Page 42 of The Fox

“I was stopped at a stop sign. I couldn’t see their headlights behind me until it was too late. They slammed into me f-fr-from behind, wrecking my car.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “I was pulled from the car, and for the briefest moment, I thought I was being helped, but I was far from being right. I don’t know how long they beat me, their fists angry and feet angrier. Twice I tried to get up, twice I tried to reach my blades, and twice I failed. The last thing I remember is one of them saying‘La puttana è morta. Lasciate il corpo’”

I glance back up at Duncan again, and I see the pure rage in his eyes. Given my history, I’m surprised he hasn’t already called the Capos and ordered a hit on the other leaders. I shake my head subtly, a warning to wait for my directive before acting. The Families think I’m dead. I cannot react impulsively.

“Everything went black after that.”

The doctor at the foot of the bed has been on my payroll for years as my personal doctor, but his face is blanched at my recount. He swallows hard before checking my chart.

“I would tell you what injuries you have, but honestly, it’s easier to tell you what didn’t happen. You flat lined, Amelia. We placed you under sedation so everything could calm down, and it took you a good while to fully come out from the sedation. You should not be here, if I’m being honest. You have an extremely long road of recovery ahead.” I inhale sharply at his words, knowing fully that I cannot give myself the time needed to fully recover. I have men to hunt. “The impact of your injuries on your range of motion is hard to determine. Best case? Four to six weeks of intense physical therapy followed by six weeks of occupational therapy. That’s if you are a walking miracle, Amelia.”

I simply murmur my acceptance, effectively dismissing him. Duncan touches his shoulder and shows him the door.

I turn to Rhodes, seeing nothing but rage in his face. I set my jaw, bracing for the worst when he speaks.

“How do you know Italian,kochanie?” The question is laced with confusion and hurt. I have hurt the one person I did everything to avoid hurting. My gaze falls, and his hand grips my chin, bringing my eyes back up. “I'm not mad at you, but I am confused. You spoke that like it was second nature, like you’d spoken it your whole life.”

“Ro,” I exhale, “I need to tell you something. And it terrifies me because it changes everything.”

He brings his face to mine, our noses touching, before whispering gently. “What you tell me will change nothing. Tell me. Let me in, Amelia.”

This is the moment I will lose him. I can’t not tell him, but in doing so, I will break my own heart. My whole life has been one denial after the next, and now I have to crush the one singular happiness I’ve allowed myself to dream of.

“My father was Salvatore Conte, the Conte Family Don and leader of the city’s Mafia.” I watch for a reaction, not finding one, so I continue. “When he died, I took his chair. I am the boss of the Underworld. I am The Fox. Anything that happens in this city is simply because I allow it.”

Rhodes is silent as I wait for what I’ve just told him to sink in.

“You are the head of the Conte Family?”

“Yes.”

“Duncan is—”

“My second, my Underboss. He steps in should anything happen to me.”

“And the blades you mentioned…”

“I was raised around guns, that much is true. But I don’t like them. I’m known for using blades. I don’t carry a gun, Rhodes. I have a minimum of two blades on me at any given time. I lead over a thousand men, who are sworn to do my bidding and protect the Family at any cost. I operate in the shadows, playing in the grey areas of morality.”

He blinks slowly, processing the fact he’s sitting with the one person in the city people fear most. I pull my bottom lip into my mouth, my teeth scraping the dry skin as I chew on it. His thumb reaches out, pulling it down and resting his palm where my jaw meets my neck.

“Who watches over you when you watch over your city?” Astonishment mixed with surprise etches itself on my face as I consider his question.

“What do you mean? No one watches me. I’m the head of the Family.”

“Who has your six,kochanie?” I feel his other hand brush the top of my head before two fingers skim my cheekbone where a bruise is blooming. “Does no one have your back?”

“Duncan is my Underboss.”

“Yes. You said that. But, baby, Duncan could barely look at you in this bed. Who. Protects.You?”

The truth is on the tip of my tongue, but to speak it into existence means I’m validating every wretched thing that has been forced upon me. Every shout from Papa, every violationthatnight, every slice of my blades. I have been in survival mode since the day I turned thirteen.

“No one. I am alone. The Fox is an island.”

Rhodes straightens, his hands moving to grasp my shoulders. I have never seen him so determined.Thisis Rhodes Alexander as the sniper he once was. His jaw is firmly set, and those blue eyes have never looked more turbulent. They remind me of the way water looks when a wave crests in a tempest. The change is stark but yet so subtle you’d miss it if you weren’t intimately familiar with him.

“Ihave you,kochanie.Iprotect you. Iwatch your six.” I shake my head, refusing to allow him to do this, to sacrifice this for me.

“Rhodes, I can’t.” He surges forward, cradling my face in his rough hands. His mouth finds mine and his silken tongue runs along the seam of my lips, coaxing them open. A small moan comes from me, and Rhodes takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. I soften for him, letting him take the pain I have kept buried deep. A whimper escapes my body, its release unstoppable. I let him carry the load for just a moment. His fingers tighten in my hair briefly before he relaxes.

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