"What the h.e.l.l was that for?"

Phoenix yelled from the floor, blood spewing from his mouth.

"For Mil," Chase spat. "That was for Mil."

"Mil?" Phoenix shook his head.

"My sister? Why would you care?"

Chase's face paled. "Oh s.h.i.t."

"Chase!" Mil came barreling down the hall and launched herself into Chase's arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him so hard even I wanted to look away-then again the party was just getting started, so you better believe I watched with rapt attention.

Chase kissed her back and slowly pried his wife from his body.

"Mil," Phoenix said from the ground, his tone irritated.

"What?" She looked around and then down. When her eyes locked with his she burst into tears and fell to her knees. "Phoenix? Is it, really you? Are you? What happened? Why are you alive? Not that I'm upset you're alive.

You a.s.s!" She punched his shoulder.

"How dare you do that to me? I hate you!

I hate you!" With a sob she threw herself against his chest and started bawling.

Chase looked completely sh.e.l.l- shocked as he sat at the table and folded his hands over his face. He shook his head a few times before groaning into his palms.

After ten minutes of hysterics, Mil was finally able to talk like a normal human being.

"Mil," Nixon snapped. "Grab Trace and take Mo to the back room, we need to get her cleaned up."

"R-right." Mil sniffled and rose to her feet. "Okay, I can do that, come on Mo." She gripped Mo's hand like a life line and led her out of the room.

Phoenix didn't move from the floor, just shifted to lean his back against the cabinet.

At the table, Chase held his head like it weighed a thousand pounds.

And Frank and Luca were pulling out bottles of whiskey like we were going to light our entire house on fire via alcohol.

Nixon took a seat at the table, I jumped down from my stool and joined them, and complete silence followed.

The Elect were together again.

But not really. Two of the pieces were dark, damaged, d.a.m.ned, and broken, and I wasn't so sure we would ever fit back into the mold we'd originally created for ourselves.

Luca sat the bottle in the middle of the table and pa.s.sed out gla.s.ses, while Nixon cleared his throat and whispered, "I think, you should start at the beginning."

CHAPTER THIRTY.

All one big happy Mafia family-said no made man ever.

Sergio "WAIT." PHOENIX HELD up his hands. "First, are you two, dating?" He motioned to Chase a look of pure betrayal on his face.

"Asks the dead man," Chase growled, his eyes dripping with hatred.

"No, you a.s.s, we aren't dating."

"Oh." Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're married." Chase coughed and looked away.

Phoenix pushed back his chair so hard it flipped backwards. "You're what?"

"Married."

Chase grinned shamelessly "As in we promised to be together forever... brother? No? Too soon?"

Phoenix's nostrils flared wide as his face turned an interesting shade of purple.

"Oh, and PS I need your help finding that stupid white horse, I looked everywhere, just tell me already so I can be her hero."

"You-" Phoenix pointed at Chase, his breaths coming in and out like he was running a race. "-are not her hero."

"Well, not to give too many details, but those were her exact words last night." Chase winked.

Phoenix launched himself across the table but was intercepted by Frank. I however, wanted out of the family drama. I had enough going on, thank you very much. Besides, it was only a matter of time before I dropped the bomb on Tex, letting him know it was all a ruse.

Everything with Mo was fake.

And wasn't that horrible?

It would push him to choose what he should have chosen a long time ago.

And it would free Mo up to stick with blood-to stick with me.

"Guys." Nixon tilted back the bottle of whiskey and took two giant swallows, his face impa.s.sive as if he was drinking water. "First things first. Why are you alive?"

Luca leaned forward. "I think I can answer that."

The room fell silent.

"It was a simple decision, a move of sorts. We almost lost Phoenix three times on account that his heart wasn't being very cooperative. The plan was to inject him with enough pota.s.sium chloride to stop his heart for a few brief moments before performing CPR. But the plan was botched when he ran into the line of fire."

Phoenix tensed next to me; his fingers gripped the table for a brief moment before his shoulders sagged.

Yeah the guy was a loose cannon; tell me something I don't know.

"Once the body was removed, my men had less than two minutes to revive him and stop his organs from failing."

Luca shook his head. "I didn't think we would be able to-"

"Wait." Nixon held up his hand. "Is that why you had a clean-up crew ready the minute everything went down with Anthony?"

"Precisely." Luca nodded. "Frank and I only use the best. We even had a surgeon in one of the vans."

"Frank?" Nixon's eyebrows shot up as we all looked in his direction.

Frank leaned forward. "It was for the family."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

Wasn't it always for the family? We needed to start coming up with a better excuse.

"And Sergio." Oh s.h.i.t, wayta throw me under the bus early Luca. "Made it possible to create a whole new ident.i.ty for Phoenix, he flew him to Italy to infiltrate Campisi and figure out if the family was indeed crumbling as rumors had said to be true."

"Sergio?" Chase asked.

Now all eyes were on me.

"I did it for family?" I said it more as a question and a joke. n.o.body laughed. Well, h.e.l.l. "It was my job, as a ghost, to protect the information."

"So Phoenix has been in Sicily?"

Tex asked. "Doing what? Vacationing while I get shot at?"

"No, you ungrateful a.s.s," Phoenix hissed. "I've been keeping your sister alive." He grabbed a shot of whiskey and threw it back, then slammed the gla.s.s onto the counter.

"You're welcome."

Tex paled. "Is she okay?"

Phoenix rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't know since I had to save your sorry a.s.s this afternoon, but I left her in capable hands if that's what you're asking."

"Are we going to go get her?" Tex tried to stand.

"Sit." Luca snapped his fingers.

"All in due time."

Nixon wiped his face with his hands. "What about Tex?"

"Right here." Tex raised his hand and waved it back and forth. "You don't have to speak about me like I'm not in the room."

"Sorry." Nixon glared. "What about my b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a brother-in-law, Tex?"

Luca opened his mouth to speak then made eye contact with me. It was my turn to hurt him, but words were failing me. Tex's eyes searched mine and d.a.m.n if I hated myself for wanting to thrust the knife deeper.

"It was a set up," Phoenix finally said. "My idea, I'd been hearing rumors about Alfonso wanting to put a number on your head, I figured the best way to keep you safe was to make you like blood, to make you an Abandonato."

"But..." Tex looked between Luca and Phoenix. "Mo's pregnant, I mean, she slept with-"

All eyes turned to me.

Oh, this wasn't going to end well.

Before I could move Tex had launched himself onto my body, his fist coming up to sucker punch me in the face. "You son of a b.i.t.c.h! You got her pregnant! I know you did! I knew it!"

Another punch, where a tooth decided to lose itself on behalf of Tex's fist. "Admit it!"

"Stop!" Luca slammed his hand on the table. "It was a lie!"

Tex stopped punching me, blood caked to his fingers and his face as he reared back and looked at everyone in the room, disbelief marring his features.

"What do you mean it was a lie?"

"She's not pregnant," I mumbled through a mouthful of blood. "And I didn't sleep with her."

"She's not pregnant." Tex repeated.

"She... lied to me?"

"To protect you," Phoenix said smoothly. "She figured the only way Nixon would allow you to marry, especially after the whole Campisi episode was to say there was a baby, though it would be impossible to say it was yours considering..."

Right, considering the last time Mo and Tex had slept together had been months ago.

So she had to lie.

And I was the scapegoat. Not that I didn't make out with her, not that I didn't try to seduce her later and get horribly rejected.

"But-"

"It's no longer important." Frank waved us all off.

Nixon sighed. "Then what is?

Where do we go from here?"

"Well." Frank folded his hands on the table and addressed each and every one of us. "Where one plan fails, another one always succeeds. We still aim to bring down the head and Tex, son, you're going to be the one to do it."