Pernicious 2 (punk h.s.)

twelve

Harry.

"Last our sources heard Alexander was somewhere east. But I've scheduled a meeting tonight with the council. Dress the part. You know how their clubs are. Formal. Suit and tie. That means all of you."

The council has never been one to be open about their underground doings. They were high profile with reputations to withhold. Without the secrecy, their companies and money would crumble. Not to mention the mere message of drug gangs under their control and funding would be a field day for the cops and press. The cops know secretly they have something to do with the high rate of narcotics in the city, but they never had enough evidence to actually convict them. We were slick to say the least. If one of us ever got caught by any cop, the rule was to say nothing. Somewhat of an oath to keep us all safe. It was the idea that we are a family. Family before anything else. But we never thought that Alexander would turn that around.

"I love to play dress up," Niall says to lighten the mood. I'm not amused but I suppose it was a good try.

"Get dressed and be ready within the next hour. We will be armed of course. If something goes down tonight we won't take any risk. Sam, Ana, you stay behind. Jane will be here and the rest of our guards. As for the rest of you, we leave at eleven." I've become sort of stern when speaking to the group. Jack put me in charge because he believes I have the best leadership skills. Not to mention I want to catch Alexander more than anyone else. Blood thirsty and hungry for answers has been keeping me sidetracked. He did this on purpose but I didn't mind. I mean it really is just something to do. Everyone has made it clear that moping over Rose hasn't been a good use of my time.

"Yes sir," they respond in unison. It seems I've earn a higher title in the house as well since I've gained a little more control over things. I won't let it get to my head though I like the responsibility. They leave at once, off to get ready.

"Good job back there Harry." Jack pats my back sternly.

"Uh...okay."

"You know it is okay to say thank you. Doesn't make you any less of a man," he uses hand air quotes when saying "man." I roll my eyes and walk away.

"Maybe next time," I say and shut the door.

When I walk to my room the halls are filled with the sound of shuffling closets and hair driers on the highest level. I roll my eyes once more however I'm glad they are taking this seriously. We never know exactly what we are getting into when we see the council. The last meeting we had was about four years back. A blood bath to say the least. They asked us to guard for a party of theirs once. They do things we don't question simply because if we did we would never see the day light anymore. Gambling, sex slaves, drugs, fight clubs, you name it, they have parties for it. That day, they were challenged by some other big shots that didn't like that they were stealing their business. They original guys were on other unmentionable missions so they called us. Those guys were amateurs in every sense of the word. They underestimated exactly what we were capable of. It didn't end well.

The suit was already laid out. I had been ready for this for sometime now. A shower and slick back hair would suffice. The steam of the shower allowed my brain to wander the possibilities of tonight. Though of course, she creeped her way into my mind. She had a way of doing so. I wondered what she would think. Would she be terrified to be there with me? Would she be scared of the idea of me killing? Would she ask me to stay back for my safety and to comfort her if she was here? I thought maybe not. She was strong and brave. Probably stronger than the rest of us. She could take care of herself and she would do it with grace. Though I don't think she would be too worried about me. I mean after all, she isn't here.