Fever

by Carnal, MJ

  Sergio spit out his coffee onto the newspaper while Phoenix hid a grin and then flashed me a knowing smile.

  What the hell was that supposed to mean?

  "Amy," Sergio croaked out. "As beautiful as ever."

  "Sergio," she said through clenched teeth. "Once a liar, always a liar. Good to see you."

  His smile fell as his eyes narrowed. Good job, Ames, way-ta poke the bear.

  Phoenix, still smiling, glanced at Amy. "Hey cousin."

  "C-cousin?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "You?"

  "I know, I know, I look like hell, don't ask why, and try not to deny it. Just pisses me off more. Yeah, cousins, first cousins, haven't seen you since you were carted away to foster care though."

  Amy swallowed and folded her hands in front of her. "I don't remember you."

  "Yeah well, that makes two of us." Phoenix grimaced. "I was a different guy then. You hungry?"

  "Yeah." She touched her stomach. "Starving, Ax didn't feed me once."

  I shot Amy a glare. "Tell them you're kidding before Phoenix impales me with a knife."

  Her look was innocent.

  "Ames…"

  "I can do this all day, Ax…" her smile grew.

  I exhaled and shook my head at Phoenix. "I fed her well, swear."

  "Sure you did…" Phoenix leaned back in his chair. "Her lips look a bit swollen, don't you think, Sergio?"

  "Hmm." Sergio looked up and shrugged. "Seems Ax can't keep his hands to himself, even when he's told to."

  I reached for the eggs, ignoring their prodding.

  "I kissed him," Amy blurted.

  The spoon clattered out of my hand as Phoenix and Sergio's sudden swearing filled the room.

  "He tried pushing me away…" She reached for a cup of coffee and brought it to her lips. "But you know men… weak."

  Phoenix burst out laughing. While Sergio just went back to the newspaper.

  I looked to Phoenix to see if he'd kill me, seriously, but all he did was shake his head and say. "I'm going to enjoy this so much."

  His smile fell just as quick as it appeared when Bee entered the room with a cup of espresso for me. When her eyes fell on Amy she clapped her hands together.

  "Another girl!"

  "Yay," Sergio said dryly. "Let's throw a party."

  Bee glared in his direction then stuck out her tongue. "Ignore him," she said turning back to Amy. "He's just grumpy because no one will sleep with him."

  Phoenix choked on his coffee this time and I just groaned into my hands.

  "It's like a house of horrors," Phoenix said under his breath. "You've been warned."

  "They're here," Sergio announced jumping up to his feet.

  "Who?" Bee asked.

  "The guys."

  "The guys," Amy repeated.

  Phoenix rubbed his hands together. "This should be interesting…"

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Amy

  The window faced the driveway and part of the rose garden in front of the house. I watched in absolute terror as four cars pulled in.

  A black Range Rover.

  A black Mercedes.

  A red Ashton Martin.

  A black Ferrari.

  I almost swallowed my tongue whole. I walked slowly towards the window, watching in rapt fascination as the cars all parked.

  Slow motion. That's what I was experiencing for the first time in my life. I waited and waited for the guys to emerge from the expensive cars.

  The door to the Range Rover opened.

  A guy with a white t-shirt stepped out. The first thing I noticed? The tattoos lining his very buff looking arms. The second thing? The guns strapped to his chest. His hair was pitch black, falling haphazardly across his face. He pulled off his aviators and glanced at the house, then flashed a smile so beautiful I nearly stumbled back into the breakfast bar.

  "Nixon," Ax whispered behind me. "My boss."

  "He's…"

  "Young," Ax finished for me. "Started taking over operations at eighteen, owns the whole damn world, shoots first, asks questions later. If ever."

  I nodded.

  The door to the Ferrari opened, and a similar looking guy got out. His smile was huge — so were his biceps. He had tattoos on his arms too, but wore a long sleeve gray shirt, pushed up across his forearms. His hair was shorter than Nixon's, his body a bit leaner, but he was… more than nice looking. Try… just… I had no words.

  "Chase Abandonato," Ax whispered. "Husband to—"

  A gorgeous woman got out of the driver's side and smacked Chase on the chest, then kissed him full on the mouth. She was wearing tight leather pants, black heels, and a blue shirt that hung loosely off her shoulders. A white and black fedora was on her head, and she was packing.

  More than Chase.

  What?

  "Mil De Lange." This time Phoenix stepped up next to us. "My sister. And Chase's wife."

  The door to the Ashton Martin opened.

  A guy I could only describe as a giant got out of the car and slammed the door. My breath hitched.

  "He has that effect on women." Ax laughed softly in my ear, as he pulled me back against his body. "That… is Tex Campisi, the Cappo."

  "He looks like he could break me in half," I mumbled under my breath.

  "He could," Ax said not so reassuringly. "But he won't. Shot his father in the chest more times than necessary, and he's married to Nixon's sister, Mo."

  The more information they fed me, the more terrified I became. The power that radiated off those guys from the freaking parking lot had me ready to pass out.

  No more. Please let there be no more.

  Then another door opened.

  An elderly gentleman emerged from the Mercedes and straightened the collar to his suit, then popped his knuckles. He joined the men and patted Nixon on the back twice before whispering in his ear.

  "Alfero," Ax said from behind me. "The eldest of the bosses, and most respected ever since Luca's death."

  "Luca?" I asked.

  "Nicolasi," Phoenix added. "My mentor, the guy who saved my life, the family who I'd die to protect. He died a month ago, things have been… hard since then."

  I gave him what I hoped was a sympathetic look. He merely met my gaze with a cold one of his own before cursing under his breath and walking away.

  "Don't worry about him," Ax said in a calm voice. "He's still dealing with shit."

  All of the daunting figures made their way towards the house. For some reason I felt like arming myself, like grabbing a knife or something.

  Ax reached for my hand.

  I gripped it so tightly I was afraid I was going to break every single tiny bone in my fingers.

  The door opened.

  Laughter followed.

  Sweat made my hand clammy as I waited for them to come into the room. I waited, and waited. The laughter got louder.

  I started praying.

  And clenched Ax's hand tighter.

  I saw Nixon first, and then Tex.

  The rest followed.

  All eyes were on me. The room was silent as death. Was I supposed to say something? Bow? Cry?

  "So." Tex, the giant, took a step toward me, he flashed a bright smile. "We finally meet."

  My knees knocked together.

  "Shit, could you not scare every guest we have?" Phoenix mumbled from across the room.

  Tex rolled his eyes and kept approaching. Like a lion does to its prey. He could kill me with his bare hands.

  Why did I feel like that was exactly what he was going to do?

  Ax released my hand.

  Traitor!

  Tex gripped the hand that Ax released and then gripped the other. Without hesitation he leaned forward and kissed both my cheeks, then whispered in my ear. "Welcome home."

  I collapsed, but Tex's arms were strong enough to kill, so yeah he quickly helped me to a chair.

  "What the hell, Tex!" Chase shouted.

  Tex rolled his eyes and held up his hand. "Two kisses on the
cheek, imagine what happens when I kiss Mo on the mouth and—"

  "And what?" Nixon asked in a calm detached voice. "No seriously, Tex. Keep talking, I've been itching to pull a trigger for days."

  "Sex," Chase said in a helpful voice. "It's called sex, keeps the trigger happy—er… happy."

  Mil rolled her eyes and pushed through the guys. "Ignore them… swear we let them out at least three times a day for walks and they still get fidgety."

  "My walk was only ten minutes." Tex grinned. "Just saying."

  "Weird, mine was two hours." Chase winked in my direction. "Hey Phoenix, ask what we did. Ask, ask!"

  "Huh?" I finally found my voice. "Are you guys talking about what I think you're talking about?"

  "Like I said—" Mil pulled out a chair and sat next to me. "—ignore them. Now, how was your trip up here, uneventful I hope?"

  "Er… yeah." I nodded, lying. "Totally uneventful."

  "No body count?" Chase shook his head in Ax's direction. "You losing your touch, man?"

  "Tickle me and we'll see." Ax said in a bored tone.

  "Don't tempt me. I stole a feather from Tex's bed."

  "I shake in fear."

  "Boys!" Mil rolled her eyes. "If you're going to bicker at least take it into the kitchen."

  They winked at me, making me feel… relaxed.

  "So?" Mil asked. "Anything else?"

  "You're the De Lange boss?" I asked instead of telling her information about me and Ax.

  She smiled warmly. "Yeah, kind of badass right?"

  "You're a girl."

  "I think I speak for men everywhere when I say I appreciate that," Chase interjected.

  Phoenix groaned from the side of the room.

  "Have you heard from your father?" Mil leaned forward. "Or your brother?"

  "No and no." I swallowed nervously; after all my brother was most likely dead—dead people couldn't talk. "I haven't had any contact with my so called family since they abandoned me five years ago."

  "Good. This will make it so much easier." Mil stood and looked to Tex. "I think it's best we stick with the original plan."

  "Right." He pulled out his cell phone and walked out of the room.

  "Um, plan?" I squeaked.

  "Bait." Mil grinned. "We need something to drive them out…"

  "Wait." Ax held up his hand. "I thought you said she had something you guys needed?"

  "She does." Mil's smile was deadly. "A heartbeat."

  "That's what I was afraid of." I mumbled.

  "Like hell!" Ax roared. "You can't put her in the line of fire! Not after I just got her back."

  Nixon moved to the center of the room. "She won't get hurt."

  "How do you know that?" Ax spat. "Is there some sort of mafia guarantee she won't get grazed by a bullet?"

  "You want her alive, right?" Nixon said smoothly. "Then we need to take out the only two people that want her dead."

  "Why?" I shook my head. "It makes no sense. Why would they care if I live or if I die?"

  Nixon's cold eyes met mine. I squirmed in my seat, uncomfortable with how much he saw, or how much it felt like he saw when he stared right through me. "De Lange started a rumor a while back that he left you with something… precious, something that would change the family forever."

  "All he left me were bruises," I whispered.

  Ax moved to my side and put his hand on my shoulder.

  "It was meant to drive your father insane, insane enough to mess up and show himself. Instead, he went into hiding. It wasn't until Mario De Lange died that your father started getting obsessed again. Desperate for money, considering no family would work with him, he started searching for you. And that's where Ax came in. Had we known your living conditions were… dire—" His eyebrows lifted. "—we would have reached you sooner, but a certain someone—" His gaze met Ax. "—said you wanted no part of this lifestyle, so we left you alone until it was no longer safe to do so."

  "Ironic," I whispered. "When you're safer with the mafia than on the streets."

  "Not ironic." Nixon smirked. "Do you even know how the mafia started? Lacking a bit of a history lesson are we? It was for protection… it was for… exactly what we're offering you."

  "But I need to do you guys a favor to obtain said protection."

  "Right." Nixon nodded. "But this favor… will be over before it even starts. We'll put an end to your father and brother."

  "My brother?" I parroted. "He's alive?"

  "Somewhat." Nixon cringed. "A bit brainwashed, worse for the wear, but alive."

  "He's nineteen," I said slowly. "A kid, you can't just kill a kid."

  "Actually," Tex said coming back into the room. "We can and we will. It's called war, sweetheart. He may be a kid but he's still got a gun and I think any soldier will tell you urban warfare is the scariest kind. A nineteen-year-old with a gun is unpredictable. I'd rather deal with five men then one nineteen-year-old who thinks he's got something to prove."

  I looked away from all of them, barely feeling Ax's hand on my shoulder. Mil was still sitting next to me; everyone was silent.

  "So…" I said in a hollow voice. "What do I have to do?"

  "That," Phoenix piped up, "Is the easy part."

  I snapped my head in his direction. Why was his smile so big? Wait, why was everyone smiling? Confused I waited for someone to clarify why me walking into the firefight was something to grin about.

  "I love weddings." Tex's smile grew to gigantic proportions as his eyes left mine and met the person standing to my left. Ax.

  "Pardon?" Ax said, his voice cracking.

  "Weddings." Tex nodded. "Way more fun than funerals."

  "Vin's funeral kicked ass," Chase pointed out.

  "True, because he was ninety and still carted a semi-automatic in his old truck. Not the point though, the point is, I'm going to look forward to this."

  I stood and crossed my arms, still terrified, but more angry that they were expecting me to read their minds. "What are you talking about?"

  "Alliances. It's how we control bloodlines." Nixon looked between me and Ax. "Say hello to your fiancé."

  Ax's hand fell from my shoulder.

  I trembled in the chair.

  Nixon rubbed his hands together. "You're a De Lange." He looked to Mil, "No offense."

  "None taken!" She held up her hands.

  "The one thing your father always wanted—" Nixon tilted his head. "—was to be a made man in an important family. Guaranteed, he's going to catch wind of you marrying into our family… guaranteed he'll try to come to the wedding and claim what's rightfully his — you. Guaranteed I'll put a bullet-size hole in his body before you say I do."

  "And if you miss?"

  Everyone burst out laughing. Nixon's eyes narrowed as he took two steps towards me and whispered in a harsh tone, "Do I look like I ever miss my target?"

  "No."

  "Add the sir in there, gets him all excited." Tex nodded encouragingly while Nixon rolled his eyes.

  "Don't call him sir," Ax said from beside me. "It's like pouring gasoline on an open flame."

  Nixon's eyes snapped to Ax's. "Shouldn't you be ring shopping?"

  "Right, forgive me for not already being prepared… sir."

  Nixon bristled.

  "Told ya he gets excited." Tex laughed.

  "What if I don't want to get married?" I clenched my hands together, my heart wasn't sure if it should be breaking or soaring. Ax was all I'd ever wanted… but I wanted him on my terms. I wanted him to want me, to propose to me, to say he loved me so much he couldn't live without me. Not like this. I didn't want him like this.

  "Tough." Chase shrugged. "We do what we do for the Family. You aren't allowed an opinion, not when it puts every single one of us in danger, not when we're doing our damndest to save your life. Got it?"

  Whoa. And Chase officially just got scarier than Nixon.

  "Okay." I hung my head. "I'll do it."

  "See, Nixon?" Chase said loudly. "You didn
't even need to point a gun at her."

  "Not now, Chase." Ax reached for my hand, but I jerked away from him. Had he known the whole time? Had he been playing me? Making me believe he would protect me? Protect my heart? When he was just planning on breaking it all over again?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Axton

  The guys left.

  The minute they walked out of the house I wordlessly pushed past Phoenix, grabbed Sergio's gun off the table, and made my way outside to the field by our house.

  I fired the first target. Bang. It hit dead center.

  I fired the second. Bang.

  I didn't feel better.

  I fired again and again and again.

  I fired until I had no more ammo. Stupid gun. I dropped it onto the ground and followed suit, hanging my head in my hands as I listened to the music of the cows in the nearby pasture. We lived away from society, away from the city. One could almost believe our family was normal. A normal mansion on a normal piece of land with normal cows.

  Hell, the cows were even a cover.

  Killers didn't keep cows alive. Right?

  "Hey." Sergio dropped down next to me on the grass. "You alright?"

  I grunted in response.

  "There are worse things."

  "Seriously?" I turned and leveled him with a glare. "That's your brotherly advice? There are worse things? I love that girl! I freaking love her!" My shout scared the cows closest to us making them run in the opposite direction. "I love her!"

  "You think I don't know that?" he said in a low voice. "You think I don't realize the extent you would go to save her? To be a part of her life?"

  "Then why the hell would you say that?"

  "They offered me the job." Sergio scowled. "Apparently Nixon thought it would cheer me up after Mo married Tex. Go find the long lost girl and marry her, make things right."

  My heart damn near stopped beating as I fought for air.

  "Guess what I said."

  I looked away.

  Sergio kept talking. "I said unrequited love isn't really my thing… Mo didn't love me… Amy could never love me and although I'm pretty sure everyone in my life thinks I'm a cold heartless bastard, I think I deserve that… love. I deserve to have a girl look at me the way Amy looks at you. The way Mo looks at Tex. I deserve it, Ax. And so do you. Like I said, there are worse things."