Page 80 of The Fox

I don’t bother knocking.

The door gives way as I enter the open space. Alonzo Medina is standing there, arms crossed, and his stance at ease. He’s tall, with dark features, and those green eyes track every step I take across the room. His dark suit is stretched across his body, the jacket unbuttoned.

His face is smug as he begins a predictable ramble. “What, no knock? Did you not learn manners when you were young?” I cock my head, keeping my hands firmly in my jacket. “Maybe I should beat them into you, hmmbambina?”

I shift my weight, already tired of this discussion. “You wanted me here. Here I fucking am.”

“Yes, I see this. Getting you to come out from your hiding spot was quite the undertaking, wasn’t it?”

“What do you want? What the fuck will it take for you to back the fuck off?” A feline, predatory grin preys on his lips and it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. I slip one hand into my pocket, wrapping my fingers around the handle of my knife. I have to be prepared for the inevitable.

“I want you.”

I scoff at his audacity. “You can’t have me.”

“Oh, little girl. I can have whatever, and whoever, I want,” Medina tsks. “Surely you’ve noticed my proclivity for handling delicate women in need of a firm hand.” He takes one step toward me. “Having you as my prize would be quite the accomplishment.” There is a glint of something unexpected in his eyes—a flutter of pain, perhaps. Before I can recognize the emotion, it is gone. “A Mafia princess, the only heir to her family’s Outfit. You’re already well versed in the expectations, but they’ve been forgotten.”

He lifts one hand, pointing at me. “You, Amelia Conte, need to be reminded of your place, or I will bury you beside your father.”

It takes everything in me not to strike. Medina’s entire Outfit is based on the skin trade, the movement of human beings. Of course I know how he operates. “You gain nothing.”

“I’d gain your territory. I will expand my business dealings into your streets, desecrating all you’ve built, and all you’ll be able to do is watch it burn as I fuck you. There will be nothing left of you.” He pauses, placing his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. “I will tame you even if I have to kill you to do so.”

I grit my teeth, refusing to give him what he wants. “It won’t work. My men won’t follow a weak excuse of a man.” I step toward him, my soles clacking against the concrete. I’ll play to his weakness. The hare will fall into this fox’s snare.

“They already have.”I handled the traitors, you asshole.

“If you were stronger, you wouldn’t have needed that man behind me, stalking my movements in the corner. You would have come alone.” Medina’s eyes dart behind me, confirming my suspicions. I thought I had heard the shuffle of feet behind me. “Tell me,stronzo,what was the point of demanding a meeting alone if you were going to negate it? You are a weak ass man who couldn’t handle a woman.”

I watch as Medina’s face fills with rage, the pulse point beneath his jaw fluttering.Excellent.

“You bitch. I will destroy you.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “My body has already been broken, remember. Do your fucking worst.” I take another step toward him as Medina’s man in the corner follows my movement. “I godsdamn dare you, Alonzo Medina.”

His eyes are furious. I regulate my breathing, trying to tamper my own rage with the situation that has consumed my life. Medina takes a small step toward me, and I could slice his throat easily at this distance. It is the slightest of nods he gives his man. I almost miss it. My breath hitches as I act on instinct.

“I am not some delicate flower for you to pluck. I am fucking oleander.”

Turning my body away from Medina slightly, I fling the knife from my pocket across the room, the blade hitting the shadowed man in the neck. He stumbles, hands flying to remove my blade from his throat, the blood soaking his suit as he pulls it free. For the briefest of moments, I have turned my back to Medina.

As I hear the hammer being pulled back, I feel the kiss of cool metal, of a .22 now pressed against my temple.

CHAPTER 56

Rhodes---Steady Shot

I shuffle my body, pressing deeper against the metal awning, as Amelia walks into view. She is gorgeous, the leather jacket draped on her making me smile. While yes, Amelia is wearing a dress, she also decided to have a piece of herself present. My baby loves her leather jacket. I know that she has a blade in that jacket, another hidden on her thigh.

Her clutch is now tucked under her arm and the posture she’s carrying is at ease. Amelia has transformed herself into The Fox, and it is a dangerously beautiful sight to behold. The air around her is charged with power, and I notice the change in Medina as Amelia walks closer.

I had arrived before anyone else, taking time to scout the area and setup. The warehouse is secluded, far enough from the highway that whatever happens here stays buried in the darkness. I can see why this location is used. The windows by the awning were easy to open and I waited, watching as Medina pulled up, followed by Duncan, and finally, Amelia.

Medina hadn’t come alone. Amelia had planned for this; her gut telling her that she would be walking into a situation filled with potential unknowns.

“What is your plan, kochanie? What will you do if it isn’t just the two of you?” She spins, facing me as the pot on the stove bubbles. There is an eerie calmness on her face, one that if you weren’t in tune with her history, you’d think she was dismissive. However, I know that she is shutting the world out, locking her emotions inside a steel vault so she can think clearly.

“I’ll do what I’ve always done. This is child’s play.” Her head tilts as she moves closer. “He won’t touch me, Rhodes.” Her hands rub my biceps, her grey eyes cutting me to the core. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I walk into a trap. It’s what I would do, to be honest, if I were meeting with someone I wanted eliminated.”

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