I rubbed my eyes, trying to curtail the fury nearly swallowing me into the darkness. I wanted Zakaryan’s head on a silver platter. “Jonas remained to guide the cleanup. I’ve already made a donation to the owner of the restaurant. Some repairs and a paint job will be needed. I’m taking care of Camden’s and Alex’s families as well.” I kept my voice low, not only because we were in a public place but also because neither my mother nor my sisters deserved to hear the outcome.

  “Good. The event should be enough of a message,” Pops said, the heavy burden of loss covering his expression. “Make certain college funds are established for their children. They were our extended family.”

  “What if the massacre wasn’t enough?” Stavros asked, his anger no longer evident.

  “Then we’ll deal with it. Together. Just like Pops said.” Massacre. That was part of my job, although the bloodlust wasn’t nearly the same as what I’d experienced in the past.

  An ache churned in my gut, a nagging as well. This was far from being over.

  And someone close was determined to destroy us.

  We remained in silence, a family fearing the worst. It didn’t matter we’d all known that one day we could lose one of our own, grief becoming the norm. Every day of life and happiness was a gift. It had just taken me far too long to realize that.

  As the minutes ticked by, turning into two hours, the heaviness on my heart threatened to collapse my system. Tension remained high, but the comfort we gave each other wasn’t to be taken for granted.

  Elena noticed the surgeon first, immediately rising from her chair.

  I moved away from the wall, heading for our mother. She couldn’t handle a loss at this point.

  The surgeon walked closer, yanking the cap from her head as she headed for our father. “I’m Doctor Rivers. The surgery went as expected, the bullet grazing his lung but there won’t be any permanent damage. He was very lucky. We’ll need to keep him for a few days, but I don’t anticipate any issues.”

  “Can we see him?” Mama asked, a sob erupting.

  “Yes, but only for a little while. He needs his rest. He’s down the hall in ICU.”

  I hung back as the others clamored toward his room. I wasn’t a praying man, but it felt like the right thing to do. Minutes later, I made the walk, my legs aching as much as my heart. When I stepped into the room, I noticed his eyes were open.

  They found me seconds later, the strong man able to smile.

  I gave him a nod of respect.

  Not for saving my life, which he deserved, but for being my brother.

  I was reminded once again that family meant everything.

  CHAPTER 17

  Whitney

  Silence.

  It had never bothered me before. In the work I did, the constant interactions with people every hour of the day meant I had little time to myself. While I loved music, often when I got home from a long day, I appreciated the absolute silence my condo had provided.

  As the clock ticked by, hours passing, the silence within the sprawling estate was oppressive, my nerves on edge.

  After two hours I’d started wandering the house, the phone firmly planted in my hand. I wasn’t certain how many times I’d glanced at the screen in hopes that he’d called. Being in his house alone was almost as terrifying as the thought of what he was doing, the people he was killing.

  Eliminating. I’d heard him use that word, as if by making it sound more clinical, it wouldn’t remind him that he was taking a human life. Just another aspect of his world, his business. His life was full of opulence, every room spectacular in color and detail, so comfortable and inviting.

  But hiding under the designer couches and fine lines shadows lurked, unseen bloodstains from the violence he accepted as just another day at the office.

  I’d all but told him I loved him. Did I? Was it possible I wanted a life with a brutal man? The honest answer left a hollowness in my chest.

  Laughing, I headed up the stairs, ready to roam another floor. It was after three in the morning, my stomach in knots. I’d almost raced outside, grabbing one of the soldiers and demanding he tell me what was going on.

  But I knew the man wouldn’t talk to me, likely not allowed.

  And so, I continued to wait.

  I’d yet to walk into his bedroom, maybe out of respect or worry that crippling anxiety would topple what limited hold I had on my sanity. Now there was no place I’d rather be. As I opened the door, his dark, masculine scent washed over me. Musky, citrusy, and full of life.

  Just like the man.

  The furnishings were stark, very much what I would have expected. I fingered the cologne on his dresser, the two watches he’d casually placed on the surface. And I dared to open one of his drawers, finding nothing but socks and underwear.

  Like a normal person.

  Laughing, I moved to his bed, brushing my hand over the comforter. Then I sat down, tugging one of his pillows from under the covers, bringing the softness to my face. I could drink in his scent for as long as possible, feeling him all around me.

  As I closed my eyes, envisioning his face, a moment of peace crowded against the anxiety.

  Then I heard a hard thud and jerked up, sucking in my breath.

  I listened for a few seconds, hearing nothing else. Then I rushed to the top of the stairs, peering down. There was nothing to see but shadows in the limited light coming from the living room. But I knew he was here.

  I flew down the stairs, moving into the living room. Then the kitchen.

  Where had he gone?

  As I headed down the hallway, my heart hammered in my chest. A warm glow of light was coming from his office. As I ventured into the doorway, I was flooded with relief. He was standing at the window, staring out into the blackness, a drink in his hand.

  The silence was even worse.

  The moment I padded into the room, he sensed my presence, cocking his head.

  “Phoenix.” My voice sounded so far away, haunted.

  He took a few seconds, exhaling but remaining where he was. Then he turned around, the light over his desk unable to hide the horror, his shirt covered in dried blood.

  Even worse, the carved edges of his face were harder than before, his eyes burning into mine. I knew instinctively the blood wasn’t his.

  Tick. Tock.

  The passing seconds seemed like hours.

  “This is what I am,” he stated flatly.

  “I know.” I walked a few steps closer, refusing to allow him to see I was disturbed in any way. He was searching as he’d done before. For acceptance. For absolution.

  For love.

  “Do you want this?”

  This. The word held such intense meaning. I moved even closer, my chest rising and falling. “More than anything. I love you.”

  He offered no reaction at first. Then the darkness in his eyes faded. As I closed the distance, I kept my gaze on his face and nowhere else, taking the glass from his hand, placing it on his desk. Then I pulled him with me, giving him an encouraging nod.

  I led him up the stairs to the master bathroom, easing him in front of the counter. When I peeled the jacket from his shoulders, his chest rose and fell, the bulge between his legs already thick and hard. As I unbuttoned his ruined shirt, trying not to react to the blood, his heated breath skipped across my skin.

  Phoenix didn’t try to stop me as I tossed the shirt away, nor did he utter a word as I pulled a fresh washcloth from the linen closet. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as I turned on the warm water, soaking the cloth. Then as I began washing away the sins, the violence, and the anger, his breathing slowly drifted into regularity.

  I gently wiped his face, taking my time to remove every speck, every ugly stain. When no more blood remained, I moved to the massive bathtub, starting a bath.

  There were so many questions to ask, answers to be given. There were details to work out and the stolen information to secure, but not at this moment. This was meant as another stage of our tethering, the cable running through us, entwining our hearts and souls made of steel. There was no turning back, no chance for regret.

  I’d given him my heart and I would honor my promise.

  As I unfastened his trousers, he rubbed his knuckles across my cheek, narrowing his eyes.

  “My omorfiá,” he whispered, the words thrilling me more than before.

  “Is it over?”

  “For now.”

  I dropped to my knees, removing his shoes, running my fingers up his legs tenderly. While the desire lingered just below the surface, this wasn’t about sex. When he was finally free of the tight confines, I pressed a series of kisses against one leg then the other before rising to my feet.

  Everything felt different, my senses more alive as I took him by the hand, leading him toward the sudsy water.

  His look of carnal need had returned, and he pulled the sash on my robe, his nostrils flaring as he ripped the silk away, allowing it to slide to the floor.

  After climbing in, he intertwined our fingers, pulling me on top of him. As we settled into the water, I wrapped my arms around him. His cock slipped inside without assistance, the feel of having him inside exactly what I needed.

  As my pussy muscles expanded, my breath stolen, he pushed his head against my breasts. The quiet moment was one I’d never forget.

  “My brother almost died tonight. He took a bullet for me.”

  Tensing, I wrapped my arm around his head, processing yet trying to remain unemotional. “But he’s okay?”

  “Yes. He’s a fighter, very strong.”

  “Just like you.” I pulled away, pressing my hands on both sides of his face. “You don’t need to tell me anything else.” I pulsed up and down, savoring the feeling of just being in his arms, the way his cock continued to swell.

  “You don’t need to know but if you ask, I will tell you. Just know that whatever it is, I won’t sugarcoat it. You deserve the truth given you’re going to be a part of my life.”

  His words were out of possessiveness or some requirement of ownership. There were raw emotions coursing through every syllable, need and want colliding together with reality.

  “What are you saying?”

  Finally, his smile returned, an upturn of his lips as he took several deep breaths. “I’m saying that you know who and what I am. I will never be the perfect man. This won’t be a charmed life, but it will be full of love and family. I’m saying that you’re very special to me, the reason I breathe, the energy that flows through my body. I want you as my wife, the mother of my children. Not because of what happened, a debt owed or a betrayal from anyone, but because we belong together. Because I love you, Whitney. I’ve loved once, the loss nearly destroying me. What I hadn’t realized is that the experience forced me to shut down, to lose myself in grief and anger. Almost losing you as well as my brother reminded me how much there is to enjoy. But only if you’re in my life.”

  I don’t know what I’d expected, or if I’d ever believed I could hear the words ‘I love you’ from a man I’d sworn had no conscience, no sense of humanity. The effect they had on me was startling, so much I was speechless.

  As a sly smile spread across his face, I cupped his jaw, rubbing my thumbs through his beard. “So ask me.”

  “Hmm… Don’t believe you’ll ever have any control.” He wrapped his hand around my hair, pulling me closer. “I will always be your master.”

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  “Marry me.”

  I’d read somewhere that all little girls dreamt of the perfect wedding, dreaming of their perfect knight, the one who would slay a dragon if so required. Then as they grew up into adulthood the reality of what they were facing made the dreams fade.

  I was no different, a shy girl who lived her life in books, eager to find the one man who’d be my knight in shining armor. And my love life had been no different than any other girl’s, often faced with one letdown after another.

  The ugliness of uncertainly had pushed me into the possibility my special someone didn’t exist, loneliness my future.

  Then a brutal man had disrupted my world, pretending to be something he wasn’t.

  Or so I’d thought.

  Through the murky waters of who he was, a criminal with a sordid background, he was also a family man, someone who believed in honor above all. Some might call me crazy. Too soon. Too ridiculous. Too terrifying. My heart knew what it wanted.

  A man who’d protected me against all odds, fighting with his personal demons to allow me into his heart. And for once, I was happier than I ever anticipated or believed I deserved.

  “Yes. A million times yes.”

  There was no understanding of the future or what it would entail, the only expectation honesty in our relationship, but I wanted all of him.

  As he captured my mouth, I ground my hips against him, vibrations dancing through every cell, every muscle. Being with him was incredible, electrifying, and he’d allowed me to be the woman I thought didn’t exist.

  Life was precious. For him, perhaps it was just beginning.

  Phoenix

  “We need evidence that Theodore Canfield stole from your sister’s company,” Gregory said as an opening to the meeting.

  Elena sat quietly in the chair in our father’s office, her face pensive. While the repairs had been made to the vineyard, new grapes planted where necessary, the charges against my sister were still pending.

  That was enough to keep me on edge. It was as if the Napa police were waiting for the right time to drop a sledgehammer into our world.

  “Meaning what?” I barked, tired of playing games.

  “Meaning the prosecutor has already called for a grand jury.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I snarled, as if I had a say in the matter.

  Gregory shook his head as he looked at me then to our father. “The way it looks, Theodore laid tracks that Elena took the money slowly over time, depositing them into an offshore account.”

  “That’s bullshit!” Elena exclaimed. “I don’t have an offshore account. I just can’t believe he betrayed me. That wasn’t Theodore.”

  Our attorney slid a piece of paper across Pops’ desk. “According to your signature, you do.”

  Elena jumped up from her seat, yanking it from the surface. “That’s not my signature.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. It is. How?” She looked toward Pops then to me, her eyes pleading. “I didn’t do this, Daddy. I love the winery. I’d never do anything to try and destroy it. You know that. Right?”

  I tugged it from her hand, hissing under my breath. My sister had a special curlicue she used with the ‘A’ in her name. It would be next to impossible to fake. However, I knew better than to believe she’d done anything so self-destructive. “There are easy methods of duplicating something like this.”

  “He’s right,” Elena added.

  “That won’t stop the prosecutor from moving forward. It may help in the trial, but by then, the winery’s reputation will be ruined.” Gregory’s statement was harsh but factual.

  Elena turned to face me. “Then what do we do?”

  “Get the evidence no matter what you need to do.” Pops’ voice and message was very clear.

  I’d already put in a call to Maxim to see if his men had been successful finding anything. If not, I’d need to take a trip to Miami.

  And not alone.

  “You need to do so quickly. They’re trying to make an example out of Elena.”

  “James Buckley is the prosecutor?” I asked, glaring at him.

  “Yes, but don’t you dare do anything to harm him. Fingers will be pointed in this direction so fast and I won’t be able to do anything about it.”

  He was having difficulty breathing given his frustration. He had no idea the way I felt, the tempered rage giving me heartburn.

  “I’m curious if the prosecutor has any ties to the Armenians. I’d also interested in learning where the tip came from regarding illegal arms on her property.” I glared at Gregory. Years before he’d have demanded the information using a method that left no recourse with the police.

  “I was told it was an anonymous but credible tip.” His answer was as lame as his services had become.

  I was in his face within seconds, but instead of feeding the rage, I offered him a plastic smile. “It’s in your best interest to learn more than the garbage you just spouted off. Meanwhile, I’ll find that evidence you need and if necessary, I’ll hand deliver it to the prosecutor. My sister will not spend another night in jail. Understood?”

  I’d never threatened the man up to this point. There hadn’t been a need, but I was losing my patience.

  He took a purposeful step away, eyeing me carefully before glancing at my father.

  “He’s right, Greg,” Pops said. “Don’t pussyfoot around with the bastards. This is bullshit and you know it.”

  “I do, Odysseus, but things have changed. You don’t have Napa in your pocket.”

  “I know someone who does.” I hadn’t thought of Dante and Diego Santos, the brothers in control of LA and beyond. As members of the Brotherhood, their gentle push against the authorities could do the trick.

  “There’s another reason to track down the information Theodore stole from me,” Elena said as she crossed her arms. I knew the look in her eyes. She’d conjured up something on her own.

  “What?” I lifted my eyebrows seeing the mischievous look in her eyes.

  “I followed your rules of playing politics, big brother. I have some juicy little tidbits on several very important people in Napa Valley.”

  “You little vixen,” I said, half laughing.

  Gregory sighed, acting as if he couldn’t be party to hearing anything of this nature.

  “That’s my girl,” Pops said.

  “Except it’s gone,” I reminded them. “What do you have on the prosecutor?”

  “Other than the fact he has a secret family, a new baby with a woman he claims is his wife but isn’t?”

  “Ouch.” I couldn’t help but grin.

  “We can’t use that,” Gregory insisted.

 

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