Ember

by Rachel Van Dyken

  “You smile, and you have to eat a normal breakfast.”

  “I smile, and I eat a protein bar.”

  “And you take me to Starbucks.”

  “Ah, the terrorist negotiates.”

  “Only when the jailkeeper corners me.” I smiled.

  “Fine.” He cleared his throat and looked away. With a deep exhale, he made eye contact again and smiled.

  A devastating, heart-stopping, knee-knocking, movie-star smile that had my entire body going limp.

  The dimple went deep.

  The teeth were straight and white.

  His eyes no longer looked haunted.

  And I, seriously, felt my heart skip a beat in my chest.

  “Now,” he said softly, “get the hell out of my bed.”

  “Aw, and we were so close with that moment. It was like friendship-carpet time.”

  “Feel free to shoot me if we ever — and I do mean ever — have a moment that includes the words friendship, carpet, and magic.”

  “Ha, didn’t say magic!”

  “Out.” He pointed to the door, the blanket going lower across his muscled body.

  Just a little farther, and I’d be able to see what all the fuss was about.

  “Bee.” There it was, the warning tone I was so used to.

  With a huff, I jumped off the bed and walked to the door.

  “What?” Phoenix asked when I didn’t step all the way through. “What’s wrong now?”

  “Thank you....” I didn’t turn around. “…for not yelling at me.”

  He swore under his breath. “The very fact that you have to thank me for that tells you the type of man I am, Bee, a piece of shit.”

  “No.” I exhaled my frustration. “Just scared of being stung, right?” I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see an irritated expression; instead, I saw nothing but hunger, and I was pretty sure I knew who it was directed toward. With a shudder, he turned away.

  Another moment gone.

  Maybe if I kept piling them up, they’d be more permanent. I could use permanent, or maybe I could just use Phoenix.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The secrets: we keep. The truth: we find.

  Sergio

  THE INFORMATION MADE NO sense. Pike was working for the feds, but I saw nothing about a deal or about his family getting out of prison for his participation, so what could he possibly have to gain by helping them?

  I researched until my eyes went crossed.

  Finally, I was about ready to shut my computer down and pour some more morning coffee when my thoughts went to Andi.

  I quickly found her in the database then did a background search on her. I expected it to be mildly tame, easily accessible.

  But the minute I clicked on her name…

  The entire screen froze.

  What the hell?

  I opened up another screen and did a similar search, this time plugging in all the right keystrokes in order to gain access into her file.

  And again, I was locked out.

  The only reason the system would lock me out would be because it was top-secret information, but I’d helped design the damn system, which meant either it had a virus or somehow the girl had gone above even my head to make sure that her file was secure.

  The only other person who had access was sitting in a nice comfy seat downtown.

  Calling him would look suspicious.

  I’d rather just hack my way in.

  But why the sudden obsession? I wasn’t sure; maybe it was the fact that I knew my own time was already up and I wasn’t doing a good job of dealing with it, yet she seemed happy almost chipper about her impending death. How the hell did someone face that every day with a smile?

  I groaned and ran my hands over my face just as Phoenix made his way into the kitchen looking less haunted than usual.

  “I take it things went well last night?”

  He dropped the coffee cup in his hand. It shattered against the granite and spilt across the counter.

  “Or it went horrible and you want to commit suicide via slicing your wrists open with your own morning cup of coffee?”

  Phoenix pressed his hands against the counter. “Sorry, I was… squeezing too hard.”

  “Well then, better be careful when you take a piss this morning.”

  “Ha!” He rolled his eyes and reached for another mug. “And yeah, it went well last night. The Nicolasi family is here to stay.”

  “Surprise, surprise.” I closed my computer, just in case he walked around behind me, and rose from my seat.

  “They thought so.”

  “They don’t trust anyone or anything. Of course, they thought they were going back to Sicily. That’s where we sent them in the first place.” I never did ask why the family was sent away, figured it wasn’t any of my business, but the very fact that they were staying meant bad news for everyone; they just didn’t realize it. Hell, they had no clue the shit storm that was coming their way. I could only stop it if I was alive, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I, the last remaining loose end, was going to get killed.

  I had a feeling, a suspicion, of who my replacement was.

  And it made me sick to my stomach, but all I had was speculation and a funny feeling that things weren’t going to end well for me, not if Nixon found out, not if Tex found out. Hell, if any of them found out… I was a dead man.

  Then again, I was already dead.

  “Boys.” Bee skipped into the room and stole the coffee from Phoenix’s hand. I expected him to yell, but instead he moved away from her so fast you’d think she just offered to rub him down with poison ivy.

  “Bee…” I crossed my arms. “…how was your night?”

  “Uneventful,” Phoenix answered for her. “Are you packed, Bee?”

  Their exchange was different than usual; she stood a good distance away from him. Normally she was all over him, taunting like a puppy with a chew toy.

  She nodded. “Yup.”

  Phoenix grabbed another cup, poured some coffee, and took a large sip.

  “I even packed condoms just in case.”

  Coffee spewed out of his mouth and onto the counter.

  “Hmm… whatever did I say?” She shrugged, her eyes dancing with laughter.

  “Bee…” Phoenix set his coffee down and wiped his face with a nearby towel. “Stop screwing around. Remember what we discussed.”

  “You mean last night?” She tilted her head again.

  And shit just got interesting. “Last night?” I repeated.

  “In bed.” Bee winked in my direction.

  “Before bed,” Phoenix corrected.

  “Or was it after?” Bee added with a wink.

  “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Phoenix asked, his voice low. “You have to push and push and push until—”

  “Boom.” Bee’s eyes widened. “Until you break, yes, yes I do.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, Bee.” I cleared my throat. “This one’s already broken, been that way for quite some time.”

  “I’m good with a hammer.” She winked. “Phoenix, you good with nailing things?”

  “Shit…” I whistled under my breath. “Bee, take it easy on him, I hate the guy, and even I feel sorry for him if this is what he puts up with every day. Your brother’s going to murder him before the year’s out if you keep it up.”

  “Maybe that’s her plan.” Phoenix looked heavenward. “Have her brother kill me so I don’t have to fall on my own knife and all that.”

  “Don’t be dramatic.” Bee sighed. “I was kidding… at least about the condoms. Lighten up, boys!” She floated out of the room, carrying her laughter with her.

  “Damn.” I whistled. “She’s getting worse.”

  “Day Four.” Phoenix braced himself against the counter. “I’m on Day Four.”

  “Killing never looked so easy, am I right?” I teased.

  Phoenix returned my smile with one of his own. “Too right. Hold the fort down wh
ile we’re gone this weekend. I’ll take my cell and make sure to tail Pike for anything suspicious.”

  “Good.”

  Phoenix was just about to step out of earshot when I yelled, “Hey, can you look out for a girl named Andi too? You know, just in case.”

  Phoenix would be wise not to read into that. He simply paused and then asked, “Last name?”

  “Smith.”

  “Typical.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Any reason I’m tailing a freshman girl?”

  “Let’s call it a feeling…”

  “Yeah, I don’t know what those are.” Phoenix barked out a laugh. “But I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Do that.”

  He left.

  I sat and felt more relaxed than I had all evening. I might not like Phoenix, but I trusted him to get the job done; he’d do whatever it took to protect family, and I counted on him for that. So did everyone else.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Watching Phoenix drink hot coffee? Nothing sexier.

  Bee

  “HOW’S THE STARBUCKS, PHOENIX? Is it everything you ever dreamed and more? Do you want to take a dive into the danger zone and dedicate your body to coffee when you die?”

  “I’m curious.” He set his latte down in the cup holder. “Do you come up with this stuff on the spot? Or is it hours of deciding the best way to push my buttons.”

  “I like buttons.”

  “Bee…”

  “And pushing.”

  “No shit.” He rolled his eyes. “Drink your coffee, play nice, remember the deal.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I sighed and took a sip of my macchiato. “Are we there yet?”

  “I could always drug you.”

  “I took a no-drugs pledge when I was six. Thanks anyway.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  “Ha!” I slapped my knee. “Someone’s got jokes this morning. I think you’re chipper because you woke up on the right side of the bed… with me on the left. That’s what I think.”

  “And you’re delusional.” He sighed and took a left. The sign above the road said Starving Creek Rock, and right next to it a white banner fluttered with the words Welcome Elite Freshman scrawled across it in electric blue.

  “They’re going to make us do icebreakers, aren’t they?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Phoenix let out a low chuckle. “Make sure you have your favorite color and pizza ready at any given time… oh, and it helps to know your potential major and who your parents are.”

  My stomach sank.

  “If they ask just say you spontaneously burst onto the scene via a miracle and leave it at that.” He reached his hand across the console and tapped my leg then jerked it back as though it were on fire.

  “Were you just trying to comfort me?” I asked boldly, taking in his rigid profile. The dark long-sleeved shirt hugged his body so well that it should have been illegal. It didn’t help that his jeans were tight or that he wore aviators like they were created for him.

  “Did it work?”

  “People show more affection to their cats, and I have it on good authority that cats have attitude.”

  “Good authority?” Phoenix squinted. “You’ve never had a cat?”

  I gave a wry shake of my head.

  “Dog then?”

  Another headshake.

  “Any pet?”

  “I had an imagination,” I said with a sigh and looked out the window, recalling the one time I’d asked my dad for a furry friend.

  “Why do you need this?” he yelled. “Are the gifts and presents not enough?”

  No. I wanted to scream. I just wanted something to hug. I wasn’t allowed teddy bears or anything comforting. The one doll he had given me was glass — cold, just like him.

  “I just… isn’t it good for kids? To have responsibility?”

  He barked out a laugh. “You see this?” He aimed a sweeping gesture around our large mansion. “This is your responsibility. You keep your room clean and try not to mess anything up and then, when you are older, you marry a man of my choosing. That is final.”

  “I’m twelve. I—”

  His slap came fast and hard, nearly toppling me over the couch. “You will not disrespect me in my own home. Go to your room. No dinner.”

  I ran to my room and slammed the door then grabbed one of my picture books, the last one he’d failed to remove from my bedroom, and glanced at a picture of a little puppy named Spot.

  I traced Spot with my finger and prayed that one day I’d find someone who would love me as much as Spot.

  Which was sad.

  Pathetic.

  Because Spot wasn’t real.

  But in my heart, in my head, he was, and one day, I was going to be able to escape my prison long enough to find a puppy to hug.

  One day, I swore, I’d be loveable.

  “Hey…” Phoenix pulled the car to a stop. “We don’t have to stay for this, you know. I’m sure I could come up with an excuse for Tex. I mean, if you want to go home.”

  “I have no home.” The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. I closed my eyes and groaned, ready for Phoenix to jump down my throat just like my dad would have.

  Instead he sighed and said, “Me either.”

  We sat in complete silence while students filed out of the large bus with their weekend bags.

  It was the one time we didn’t have to wear uniforms. I pulled at my simple jersey T-shirt and smoothed down my ripped jeans.

  “You look beautiful,” Phoenix whispered.

  My hands froze on my thighs, and I turned to look at him. I was sure my eyes looked as wide as they felt. “Th-thank you.”

  “But…” He nodded toward the building. “In order for others to notice, you gotta get out of the damn car, little girl.”

  “Right.” I exhaled. “Okay.”

  “And if anyone looks at you funny, I’ll shoot them. Sound good?”

  “At least we have options on where to bury the body,” I muttered.

  “Who buries bodies?” Phoenix shrugged. “Throw ’em in the lake, that’s what I always say…”

  “Oddly enough this conversation isn’t helping my nerves, Phoenix.”

  He offered me a small smile; it was enough for me to want to lean across the console and kiss him — hard. “I’d be concerned if it did. Now, out of the car. Baby steps.”

  Reluctantly, I got out of the car and went around to grab my bag, but Phoenix beat me to it.

  “Go.” He nodded toward the lodge. “Check in.”

  I rubbed my hands together and slowly made my way past the groups of freshman already starting to whisper as if my entrance was more important than theirs. I was nothing, a nobody, yet I was somebody to them, something interesting, something dangerous.

  I was mafia.

  A criminal.

  The bad guy.

  Yet, they had no proof of it.

  None at all, except rumors and associations.

  By the time I made it inside the large lobby, I was sweating. I could feel Phoenix behind me, and that was the only reason I had enough strength to go to the desk and mumble my name.

  “Oh, Bianka Campisi!” the lady said loudly. “I have you with Andi Smith for the weekend. You’ll just love her. She’s—”

  “Right here!” A petite girl with bright blond, almost-white hair popped out in front of me and held out her hand. “Hi.”

  I took her hand and shook it. “Hi, I’m—”

  “Bee,” she finished with a wink. “I know. Well, no offense, but everyone knows. Then again, it’s college, almost like high school, yet Elite is turning out to be worse.”

  I smiled, a real smile. “You’re telling me.”

  “Come on.” She shrugged. “I’ll show you our room, and then we can go to lunch. They have some activities planned after that.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t budge.

  She tilted her head then looked behind me. “Uh, he can come if he… wants?
”

  “Oh.” I turned to see Phoenix watching Andi with interest, an interest I wasn’t at all comfortable with. “No, he’s… um, fine. He’s staying. Stay, Phoenix.”

  “At least give him his treat.” Pike said, sauntering up to the table with his hands up. “I’d say it’s only fair for his good behavior.”

  “Bite me,” Phoenix mumbled then strangely dropped my bag next to my feet and walked off.

  “Huh.” Pike shrugged. “Looks like the Ghost of Elite Past has decided to give you a break for the afternoon. What should we do first?”

  His friends had started crowding around us, each of them eyeing me with interest.

  “Well, I was going to go see my room with Andi.”

  “Andi?” He looked around then down. “Holy shit, you’re tiny.”

  “Fun-sized.” She winked. “And we were just going to the room. You guys are more than welcome to join.”

  “I’d never say no to an invitation like that,” Pike said in a gruff voice. “Let’s go!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Out of my element — completely.

  Phoenix

  IF I HAD ANY HOPE of gaining useful info, I had to let Bee hang out with him, and hopefully she’d be able to leak information to me without even knowing it. As a plan, it sucked, but it was all I had. Besides, I figured it was the only way to actually get real intel without just ripping the guy’s fingernails off, one by one, until he shit his pants and told me his dirty secrets.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Nixon’s number.

  “Prodigal, how goes it?”

  “Ha!” I laughed. “Stop hanging out with Chase, he’s rubbing off on you.”

  “So very true.”

  “I’m at the retreat. I just wanted to make sure I was on the right frequency for the listening devices.”

  We ran through a few more of the steps as I set up another camera in Bee’s room, one I knew she wouldn’t find, even if she was looking for something suspicious.

  When I hung up from Nixon, I called Tex to check in, not because I had to, but because I was pretty sure that had I not, he would drive up here and ruin everything. He was getting more protective of Bee by the day. The second day of school, I’d had to snap a picture of her eating so he knew she was getting enough protein. It was beyond ridiculous.