Chapter 7
1173 Words
Roxanne stood on the sagging porch of her childhood home, the night air tasting of salt and impending rain. Behind her, the King household looked like a dying animal, but her focus was entirely on the man trembling in the doorway.
"Don't expect Mia home tonight, Leo," Roxanne said, her voice a sharp blade cutting through the silence. "Or tomorrow. Or ever again."
Leo blinked, his mouth working like a landed fish. "Rox, you can’t just—this is her home."
"Not anymore." Roxanne stepped into his personal space, her eyes flashing with a lethal, protective fire. "I’ll call the dean at her academy. I’m paying for the full-term dormitory stay starting tonight. She’s moving in within the hour. I’m not leaving her in this house to be used as a bargaining chip the next time you decide to chase a flush on someone else’s dime."
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper that made Leo flinch. "If you so much as call her to ask for a cent, I’ll forget we share the same blood. Do you understand?"
Leo nodded frantically, his eyes darting to Silas, who was watching the exchange with an expression of mild, detached interest from the bottom of the porch steps.
"Good." Roxanne turned on her heel, her leather jacket creaking as she descended. "Let’s go, Vane. Before I decide to see if your expensive SUVs are fireproof."
The walk to the car was a coordinated dance of power. Killian, Silas’s elder brother, led the way. He was a massive wall of a man, his presence even more suffocating than Silas’s. He didn't speak; he just scanned the street with the eyes of a wolf guarding its pack.
Once they reached the lead SUV, Silas paused, looking over at Jules, who was leaning against the second car with a reckless smirk.
"Jules," Silas commanded, his voice ringing with authority. "Take the second team and head back to the Mafia Estate. I want a full audit on the North Side shipments by dawn. If there’s a leak, I want to see the damp spot."
"Boss, you're wounding me," Jules chirped, though he straightened up instantly. "I was hoping for a front-row seat to the 'meet the parents' show. I heard Elena’s making her famous brisket."
"Go," Silas said, a warning note in his voice.
As Jules peeled away, a sleek motorcycle pulled up, the rider killing the engine in one fluid motion. He pulled off his helmet to reveal a head of messy curls and a grin that was far too bright for a kidnapping.
"Am I late? Tell me I'm not late," Cassian panted, jumping off the bike. He was Silas’s other right-hand man—the technical genius and the only person in the organization who seemed to remember how to laugh. He looked at Roxanne and whistled. "Whoa. Silas, you didn't tell me the consultant looked like she could kill me with a paperclip. I like her already. I’m Cassian, by the way. I handle the tech, the booze, and the emotional labor."
"Cassian, get in the car," Killian grunted, shoving the younger man toward the front seat.
"So grumpy, Big K," Cassian muttered, winked at Roxanne, and hopped into the passenger side.
The interior of the SUV was a fortress of leather and silence. As they wound through the city toward the Vane Mansion, Silas turned to Roxanne.
"A dormitory," he mused. "Efficient. Though I could have provided better security at the estate."
"I don't want her in your world, Silas," Roxanne snapped, staring out the window. "The dormitory is neutral ground. Now, give me the brief. Who am I meeting?"
"My parents," Silas said. "Marcus is the retired Don—he’s a lion who’s lost his teeth but kept his claws. And my mother, Elena... she’s the heart of the family. She’s like a warm bear, Roxanne. She’ll want to hug you, feed you, and find out every secret you’ve ever kept. Do not let her."
"A warm bear," Roxanne repeated, a dry smirk touching her lips. "Great. I'm great with bears. I usually have a tranquilizer gun for them."
"Not this one," Silas warned. "In their eyes, you are a high-level business consultant I met three months ago. You are brilliant, you are refined, and you are the woman I intend to marry. If they suspect you're a PI,or that your father is a degenerate gambler—the deal is dead and I already told my parents i'm bringing someone home"
The Vane Mansion didn't just appear; it loomed like a castle from a dark fairy tale. But the moment the massive oak doors opened, the "Mafia" chill vanished.
A woman with silver-streaked hair and a face that radiated genuine, soft warmth came rushing forward. This was Elena Vane.
"Silas! Oh, my boy," she cried, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Silas, the cold Don, actually smiled, leaning into the embrace. Elena pulled back and immediately turned her sights on Roxanne. Her eyes didn't search for flaws; they searched for light.
"And you!" Elena beamed, her face lighting up like a sunbeam. Before Roxanne could react, she was pulled into a hug that smelled like lavender and expensive vanilla. It was like being wrapped in a heated blanket. "You must be Roxanne, dear! Silas hasn't stopped talking about your brilliant mind. Finally, a woman who can keep up with my son's brooding!"
Marcus Vane stood behind her, leaning on a silver-headed cane, his expression stern but his eyes softening as he looked at his wife. Killian stood off to the side, his arms crossed, watching the scene with his usual brooding intensity.
"Mother, please, let her breathe," Silas said, though he looked amused as he slid an arm around Roxanne’s waist, pulling her into his side. "Roxanne, these are my parents. Marcus and Elena."
Roxanne forced herself to play the part. She tilted her head, giving Elena a soft, practiced smile. "It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Vane. Silas told me you were the soul of this house. I see he wasn't exaggerating."
"Oh, call me Elena, darling!" the matriarch chirped, patting Roxanne’s cheek with a warm hand. "Come, come! Dinner is on the table. Killian, stop scowling at the girl, you’ll give her a fright. Cassian, get your feet off the marble!"
"Moving, Ma! Moving!" Cassian called out from the hallway, dodging a mock-swipe from Killian.
As they walked toward the dining room, Silas leaned down, his breath warm against Roxanne's ear. "See? A warm bear. Just don't forget she has claws if she thinks you're hurting her cub."
Roxanne felt the weight of the lie settling in her stomach. She was in the heart of the Vane family, and for the first time, the "Sassy PI" felt like she was in way over her head.
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