Chapter 8

eight

Alexandr

I look at Phoebe and Christian as they start talking, shucking my surprise with a shake of my head.

My heart thunders in my chest. What is she doing?

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Phoebe Adino." Christian states happily while Phoebe replies cockily.

"Well, a little birdy says you've been after me." She spreads her arms, holding them out at her sides. "Here I am! What are you going to do about it?" She smirks, baiting him, and his smile disappears.

He lifts a finger in the air, and a man comes running toward her from our side, another one coming from behind her, while another comes out from the shadows behind Christian. And she smiles. She fucking smiles . I'm about to intervene, not wanting her hurt when I hear Selene fucking giggle behind her hand, trying to disguise it as a cough, the bitch.

I go to step forward, but before we can do anything, Phoebe sidekicks the man in the chest, and he goes skidding across the floor, landing on his back. Sshe bends down and grabs a knife from her boot, making my brow's shoot up, and all of us men stare at her in shock. Christian takes a step forward, confused when she takes the knife in her right hand, flips it so the safety part of the blade leans against her arm, and slices across the next guy's neck, all while putting her left hand in her top, grabbing a fucking throwing star, and throwing it behind her. The star hits straight between the guy's eyes.

She turns and smirks at the guy she kicked. She lifts her arms to the side, mocking him. "What are you waiting for? Come and get me, choíros ."

I go to walk forward, disbelieving what I am seeing, but both Damian and Sergi stop me, grabbing my arms.

"Let's see what she's got, brother."

I scowl at him; he looks too fucking intrigued by this. Peter, Basil's trusted guard, is holding him back as well.

The big guy runs at Phoebe again, clearly trying to use his body to knock her down, but she side steps him and ducks under his arms, and then…she giggles. Fucking giggles !

"Is she fucking enjoying this?" Sergi asks in shock, while Basil frowns at his daughter, all while I'm fucking stumped. Christian holds up another finger, and another guy comes out from the shadows, and both Damian and Sergi let go of me. All three of us go to intervene, with the guy coming up fast from behind her. We stop short when she gets another fucking throwing star from her top and throws it behind her, hitting him in the neck. He chokes on his own blood and grabs the star, pulling it out—a rookie mistake. I shake my head as he dies on the spot. We all look at Phoebe in shock, and Christian's mouth is hanging open.

"Well, that wasn't very nice. Here I thought you wanted to play fair, you know, with me being a 'girl' and all that." She uses her fingers to make air quotes, but she doesn't sound out of breath. "So now I get to play by my rules, and I love playing by mine." She smirks, then runs up to the big guy, who has paled.

Catching him off guard, she jumps up, wrapping her legs around his neck. His grabs her legs, trying to pry them apart, but she just chuckles—fucking chuckles , then grabs hold of his thick neck and twists it. We all hear a crack as the guy's legs give out, killed instantly. She drops with him, but her feet land on the floor, and she stands straight, wiping her pants before looking at Christian with the biggest fucking smirk going, tilting her head.

I look at Damian, and he looks back at me in shock, while Sergi's mouth hangs open. I can see Selene in my side view; she's gone pale. Basil just stares at the woman he thought was his daughter. I know it's not the fucking time, but my dick likes what he's seeing, while my fucking heart aches at what she's become.

Has she always been like this? Was she hiding her true self?

"Tell me something, Christian. Have you ever heard of the Shadow?" I still, and so does every other man in this room.

Christian pales slightly but states coldly, "No offense, little girl, but I doubt you are it."

Phoebe laughs. "Of course, I'm not her, though that would be a great honor, don't you think? No, the Shadow was my grandmother, Athena Angelos, Angelos being her maiden name, by the way." She looks at her father briefly before looking back at Christian, and stating, "Her married name was Athena Garcia." She smiles widely, and I furrow my brows. Garcia, as in the Spanish Mafia Garcia? I look at Damian, and he seems as confused as me.

Basil speaks up, finally finding his voice, "No, Phoebe, you are mistaken; your grandmother and mother have no relation to the Garcias. Juan Garcia will not be happy that you're using his name. I don't know how you learned the things you did, but lying is not acceptable." He tries to state it carefully, not wanting to have a star chucked at his head, and I shake my head.

Phoebe just smiles and gets out her phone and dials a number, and all of a sudden, Juan Fucking Garcia's voice comes through the speakers.

"What can I do for you, Princesa ?" he asks, and Basil pales, and I see Sergi stiffen. I frown at his reaction.

"It would seem my father does not believe you are my uncle."

He laughs through the phone. "Have you given up some of your secrets, my dear?"

Phoebe smiles widely. "Only about you and Athena."

I step forward, gaining her attention.

She looks me in the eyes as she states to her uncle, "You're on-speaker, Tio . Why don't you clue these small-minded people, who I'm currently shocking the shit out of, in about how you and my grandmother, the Shadow, trained me to be from the age of ten?"

I freeze, realizing what she's insinuating. The Shadow trains assassins, and there's no fucking way my girl was taught to be one, not my quiet, shy fucking fiancée, and certainly not by her sweet, old grandmother, from the age of fucking 10!

"No, no," Basil says, just as Juan states, "Well, darling girl, we trained you to be one of the best assassins in the world, and you are, despite having to go back to your father's. You have killed over fifty people in the last three months alone, and I'm now guessing more. It seems you've most likely killed some of the Romanians. You are not only my most prized weapon but also my loving niece, isn't that right, my Angel of Death?"

Phoebe smirks, and I hear several inhaled breaths as most of the men in the room back away from her, realizing who we are all dealing with. And I swear I can hear Sergi growl. I look at him again, and he looks murderous. What the fuck? I look back at Phoebe, and I shake my head. She's not her; she's not the woman who has assassinated traffickers, gaining the title of the 'Angel of Death,' no way, not my girl.

"No, no, no! You are not her!" Basil shouts, and Phoebe looks at him.

"Unfortunately, Father, this is what happens when you send me away to keep me safe. Safe? Huh. You sent me to an assassin training school." Then she tells Juan, "I'll call you once I'm done, Tio. We need to discuss the information you gave my contact regarding the traffickers. I'll be done soon."

She hangs up her phone, placing it back in a small pocket in her leather pants. I take a step forward again, but Damian grabs my arm. I scowl at him, but he shakes his head.

I snap, "You cannot expect me to stand here and watch!" I hiss in a low whisper.

Damian leans over and whispers back, "We're not dealing with your sweet, shy fiancée, Al, we're dealing with the Angel of fucking Death! She shoved a guy's cock down his own throat after cutting it off herself two weeks ago. She can handle herself, and, if she needs us, then we'll get involved, but at the moment, I think us getting in her way will piss her off, and you'll lose your chance. As it stands, she already knows about your mistress; who's to say she doesn't know about Selene, too?" I pale at his words. Fuck. I stand back a bit, concerned for my own dick, making Damian snort, and I narrow my eyes at him.

Shit, my woman is going to castrate me.

I look back at Phoebe, and her attention is now on Christian. She pulls a gun from the back of her pants, and before Christian can even sneeze, she has it pointed at his head.

"Mihai, in moments, you will receive proof of Christian embezzling money from your men without their knowledge. He is also embezzling money from both the Russian and Greek Mafia, and as agreed by the council of elders, the punishment for treason is death," she states coldly. We are all still confused at how he managed to embezzle money from our businesses that he has no take in, and how the fuck does Phoebe know about the elders?

She continues, despite our confusion, "Proof is also being sent to the heads of both organizations. You, Mihai, are now the head of the Romanians, and I expect within the next twenty-one days, you will make sure all trafficking of flesh has stopped. If not, I will be back for you."

Christian steps forward, forgetting about the gun pointed at his head.

"Listen here, you little bitch you—" He doesn't get to finish his sentence because she shoots a perfect shot right between his eyes. He flops onto the ground, and we all look at the woman I love more than anything, who I've tried to forget, as she smirks.

She looks at us and says, "Well, this was a fun time, but I have things to do and people to see." She then looks at Selene as Basil steps toward his eldest daughter. Phoebe just shakes her head at him. "I'm just going to make this perfectly clear, about why I have come out of hiding. I am not for sale. Try something like this again, and what I've just done today will seem like child's play. Do I make myself clear?" Nobody says a word; she still has her gun in her hand, dangling, and her eyes are trained on Selene, who stands there looking pale, her body shaking. Basil puts an arm around her, and I shake my head. What a fucking idiot!

Selene takes too long to answer.

"Do I make myself clear, Selene?" she shouts, causing Selene's body to jerk. Finally, she nods frantically. Phoebe looks at her father and states, "Always protecting her, even when you know she tried to sell me for her own gain, for her drugs. You always forget you had another daughter who needed you more. You're a pathetic man. Nonos tis Nychtas doesn't suit you!" Basil's face goes red while we all stay silent. She looks toward Mihai, who bows his head slightly out of respect. Then she turns to leave, completely ignoring me, Sergi, and Damian, which surprises me because she was closest with Sergi. I look at him, and he looks gutted.

I sigh because I know I'm the cause of their fractured friendship; she knew he'd be by my side because, despite not sharing blood, we're brothers. She stops just at the door, looking over her shoulder slightly.

"Damian?" Sergi and I freeze, and he clears his throat.

"What can I do for you, Mladshaya Sestra ?" I clench my hands into fists when I notice her flinch at his words, but she continues while fucking ignoring me.

"You have twenty-four hours to uncover the three men in your organization who have affiliated themselves with human trafficking of 3- to 6-year-old children. The children live in group homes. If not, I will take over the task. Your clock is ticking." Then she exits, leaving my brother reeling from the information that we have traitors among us.

To Peter, I hear Basil say, "Follow her, but at a safe distance; we've all heard the stories of the Angel of Death. Find out where she's living."

I mutter, "Fuck this," and follow her out while Damian calls for me, but I ignore him. When I get outside, she is already waiting for me, clearly knowing I'd follow. She's sitting astride a matte black Harley Davidson, with some dark purple blended into it, and no fucking helmet.

She looks sexy as fuck, though.

I cross my arms over my chest. "You have a contract to fulfill Phoebs."

She chuckles, then starts the bike up.

"I mean, Phoebe, you can't escape it. Our wedding was supposed to be last week."

She just shakes her head. "I don't think so, Alex. I heard you enjoyed what was supposed to be the start of our honeymoon with a couple of strippers." I flinch. "Why don't you get back to your mistress? She should be finished with her coke dealer on the couch in your office right about now. You and I are done. Maybe you shouldn't have fucked my sister; I might have stupidly forgiven you for the other slut, but you crossed a line. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have people to see. Also…why don't you ask your brother what I've been calling you for over a year?" She smirks, then drives off, leaving me in shock, and my body trembles with rage.

I grab my phone and click on the camera for my office, and lo and behold, Candy is leaning over my fucking couch, and some greasy, fat guy is fucking her bare from behind.

Shit.

I quickly text our doctor, needing tests done, and then I throw my phone against the warehouse, smashing it angrily.

My brother comes to stand beside me.

"My love," Damian says.

I turn around, feeling fucking dirty and pissed.

Not knowing what he's talking about, I snap, "What?"

He sighs. "What she called you in there—what she has been calling you for over a year—is my love."

I slowly close my eyes. Guilt builds in my chest, sucking the air from my lungs.

No, fuck no!