My Sister, The Chosen One

Twenty-Six

REZZ & Grabbitz- Someone Else (Underoath Remix)

Ericson:

There are people in our world that don't play by the same rules the rest of us do and up until today, I somewhat considered myself to be in that category. The truth is, I am nowhere near the level Sasha and her "friends" are. We don't have things like organized crime like this back home. There are a few thugs and dealers who fancy themselves bosses but nothing like this. This is a completely different world.

To my understanding, Aces are the dons of the Fae world and for the most part, they're all wind fairies. The fastest there is. At the top, we have the Ace of Diamond. Sesshomaru Airington. Not a single deal is made without his approval. He takes care of everyone and makes sure they all have what they need in order for the other Aces to move their product successfully. Captain Airstrike has detailed information on this man. She knows his schedules, routines, meeting locations, and knows who his personal acquaintances are. However, we still can't get a single bit of evidence that incriminates him. Nothing. On the surface, Sesshomaru Airington is a well-put-together businessman and according to our contract, we're lucky to have him sign with us.

Following the Diamond is the Ace of Spades. Sasha Airstorm. The spade is the reason why the Diamond is so protected. She runs security for all of them. She deals in guns, technology, and assassinations. Until now, no one knew how the Aces were doing so well. No one knew that Sasha was their Spade or that she has the city under Ace's control. Crime is at an all-time low. No one is dealing to kids, homicide cases are all dealt with by the men she trained herself before joining the military, and small businesses are protected without charge throughout the entire state. When the elders found out that she was the Spade, a simultaneous sigh of relief echoed through the council room.

The Ace of Hearts. Diana Airling. Diana is the third richest woman in Aldrich. She is a glorified saleswoman. She owns Airling Enterprises. Transportation, tech development, pharmaceuticals, fashion, and car manufacturing. When she has trouble with anyone, all she has to do is make a call. Things like money, drugs, and cops mean nothing to her. Because she's such an important asset to the Aces, she is protected by all of them. They call her the Ace baby.

The Ace of clubs. Dylan Warmbreeze. Dylan is the youngest and newest of them all. This kid is a chemistry god. At twenty-two, the boy already has several degrees in botany, chemistry, and agricultural sciences. If you can smoke it, he can grow it and or cook it. He doesn't just supply the city with his infernal drugs, he produces the recipes that supply the entire state along with the over-realm shipments that come in and out of this realm. The only reason people love this kid is because he is genuinely the nicest person ever. He takes care of the elderly. Homelessness is at a point six percent because he has shelters all over the city. This boy is an icon for the entire realm. His hair is longer than Sasha's.

"Sage!" Diana Airling walked over to Sasha in her ridiculous shoes. Sasha grinned brightly and walked over to her. The two of them embraced in a tender hug.

"Sage!" Dylan jumped into the arms of both women.

"Hey," she greeted them brightly. "I haven't seen you two in forever. I work too f*****g much,"

"You do. I miss you. I brought you a gift. I hope you brought your car," Diana beamed, excitedly.

"I did," Sasha laughed. "I am really proud of this year's spring line. You outdid yourself,"

"The cars, the dresses, or the new phones?" she asked.

"I was talking about the cars but yes to the rest," Sasha raised her new phone.

"Ah!" Diana laughed snatching it. "I have accessories in my bag. BRB,"

"Dylan," she smiled at him. He stood up straight and smiled at her as professionally as he could. "You. I have no words. Your feature in Aldrich Couture was all inspiring,"

"Thanks, Sage," he turned bright red. "I really missed you. Sess is kind of a d**k," he whispered that last part while leaning into her. "We've really needed you,"

"I know. I'm sorry," she ran her fingers through his long hair before pulling him in for a hug. "Are you behaving yourself? You know Sess hates having to go down to Aldrin for damage control,"

"I am. No incidents for a while,"

"Four months," Sesshomaru appeared behind us with Knuckles and Lilly. She instantly came over to me.

"Four months?" Sasha looked down at the boy, placing her hand on her chest. "Consider me impressed,"

"Thank you," he turned bright red again.

"Why don't you go see what Diana is doing?" Sesshomaru suggested. The boy excused himself. All eyes are on the two of them as they face off. This is probably the first time they see them together after their breakup.

"You're not going to blindside me this time, are you?" he asked her. She slightly lowered her head but the smirk on her face says it all.

"Of course, not," she bowed politely. He tucked his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. My wings crackled behind me. I can't help it.

"Good. On a scale of one to ten, how pissed am I going to be about this?"

"Four," she shrugged without looking away.

"Four?" a hint of a smile pulled at the edges of his lips. The others gasped.

"Four," she laughed. He let her go and turned to face everyone else. They all stood up respectfully. Dylan and Diana joined Sasha and Sesshomaru and the rest of them all got down on one knee before bowing with their fist to their chests.

"It's been a long time since we've all been together like this," Sesshomaru began. There's a black podium for four on a stage at end of the warehouse. When they took their seats everyone else sat down. Lilly took my hand and led me over to the chairs as the building was locked down. I looked around the room to see that the crowd all have white porcelain masks on.

"This is elite as f**k," Lilly whispered. She reached into her satchel and handed me a mask. I took it and slipped it on. I'm not sure why, I'm sure they've seen us both already. Not to mention that none of us had one on upon entering.

"My lord, what is Sage doing here? Did she not leave us to join the military?" someone stood up.

"We were under the impression of appointing a new Spade," someone else agreed. Sesshomaru looked over at her with an icy glare.

"You want to explain it to them?" he asked her.

"You do it so much better, my lord," she sat back with a massive grin on her face. "I think they deserve to hear it from you,"

"f*****g b***h," he groaned. The two that had taken a stand immediately sat down when he got up and went around the podium. Dylan and Diana snickered at his annoyance. Sesshomaru walked off the stage to stand in front of everyone with his back to the other three aces. "Are you sure?"

"Completely," Sasha answered before leaning on the desk, resting her chin on her arms. The crowd is murmuring. Questioning his authority over her and by the way they laugh, it's not the first time she does it.

"There are rules we live by," he began. "The only way out of this is in a body bag. You all know that. Sage is our Spade and will continue to be our Spade until her last breath. Now, if any of you have a problem with that, get up and get the f**k out now," the crowd fell silent. He let out a heavy sigh, he rotated his shoulders and popped his neck loudly. "Six years ago, we were all simultaneously raided by the Aldrich Militia. During this raid, we lost our Heart, our Club, and millions in both product and cash.

"This was a devastating blow to all of us. Solomon Airstone and Stella Airstring were family to us all and having to replace them was very difficult not just for me but for Sage. She was devastated. she didn't know how to face us after that. So, she came up with an idea to ensure that this never happens again. I approved it and as always, The Spade has come thru with excellent results. Spade?"

Sasha stood up and walked around to stand next to him. He turned to face her. His expression was blank when he placed his hand on her head. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear before going back to his seat. She waited for him to sit down as Sasha gathered her thoughts. Her back is to all of us. I got up and went over to her. They all watched as I took my carrier off my shoulder and offered it to her.

"You've got this," I whispered. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you," she took it and motioned me to take my seat. Everyone began to talk again when she put her hand on my arm and didn't break contact until I was out of reach.

"Spade," Sesshomaru tapped the table to hurry her up. She turned around to face everyone.

"I f****d up," she began. "It was my job to protect Stella and Solomon and I failed," her wings lifted her up and she sat on top of the podium. "For months, I locked myself away wondering how the f**k the militia found all of us in different locations at the same time. I myself had prepared our schedules and set our security.

"Stella and Solomon were everything to me. They taught us everything we need to know about being an Ace. They made us who we are today. When I first met Solomon he called me the f*****g Airstorm brat," everyone laughed. "Stella was a little less snobby, just a little," she raised her hand pinching her fingers together. They laughed again. "She took me under her wing and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I belonged somewhere," her eyes flooded with tears. The crowd is eating it up. "I don't want your forgiveness. It means very little to me," she scoffed. "There's nothing you can say that I haven't already said to myself," she cleared her throat. "The only thing left to do is make sure this never happens again,"

"How?" Diana asked.

"Good question," Sasha grinned as if she hadn't been fighting back tears a second ago. "I joined the military in order to get intel on any and all potential threats to any of us," they all started to mutter again. "And the f*****g idiots made me the Guardian of the Realm," she laughed picking up the carrier. "In here, I have our tickets to absolute immunity,"

"Sweet fireflies," Diana gasped.

"Now, this mission was a long shot from the beginning. Lord Sesshomaru and I didn't know if this was going to work or if I was even going to make it out alive. Because of this, a divide was wedged between us and we grew apart. In my time away, the two of us decided that from here on, we will be keeping a professional relationship for the sake of the Deck," she took the contracts out and placed them in front of those they belonged to. "The terms are very simple. I know the cost is great. It's a lot of money," she shook her head. "From all of us. However, this is a huge leap forward,"

"Twelve percent? Adding it all up means we give up an overall forty-eight percent of our work to the King," Dylan pointed out. "This leap forward is pricey,"

"Correct, however, here are some of the benefits of this deal. Our Kings and Queens will be added to the militia rosters for inter-realm travel. Our jacks and tens will be able to push that extra product we have laying around every year, harder than ever before. If you do the math-"

"That's a seventy-two percent profit increase," Diana nodded. Sasha looked back at her with a smile.

"Forty-eight percent doesn't seem like s**t now, does it?" she smirked. "This is your paperwork. Discuss it with your suits. You have an hour to make your decision,"

The crowd split up three ways and they all began to discuss. Sasha jumped off the table and walked over to the two of us. I looked around wondering where the Spades all were. Not just that. Her speech is more than just a little convincing. It looks like what just happened was the plan from the start. I'm not sure how to address the issue. I have time between now and when we get back to her place to come up with the question that's going to be eating at me all night.

"He did say you were a deceitful b***h," Lilly greeted her. The two of them laughed and bumped their elbows.

"Where are your spades?" I asked.

"She killed them all," Sesshomaru answered. I didn't see him coming toward us. "What good is a team if they f**k up as bad as they did?"

"You killed all of your spades?" I asked her.

"I did. We had a mole and they tried to protect him. Loyalty is to us not each other," she shrugged.

"Now that you're back and staying, you need to replace all twelve," he handed her a new boxed tablet. "That is your new business tablet. You've been reinstated in all of your company assets," he snapped his fingers twice and a man stepped out of the crowd. "This is Logan Lowsteam. He is your personal assistant for all things Airstorm Manufacturing. You are to present yourself to this address Monday morning. I know you have a schedule for Guardian s**t, so showing your face there twice a week should be sufficient. You have until the end of the month to get a team together and approved,"

"And if I fail to comply?" she asked tucking the box under her arm. He glanced at me and Lilly before leaning in with an amused expression on his face.

"You wanted a professional relationship, Spade. That's exactly what you get. If you fail to comply, Logan will remind you that I have a temper and if that's not enough for you, I'll step in," he straightened up. "He works for me. You all do. It's best I tell you that now. Lilly,"

"Sess," Lilly smiled without looking up at him. He smirked at her before walking away.

"Diamond," Sasha stopped him. He paused and looked back at us. "I really hope that what happened to Solomon and Stella doesn't repeat itself. I read somewhere that it's very difficult to tell how an ice fairy dies. Close to nothing thaws your kind after death, right?"

"Are you f*****g threatening me?" he growled. I stepped between them.

"You'd know if it was a threat," I removed my mask. "Sage has a very unique way of speaking. She'll be there Monday morning, Lord Sesshomaru,"

"Who the f**k are you?" someone asked behind him.

"My Spade King," she answered. Everyone turned around to look at us. "Problem?"

Sesshomaru's eyes met hers. The room became eerie and cold. His silver wings are frosting over and snow is falling all around him. Sasha doesn't care. Her wings, while not as big as his, are releasing the void inside of her. The dark mist of her power is pooling around her feet. Even if he attacks her, he wouldn't be able to reach her. The void wouldn't allow it. My wings sparked loudly, breaking their standoff. Logan and Lilly took a step back.

"This isn't professional, Sage," I whispered to her. "Stand down. You chose this,"

She looked around the room and took a deep breath before swallowing her pride. The darkness around her was pulled in by her wings as she calmed herself and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her nicely tailored pantsuit. She looked away letting him have this.

"Fine. Monday. I'll get my team together by the end of the week. Since my end of the contract is sealed, I'll see you all tomorrow at our meeting with the Dice Queen. None of the terms in the contracts are negotiable. So, don't ask,"

"What?" someone growled.

"Oh, you didn't tell them? Have fun with that," she looked him over with contempt. "My lord,"

He took a deep breath and suddenly it was like it had never happened. The dry coldness in the air disappeared and he turned to walk away. Logan laughed, shaking his head before following behind him. Lilly looked up at us and shrugged before going after him. Sage didn't say a word as we excused ourselves. She doesn't seem surprised about anything that happened back there. She paused and put her hand up.

"Stay," she mumbled before walking back inside. It took her a few minutes before she returned with her phone and a couple of handbags on her arm. She smiled at me as the car pulled up. She pointed at the valet when he offered her the keys.

"I don't drive,"

"You don't or you don't know how?" she asked.

"I don't,"

"You do now," she grinned.

"The back is all packed up with gifts from Logan and Lady Diana," the driver informed us. He opened the passenger door for me.

"Fine," I sighed and took the keys from the kid. I started up the car and began to drive. "What the hell is this?"

"Oh, new clothes, guns, and accessories from Diana and some of the new gadgets and ammunitions from whatever Logan is working on," she said his name mockingly as she opened the box with the tablet in it.

"Okay, you know that's not what I meant. What the f**k was that about Solomon and Stella? Your mission?"

"That was a lie. I killed Stella and Sess killed Solomon because they didn't want to let us move out of the hole they were in. They wanted to do things based on traditions and rules. We didn't want to do that so we got rid of the problem," she shrugged.

"You got rid of the problem? What the-" I stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Okay," she put the tablet back in the box and set it down before moving around in the seat to face me. "Things work a lot differently here. These people, they don't care about anything but their money and their things, okay? What I did when I became the Spade wasn't pretty. It wasn't elegant or even humane. There is no honor or laws in this, Ericson. I don't know what you expected to find. This business is ugly and the deeper you go, the worse it's going to get. What you saw in there. What you heard you can't talk about it. Make something up for the council. You want in. This is it. The first rule about fight club is don't talk about fight club,"

"Mortal mantras?" I scoffed.

"One of my favorites,"

"What's your absolute favorite?"

"Live by the sword and die by the sword," she smirked. "You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around,"

"Why?" I shook my head.

"Because," she grinned. "I'm a f*****g piece of s**t. I want to live to see the day when death finally stands in front of me and offers me her hand. I want to take it because I know I've deserved it a million times over. You know I can't remember a time when I didn't wake up early to start my day. A time when I've slept in because I want to not because I'm running a fever from all the injuries I've suffered. With this," she pointed at my carrier. "It looks like things are going to be staying that way for a while," she reached for the box again. "I don't know if this changes things for you,"

"It doesn't. I just feel like I walked into something completely blindfolded. A little heads up would have been nice,"

"You said that the way we react under certain situations speaks volumes about someone,"

"I said that to you?" I laughed. "That doesn't sound like me,"

"I think it was your brother then," she smirked. "But he was right. You didn't flinch. Sess saw that. He calmed down because he knows,"

"He knows what?"

"That I trust you," she rolled her eyes. "I don't stop for anyone. Not even for him. You should get to know him better if you're serious about staying here,"

"I kind of have to now. King of Spade," I reminded her.

"It's different for the suits. They claim rank so as long as they're useful. We can let them go or we can-" she shrugged. "Let them go,"

"That's comforting," I rolled my eyes.

"So as long as they think you're with me, you're a friend. You can snoop where you want. You are invited to wherever you want to go. Don't be alarmed by the love you're going to be shown. This is how we express ourselves to one another," she pointed at all the expensive shopping bags in the back seat. "You and your family will be taken care of at all times from here on. This is simultaneously the most dangerous place you can be in and the safest. You needed an army to get you and your siblings first. Here it is. If you betray any of us, me included. You and everything you love is dead,"