Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 11 - Charlotte

Charlotte traced her hand down the petal of the white rose, the sleeve of her floral patterned romper hitting her forearm as she did. Kayden leaned against the table and peeked his eyes around the greenhouse. He hadn't left her alone since the Council came to town. Despite how she had nothing to say to him, he recited essays to her about Jericho.

"You like Jericho now, is that it? Our greatest enemy, and you're suddenly all buddy buddy with him? Telling him about our raids and plans?" Kayden asked. Kayden did raise a valid point. However, Charlotte had a plan in play to get rid of Jericho. Part of her hated the idea of him gone. She had to confess she was warming up to him. As it turned out, he wasn't as terrible of a person as she thought. In a way, she really did like him.

"Please, not now. Can I enjoy my time in the greenhouse?" Kayden went silent, Charlotte continuing to pet the white rose. "Jimin's favorite flowers are white roses. I used to get them for him once a month. Maybe I should start doing that again."

"You might cause a war because of some guy, but you're out here worrying more about if you should get flowers for your lapdog?" Kayden asked, Charlotte biting back the urge to punch him for that comment.

"Jericho used to be your best friend, was he not? You know him better than I do, Kayden. Tell me: is he really as bad as you make him out to be?"

"Back then, I made a mistake. I still care about him, but I know that he's our rival. He's dangerous. We should be focusing on taking him out, not ignoring the problem altogether."

"I don't really trust you, Kayden, but I already have a plan. This whole time, I've been waiting for it to happen. Jericho Novak will no longer be a problem for us. You really think I've been sitting around waiting for him to walk all over me?" Charlotte asked, and Kayden hung his head.

The greenhouse felt more like a prison. What was once gorgeous scenery and white roses that brought Charlotte consolation whenever she saw them was now chains strapped around her body. Even then, the white roses gave her memories of the times Jimin smiled. Those memories were the only ones keeping her steady.

"I'd appreciate it if you could tell me your plan. Trust me or not, I'm still an underboss. I'm right next to Jimin if we're really bringing rank into this."

"Jimin doesn't know either." That caused Kayden to go quiet. "For your safety, none of you can know. This plan doesn't involve you, so don't concern yourself with it."

"Char," Kayden said, and for some reason, she hated when the nickname came from his mouth. "You know you need to tell me, or if not me, at least Jimin. You can't have this big plan behind our backs. What if it doesn't work and something goes wrong? Please, tell me. I know I've made bad decisions lately, but I swear to you that I won't tell anyone else. Everything you've ever told me I've never said a word about to anyone else."

Kayden, once again, raised two valid points. To her knowledge, he never once raised so much as a peep about anything she said to him confidentially to another. Along with that, if something went wrong with her plan, there was a chance a target would be on her head. That meant she'd have to trust two rivals for help. Asa and Theo were her lifelines, no one else. She sure as hell didn't trust them, but she had to confide in them in order to take out Jericho and bring peace between the two rivals.

No matter what she did, this could end in disaster. So, she opened her mouth. "Asa, Theo, and I are working together to get Jericho out of his spot as leader. We took out the High Council member so they could recruit from here. It was a high chance Jericho or I were next in line, so if I got the position, I would pass it off to Jericho. From there, Theo would take over and end our war. In exchange for a guarantee that I'll pass off the position and give them gold coins to do the assassination, Theo gave me his word he'd back out of our territories and end the territory war. By extension, he'd end any risk of war we had and we'd be on good terms. Maybe even open to trading."

Kayden froze up, his mouth searching for words. Charlotte was as calm as ever, stroking the petals and adoring the way the softness touched her fingers. It was like a form of therapy for her, and she wished it could last forever.

"You're our leader. If this gets out, our entire organization could be at stake. If this gets out, Eladio will kill not only you, Theo, and Asa, but me, Jimin, and Jericho as well. They'd punish us for letting a plan like this happen right under our noses. Charlotte, this is the wrong decision-"

"No!" At her shout, Kayden hopped back and held the wooden table, likely gaining a splinter or two from the sudden movement. "My whole fucking life I haven't had a choice! I was forced to be in this mafia because my father was a bitch who slept around with more women than I can count. I was a result of that, and unlike my brother, I didn't get a chance to get out. My father forced me to stay. I was his little girl. The one he wanted to lead after he was gone. I didn't want that. I told him I didn't want that, but he forced me to stay, and look what happened!"

Charlotte motioned to the area around her. The petals of the white roses, the plants littering the sides of the greenhouse, and the grass tickling her feet. The vicinity was her cage as much as it was her freedom, and Kayden sunk his shoes into the mud beneath him as if that would help the situation.

"Here I am, Kayden. Here I fucking am. Leading a mafia since I was sixteen years old because my dad wanted the Evermore bloodline to lead for as long as possible. I fought against it for years. I tried to find replacements, but each time they told me it's my responsibility. Every 'choice' I've made since I was born wasn't my own. I'm so, so sorry that for once I'm making a decision strictly for me. That for once, I'm going to do something for my happiness."

"What about the rest of us? What about the ones who'll suffer for your actions?" he asked, his voice nearing a crack.

"I don't care. They're horrible people, all of them. Me included. We're all terrible people who deserve death, Kayden. They murder people for a living. Let karma hit them in the face. My actions for once I want to be my own, and I'll do whatever it takes to have one point in my life where I can be the one in control. No one else." She sucked in a breath, attempting to level her tone before she spoke again. "I'm not gonna apologize for wanting a life that I control."

"I'm not asking you to," Kayden said, making a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a grunt. "I just... Of all people, him? Of all the choices you could have, does it have to be this one? The one that'll get everyone killed?"

"There wasn't much other option. It was either do it discretely, or war." Kayden and her fell into a cloud of silence, her turning her head and expanding her eyes. "Oh shit."

"What?" Kayden asked, but he interrupted himself when he noticed it. Jimin was standing not far away with his jaw dropped. He seemed as though he was hiding near all the flower beds, eavesdropping on the conversation. Right when Jimin marched forward, Kayden stood in front of Charlotte as if Jimin was about to hurt her. "Jimin, think about this for a minute."

"Move," he replied, shoving Kayden out of the way before he could react. "Leave us."

"Excuse me?" Kayden asked.

"I think you've done more than enough for today. Leave." Kayden didn't budge, so Jimin narrowed his eyes. "Remember who your superiors are, Mr. Armani." Kayden shifted to Charlotte, who dipped her head to confirm she would be fine. Finally, Kayden departed in a hurry, his legs practically skipping over one another as he went.

Charlotte gave Jimin a frown. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it. The plan, your past, Kayden fighting back..."

"Shit," she mumbled, but he gripped her elbow. He was kind enough to be gentle. It was a reassuring hold, one that soothed her nerves. "Why aren't you screaming at me? Kayden has a point, I'm endangering both of you by going behind your backs."

"June told me to push you in the right path," Jimin said, and Charlotte stiffened. "I want to think this is it. I don't agree with the method much, and I wish you told me, but I'm glad you made a choice, even if it was risky. You're taking down Jericho once and for all."

"By giving him more power. Ironic how that works, huh?"

Jimin chuckled. "At least he'll be out of New York."

The relief that came had her swaying on her feet, craving nothing more than to collapse from the stress of the day. Jimin's grip on her kept her upright. Like the white roses, Jimin's memory was always what kept her moving. Jimin was broken when she found him. Quite frankly, he still was. The point was that she was too, and they found something in each other. He was her rock.

"Do you trust me yet?" she asked, and he bellowed a laugh that swirled by her ears.

"Not even a little bit."

"That's probably for the best. Want to take a walk so we can clear our heads?"

Jimin agreed, pausing before he moved. He went to the white rose she was touching a minute prior and placed his hand by it. "It's beautiful," he whispered, and she picked one and handed it to him. He flashed her his signature eye smile and took it, sucking in the sweet scent it had. "Thank you. I miss my garden."

"Well that's your fault for not taking care of it. When's the last time you planted a seed?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that," he replied, and she laughed. He held the rose with one hand, and he used his free one to extend his arm to her. She entwined their arms. Together, they traversed the massive land that made up the greenhouse. Every aroma that flared her nostrils had her falling more in love with the scenery.

"You know what'd make this even better?" she asked, Jimin raising a brow. "If you sang for me like the old days." When he went to shake her off, she gave him a nudge. "Your voice is beautiful, Min. Perfect mix of high and low."

"And maybe a hundred voice cracks."

"Maybe, but they add charm."

"I don't believe you," he said, and they both snickered from his words. They went back to observing the area, but they were swiftly interrupted by a female voice.

"The old man sings?" They whipped around in time to see the little girl, Ariel, sitting on the edge of one of the flower beds. "I'd love to hear a performance."

"You brought her here?" Charlotte asked, Jimin's jaw dropped.

"Of course not, when I asked to come with him, he specifically told me to stay put," Ariel said, hopping up. "But you've been keeping me locked inside a room for days. I deserve a little freedom, don't you think?"

"Jimin," Charlotte said, and he tilted his head at her. "A 13 year old girl managed to not only sneak out of our compound, but also follow you without you noticing? Seriously?"

"She was obviously trained by the mafia, she's good for her age!" Jimin replied, his voice nearing a whine.

"You need to hire better security. No one bothered to question me, and old man over here was too busy blasting music in his headphones," Ariel said, pointing her finger at a pale Jimin. His jaw was set, and Charlotte was about to stop him, but he already blew by her.

"Listen kid, you've caused enough problems for us, got it?" Ariel shrugged him off, swinging her legs back and forth. "Stay out of our way."

"What are you gonna do? Kill me?"

Jimin stalled, then glared at the girl. "I know some people who'd love to, so don't test my patience. Just get over here so we can take you back to the compound."

Ariel, much to Charlotte's surprise, obeyed Jimin's command albeit after some hesitation. She stopped by his side, but he instantly moved so Charlotte had to deal with Ariel instead. Charlotte bit back a grunt and took Ariel by the elbow, the trio silent as they went through the greenhouse.

"I've never seen a place so beautiful," Ariel mumbled, Jimin shifting his narrowed eyes to her.

"You've never been outside?" he asked, his voice like a hiss.

"Only a few times, and never in a place like this. That rose you have is so pretty, can I touch it?"

"No," Jimin said, holding it a bit tighter.

Charlotte wished there was something she could say to defuse the tension, but it only worsened. A shout rang around the walls, causing the three to halt in their tracks. Each one of them zipped their irises around the greenhouse. Nothing came for several beats. Then, the shout became a screech. A word. A single word. Or, more like a name.

"Charlotte!"

It took Charlotte a blink to realize it was Kayden's voice. That had her snapping to attention, pulling out her concealed pistol from her thigh holster under her romper. Jimin did the same, going over so he could pull Ariel behind him. Both of them covered the preteen, holding their weapons up in case the concept of neutral grounds was about to be shattered.

Kayden came sprinting into their field of view. His arms were flailing so he could get their attention. Jimin lowered his hands, but Charlotte stayed on attention. The man panted as he slowed himself, sucking in all the air that he could. In less than a minute, Kayden was before them, mere feet away. He brought his gaze to Charlotte's, the despair in the whites of his eyes causing her body to freeze.

"We have a problem," he said.

As if his voice were a dam, all hell broke loose after those words spiraled out of his lips. A group of three men charged in with pistols gripped in their hands. Jimin pushed Charlotte back, Kayden taking the hint. The duo protected their leader and the kid as the strangers ran. That was when Charlotte realized who they were.

Jericho, Asa, and Theo.

The Unmei leaders came bumbling over to the leaders of Hakai. By the time they froze, they were met with a sea of pistols facing them. All at once, Unmei holstered their weapons and threw their hands in the air.

"Charlotte, we've been compromised," Theo said. Jimin and Kayden shared a look, then peeked back at Charlotte. She cut through them and peered at Theo with wide eyes. "June found out about our involvement with the High Council. Jericho killed Eladio. We don't have much time before every God damn person in the Underworld has a bounty with our names on it."

And just like that, Charlotte's life was chaos. Her plan failed miserably, and she wasn't surprised it was because of June. Now she had to trust the ones she hated most, or she could go off on her own. Based on the way Kayden and Jimin were by her side, she knew she at least had them. Although she wanted to curl into a ball and cry, she knew she couldn't. Not yet. With those thoughts in mind, she shook her head and pretended she wasn't tearing apart from the inside.

"Then let's go."

~~~
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