Page 15 of Phoenix's Rising
"You can come in," I say. "I'm not… I trust you."
The words surprise us both. But they're true. I do trust him, or at least I trust him more than I've trusted anyone in two years. He's kept every promise he's made so far, been honest when he could have lied, gentle when he could have been harsh.
He steps inside and closes the door behind him, then leans against it. Keeping distance between us. Letting me set the boundaries.
"What do you want to know?" he asks.
"Everything," I say. "I want to know what war means. What the Vipers will do. What you're planning to do. What happens to me if—" I stop, because I can't finish that sentence. Can't voice the fear that if this goes badly, I'll end up back with Cole or worse.
"If we lose?" Phoenix finishes for me.
I nod.
"We won't." The certainty in his voice is absolute. "But if somehow we did, if the Vipers overwhelmed us and took thiscompound, you wouldn't be here. You'd already be gone, hidden somewhere they'd never find you. I'd make sure of it before I let them through the door."
"You'd die for me." It's not a question.
"I'd die for anyone under my protection," he corrects, and it's annoying how handsome he looks while doing it. "That's what it means to be president of this club. To be responsible for everyone who wears our patch, everyone who comes to us for help. Their safety is my responsibility. Their lives are my responsibility."
"Even mine? Even though I just showed up last night?"
"Especially yours." He holds my gaze, his dark eyes steady. "Because you came here with nothing, trusting that I'd help you. Because you're running from men I once called brothers, men who destroyed everything I believed in. Because every time I look at you, I see every victim the Vipers have created, and I'm reminded why I built this club in the first place."
He's not just protecting me because it's the right thing to do. He's protecting me because I represent something bigger. A chance to make right what went wrong years ago. A chance to finally deal with Demon and everything he's done.
"I'm not just a woman to you," I say slowly. "I'm a symbol."
"No." His voice is firm. "You're a person. A woman who deserves safety and respect and a life free from fear. It's symmetry, maybe. Justice. But you're not a symbol, Ivy. You're real, and your pain is real, and what happened to you matters because you matter."
I want to believe him. Want to trust that I'm more than just an excuse for a war that was already brewing.
"Tell me about the war," I say. "Tell me what's coming."
Chapter 5 - Phoenix
*Tell me about the war. Tell me what's coming.*
I look at Ivy standing in the middle of this small room, her green eyes locked on mine, and I have to decide how honest to be. How much truth she can handle. How much of the violence that's coming I should lay at her feet.
She's already been through hell. Already carries bruises that make my hands ache to wrap around Cole's throat. The last thing she needs is me painting graphic pictures of what happens when two MCs go to war.
But she asked. And she deserves the truth.
"The Vipers will come here," I start, keeping my voice level. "Could be in a few hours if they already know you're here. Could be a few days if they're still trying to confirm your location. Either way, they're coming."
"How will they know I'm here?"
"Process of elimination. Cole will have reported you missing by now, and I have a reputation, right? The man who left because he couldn't stomach what Demon was doing. I’m the logical place for you to run."
"How many will come?"
"Hard to say. Could be just Cole and a few members. Could be the whole club." I cross my arms. "Depends on how much of an insult Demon considers this. If he sees it as one woman running from one member, they'll send a small crew. If he sees it as you choosing us over them, choosing the Iron Phoenix over the Vipers, he'll bring everyone."
"The whole club is what, forty men?"
"Last count was forty-three patched members, plus prospects." I don't sugarcoat it. "We're nine. The numbers aren't in our favor."
"Then how—"
