Phoenix Rising: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book Two

Twenty

He'd come to her at night, surrounded by fire and the garish remnant sounds of a gunfight. His normally well-kept attire was covered in splatters of blood while he panted as if he’d just finished a race. Sweat beaded over his darkly-tanned skin from head to toe while he looked at her with eyes filled with concern.

He fell to his knees in front of her. “Thank God you’re safe.”

"Non capisco, Nix. What's the matter? What’s going on?" She asked as she dropped in front of him. Cupping his face, she whimpered at the wildly uncertain look that seemed to scream at her in warning. Ignoring it, she whispered: "Phoenix, spiega, per favore. Make me understand what’s happening?"

"I was worried about you," he whispered. "I had to see you, to make sure you were okay."

He pulled her into his arms. She gasped as she fell against his hard chest, "Phoenix."

“No, please,” he breathed. “Don’t leave me.”

A rumble of thunder followed his desperate words, then…

"Andromeda," Francesco laughed as he watched his daughter pull the blankets up over her head with a groan. "Come on, mia bambina. Wake up. You're going back to school today."

The covers were immediately thrown off, and the girl bolted to the ensuite bathroom. She ran a brush through her platinum hair while she frantically searched her wardrobe for something to wear. She bit her lip, fighting the haze of tears following the realization that Phoenix showing up at her house like that had all been a dream.

Then again, her Nonna used to tell her that she was born special. Maybe the dream really had been a psychic warning or something along those lines, and she was on the right path toward her destiny. Scoffing at the perceived notion, she muttered, “One can only hope.”

Turning to her father, she asked, "Papa, what do you really think of Phoenix? I mean to say that I would like your completely unbiased, honest opinion of him."

"I've not seen enough of him to know for sure, but he seems to have a head on his shoulders." Francesco replied as he watched her run back to the bathroom to change. He shook his head, torn between telling her the truth and leaving her in the dark just a little longer.

"I like him, Papa. He's a nice boy, even if he does come with a bad reputation. He is honourable and kind, as well," Andromeda called out as she applied some gloss to her lips.

Walking out, she stopped in her tracks when she spotted Bianchi eyeing her from the door. Had he seen her? Had he been watching? A shiver of disgust went through her. She knew that he was waiting until she turned eighteen, but there was no way in hell she would let someone like him touch her.

She watched when his lip curled at the sound of Phoenix's name. He hated the boy that had stolen her attention, but she didn't care. "Sir, the car is ready."

"The car can wait, I am talking to my daughter," her father said dryly.

Once the man was gone, Francesco looked at his daughter and sighed. "I wanted to ask you something, but it seems that my time has run out."

"Can't Leo bring me? I don't want to be around Bianchi alone. Please, Papa," Andromeda pleaded.

Francesco grit his teeth at the sound of her fear. "Has he done something?"

Uncertain of what to say, she wrung her hands nervously. "I... I don't feel safe when he's alone with me. He looks at me funny, Papa."

"How so," he asked as he placed her favourite bear on top of her pillow.

"He looks at me like I'm his woman or something, and it freaks me out. He once told me I would be his when the time came, but I would rather die than be tied to that heartless bastardo."

Her father growled in frustration as he stalked out of the room. As he passed her, he handed her an envelope and tilted her head upward. Staring into his own eyes, he winced at the gentle kindness in them that he lacked. "Do you trust Phoenix, my child? Would you let yourself be alone and not fear him, my sweet Andromeda?"

"Yes, Papa," she replied. “Even after I saw his violence, I felt safe with him.”

Nodding, he knew that there would be no way to change her mind. The boy hadn't come to the manor since Bianchi ruined his last visit, prompting him to back out of delivering the schoolwork – a task that most who came from old money would consider beneath their station. However, Phoenix seemed to not mind being kind when and where it counted.

He'd started having issues with Bianchi's ability to follow his commands since coming to the country. Not once did he ever think that it was because of his daughter's interest in the Icelandic heir or that the man was plotting something sinister. He would need to take care of it, especially considering how Phoenix had thrown in a good word with his parents for him. He hadn’t asked the boy to go that far, but it seemed the younger generation was more than happy to bury the hatchet.

It was a trait that was getting hard to come by.

"You remind me so much of your mother," Francesco said softly, tenderly caressing her cheek. "I have a meeting with Phoenix's parents today. Do not fear for me, Andromeda. Don Callum has given his word that I won’t be harmed."

She nodded numbly. "I don't want to be the cause of someone's death, Papa. However, I don’t trust Giovanni. At all."

"He has caused you to feel discomfort and fear, and that is not something I will tolerate." He muttered quietly.

"Papa, I overheard the guards talking about how Aunt Angelica was the reason our Mafia was chased out of here before. Is that true?" Andromeda whispered.

Francesco clenched his jaw, "That woman is not your aunt, Andromeda, and I forbid you to speak her name. However, Phoenix has spoken on our behalf because of his interest in you."

Her eyes wide, she followed her father down the stairs, "But, why? I have done nothing to grab his attention, Papa."

"Simply put, you exist. Even if his intentions are unclear, la mia bambina, I am hopeful that there will be something to look forward to in the future. From the information I’ve gathered, be grateful he likes you and is not trying to kill you." Francesco said as he signalled for his men at the base of the stairs to follow him.

Passing Bianchi, he snapped his orders, "Giovanni, Andromeda will get a ride with her friends today."

"But, Sir, what if she gets hurt again? We were not advised, nor were we introduced to these apparent friends," Giovanni replied. Obviously angered at the thought that the girl was moving further out of reach, the man hid his rage quickly and easily.

"For the last time, my daughter is not your concern. She has an assigned guard, and it is not you. I will not hear any more about this," Francesco snapped as he walked past the man.

Watching her father leave, she sighed in relief that he'd taken the offending man along to the meeting. Pulling out her phone, she didn’t get to even turn it on before someone grabbed it from her. Scowling, she turned and felt herself go weak in the knees.

"What are you doing here?" She gasped out.

Standing in front of her was none other than Markus Roberts. He laughed as she flew into a rant about how her father would kill them for sneaking in. "Easy, Princessa. Phoenix couldn't make it this morning, so he sent us in his place. It’s okay. You’re safe, and your father knew we were here. Your maid let us in through a side door."

The shadow of growth on his face drew her attention to a mark that looked fresh. There was a butterfly stitch over the cut, but it was still clearly visible along with several fresh bruises. "Have you been into a fight? Was Nix hurt?"

Again, he laughed. "No, he didn't get hurt, but one of our seven won't be in school for a while."

“I’d say a good week, at least,” a boy that looked similar to Markus said gruffly.

Her heart jumped in her chest, beating briskly as she realized that she’d been set up by her own father. Unsure if this was some kind of prank, she remained frozen in place. "Who was hurt? What happened?"

“I realize telling you to calm down works as well as baptizing a cat, but, you need to stay focused, Andromeda. We gotta go now," Markus told her gently.

She nodded as he handed back her phone. Brushing her doubts aside, she followed them to a dark blue Mustang. As soon as the door shut behind the teens, the boys let out a collective sigh.

"Man, I really hope Nix knows what he's doing." The Asian teen muttered.

"I no longer question his sanity, Jaxon. He's as stubborn as his mother and ruthless like his father, but his plan always have a way of working themselves out," Markus replied. He glanced at the girl in the rearview mirror and blew out his cheeks. "Oh, by the way, we're not going to school, Andromeda."

Panic set in. She frowned, her tears gathering and falling faster than she could stop them. "What? Where are you taking me?"

"My name's Lukas," the third teen said. "We're not kidnapping you, De Luca. Your father gave you a note, right? Go ahead and read it."

She pulled the paper out of the envelope her father gave her, gasping as she read the words written on the page…