Chapter Three
Amelie
I walk down the barely lit corridor, the overhead lights flickering as I pass. On any normal day my nerves would be shot, but Kalen took care of them with multiple orgasms before I left.
Today is the day the reins of The Order are handed over to me.
It feels too soon; it seems like I’ve only been back in the country a few days when in reality it’s more like a couple of weeks.
Really busy weeks. Grandpa Knox is still MIA, but I am certain he knows if he shows his face right now one of his grandsons may blow it off his shoulders.
His seat will be overturned tonight, and Monty will temporarily take his place.
Sawyer has a plan to overturn the entire board, but he needs more time to locate some key families, ones he can rely on to not double cross The Order.
Not to double cross me.
But one thing they cannot stop is my rise to power.
The way Onyx explained how it will work is that when the board votes and comes to an agreement, the issue will be then brought to me and I will get the deciding vote.
Once we have a strong enough board the idea is that I won’t have to be bothered with trivial issues, the board will be able to deal with it.
Hence why Sawyer is weeding the bad eggs from the family lines, but it won’t be as easy as just voting the old bastards from their seats.
A whole bunch of mumbo jumbo I’ve left up to Sawyer to do whatever he pleases. I trust he’ll do what is best for the organisation. Because if I’m being honest with myself, I was only doing this to take out Laura. But now I have a feeling I’ll be adding a few extra names to that list.
My grandmother and Debbie?
I didn’t give them time to explain when they dropped the bombshell that Debbie isn’t dead.
Only myself, my guys, and Baxter know she’s alive.
We’ve decided to try and figure out what they are up to.
A mass family reunion? I think not. I wasn’t born yesterday.
I’ve seen the way this world works now, and something tells me that my grandmother still seeks revenge on the men within The Order.
I won’t allow her to get close enough to my men to enact any plans of vengeance.
I have a plan to send The Order’s three musketeers out to see what they can find, I’ve been told they’re the best at extracting information, but I’m yet to meet them.
I’ve spent the last two weeks I’ve been back from Australia studying everything I can for this takeover.
These three guys are ruthless, they don’t fit into one group within The Order, they rarely take on jobs unless it is well worth their while, but now I’m in charge, no one can say no to a direct order from me.
I don’t have to negotiate, and I plan to have fun with Baxter when the time is right.
Because let’s face it, Baxter doesn’t take orders very well.
A big bulky man nods and opens a door to my right. I walk in with my head held high. The room is quite cramped today; we have all members of the board – or those still alive at least – plus their legacies in attendance.
“Everybody stand,” a loud, authoritative voice instructs.
The voice comes from a man in a suit to my left, and Slate quickly whispers that he’s the stenographer.
Everybody stands as I cross the room to the last vacant seat.
Once I’m seated, everybody sits. I know it’s a mark of respect, but it’s still surreal.
Monty stands at the head of the table opposite me.
“Thank you, everybody, for coming today. Before we start, I would like to nominate myself to replace my father. All current standing members who agree, raise your hand.” Every member raises their hand.
I notice Baxter is seated in his grandfather’s spot because a board member can send a family member as a proxy for their vote.
He smirks at me, and I repress the urge to flip him off, since I’m trying to act badass and professional.
“Thank you. Today we are here to officially welcome Amelie to The Order. As you all know by now, Amelie will be the sole ruler of The Order moving forward, as per our rules, customs, and traditions. Her blood status is not in doubt or to be questioned. We all understand that it will take some time for her to find her feet, having not been raised among us, but I expect everyone to help when necessary. Do this, and you will be awarded one favour from within The Order. Amelie, all that is left is for you to give your first order of business...the floor is yours.”
“Thank you, Monty. My first order of business is to abolish the ‘no women’ rule. I think we can all agree that women are just as capable as men, and in my opinion they will bring a lot to The Order.”
“What bullshit,” someone scoffs. I don’t recognise him.
My head snaps in his direction and I pull out the gun that I tucked into the back of my pants.
There’s a fifty-fifty chance I’d hit my target from this distance.
Baxter has given me a few pointers, but I’m a long way off being a pro.
I stand from my seat and walk in his direction.
He has a smug look on his face. He doesn’t believe I’m capable, but I expect he’s only voicing what at least half of the room is thinking. At least he had the balls to say it.
“Bullshit, you say? I would like to remind you that I also hold the power now to strip you of any Order roles and responsibilities. And let us not forget there is currently only one way out of The Order, and that’s in a wooden box.”
“Sorry,” he squeals as Baxter swings his arm around the guy's neck. He soon passes out. I need to ask Baxter to teach me that pressure point stuff. It would come in handy when Kalen is over stimulated.
I give Baxter a pointed stare.
“I had that handled,” I snap. I’m still pissed that he stood me up, which I plan to deal with as soon as this meeting is over.
“I know you did, but his breathing was annoying me, and killing him isn’t allowed, unless you do it or order me to. I figured you wouldn’t want blood on your hands on your first day.”
The dick is passed out thanks to Baxter, and Monty calls the meeting to an end soon after.
There’s a lot of murmuring around the room but I don’t give a fuck.
While I’m still in school, I’ll be trained in all aspects, and Monty has brought in an Order expert to catch me up.
It just sounds like a nightmare to me: way more studying than I ever wanted to take on.
Once everyone leaves, Sawyer shows me to my office.
Order HQ is a massive building with several levels deep underground not far from Knox Academy, though Kalen says they have many properties spaced out around the UK.
However, since this one is closest to me, it is now going to be the main headquarters.
“Is it really necessary that Branson tags along?” Onyx huffs.
“I thought you two had a bromance going on now?” Sawyer jibes. Onyx glares at him.
Onyx confessed about his meeting with Baxter before I returned. It’s amazing the secrets a guy will let slip when your lips are wrapped around his cock.
“We have a mutual agreement because it was brought to my attention that I don’t hate Amelie,” Baxter replies. I snort. He’s totally my bitch and he knows it.
“You know we’re BFFs for life, don’t even try to deny it.”
Sawyer stops at a large door, motioning to the hand and retina scanner.
“Only you can get in here. It will scan your hand and your retina, and the new technology will recognise if you’re dead or if you are afraid.
If either is the case, the door will not open on the first try.
A silent alarm will be sent to us, your bodyguards, and an extraction team.
When you try a second time, all your computers in the room will switch servers to a dummy system with fake information.
Again, you will need to be alive to access your computer.
You will be trained on what you should do… ”
I cut Sawyer off. “In the event of my impending doom.”
“We have enemies, Amelie. While The Order has a reputation that not many people will mess with, you have the likes of our grandfather as an enemy, and he knows the ins and outs of this place. You don't have room to be complacent when it comes to your safety.”
“Sorry sir,” I say, and Kalen snorts, trying to contain a retort.
“I’ll report for detention later.”
The vein in Sawyer's neck pulsates.
The door opens after scanning my eyes. I’m not sure if I should be seeing spots, but damn that blue light was bright. I blink like crazy to clear my vision and when it does, I take in the room. A wall of monitors fills the space. Some look to be security feeds, another has the news on, but muted.
“You will be sorry,” Sawyer warns in a low tone, resting his hands on my waist before lifting me and placing me on the large wooden desk. This room is clearly designed for a man…everything is so over the top, large and masculine.
“Is that right?” I tease as he steps between my legs.
Baxter coughs to clear his throat. “I hate to break up what is starting to look like an amazing orgy, but I have places to be and I’m pretty sure I’m not welcome here.”
“Hmm, rain check.” I smile and push him back, sliding from the desk and making my way around to the chair. All my guys stand before me. A girl could get used to this.
We run through our thoughts about my grandmother and mother. I want the best on the case – the Three Musketeers. Every male in the room protests. That makes me want to meet them even more. I mentally note to get in contact with them later.
Baxter leaves but says he wants a meeting with me in private. I snarkily ask him if he’ll show up this time, and he flips me the bird in response. Again my guys protest, but lose. I let him leave, not wanting to cause a scene within these walls on my first day.
“We still have the matter of you finding a personal assistant,” Sawyer adds.
“Why do I need an assistant when I have Jasper and Frost? Can’t they just fetch me coffee and answer my phone?” I complain. I don't need another person following me around.
“No, their job is to protect you. And your personal assistant will be for more than fetching coffee and answering phone calls.”
“We’ve narrowed it down to five candidates,” Onyx reports, pulling out a manilla folder and placing it before me. Kalen has taken a seat and his feet are crossed on top of my desk.
I look over the first three photos. “They’re all guys.”
“I thought you might say that,” Kalen announces. His brothers look over at him. “I’ve found someone who may be of use.”
“But?” I ask.
“She’s a little bit rough around the edges.”
“And?” Because with Kalen there’s always more than meets the eye.
“She may not exactly want the job.”
“So why are we bothering? I'm sure there are plenty of willing candidates.”
Kalen kicks back in his chair, swinging back so far I wince at the thought of his chair tipping backwards, even if it would serve him right.
“She’s your first recruit to Knox Academy.
I was smart enough to see her potential.
We can either force her to attend classes through the courts or give her a job.
And I happen to know for a fact this one needs the cash because she has a sibling to support.
” Kalen throws a file my way and it lands perfectly in front of me.
His smirk makes me want to strangle him and ride his face at the same time, if that were even possible.
Opening the manilla folder, the picture of a girl no older than me looks back at me.
I can tell by her hardened stare that she hasn’t had an easy life.
I flick to the next A4 size photo of a small boy – I would guess around eight – his smile lights up his entire face.
The other papers are of crimes committed by her, petty bullshit really, but with a history this long it’s only a matter of time before she’s convicted.
And her school records are abysmal at best. Her brother on the other hand has good grades and looks to be active in sports.
It even looks like she is about to be evicted, so we may be able to swing a job on her and get her to agree.
I look up at the guys waiting for my response. “Fine, we can give her a shot but I still don’t like our chances; she isn’t going to agree easily.”
“That is why we’ll attend her court date. I’ve made calls to the courts myself, and it’s all organised. Stealing cars isn’t something they will overlook this time because she is raising her brother alone.”
“No, it needs to be done before that. I felt ambushed and threatened when it happened to me. I’ll go and break the news to her myself.”
Onyx grumbles and isn’t happy about the idea, I can tell none of them are, but they really don’t have a choice anymore. “I’ll take Jasper with me in the morning before school. We have plenty to catch up on anyway.”
“You do realise you don’t have to befriend the staff?” Onyx snaps. Well, someone pissed in his cereal today.
“You’re just jealous that he gets to spend the day with me.”
“No, he’s still pissed Jasper touched your ass,” Kalen adds, a smile pulling at his lips while a scowl comes from Onyx’s.
“So it’s all sorted then. Sawyer let’s go. I’ll see you three at school tomorrow.”
“What? Why does he get to take you home? I feel like I haven’t spent any time with you at all!” Kalen whines. Oh how quickly he’s forgotten having me all to himself for two weeks. I definitely need a Kalen break for a night or two.
“Because you’ll make me late if I plan to meet with this girl, the twins will want me to be the meat in a twin sandwich, and I’m still sore from that thing…” Sawyer cuts me off by covering my mouth with his hand.
“Too much information,” he complains, removing his hand. “Let’s go, and I’ll massage all your sore spots.”
Sawyer winks at his brothers, earning him some choice words back. We all leave the way we came. I’m excited to finally have some alone time with Sawyer. He’s always so patient and understanding. The glue that holds us all together. Without him, I think we would all be lost.