Worth the Fight Read online

  Worth The Fight

  By Beth Maria

  Worth The Fight

  Copyright © 2014 by Beth Maria

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  Worth The Fight is dedicated to my Mum.

  The more I grow, the more I realise that my mum is the best friend I’ve ever had.

  I love you mum <3

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Table of contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Alive Book One in The Mended Heart Series

  Acknowledgments

  About the author

  Prologue

  I stand quietly on the other side of the door, trying to not even breathe. I couldn’t alert him to my presence. I’m not supposed to be down here; forbidden is a better word. I’ve been told since I was old enough to understand that the basement is out of bounds. If I were found down here, there would be consequences. I’d always stuck to the rules, except when I saw him come down here…

  I’d never seen him down here before. He shouldn’t even be down here; he isn’t old enough yet. We’re only seventeen. When I saw him make his way down the steps, I followed without even thinking about it. I had to make sure he was okay, that he wasn’t in trouble. I don’t know what I’d do if he wasn’t around, and that is why people usually came down here- because they were in serious trouble.

  I watch quietly as he walks over to the side of the room, picking something out from the cabinet. I’m struggling to see due to the fact that the lighting down here isn’t very good. It’s made to look dark, scary, like hell, because that’s exactly what this room is. It’s hell.

  He turns around, his icy blue eyes glinting off the little bit of light in the room. The iciness of his eyes shocks me; I’ve never seen them so cold in the whole time that I’ve known him, and I’ve known him my entire life. His light brown hair is as it always is, messy like he’s just gotten out of bed, though he’s the only person I know who can pull that off and make it look sexy.

  An ‘ooof’ pulls me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the matter at hand. My eyes widen, nearly falling out of their sockets at the scene in front of me. I spot the shiny silver metal lying in the palm of his hand, being turned over and inspected. I couldn’t mistake it even if I tried. I sleep with one of them under my pillow, though I’ve never had to use it, and I plan to keep it that way. Seeing the guy who has always looked out for me, who I didn’t think had an evil bone in his body, holding a gun, sends shivers down my spine, and a gasp threatens to spill out of my mouth. I quickly swallow it back down. I need to keep myself hidden. If anybody found out that I was down here… I dread to think about what would happen.

  “Do you know why you’re here?” His husky baritone bounces off the stone walls, drifting out of the door I’m hiding behind.

  Someone only whimpers in reply.

  “I said, do you know why you’re here?” he repeats, his voice a strong command any person in their right mind wouldn’t dismiss. It’s not even directed at me, but I can feel my legs starting to shake of their own accord from the fear coursing through my body.

  “Y-y-yes,” a man replies weakly, his voice void of any emotion, knowing the fate that he’s in for.

  “Good. Now I’ve been told to get rid of you. You’re a liability, Phil.” A loud bang rings through my ear, causing me to scream involuntarily. I freeze, realizing what I’ve just done, but it’s too late. He’s spotted me.

  I turn to leave when an arm grabs me, halting my step. I turn to meet the icy blue eyes of Phoenix James, the guy who I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember, and the guy who I will never be able to look at the same again because he’s a murderer. He’s just like the rest of them, when he always promised me he wouldn’t.

  Anger takes over me, my eyes going cold staring him down. “Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me.” I pronounce every word, hoping he hears the disgust in my voice.

  “Em…” Phoenix whispers quietly, his eyes going downcast in shame.

  I pull my arm from his grip and run. I only make it to the top of the stairs when somebody else grabs my arm, their grip biting harshly into my skin. I turn and stare into the evil dark eyes of my Father.

  “Stay away from him, Emilia. He’s no good for you.”

  I pull my arm out of his grip and run straight to my room, not once looking back at the guy who crushed me the moment he pulled that trigger. He let me down, just like everyone else has. He was all I had left, my only bit of sanity. Now I’m all on my own, trying to find a way to get out of the dark pits of hell I call my life.

  Chapter One

  Four years later

  The sound of Pixie Lott’s ‘Nasty’ starts blaring through my headphones, spurring me on to run faster. My feet hit the treadmill in time with the beat. My legs are screaming at me to stop, though I take no notice. I have two minutes left. What’s left of the song will help me complete those two minutes easily.

  I watch the timer count down from ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero. I jump onto the side of the treadmill, bending over slightly to try and catch my breath. My lungs burn from the intensity of my run, from pushing myself to my limits, though I welcome the pain. It reminds me that I’m human for a few minutes.

  I can hear my heavy breathing over the music blaring in my ears, my throat stinging every time I swallow from lack of moisture. Water, I need water. I grab my bottle from the holder and down the whole lot in a few gulps. God, that’s good.

  I lift my eyes up to check the stats on the machine, wiping my head and neck with the towel hanging over the treadmill. Just over fifteen miles in two hours. Not bad, but not my best. I didn’t come down here to beat a personal record though. No, I came down here to run until I couldn’t even remember my own name. It’s a nice reprieve from my life for a while, allowing me to forget exactly who I am, what I am.

  “Fifteen miles, impressive.” Hot breath blows on the side of my neck, causing my body to go rigid.

  I don’t dare turn around. I don’t dare turn and stare into the eyes that I thought I knew so well, only to be reminded that I, in fact, did not know them at all. No, I stay transfixed on the stats on the machine, somewhere safe, where I can’t get sucked into his hypnotizing ways.

  Gritting my
teeth, I hiss out, “What do you want?”

  The deep baritone of his laugh unnerves me, though it shouldn’t. I mean, we’ve known each other for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, though, some things change. He isn’t who I thought he was. He’s turned into the monster that we said we would never become, leaving me behind in his wake.

  “Em, Em, Em, you know exactly what I want,” he scolds playfully in my ear while running his finger along my collarbone in a feather-light touch. That small contact causes my body to cover in goosebumps, and it’s not from the air-conditioning because I’m boiling. No, it’s because of the person behind the touch. The only person who has this effect on me. Who has always had this effect on me.

  “And I’ve been telling you for the past four years, you lost that right when you turned your back on me, on our promise. Go find yourself some other idiot, because this idiot gave you up four years ago.” I brush past him, stepping off the treadmill, and start to stretch.

  I would rather not do it while hawk eyes are watching, however I’ve made the mistake of not stretching before, and let’s just say, I could hardly walk the next day. That’s never good for someone like me who always needs to be on the balls of their feet, ready to strike at any minute.

  I feel his presence, his eyes on me, staring straight at me in precise precision and calculating my every move. He knows that I could destroy him, but he also knows that I wouldn’t dare.

  “Phoenix, what exactly do you want? And just spit it out because I don’t have time for you to pussy foot around, and to be quite frank, I don’t really want to talk to you. So let’s make this easy for both of us. You tell me what it is you have to tell me, then you can go on your merry way until the next time you decide to become a leech that I can’t get rid of.” My tone is harsh, but he doesn’t flinch like any sane person would.

  Calm and calculated, he replies coolly, “Your father wants to see you.”

  My back stiffens again at this. The only time he wants to see me is when it’s something serious. Judging by the look that has just taken residence on Phoenix’s face, it’s not about anything good.

  I swallow before nodding my head once. Acting professional, I respond, “Tell him I’ll be there shortly. I need to shower first.” And have time to compose myself, I think but don’t say out loud.

  “Don’t leave him waiting, Em. You know he doesn’t like to wait.”

  “You think I don’t know that, Phoenix? And don’t call me Em. The name is Emilia.”

  Without waiting for him to say anything further, I walk out of the gym and head toward my room at the back of the mansion. I suppose I’d best shower and hurry so I don’t anger Daddy Dear. I roll my eyes at that thought but do exactly as I just said.

  ****

  “You asked for me?” I ask as I enter my father’s office.

  “Yes. Sit down.” Straight to the point, that’s my father.

  I do as he says. I know better than to disobey him. I made that mistake before and paid the price, because in this business, it doesn’t matter if you’re blood related. You always obey Nico De Carlo, and if you don’t, you deal with the consequences.

  “Do you know why I called you in here?” My father asks, staring at me intently, like he’s looking into my soul. I hate it. Only one other person can do that, though I try to put a wall up to stop that.

  “Not a clue.” I try to keep the sarcasm off of my tongue and fail.

  My father’s eyes bore into me, a silent warning not to disrespect him again. I swallow hard, seeing the promise in his eyes of what is to come if I mess up again.

  I break eye contact with him, silently letting him know that I’m sorry. He gives me the subtlest of nods, so small that anyone who didn’t know Nico wouldn’t have recognized it.

  “I called you in here because I need you to step up to the plate and go on a task with Phoenix.”

  I open my mouth to protest, but my father’s hand slams down on his desk, vibrating in the silent space and making me jerk back a fraction in shock.

  “YOU WILL NOT DEFY ME, EMILIA. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” he bellows in my face, reminding me who is in charge. Always reminding.

  Swallowing the gigantic lump that has lodged itself in my throat, I nod my head, not trusting myself to speak right now. I know I’ll pay for this later; I always do when he’s thought of a punishment.

  “I can’t hear you, Emilia. If you’re going to succeed and not make a sham of me, you need to grow some balls.”

  “Yes, I understand,” I say, trying to add a bit of force to my voice.

  “Good. Now I don’t know what happened for you and Phoenix to become so distant over the years. However, I don’t want that affecting the task that I’m going to give you both. PHOENIX, CAN YOU COME IN PLEASE?”

  Aside from him asking me to stay away from Phoenix? I think. That was just the cherry on top of the icing.

  My father’s office door opens, and in walks Phoenix, looking guarded. He’s letting nothing away right now, and it’s unnerving. He probably expects what we’re about to be told, but me? This will be the first task that I’ve been assigned, and I’m not sure I’m ready. Truth be told, I don’t want to be a part of this, though I can’t tell Daddy Dear that bit of information because it’s more than my life is worth.

  Phoenix doesn’t say a word as he sits down in the vacant chair next to me, making sure that he keeps a straight face, all business, and not once turning his attention to me. It really is unbelievable how different he is from four years ago when we swore that we would never bow down to our families, that we would go our own way, make our own choices – the right choices. Now look at him. He’s in here, doing business with my father, reminding me that he is a million miles away from the guy I knew four years ago. The day that he signed his death wish.

  “Now that I have you both here, let’s get down to business.” My father presents us, leaning back in his chair, his fingers together in thought. “As you are both aware, I have bought a new club in town called Pulse, and it’s going to be huge. Everybody and anybody are set to be there, and the opening night is tonight. Now, with my busy schedule, you must understand that I can’t be there overlooking every single detail all the time. That’s where you two come in. I’m leaving you both in joint partnership of Pulse. Obviously, I will still be the manager, but you will both be the ones overlooking everything and making the big decisions. It will be your responsibility from now on. Do you have any questions?” He looks at us expectantly, waiting to hear what we have to say.

  Yes, I have questions. I have a million questions, but none that I will actually vocalize. I’ve already angered my father enough today. I don’t need to suffer any more consequences. I do have one question I need to ask though…

  “Can I not manage the club on my own? I mean, why do we both need to manage it? I’m perfectly capable of doing it by myself.”

  “Because I said so, Emilia.” His reply is clipped.

  “But-” I start, but I’m cut off with my father’s cutting glare.

  “I’ve already said that you are both going to manage the club. Don’t push me on this, Emilia.” I hear the silent warning behind his words. If I push it, there will be consequences. I hate consequences. There are always damn consequences!

  I sigh dejectedly, giving up the fight before it’s even started.

  “Do you have any problems with working alongside Emilia, Phoenix?”

  Turning my attention to Phoenix causes my heartbeat to increase tenfold. I quickly quench down the feelings just looking at him produces and focus on his answer.

  “Of course not, sir.”

  It’s hard not to scoff. His head is so far up my father’s ass, he probably can’t even see the sunshine.

  “Great, now that we have that settled, go and get yourselves prepared for tonight. I want you at the club at seven for when it opens at ten o’clock. Oh, and dress smart. Like I said, everybody and anybody are supposed to turn up, and we need to make a good impression. Th
is is going to be the hottest club around, and it’s up to you two to make sure that happens. I have no doubt that you won’t let me down and that you will work well together. That’s all for now.” My father dismisses us, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

  It’s clear to see that he doesn’t know anything about me. Otherwise, he would know that Phoenix and I aren’t even remotely close anymore. We haven’t been for four years…

  Without saying another word, we both get up in unison, making our way to the door.

  We both reach for the handle at the same time, my small hand landing on top of his larger one. I pull back as if my hand is on fire, scorched from his touch. The warmth that is still flowing through my body from that small touch scares me. I don’t let it show though. I’ve become a professional at hiding my emotions over the years – I’ve been perfecting it for years now.

  With my hand now at my side, I square my shoulders before looking up into icy blues.

  “You first,” I tell him, my tone bored, emotionless.

  A smirk graces Phoenix’s face before he bends down, putting his mouth next to my ear. His hot breath is like a feather on my ear. I try with all my might to hold the involuntary shiver that is trying to wrack its way through my body. I will not give in to my body’s demands.

  “Oh no, and pass up the opportunity to watch that pert little behind swaying in front of me?” His deep voice murmurs in my ear, only loud enough for me to hear.

  There’s no point in even replying. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing a response from me, especially not in front of my father.

  Lifting my head up, I stare him straight in the eye. Two can play at this game. Without a second look, I strut off down the hallway, making sure to put extra sway into my hips. I hear my father’s office door close shut before a low groan sounds from behind me, so deep that it shoots straight to my core, making me moist on the spot. I try my hardest not to moan in response to his moan.