Phoenix Rising: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book Two

Ten

"Phoenix?" A girl's voice suddenly called from the staircase that curved up to another level of the manor.

He looked up, feeling his heart skip a beat as his eyes landed on the curvy figure of Andromeda coming down the steps. The maxi dress she was wearing today was beautiful, the deep, coral pink bodice accentuated her upper body until it met her hips, where it flared out in layers ranging from pastel to deep royal purple. However unfortunately, it also showed the bruises Craig left on her. The material brushed against her lightly tanned skin, and he wished at that moment she was his. Her eyes sparkled, the beautiful blues shimmering happily made him feel as if she’d been waiting just to see him.

He coughed, clearing his throat. "Uh, Mr. Cole asked me to bring you the homework you missed. Just a friendly gesture of camaraderie on my part. Honest."

"Grazie! I was so worried that I would fall behind," she breathed.

“After only one day? Not likely,” he laughed. Eyeing her carefully, he took in the slowly healing marks Craig's attack left on her person. "You look better than the last time I saw you. How are you feeling?"

"I’m much better today," she answered shyly, her cheeks tinted with a pale pink blush. "Listen, Phoenix, I wanted to thank you for helping me last night. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to go out with the first guy that asked. I mean, I'm not that pretty, am I?"

He scowled at her, not liking her lack of confidence. He was used to girls who knew what they wanted and knew how to get s**t done. "Personally, I think you're gorgeous just the way you are. Minus the bruises, of course."

Giggling, she hid her blush behind a curtain of platinum-blond hair, "Stop. Don't pick on me like that."

"I'm not picking on you," Phoenix told her. His phone rang, and he winced as he recognized the tone. It was all it took to let him know that his father had gotten to Jaxon. Answering the call, he tried to sound relaxed as he spoke. "Hey, Dad, what's up?”

“Do you have any idea where you are right now? That’s enemy territory, Phoenix!” His father snapped.

“Yeah, I know that now,” he replied.

Callum let out a heavy breath. “My Den the minute you come into the Towers, understood?”

“Yes, Sir. As soon as I return, I'll come to the Den for a chat,” the teen said.

“Just out of curiosity, but do you have any regrets for making your mother go haywire with worry?” The man on the other line asked.

“None at all,” Phoenix replied. “So, am I grounded?”

“You bet your ass, you are,” his father stated. “I sincerely hope it was worth pissing me off, Nix.”

The teen let out a breath, “Oh, okay. I figured as much. I think it was worth it, Dad. It was just an innocent favour for a classmate who missed school due to being an assholes victim last night.”

There was a long stretch of silence. Then, “So, the girl from the raid is the daughter of a rival family? Interesting. Are you hurt?”

“No, Sir.”

“Alright, then I’ll go talk your mother down until you return. I want a full debrief, understand me?” Callum asked sternly.

His relief was deep as he relaxed slightly. “Thanks for understanding, Dad."

As he disconnected the call, another man walked out of a side hall with a few men on his heels. Looking him over, Phoenix instinctively knew that he was Andromeda's father. Jax had called it when he said it was a bad idea.

The girl caught the direction of his gaze, and turned her head to the people approaching. "Are you done working, Papa?"

"Yes, and you should be resting in your room," the man replied. "Who is your friend, mia figlia?"

Andromeda beamed, "Papa, this is Phoenix Callumsson. He is the boy I was telling you about."

The smile fell from the guards' faces, and their hands moved to their weapons. Yeah, they knew who he was.

Phoenix raised his hands in surrender. "Sir, I mean no trouble and didn't lie about my reason for being here. Her books are in that backpack over there. Our teachers asked one of the class to bring her the missed work, so I volunteered."

Waving his men away, the man approached Phoenix. "Are you armed, boy?"

"No, Sir, I didn't want to cause any issues, and I wasn’t aware that I’d be walking into something that would warrant me being armed. However, my father just called me, and he knows where I am. I'm not saying this to threaten you. I’m just giving you a heads up." The teen said honestly. With his arms held out from his body, he let the Don's henchmen pat him down.

The man looked at him, crossing his arms. "I'm curious, Phoenix. Did you know what you were walking into?"

"No, I didn't," he answered. "I was just trying to do something nice for someone."

Andromeda moved between them, using herself to shield the other teen. "Papa, he saved me from that boy I went out with. Please, Papa, he's good."

"He is Veiðimenn, Andromeda," the Don of the family snapped gently. "Mercy is not their forte."

Phoenix grinned, "Sir, if I may, there's no mercy for evil in this world. Craig was pure evil to think he would be able to get away with what he did, so I didn't show him mercy."

"Are you really from our rivals?" Andromeda whispered in surprise as her eyes sought him once more. When he nodded, she paled slightly before again taking a stand. "Papa, things would have been a lot worse for me if he and his friends had not shown up when they did. Papa, please, let him go."

Taking his daughter into his arms, the Don narrowed his gaze on the boy in front of him. "What mercy did you show my child?"

"When I walked in on Craig pinning her to the floor, I lost it. That's not how I was taught to treat women, and seeing that made me see red. I didn't mean to frighten her or anything, but I couldn't let him get away with hurting her. When my father showed up, I asked him to have her sent to the hospital." Phoenix replied with a shrug.

Impressed with the young heir, the Maestro nodded. He turned as the guard handed the bag over. "Don Francesco, there is nothing but Miss Andie's books in here."

"Thank you, Bianchi," the Don said as he took the bag from the guard. "Andromeda, go on up to your room. Lock the door tight, and do not come out until I come to you, understand?"

"But-"

"It's okay, Andromeda. I'll be fine," Phoenix told her, making sure to keep his tone calm. As an after-thought, he added, "Listen to your father. He only wants what's best for you."

Francesco stared at the teen in wonder. He'd come to his home unannounced and unarmed, yet the teen wielded the confidence of someone who wasn't afraid to stand his ground. "You sound like you have parental issues."

The teen shook his head, "No, Sir. My mother would kill me if I ever stepped out of line. She's not the kind of woman you cross on a good day, let alone a bad one. Look, I'm sorry for any issues my being here might have caused, but I've done what I came to do and would like to go home now."

“Si, si. Now, my name is Francesco De Luca,” the man said, "Join me a moment in my office, will you?"

Nervous, Phoenix licked his lips. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Sir."

"Coming alone wasn't a good idea, either,” the man said as he grabbed Phoenix by the arm and roughly pulled him into the room. Shutting and locking the door, the Italian Don was aware that the boy was watching his every move. "You drink, yes?"

"No, I don’t drink as of yet. Besides, I’m driving, and my mother is already pissed beyond belief for my little stunt tonight," Phoenix replied as he eyed the man cautiously. Clearing his throat, he said, "Don Francesco, I seriously meant no harm in dropping off her homework, I swear."

The man waved him off as he poured a glass of Amaretto. "My daughter is fair. She takes after her mother, you see. So calm, gentle, and beautiful enough to put Gods to shame."

Phoenix swallowed tightly, "Yes, Sir. I can see that she really is quite beautiful."

"She is my only child," Francesco said as he sat down. "So, you can understand why I am suspicious of you showing up out of the blue."

Phoenix breathed steadily, not showing the fear he was feeling. "Don Francesco, I have a little sister and, if the tables were turned, I'm sure my father would be the same way. Am I a hostage now, or am I free to go?"

"You may leave. My men will not harm you," the man replied. He waved his hand as he finished his drink. Standing, he led the boy to the front door and watched him leave. As soon as the bike was out of sight, he turned to his men, "The previous Italian family that tangled with them did not last long. I want to know what the reason was by tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Sir." The men echoed as they got to work on his orders.

The next morning, the Maestro turned pale as the stack of papers revealed the reason why the Veiðimenn disliked them so much. Armed with the truth, he hoped that the teen from the night before was as innocent and trustworthy as he appeared.