“Yes, hi. It’s good to see you.” I take a step back. I feel naked. Completely exposed in a house that I probably am not welcome in anymore.
Phoenix nods. “London good?”
“London’s over,” I say, wondering if he hates me, too.
“So you’re back.”
“Yes.”
His lips curl upward, but it’s not the same smile he flashed at Xander. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “So the distraction is back.” He glances at Xander. “Thought you had plans, bro.”
“I do,” Xander responds, his voice tight. “She just needed a ride.”
“A ride to your house?” Phoenix folds his huge arms over his chest.
“Hi, Char.” To my horror, Jase prowls around the corner like the vermin he is. He flashes an ominous smirk as he inches toward me, not stopping until he’s directly in front of me. Yuck. I feel like I need a shower just standing next to him. “Been a while, huh? Little princess going slumming for the night? What would Daddy say if he knew you were here?”
I choke on all of the foul words I want to scream at him and back myself against their front door. I hate Jase and everything he stands for, everything he did to torment Xander years ago. I sneak a look at Xander now and wonder if things have changed.
Phoenix had always been cool with me, but Jase was an entirely different story.
A stomach-twisting one.
“Fuck off, Jase. Leave her alone. I need to talk to you and Phoenix. Now.”
Jase shoves his chest at Xander. “Are you ordering me around, you little prick?” he growls.
“Yeah, I am. There’s something you need to see, jackass.” Xander pulls out his phone and shows it to his brothers. All three exchange a look…and it’s not a pleasant one.
“Where was this taken?” Phoenix’s voice is gravelly as he wrenches the cell out of Xander’s hand.
“At Lorenzo’s club.” Xander’s eyes narrow and his face twists into a grimace as Jase pounds a fist into his palm. “He was there with some young girls. I saw him harass Charlotte that night, too. But that wasn’t the last we saw of him. He showed up at the beach tonight.” He nods toward me. “Both of us were there. That’s why I took her with me. We need to figure out who this shithead is and what he wants.”
I stand there like an idiot, completely at a loss as to what I am supposed to do. I was foolishly hopeful that Xander and I would have been able to sneak off to his room like we used to so we could listen to music and just swim around in our little bubble for just a little bit longer.
I miss those nights.
They were incredible.
And now, distant memories.
“Char, Ma’s in the kitchen with Xander’s friends. We need a few minutes.” Phoenix is not suggesting that I fuck off, he’s demanding it.
“Fuck,” Xander mutters, slapping a hand to his forehead. “I forgot they were coming over tonight.”
“We’ll worry about them later,” Phoenix hisses, shoving Xander toward their father’s office.
“This won’t take long, Princess. We’ll have your Prince Charming back to you real quick,” Jase snarls at me, following his brothers. My skin crawls from that scumbag’s raking gaze as he ambles past me.
“All right,” I mutter. I know better than to ask questions. I walk toward the kitchen, leaving them to do whatever the fuck Iazetti boys do behind closed doors.
“Charlotte!” Gaia Iazetti coos at me through her thick Italian accent as she turns away from the stove. Her outstretched arms rush toward me instinctively. “It’s been too long, sweetie! And you must be starving! How much fish and chips can one survive on?”
I giggle in her warm embrace. “Mrs. Iazetti, it is so nice to see you.” She’s in her signature attire — designer clothing covered by an apron. The smell of her famous marinara wafts into my nostrils. God, I’ve missed this woman. Her accent always makes me smile. She never lost it when she moved here from Italy at fifteen. Gaia Iazetti is by far the warmest woman I’ve ever known, and sadly, that’s including my own mother.
As she gives me a final squeeze, I eye the two gorgeous punks who follow Xander around school like lap dogs.
Gross. Peons.
It sucks that two guys this beautiful have fallen so far down the food chain that they have to suck on the Iazetti teat to feel any form of worth.
I could have done without seeing them tonight.
Or ever.
“Do you know Chase and Asher?” Gaia asks, still smiling at me as she gestures to the loathsome creatures sitting on barstools at the kitchen island.
“From school,” I offer. I don’t want to tip my hand too early with these two. They leer at me in a way that makes me want to cut and run, but I can’t exactly get very far without a ride.
“Oh, I need to make a quick call. Why don’t I leave you all to get more acquainted? Charlotte, be a sweetie and stir the sauce if it starts to bubble?” I nod over to Mrs. Iazetti as she rushes out of the room.
I was used to her putting me to work. She’s the only reason why I can do way more in the kitchen besides boil water. And thank God for that. It wasn’t like the Hawthornes ever taught their children basic life skills. My parents just employed people to worry about that crap for them.
But, ugh, why did she have to leave me with these jerkoffs? I don’t need face time with them, I need a shield.
“Hi, Puppet,” one of them snarls at me. I have no idea which brother is which. And frankly, I couldn’t care less.
“What did you just call me?” I look up from the pot, barking at my pathetic schoolmate.
I see him swallow hard. I can only imagine the ass chewing he would get if I told Xander that one of his minions just called me Puppet. Maybe I should test the theory.
I grit my teeth. As soon as he gets back, that’s exactly what I’ll do.
What is taking Xander so long, though?
Why am I really here?
And what the hell are the three of them plotting in that office? Do I even want to know? I mean, yeah. I have my suspicions. I don’t live under a rock. I’ve seen the movies and read the books. Italian last name, gobs of money, thugs galore parading in and out of the place.
I can see the writing on the wall.
But it doesn’t explain Chase and Asher. Their WASPy asses don’t exactly fit the mold here.
“So, Charlotte, is it?” His voice is low and menacing. Or at least that’s what he’s going for. It’s lost on me, though. I ignore him and focus on the bubbling sauce. “Puppet doesn’t speak unless the right person is pulling her strings, I guess,” he says, laughing with his brother.
“I wonder how much she’ll do if you pull her strings,” the other one says. I hear the barstool squeak and I grip the spoon tight, ready to fling it at whichever of them thinks he’s getting near me.
My spine stiffens as I catch a whiff of his cologne. It makes my stomach roil.
I feel a finger trace a path down my back and I fling around, my hand raised above my head with the spoon still in it.
But the dickhead was prepared for me and he catches my arm before I can smack him with the round wooden edge.
“No reason to get defensive, Puppet,” he whispers, a lecherous leer on his handsome face. “I just wanted to play a little game with you. You like games, don’t you?”
I narrow my eyes. “Let me go,” I hiss, my knee itching to slam this guy right in the balls.
“I believe my brother asked you a question,” the other brother says. “Answer him and he’ll let you go.”
“Fuck you,” I seethe. “And anyway, if you’re so important, why are you out here with your thumbs up your asses instead of inside with the big boys?” I tilt my head to the side and flash a nasty smile. “Or maybe you really are just the errand boys.”
“The Puppet has teeth.” The taller brother gets up from his stool, joining his brother by my side. “But after we’re done with you, that’s not gonna matter, is it?” He lets out a low,
grumbling laugh that makes me want to hurl in the sauce.
“Fuck off,” I snarl, clenching my jaw and turning away from them.
“There’s only one reason why Xander would have brought you over here tonight. And one reason why he invited us over. To show you who really runs shit in Ridgeview. It’s not your daddy anymore,” he hisses. “It’s us. Do you get that, Puppet?” I can feel how close the asshole is to me. Every nerve in my body is screaming, “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”
Oh, Jesus.
Please, no.
I should have just taken my chances with Scarface.
Chapter 16
Xander
“I told you to stay the fuck away from that club!” Jase roars, shoving me backward. My phone clatters to the floor, but before I bend down to grab it, I shove my brother into a desk.
Hard.
He grunts and pushes himself off of it, taking a swing at my head. I duck out of the way of his fist and dive at his ankles, knocking him backwards into a leather chair.
“You had no right to be there! I told you to stay away from Lorenzo!” Jase yells.
“Cut it the fuck out!” Phoenix yells, slamming his hand on the desk. He walks over to Jase, hovering over him. “You told him to stay away from the club. Why?”
“Because he’s a little punk! He thinks he has all the goddamn answers, and I knew if that scumbag Lorenzo found him snooping around, he’d go straight to Moretti!”
“Did you ever think that maybe you needed to get your ass over there to find out who Lorenzo is working with?” Phoenix snarls. “Or are you too focused on how many pussies you can fuck in a single night?”
“You know, you can’t just come in here and tell me—” Jase snips, rising out of the chair and pulling himself up to his full height, which is a couple of inches shorter than Phoenix.
“The fuck I can’t! Just remember who’s second in command for this family,” Phoenix hisses. He turns to point at me. “Xander may have opened us up to a shit show by going to Lorenzo, but at least he got a face. He got a picture! We know who we’re up against now, Jase. Something you fucking snoozed on!”
“Dad told me to stand down. He said we need to wait for them to make a move first!”
Phoenix waves the picture of the scarred guy in Jase’s face. “I think it’s pretty safe to say they’re moving, don’t you?”
“Who’s the guy, Phoenix?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. Jase glares at me, and I resist the urge to leap at him and pound him into oblivion. “And why the hell is he up Charlotte’s ass?”
“His name is Gio Rossi,” Phoenix lets out a sigh. “One of Moretti’s enforcers. He’s shown up in Chicago a bunch of times over the past few months. He’s taken out a lot of guys. Enemies of Moretti. People standing in his way of expanding his drug and sex trafficking businesses. Moretti is trying to move in there.” He lets out a sigh. “Same thing he’s doing here, from what I gather. If you’re not with Moretti, you’re against him, and anyone who cockblocks his operation is going down.”
“Unless we can get to him first. But how the hell is Charlotte involved in this? Why’s he tailing her? He hassled her in the club and at the airport, too. I don’t like this shit. We need to find him, Phoenix,” I mutter.
“Easy, killer,” Phoenix says. “You got a picture, which is good. Now we have proof that Rossi is here in New York. But you’re not ready to go after the guy and take out Moretti’s whole crew.”
I lift an eyebrow. “You know what I can do.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Jase groans. “Are we still gonna listen to that shit? Yes, you saved my ass, Xander! Okay? But it was only because I put my neck out to protect the family! You did your job! Congratu-fucking-lations! You wanna goddamn parade?”
With a thumping heart, I inch closer to Jase. “You’d be fucking dead if it wasn’t for me! You ungrateful asshole! You made the call to go into that house! You thought you could get one over on Shorty’s crew! And it was because you wanted to get ahead! You didn’t do anything for the fucking family! It was all for you!”
Jase lets out a low growl and launches himself at me, but before his fist can connect with my jaw, Phoenix yanks him backward by the collar and throws him against a wall. “Listen to me,” he seethes. “You’ve fucked up more times than I can count, but this time could have put a nail in Dad’s coffin. Do you realize that? You always spend so much time trying to prove yourself that you fuck over everyone in your path.” He leans closer to Jase. “That ends now.”
Phoenix pushes Jase away and straightens up, smoothing down the front of his shirt. Phoenix has never been the rumpled shirt guy. He’s kind of like the GQ version of a mafia underboss. Stealth, stylish, and as sadistic as they come.
“Phoenix, what should we do now? If Moretti is here, he’s gonna close in sooner rather than later,” I say. “None of us are safe. You know he won’t stop until he takes down the whole family.”
“Lorenzo knows more than he’s letting on,” Phoenix muses. “He’s on Moretti’s payroll if Rossi has been spotted in his place making the rounds. I have to believe that’s what Rossi wants with Charlotte. Girls go missing all the time when Rossi is in town. Women and drugs are their big businesses, so Moretti’s working with our associates to gain access to our territories. Lorenzo was granted permission by Dad to run that club in our territory, even though he’s not blood. Dad trusted him.” Phoenix shakes his head. “By letting Moretti in, Lorenzo betrayed the family and will pay. By my hand.”
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” I ask. “I mean, you’re a top guy, do you really wanna—?”
Phoenix fixes his deep-set eyes on me. “It’s my responsibility. My family. My enemy.”
I rub my temples. “I’m in.”
“What do you mean, you’re in?” Jase lets out a dry laugh. “Who the fuck asked you?”
“Xander will come with me,” Phoenix says in a flat voice, leveling Jase with a hard stare.
“Why the hell does he get to go?” Jase demands.
“Because he’s the one with the relationship. It’s how he was able to get time with Lorenzo in the first place. While you’re out there swinging your dick around, Xander got information we can actually use.” Phoenix’s lips curl into a grimace. “I hate like hell to go back to that bastard and show our hand, but we need more than just a picture. We need to find Rossi and the location for Moretti’s new operation.” Phoenix looks at me. “You said you saw him at the beach?”
I nod.
“He might be closer to his goal than we think. Moretti might’ve put a tail on you, Xan. That’s why Rossi appeared out of nowhere. The fact that you had Charlotte with you is bad. To him, she’s just another bitch he can sell. But if he knows she means something to you, he has a bargaining chip.”
A chill runs through me.
Girls go missing when Rossi is in town.
Fuck.
I told her to stay away from that place! Now she’s on Rossi’s radar, just like we’re on Moretti’s.
I pace the room, tugging at my hair. “He was by her car at the beach tonight, Phoenix. He might have known she was there with me. And he knows who she is. That night at the club, he used her name. She’s in danger.”
Phoenix nods. “She needs to be home. It’s the safest place for her to be right now. She’s got security on the premises, right?”
I nod. “I’ll take her back.”
Phoenix looks at Jase. “You’re staying here with Mom while Dad is gone. Xander and I are going to find Lorenzo.”
Jase looks as if he’s about to protest, but his mouth snaps shut when he sees Phoenix’s fists clench.
He knows what Phoenix can do, too.
“Fine,” he grumbles, folding his arms over his chest.
Phoenix nods his head toward the door. “Those two clowns out there, what do they know?”
I shrug. “They’re just friends from school. They don’t know anything about this. I’m not an idiot.”
&nbs
p; Jase scoffs and storms out of the office.
“Good to hear,” Phoenix smirks at me and ruffles my hair until his face turns somber again. “Xander, you still have anything for her?”
I rake a hand through my now-disheveled hair and look away. “I didn’t like the idea of her driving by herself after we spotted Rossi. He disappeared and I had no idea where he was, if he was hiding, waiting for us to move…” I clutch the sides of my head, a frustrated sigh expelling from my lips.
“You need to be smart about this. Keep your head in the game. This is what you’ve wanted — a chance to get respect. You can’t let any distractions get in the way of your responsibilities to the family.”
“I know, Phoenix.”
“Hey.” He pokes me in the chest. “Don’t be a smartass, okay? You wanna come out to Chicago and work for me? Take on a real role in the organization? Then you need to play it right while you’re here. Charlotte had your head in a million fucking places when she left. I know it, Dad knows it, Jase knows it. We can’t have that happen again, you understand? No more dicking around. Besides, she needs to stay the hell away from you, otherwise she’ll get caught in the crossfire. And I know you don’t want that. Eliminate the distraction now, or else it’ll be eliminated for you.” Phoenix fixes me with a penetrating stare.
Caught in the crossfire.
That’s the last thing I want.
Funny, I used to think seeing Charlotte again would be the last thing I’d ever want.
“Are we clear?” When I give my head a quick nod, Phoenix smiles at me.
“I’m glad to hear we’re on the same page. Now tell me something, you been practicing with that box cutter, bro? I’m thinking you’re gonna need it tonight.”
* * *
Puppet: Ridgeview Prep Book 1 Page 13