CHAPTER ONE
Phoenix
If that girl texted me another picture of herself one more time I was going to lose my damn mind.
I drove like an insane asylum escapee back to Sergio's then speeded to a stop right in front of the gate, waiting impatiently for it to open, tapping my fingers harshly against the leather steering wheel of my Mercedes C class coupe. Another gift from Luca… I would have rather had his life, than the new car every guy on the planet was salivating over.
I wanted a lot of things.
But want didn't really belong in my vocabulary anymore.
The gate opened, slower than I would have liked since I was pissed off. I sped through the minute I saw an opening, not caring that I could possibly scratch the ridiculously expensive car and pulled to a stop right before hitting Bee.
"Damn it!" I threw open the door and slammed it as hard as I could. "What the hell are you doing?"
"You curse more now." Bee's eyebrows furrowed. "You know that?"
Yeah I was picking up bad habits where she was concerned, really, freaking awful bad habits. "What do you want, Bee? And didn't we talk about the pictures? I don't have time to respond to pictures of goats and sheep and ugly dogs. I have a business to run, a family to protect…" My voice trailed as her face scrunched up with hurt.
"I just…" She shrugged. "Thought they would cheer you up."
"How is a turtle making it through traffic then causing a ten car pileup cheerful?" I challenged.
She smiled wide, hitting me square in the chest. "Because the turtle made it!" She danced around in front of me and clapped, then paused and arched her eyebrows in my direction.
"I'm not clapping."
"It's worth clapping for."
"Turtle power," I said through clenched teeth. "Now, was there anything else? You said something about an emergency?"
"Oh." She waved me off. "I need help picking out my first day of school outfit."
"Call a girl," I snapped, walking past her.
I felt warm fingers on my arm, and before I could jerk away, I was rendered completely paralyzed by her tender grasp. Shaking, I swallowed the terror and gave her a pointed look.
Her face fell but she didn't remove her hand. "I just… I heard they wear uniforms at Elite I just don't want to look stupid, I only have a few choices, I mean it's not a big deal, I just…"
Well, damn me to Hell. I sighed and hung my head. "Fine." I'll just try to ignore the way that the clothes hugged her body then when she was done twirling in front of me, I'd go puke in the bathroom and run ten miles to get the image out of my head. Sounded like the time of my life. Bring it on. After all, I deserved that type of torture, didn't I?
"Yay!" She clapped again then looped her arm in mine. "Thanks, Phoenix, I knew I could count on you."
Funny she should say that… after all, I wasn't that guy. The trustworthy one, the accountable one, the mature one. I may as well be a body without a soul. It's what I felt like most days and she did nothing but remind me… that I'd once had it all and lost it.
"Hey." Bee nudged me. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Every day in the mirror, Bee, every day."
"What?" Her smile fell.
I forced my own. "Nothing, let's go pick out shoes."
"Awesome!"
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
God is so good. Seriously. I get to wake up every day and do something I love… I get to jump into a world of organized crime and stay there for hours on end… I love my job and I know it's only because of Him that I'm able to do it.
I seriously have the best readers in the universe. You guys make this a fun and rewarding experience. I'm so blessed to have such a supportive group online!
My agent Erica, who saves me daily from losing my mind, thanks for encouraging me and ALWAYS being on my team!
I have two amazing publishers right now who are pretty incredible to be okay with me self publishing while I do other projects, Skyscape and Forever Romance, thank you for taking a chance on me and thanks for letting me be creative and write other series simultaneously! I know it's rare to be able to do that and I so appreciate it!
Inkslinger PR: Danielle, oh my gosh..seriously? You keep my head screwed on straight when it comes to book releases, Im pretty sure if we compiled all our emails into one giant book it would be hilarious, lots of exclamation points and all caps lol, mostly me freaking out, you being like it's okay it's okay!
Bloggers: I say this every time, but you guys rock my world. You're constantly supporting and encouraging indie authors and you don't get paid to do what you do. Its b/c you LOVE books and for that reason alone I'm forever in your debt. Thank you so much for posting, s haring, tweeting, reviewing, AH! You're amazing.
My editing and admin team: Laura, Kay, Jill, Becca, Jennifer, Liza, Kristin, Paula… um yeah you guys are simply irreplaceable… wait, that's a song right? :)
My ROCKING readers: you guys make me smile, every day.
I know I'm forgetting people. Just know that I love and appreciate all of you who help me on a daily basis!
HUGS,
RVD
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books. She is obsessed with all things Starbucks and makes her home in Idaho with her husband and two snoring boxers.
OTHER TITLES BY RACHEL VAN DYKEN
The Bet Series
The Bet (Forever Romance)
The Wager (Forever Romance)
The Dare
Eagle Elite
Elite (Forever Romance)
Elect (Forever Romance)
Entice
Elicit
Enforce
Ember
Seaside Series
Tear
Pull
Shatter
Forever
Fall
Strung
Eternal
Wallflower Trilogy
Waltzing with the Wallflower
Beguiling Bridget
Taming Wilde
London Fairy Tales
Upon a Midnight Dream
Whispered Music
The Wolf's Pursuit
When Ash Falls
Renwick House
The Ugly Duckling Debutante
The Seduction of Sebastian St. James
The Redemption of Lord Rawlings
An Unlikely Alliance
The Devil Duke Takes a Bride
Ruin Series
Ruin
Toxic
Fearless
Shame
Other Titles
The Parting Gift
Compromising Kessen
Savage Winter
Divine Uprising
Every Girl Does It
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