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“Unfortunately, I’ve yet to lay out a plan.”
“I’m certain retaliation will be in order.”
Phoenix laughed. “You don’t fuck with my family. Isn’t that our motto?”
“It certainly is mine. It seems like you’re ready to grow that family.”
I heard the teasing sound of Constantine’s voice and wanted to be sick at my stomach.
But I wasn’t.
Phoenix’s body was too close, the warmth too intense and I was forced to take a deep breath. Shivering, I glanced out the window, wondering if there was a way I could jump out of a rolling vehicle. Now there wasn’t just one man to chase after me, there were several, at least six. I wiped water until the towel was as soaked as I was.
As the driver rolled onto the interstate, their business discussion continued, but I managed to tune out. I leaned my head against the window, blinking as the lights of the city passed by in flashes of vivid hues.
I closed my eyes, exhaustion replacing the wired adrenaline I’d felt for hours. As I clutched the towel, another series of images floated into my mind.
All of them with Phoenix emblazed in a shimmer of gold, his eyes filled with hints of lust. I did what I could not to think about him.
Eyes the color of a spring forest.
Rugged hands that held me with ease.
Soft, full lips almost hidden by the dark beard he’d started to grow.
And the intense passion as he drove his cock deep inside.
No. I refused to go that that dark hole any longer.
As the hum of the engine drowned out the voices of men who had no fear of danger, I allowed the warmth of a shadowed abyss to pull me further under the murky waters of sleep.
Maybe when I awakened, the nightmare would be over.
* * *
Phoenix
We’d gunned down nine men in the middle of a dark street. I’d protected her on instinct, Whitney, the girl with a caustic mouth and a lust for life. As I turned my head, her even breathing indicating sleep, I felt a sharp sense of knowing. Keeping her should be out of the question but I couldn’t imagine letting her go.
“What are you going to do with her?” Constantine asked as the driver pulled toward a set of gates, using his thumb to allow entrance.
“I need to find out if she knows anything,” I answered, hearing little conviction in my voice. I was finished with being surprised at my thoughts and actions, but what we’d face wouldn’t be easy. She was still the enemy, and I was hers. Nothing would change that scenario.
And my family would push hard against anything but terminating her life.
That wasn’t acceptable on any terms.
“What if she doesn’t know anything?” Constantine had always been the reasonable one of the Brotherhood, the founding father of an unholy alliance. I’d heard him spout off words of wisdom several times to men who embraced their power as they did every other aspect of their lives. With measured caution.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, it would seem that you’ve landed yourself a significant problem, my friend.”
I’d once laughed at the thought of any of the men involved becoming a friend. We were all set in our ways, refusing to back down or take orders from anyone. Asking for assistance was always risky given secrecy that helped keep us alive. But over the years, the seven of us had learned to trust one another. While the rules established long before I’d gotten involved still applied, there hadn’t been a single incident where a brother dared to tread on another’s territory. The consequences were too great.
“I can’t afford to become involved.”
Constantine snorted. “That’s what each one of us have said more than once. I never wanted to care about Jade. She was the single person who could destroy my freedom, let alone my empire.”
