Phoenix Rising: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book Two

Thirty-Six

Just as Carissa’s body hit the ground and the red-head moved to check on the mob boss and his daughter, Kennedy felt the cold barrel of a handgun pressed to the back of her head. Her blood chilled, yet a steely resolve rushed through her as the realization that the mission went sideways sank in fully. Covertly turning on the recorder, she tossed her phone onto the back seat before moving to take down the second man who went after Andromeda. Powerful, calloused fingers gripped her slender arms tightly, pulling her back from the car and the heiress.

The set-up had been carefully planned out, but she wasn’t going to make it easy. She’d walk over hot coals dragging his body behind her before she even entertained the idea of submitting. The man holding her turned her to face the guy they were trying to get rid of, his lecherous smile never once reaching his deep green eyes as he traced the outline of her jaw.

"Well, well, well,” Bianchi leaned forward, his nasally voice murmuring against her hair made her want to vomit all over his expensive Italian leather shoes. “Isn’t this a perfect catch? The young Prince will be glad to have you back, Si? I happen to know just how important you are to that little blond bastard, and now you’re caught.”

She shuddered, her mind nearly shutting down as she remembered when the manager at the place her sister used to work did the same thing to Temperance. Pushing back her fear, she let her anger and sarcasm come to the surface instead. Sneering up at him, she brazenly spat at the ground. She knew that it was an insult in the Underworld, but she didn’t care. "Well, if it isn't the asshole in the flesh? I was wondering why I smelled rotten garbage. I guess I know now, huh?"

“What a mouthy girl!” This time, instead of the ground, Kennedy spat in his face. Angrily, he backhanded her. "Piccola stronza!”

Grasping her chin in his hand, he squeezed her jaw threateningly. “Perhaps we can use you, yes? Such a brazen girl would fetch a good price for men who like to break little girls like you."

"f**k you," Kennedy snapped at him. “You’ll never break me, stronzo senza cervello.”

“Pedro,” Bianchi shouted. “Give this one some incentive to obey me.”

"No!” Kennedy gasped as the man, Pedro, held a gun to Andromeda's head. The blond whimpered, her fight draining as the cold metal touched her temple. Cursing her luck, the red-head said, “I’ll do whatever; just don’t hurt her."

Grinning sadistically, he pressed his thumb against her throat until the lack of oxygen left her weak and dizzy. She clawed at his hands, desperately gasping for air before the dark abyss of unconsciousness took hold.

"We do not have much time, so let’s get the girls and leave," Bianchi stated as he stared at the man he once served.

Francesco coughed, shaking as he looked pleadingly at the two teen girls that were being carried away. Though she’d put up a good fight, the teen the Veiðimenn called Red had no choice but to accept Bianchi’s terms. She might have been sworn to protect his daughter, but the cost of trading her life for Andromeda’s was almost too much for him. He knew Callum would not be merciful.

"Andromeda will never agree, Giovanni," Francesco laughed breathlessly.

“We shall see, Maestro. Her friend’s life or her hand in marriage. What do you think she will choose?” Without another word, Bianchi turned on his heel and climbed into the car that was waiting for him.

As it sped out of sight, tires squealing on the blacktop, Francesco glanced over at one of the Icelandic soldiers as he stumbled out of the car. He shakily rose to his feet, and staggered over to the man. "You are alive."

Dereks looked around at the c*****e, sighing heavily. "Did they get Kennedy?"

"Si! Si! They took the girls. We must contact Don Callum," Francesco said as he helped the man over to the car. "Tell him what has happened. We must get my daughter and Ms. Rubin back from that madman."

Dereks yanked the first aid kit out of the trunk. "Carissa betrayed us, and paid the price. The shot missed my vitals, but it still hurts like a b***h. If she was right in her planning, as Kenni normally is, they should be showing up in about five minutes."

"Who are you speaking about? Who will come?” The Italian man asked. His hope was diminishing with each passing second that his daughter was in Bianchi’s demented grasp.

While Callum had promised him that the Mafia would protect Andromeda, he knew there was nothing that could be done about what happened. One of their own had turned, giving way for yet another girl to be caught in the crossfire.

"The Scorpions," Dereks finally replied. He hissed as he pressed the sealing tape on his wound. "She told them to show up at a specific time for extra security. I kind of wish I had her intuition, though, because she's a brilliant strategist. Missing check-in with Diablo will have our mob on-scene shortly as well."

Francesco's shoulders sagged. "The girl, she has sacrificed so much to keep a promise."

Dereks said nothing as he tended his wound. He shook his head, "In all honesty, while Ken is with her, your daughter won't be touched. He took the one kid all five mobs in the area like to call their Golden Child. Her attitude, brainpower, extremely high pain threshold, and her adaptability make Kenni a well-rounded asset. Even moreso than Don Callum’s son, Phoenix. Especially since she owns the local biker club known as the Scorpions."

The rumbling sound of motorcycle engines filled the air. Turning, Francesco saw what the other man meant. He immediately recognized Phoenix himself was leading the pack. Behind him were three more of his team. One of the riders yanked their helmet off. The young brunette woman with them quickly surveyed the damage. "She's been taken. Memphis, PSA this to all leaders, and get Diablo here ASAP."

Memphis shook out his hair, "This means war. The forecast for the next few days is as follows: heavy bouts of attitude mixed in with aggressive training, followed by a hailstorm of bullets and a serious ass kicking. We find her or Ontario will end up bathed in blood.”

A third teen removed his helmet. "The odds are stacked, the board is set, now it’s down to nothing but biz. I hope she knows what she’s doing, though. I’m freaking scared of that crass-ass, but she’s still our friend."

The girl walked up to the car and checked Dereks's wound. "Talk to me, Steve. What went wrong?"

"Bianchi ambushed us, Shadow," he replied. “Kenni gave ‘em hell, but he used Ms. De Luca as leverage to get her to comply.”

Watching cautiously, Francesco noted the way that the four teens moved and acted. They'd been raised for this, he realized. Not one showed fear of the scene waiting for them and they all seemed to know what to do without being told. The girl Dereks referred to as Shadow pulled out her phone.

“Don Callum, we lost a few good people to Bianchi's men, and one of our own flipped. No, it was Carissa according to Kenni's usual shot pattern." She fell quiet before handing the device to Phoenix.

"Dad," the blond teen said numbly. "I’ll have the Scorpions secure the area while we wait for you and your team to get here. Yes, Sir, we can start preliminary intelligence and survivor gathering. Kill any enemy soldiers? Yes, Sir. We can do that, but I want to keep one alive to get answers. Memphis is already calling in Uncle Damien, Uncle Xander, Aunt Xena, and Cousin Dawn-Tae. Thanks, Dad."

He walked over to the car after giving the female back her phone. Issuing the orders, Phoenix had the other riders fan out, taking up posts to secure the heir and his friends while also searching for survivors. Two men jumped into action to get the car started. Almost fifteen minutes later, they had the vehicle running. Dropping the hood, the one who fixed the car looked over at Phoenix, "We'll get your survivors to T.G. Just promise us you’re going to get the Queen back."

Phoenix, less than happy with the turn of events, gave the men a curt nod.

"All calls are done. Now the waiting game. God, I hope we get to them in time to save them both," Memphis said, his worry working its way into his voice.

Markus rolled his eyes, "You know you need to tell her, man. She's only gonna have two answers."

"No, there’s three. Yes, no, and what drugs are you on," Sky said.

Glancing over at Phoenix, Francesco realized that the boy was far too serious to be simply going through with a contract marriage to protect his daughter. He truly loved her if he was willing to go to war with Giovanni to get her back. There was going to be hell to pay when they found Bianchi’s crew. "Phoenix, if I have any loyal men left, use them as you see fit to get the girls back."

"I'm still marrying your daughter when he's dealt with," Phoenix snapped. "You can rest assured that Giovanni Bianchi will be dead soon, though. That prick took two of the most important people in my life right now. He started this war, but I'm damn well going to end it."