“Can’t make any promises,” Phoenix said blandly. “But I’ll give them all the talk.”
“The talk?” Trace asked in a quiet voice, though she seemed a lot less hostile than earlier.
“Yeah.” Phoenix didn’t make eye contact. I wasn’t sure if he felt guilty over what had happened or what was going to happen, either way his eyes averted to the wood table as he shrugged and answered, “The whole, a bullet for a bullet, a punch for a punch, you kill my Family I obliterate yours, you know… The Talk.”
“Yeah.” Trace squinted. “They don’t teach that in school.”
“Speaking of school.” Mo finally spoke up. Her voice made my entire body tense… I wasn’t sure if it was from addiction, yearning, or fear. Maybe all three. “I want to enroll for Winter classes.”
All eyes fell to her.
Trace cleared her throat. “I should probably join you.”
“Me too.” Mil nodded slowly. “I have a year to finish anyway.”
“Wait.” Nixon held up his hand. “You guys want to go back to Eagle Elite?”
“Why not?” Trace shrugged. “It’s not as if someone’s going to murder us in the iron gates.”
Nixon glanced at me, I looked down, my eyes were guilty. It had been my suggestion. I couldn’t believe Mo was actually listening to me. Then again, maybe I could.
She was moving on.
And it hurt like hell.
Part of me wanted her to fight, a giant part of me wanted her to push every boundary I set in place. Instead, she listened to me. She was fulfilling her promises and for once in my life I really wished she wouldn’t.
Sergio reached across the table and touched Mo’s hand to gain her attention. I gripped one of the butter knives in my fingers in anticipation of cutting his off.
“Great idea, Mo.” He winked at me. “I can always go with you girls when you enroll. The new Dean is a close friend.”
“That’s true,” Nixon said slowly. “Okay, but not until Winter classes start, alright?”
“Great.” Mo took a drink of coffee then looked directly at me. The smile that was originally on her face transformed into something I never thought, in all my years I’d see directed at me.
Fear.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Life always presents opportunities for redemption.
Phoenix
“NIXON?” I CLEARED my throat. “A minute?”
With a swift nod, Nixon stood, kissed Trace on the head and led me into his office shutting the door behind him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I braced my hands behind my head and sighed. “I just… I hit a snag.”
He pursed his lips together. “What type of snag?”
“The female kind.”
“She pregnant?”
“What?” I gasped, horrified. “No, what? Is who pregnant?”
“Easy.” Nixon grinned. “I was kidding and I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”
Swear sweat started to pour from my temples. My body demanded I pace back and forth to get rid of all the tension and anxiety building inside of me. “Bee.” I cleared my throat. “Tex’s sister.”
“Tell me she’s not dead.”
“She’s not dead.” Right, the woman would be the death of me, not the other way around. “She’s just making things difficult on those I left in charge. I think it might be good to bring her to dinner and introduce her to family. Alfonso’s been appeased for the moment.”
“How?” Nixon licked his lips.
“Luca had me deal with the situation.” I tilted my head and narrowed in my gaze, basically challenging him to doubt me.
“So… problem solved? Just like that?” He crossed his arms.
“For now…” I said slowly. “Yes, just like that.”
“Do I want to know how?”
“No.” I said honestly. “And even if you did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Damn.” Nixon sighed. “Luca really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
I shrugged. “So, Bee?”
“Won’t that be like waving a flag in front of the Campisi clan?”
“Why yes.” I smiled. “Yes it will.”
“We have your boss and his sister and mean to do what? Go to war?”
“Not war.” I stuffed my hands in my front pockets. “Besides, Alfonso’s been appeased, he never wanted her anyway. In fact, the minute I infiltrated the family he couldn’t get rid of her fast enough, she has a… wild streak.”
“Wild as in, she’s cranky?”
“Wild as in she shot me in the arm.” I coughed. “Wild.”
“Ah, so you’ve met your match.”
I felt my entire face pale as my body went rigid as a statue. “No, I don’t… I mean… I haven’t been with a girl. Look, is it okay or not?”
“Phoenix—”
“I’m asking permission.”
“Bring her.” He snapped. “And Phoenix, if you need to talk to someone or—”
“I’m straight,” I fired back and grabbed the handle to the door. “See you tonight.”
“Be safe.” He called.
“I’ll try.” I lied. Because safe wasn’t a word I would use to describe what I was around Bee. Try… tortured. And now that I’d slipped information to Tex, now that I was playing both sides hoping that the end result would be worth it, my entire life depended on the trust of Tex and his sister as well as Nixon.