Free Elicit by Rachel van Dyken

my stomach. “It’s not like I don’t know what you’re thinking right now.”
    “And what’s that?” Nixon’s jaw cracked.
    “You can’t trust me,” I whispered. “Not anymore that is. Regardless of Mo being pregnant… you can’t trust me because I’m a Campisi, and eventually it will be time to take my place… in Hell.” My hands started to shake. “And damn if you don’t want me to take Mo along for the ride. Hell, I don’t want to take her along for the ride, but I would, because I’m a selfish bastard.”
    “She’s innocent.” Nixon shook his head. “Can you honestly say that you can love her? Protect her from that existence? From that bloodline? In the end, would you choose The Family over her?”
    We both knew the answer.
    Because as much as we loved our women.
    We always chose what was best for the family. It’s what a boss did.
    It’s what the Cappo did.
    If it was my men stuck in a warehouse full of enemies or Mo at home with a gun to her head.
    I’d sacrifice her to save them.
    Because a family is only as strong as the boss—and if the boss is weak, the family crumbles.
    “I see,” I finally managed to say. My voice was low, hoarse from the emotion I was trying to hold inside, or maybe it was just the anger coursing through my body making me want to punch something—that something being Nixon. “Anything else, boss ?”
    “Stay alive.” Nixon’s eyebrows shot up as he gave me a stiff nod “And maybe… things will turn out, you never know.”
    “Right.” I ground my teeth together. “And maybe one day butterflies will take over the world and replace guns.”
    As I tried to walk by Nixon, he gripped my arm and said in a low voice, “Never lose hope that things will one day be different.”
    I snorted and jerked my arm out of his grip. “The difference between me and you… I lost hope the day I was born. I don’t believe in hope. Life and death.”
    “And love?” Nixon angled his head, his eyes digging as if trying to look into my soul.
    “It’s a once in a life time thing. You get one chance, and if you screw it up, rarely does the boat come back around again.”
    CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    Nobody ever said protecting others at your own expense was easy.
     
    Mo
    “ W ELL, THAT WAS FUN.” Chase elbowed me and offered a sympathetic smile. If the guy was trying to keep me from sobbing in my bowl of Cheerios, he was doing a really crappy job. “Smile, Mo.”
    I offered a creepy tooth-filled smile.
    Chase winced. “Maybe next time, huh sexy?”
    I rolled my eyes and placed my elbows on the table. Chase was either the worst brother in the world or the best. Ever since we’d found out how messed up our blood lines really were, meaning our family tree freaking pretzled together, I’d thought of him as more of a brother than a cousin.
    “Things will get better.” He sighed, patting my head.
    “Just…” I waved him off. “No more talking.”
    “Talking helps… it’s like free therapy.” He stole a bite of my Cheerios. I stared him down.
    He took another bite.
    “Chase!” I snapped irritated. “Get your own damn Cheerios!”
    He took another huge bite; milk ran down his chin. “See, made you react. You can thank me later.”
    “For putting me in a pissy mood?” I argued.
    Chase got up and gave my shoulders a quick squeeze. “Why don’t you go do something normal today, Mo? Take the girls, go shopping or something. After all, you’re a married woman now. Hell, go spend some of Tex’s millions, he’s good for it. In fact, the more I think about it the happier I get. Go to Victoria’s Secret, prance around in front of him then, say something like ‘no touching.’ Man, the guy would shit himself.”
    “Wow,” Tex grumbled walking into the room. “Teaching my wife ways to torture me. Thanks Chase, but she does that by just breathing the same air and refusing to make eye contact with me.”
    “Whoa.” Chase held up his hands. “Shit just got tense. I’m out,