with you yet.”

Fuck. I saw Ruby’s troubled face and I forced a tight smile to the girls to assure them that I would be fine. But deep down, I had no idea what awaited me. I had let a mole stay and had almost lost a mission because of my carelessness. Lazarus never took it lightly with careless people. To have my head still on my head with my heart still pumping normally only made me more nervous.

What would he do with me?.

Obediently, I turned to see Lazarus and Vincenzo in a stare battle of some sort.

“You are getting too reckless. Your impatience can cost us everything that I have worked hard to build. My legacy!” Lazarus spat out.

Vincenzo shrugged and I knew he was winning. “While you had laid low here with your puppets, I have tasted how the Underboss tears down the rest of the gangs! Your legacy would be nothing but a shamble if you do not let me make a move now. You should have dealt with the Axtons when you had the chance to…”

“You have no evidence that this is the doing of an Axton.” Lazarus pointed out and Vincenzo handed a paper I didn't notice he had been holding to his father.

I wondered what was in the paper because Lazarus’s countenance changed and his eyes squinted. He slammed the paper into the table and looked at me.

“Do you still want that revenge, Jade?.” He suddenly asked and I froze.

Revenge?.

It was all I’ve ever wanted and yearned for seventeen years.

I wanted revenge each time I yearned for my mother’s warmth. I wanted it everytime I remembered my father’s dying state and last words to me. I wanted revenge every time I wondered if my brother was alive somewhere or long dead like my parents.

A sudden thought had me waver for a second as I looked up at Lazarus. His promise to get revenge for me was only valid if I had fully paid back my debt to him… which I had not done yet.

“I do… but I still have a long way to go,” I responded with an attempt to mask my disappointment.

Lazarus gave a scornful laugh as he reached for the paper on the table, he crumbled it in his palm and flung it away before tapping his cane impatiently on the floor.

“I’ll give you one last chance as I step down Jade. I want you on this mission with Vicenzo. He may be hot-headed but he is very capable. If you succeed in this, I will pardon your parent’s debts and let you go.”

Let me go?

My heart leaped and my brows crumpled as I stared at the old man.

“Would you really clear all of my debts?.” I asked with a tinge of disbelief. Lazarus Russo had never been a generous man. Would he really let me go?.

“I will have an agreement drafted up and sent to you tonight. I know that you have secretly taken fashion classes despite my instructions to focus on your training in the past.”

I swallowed as guilt flooded me.

Somedays, when I wasn't on some mission or wallowing in bitterness over the memories of my loss, I hoped for a day, a day after my revenge was over and I finally had a life of my own…

“When you have completed this task, you know where to find me.”

Lazarus gave Vicenzo one last meaningful glance and turned to leave. Just before he reached the door, he stopped.

“What is the punishment for failure, Jade?.”

“Death.” I forced the bitter words out.

“Try not to fail this time.”

I winced at the threat as Lazarus’s slightly bent back retreated from the room, leaving me all alone with Vincenzo.

Vincenzo observed me for a while, then he turned around to settle into his father’s large leather chair. The door opened and his aide returned with a file which he handed over to Vincenzo and retreated to a side.

“Are you familiar with the Axton name?.” Vincenzo suddenly asked and he lit up a cigarette.

“Axton?” I repeated. The name rang a bell but I couldn't recall where I had heard it from. Judging from the tone in which the father and son had mentioned them, I guess they must be some important people, which was strange because I knew almost everyone who had a speck of importance to themselves in the country.

“I’m afraid not,” I responded.

Vincenzo slidded the file on the desk in my direction and I moved closer to retrieve it. I was still wary of Vincenzo. He seemed reckless and I still despised his egocentric attitude, but when he wasn't busy being narcissistic, he seemed less intolerable.

He took a long drag from his cigarette and I opened up the file.

“They are a century-old Mafia family who have suddenly cut all connections with our part of the world and gone off the radar. Our sources inform me that they are somehow related to the underboss. I assume you’ve heard of him?.”

“I suppose so.” I responded with a frown. I have heard stories about The Underboss. He was a legend who was more of a Mafia Hunter so the gangs hated him for interfering with their business.

“Perfect. He has gotten his silly claws on our partners and he will destroy us soon if we don't clip him in the bud. Your mission is to infiltrate that home and get us a reliable telescope to fish him out.

My brows creased and my hold on the file tightened. “Finding the Underboss is an impossible task.” I argued. The underboss was hard to deal with because he attacked ruthlessly and covered his tracks perfectly. Even worse was the fact that he had no face or a name that could lead to him.

He could be anyone.

Vincenzo lifted his chin. “No free meal comes easy Jade. The Axton walls are ridiculously high, but a crack came in last night. Get ready to make a move tomorrow.”

“What?!. That fast?. I need some time to prepare. I need to create a cover, make further research. You said it yourself, the Axtons have gone off the radar, I need to be prepared for any surprises…”

“You don't need a cover, Jade. You would be their new nanny.”

My head blanked and the file slipped off my hands, dropping to the floor with a loud bang.

“No way!.”