Bang Bang(23)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Tex rolled his eyes and kept approaching. Like a lion does to its prey. He could kill me with his bare hands.

Why did I feel like that was exactly what he was going to do?

Ax released my hand.

Traitor!

Tex gripped the hand that Ax released and then gripped the other. Without hesitation he leaned forward and kissed both my cheeks, then whispered in my ear. “Welcome home.”

I collapsed, but Tex’s arms were strong enough to kill, so yeah he quickly helped me to a chair.

“What the hell, Tex!” Chase shouted.

Tex rolled his eyes and held up his hand. “Two kisses on the cheek, imagine what happens when I kiss Mo on the mouth and—”

“And what?” Nixon asked in a calm detached voice. “No seriously, Tex. Keep talking, I’ve been itching to pull a trigger for days.”

“Sex,” Chase said in a helpful voice. “It’s called sex, keeps the trigger happy—er… happy.”

Mil rolled her eyes and pushed through the guys. “Ignore them… swear we let them out at least three times a day for walks and they still get fidgety.”

“My walk was only ten minutes.” Tex grinned. “Just saying.”

“Weird, mine was two hours.” Chase winked in my direction. “Hey Phoenix, ask what we did. Ask, ask!”

“Huh?” I finally found my voice. “Are you guys talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

“Like I said—” Mil pulled out a chair and sat next to me. “—ignore them. Now, how was your trip up here, uneventful I hope?”

“Er… yeah.” I nodded, lying. “Totally uneventful.”

“No body count?” Chase shook his head in Ax’s direction. “You losing your touch, man?”

“Tickle me and we’ll see.” Ax said in a bored tone.

“Don’t tempt me. I stole a feather from Tex’s bed.”

“I shake in fear.”

“Boys!” Mil rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to bicker at least take it into the kitchen.”

They winked at me, making me feel… relaxed.

“So?” Mil asked. “Anything else?”

“You’re the De Lange boss?” I asked instead of telling her information about me and Ax.

She smiled warmly. “Yeah, kind of badass right?”

“You’re a girl.”

“I think I speak for men everywhere when I say I appreciate that,” Chase interjected.

Phoenix groaned from the side of the room.

“Have you heard from your father?” Mil leaned forward. “Or your brother?”

“No and no.” I swallowed nervously; after all my brother was most likely dead—dead people couldn’t talk. “I haven’t had any contact with my so called family since they abandoned me five years ago.”

“Good. This will make it so much easier.” Mil stood and looked to Tex. “I think it’s best we stick with the original plan.”

“Right.” He pulled out his cell phone and walked out of the room.

“Um, plan?” I squeaked.

“Bait.” Mil grinned. “We need something to drive them out…”

“Wait.” Ax held up his hand. “I thought you said she had something you guys needed?”

“She does.” Mil’s smile was deadly. “A heartbeat.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” I mumbled.

“Like hell!” Ax roared. “You can’t put her in the line of fire! Not after I just got her back.”

Nixon moved to the center of the room. “She won’t get hurt.”

“How do you know that?” Ax spat. “Is there some sort of mafia guarantee she won’t get grazed by a bullet?”

“You want her alive, right?” Nixon said smoothly. “Then we need to take out the only two people that want her dead.”

“Why?” I shook my head. “It makes no sense. Why would they care if I live or if I die?”

Nixon’s cold eyes met mine. I squirmed in my seat, uncomfortable with how much he saw, or how much it felt like he saw when he stared right through me. “De Lange started a rumor a while back that he left you with something… precious, something that would change the family forever.”

“All he left me were bruises,” I whispered.

Ax moved to my side and put his hand on my shoulder.

“It was meant to drive your father insane, insane enough to mess up and show himself. Instead, he went into hiding. It wasn’t until Mario De Lange died that your father started getting obsessed again. Desperate for money, considering no family would work with him, he started searching for you. And that’s where Ax came in. Had we known your living conditions were… dire—” His eyebrows lifted. “—we would have reached you sooner, but a certain someone—” His gaze met Ax. “—said you wanted no part of this lifestyle, so we left you alone until it was no longer safe to do so.”

“Ironic,” I whispered. “When you’re safer with the mafia than on the streets.”

“Not ironic.” Nixon smirked. “Do you even know how the mafia started? Lacking a bit of a history lesson are we? It was for protection… it was for… exactly what we’re offering you.”

“But I need to do you guys a favor to obtain said protection.”

“Right.” Nixon nodded. “But this favor… will be over before it even starts. We’ll put an end to your father and brother.”

“My brother?” I parroted. “He’s alive?”

“Somewhat.” Nixon cringed. “A bit brainwashed, worse for the wear, but alive.”

“He’s nineteen,” I said slowly. “A kid, you can’t just kill a kid.”

“Actually,” Tex said coming back into the room. “We can and we will. It’s called war, sweetheart. He may be a kid but he’s still got a gun and I think any soldier will tell you urban warfare is the scariest kind. A nineteen-year-old with a gun is unpredictable. I’d rather deal with five men then one nineteen-year-old who thinks he’s got something to prove.”

I looked away from all of them, barely feeling Ax’s hand on my shoulder. Mil was still sitting next to me; everyone was silent.

“So…” I said in a hollow voice. “What do I have to do?”

“That,” Phoenix piped up, “Is the easy part.”