"Crouch," I instructed. "I want them to see me first, not you, if shots are fired, at least it won't hit your head."

The shots kept echoing outside the door. Whoever was out there was seriously having a h.e.l.l of a good time with their semi-automatic.

More shouting and then complete silence.

I counted to three before the footsteps started.

Funny, how counting to three used to be something I was taught when I was little and had a tendency to go all rage- oholic.

Nixon had been the one to teach me to control the rage. He'd always said the most powerful men in the world weren't the ones who were angry but the ones who knew where to direct their anger.

I wanted to be powerful.

So I learned to direct.

I learned to collect the emotions and then use them to my benefit.

So right now, I wasn't scared.

I was p.i.s.sed.

Beyond p.i.s.sed.

Livid.

Ready to lose my s.h.i.t, because Alfonso had taken something precious to me and exposed her to h.e.l.l, and I wanted to be the one to send him there, I wanted to be the one to end this bloodshed, this battle within my family.

I'd never fit in. I'd never felt complete, I'd always had this lingering feeling that something was missing in my life. Even Mo hadn't been able to fill it, but as I sat in that metal chair and counted to three I thought about my life, about what I wanted it to mean.

And I realized.

For the first time in my life, it had to mean something, not just to Mo, but to my family, to blood.

Nixon, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, was right. I would choose blood because I refused to let things like this happen again. I refused to let Mo get hurt again, so I'd choose the opposite side, the enemy camp, if that meant that she was safe for the rest of her life.

If it meant she could have the baby in a world full of peace rather than war.

I'd choose blood every time.

Without hesitation.

Because the one thing Nixon never warned me about was that you may choose blood, not out of loyalty but out of desperation, out of unyielding love for someone who wasn't blood to begin with. I would choose blood to save the ones who weren't.

The door clicked open.

It was too dark to see the tall hooded figure as it made its way across the cement floor.

The lights were flickering causing an almost eerie effect to the guy's entire body. He was dressed in ripped jeans, a grey hoodie, and had a large a.s.s AR16 strapped to his chest.

"So..." He sighed as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

"We meet again."

He pulled the hood down.

And I almost pa.s.sed out from the shock of it all.

Mo reached for my hand and I whispered the word I never thought would cross my lips again.

"Phoenix?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

Some people never die.

Mo SEEING HIM ONLY meant one thing.

I'd failed.

Phoenix eyed me and shook his head just slightly. Well c.r.a.p, was I supposed to act like I didn't know he was alive? Tex turned to face me just as Phoenix lifted his finger to his lips as if swearing me to silence.

Right.

Hadn't I been doing that the whole time?

Tex glanced between us and hung his head. "Can someone please tell me what the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"Surprise?" Phoenix offered with a lame lift of his shoulders, he looked like he'd just been to h.e.l.l, played ping-pong with the devil, lost, and was sent back to roam the earth miserable and alone.

"Note the laughter." Tex's teeth clenched. "And get me out of these d.a.m.n zip ties."

"That I can do." Phoenix swung the gun behind him and pulled out a knife then walked around the chair and sliced the bindings-just as Nixon, Luca, Chase, and Frank waltzed in.

"Mo!" Nixon yelled then blindly ran in my direction dropping to his knees beside his best friend. He pulled me into his arms and d.a.m.n near crunched my spine. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No, they didn't hurt me, I'm fine."

Holy c.r.a.p the ball was going to drop any minute now. "Tex protected me, he got the brunt of it, well until this one... um, started shooting up the place."

Luca cursed. "I said to make it quiet."

"There were ten of them, I did it as quietly as I could, boss." Phoenix said through clenched teeth.

And that was the moment I'm pretty sure my brother lost his mind. His fingers dug into my back before he pushed me away and turned.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, leveling his piercing gaze on Phoenix.

I half expected Phoenix to smirk or laugh or say something that would have been typical of his character. Then again, Phoenix wasn't the same anymore. From his now dark hair and battered face he looked like h.e.l.l, no longer the golden boy, just an empty sh.e.l.l. Almost like he had died, his soul left, and his body stayed.

"What. The. h.e.l.l?" Nixon spat.

"Luca?"

"Oh s.h.i.t, there goes the gun." Tex rose to his feet and leaned against the table as Nixon pointed a gun to Luca's face.

Luca sighed and hung his head.

"I'm truly getting too old for this. Nixon, put the gun down, in fact, we need to leave before more come. We'll talk at the house."

"We talk now." Nixon yelled shaking the gun in the air.

"Mo's alive," Phoenix said softly.

"Tex is alive. Your family..." Phoenix took a step towards Nixon b.u.mping his chest. "...is alive, because of that man."

He pointed his finger at Luca without taking his eyes off Nixon. "So I suggest you bury your pride for a few minutes, think logically about what you're aiming to do, and come to the same conclusion I have. We need to leave. Now."

I gasped, putting my hand over my mouth.

Phoenix had never in all his life talked to my brother that way before, I mean, I didn't even boss Nixon around or tell him what he was doing was stupid. That was like asking to get shot.

Nixon continued to stare at Phoenix then slowly lowered his gun and tucked it back into his jeans. Emotion imbued his voice with gravel as he said, "Let's go."

Each step, or in my case hobble, to the car hurt. I had Tex on one side of me, refusing to let go of my hand and Nixon on the other side gripping my right hand so hard I thought he would break it. So basically I was like the little play thing between them, the bone between the two p.i.s.sed off dogs. Phoenix walked ahead of us, talking in hushed tones with Luca and Frank. I was still trying to appear as shocked as everyone else when really, I wasn't. Not at all.

After all, it was Phoenix who'd come to me and Sergio in the first place.

It was Phoenix who was trying to save Tex.

It was Phoenix, of all people, who was trying to save my family.

Ironic, right?

Clearly our plans had gone awry if he was showing his face, which meant I had to come clean to Tex. I just-I didn't want to, I couldn't. What if he hated me?

What if he never kissed me again?

Things had just started to get better, well before we got shot at and tortured.

"Get in." Nixon d.a.m.n near jerked the door from the car and pushed Phoenix inside.

Once we were all in the SUV driving back to the house, Chase finally spoke up. "So this is cozy."

"Not now, Chase." Nixon growled.

And that was it. That was the entire conversation as Sergio made warning glances in my direction from the rearview mirror. Right, I was to keep quiet, pretty sure I got the message already.

Once the SUV was parked in front of the house and we started piling out, Nixon announced, "Now, we talk, and you." He pushed Phoenix's chest. "Are going to start at the very beginning."

"He won't remember." Luca spoke for Phoenix. "You'll have to ask me."

"And why would I do that?" Nixon turned his glare on Luca.

"Because."

Luca's shoulders tensed. "I'm the one who planned it all."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

It may seem like all the Mafia does is fight... but what else is there to do when you have endless power and money-and several families wanting to lead?

Tex "SO DOES THAT MAKE Luca your doctor and you... Frankenstein?" I asked Phoenix once we got back into the house.

"Ha, ha," Phoenix answered. "You know, you're really not as funny as you used to be."

"Well you're not as s.e.xy as you used to be."

"So I've been told." Phoenix grumbled and holy s.h.i.t did he just blush?

Nah, I was reading into things, clearly reading into things, the guy had no conscience.

The minute we walked into the house I crumbled against one of the barstools and just sat. I was bleeding all over the hardwood but didn't really care all that much.

I was more interested in the fact that Chase had just moved behind Phoenix and was currently flexing his knuckles.

It was too late to warn him.

So I watched instead as Chase grabbed Phoenix by the shoulders flipped him around and punched him in the face.

"Ohhhh." I winced. "That'll hurt tomorrow."