Chapter 1
JAX
I grit my teeth when my brother Damon smacks me on the back of the head. Today is not the right morning for his bullshit. I barely got any sleep last night in anticipation.
I’m about to swing on him when he lets out two short, low whistle blows, letting me know that someone is coming.
I quickly shut my laptop, getting up from the desk in my bedroom.
Damon winks at me, then drops down onto my bed and starts playing with his phone, appearing bored but relaxed.
His school uniform already has wrinkles in it.
Did he fucking sleep in it so that he could get a few extra minutes of shut-eye? Likely.
A knock hits my door before Mom pokes her head in with a giant smile on her face.
“First day of school.” She steps into the room, giving an excited clap, then her face goes serious, and we know what is coming.
It’s Phoenix’s, who we all call Nix, first day of high school.
It’s safe to say all of us are overprotective of our baby sister.
She and Mom could be twins, and because they are so much alike, I’m confident my sister can take care of herself.
I mean, Mom has stabbed a man or two in her day.
“We know, Mom. We got her. We’re about to head out.” I start to move across the room, but Mom is on me, messing with my hair. “Mom,” I grumble but don’t stop her. It doesn’t hurt to let her fuss, at least that's what Dad says.
“I’m making it better. For all you know, you’ll be meeting the love of your life today.”
Damon snorts a laugh, and not because Mom is dead-fucking-wrong.
Nah, it’s because she’s right, like usual.
The only thing different is that I’ve already met her.
I’ve been in love for years with a girl who pretends that I don’t exist. But this is it; it’s my year to shine, and I don’t mean on the football field.
We don’t have a ton of rules, but my dad had one I’m not sure my mom knows about. Don’t fuck with females until you’re an adult. He doesn’t ask for much, but this one has been rough to stick to, and I have—well, kind of. It depends on how you slice it.
“Ma, the only game Jax has is on the field.”
“Whatever.” Mom rolls her eyes. “I see how the girls stare at you when you’re on the field. I don’t think Jax needs game.”
That’s where Mom is wrong. When it comes to Kinsley, I’m in over my head, but hey, I suppose that happens when you set your sights on not only the prettiest girl in school, if you ask me, but also the smartest. I could make a list a mile long about all the things I love about her.
Starting with the way one of her glares can unman a person.
There’s also the cute expression she wears when she's concentrating really hard on whatever is in front of her. Her top lip tends to curl up, exposing part of her teeth like she's a bunny. It never fails to make me smile. I don’t think she’s aware she does it, but that only makes me love it that much more.
“So?” Mom asks, making me realize I got lost in my thoughts for a second.
“Are we taking Nix with us?” I ask my own question to hide that I missed what she said.
Mom isn’t a giant fan of all of us being in the same car. I’ve had my license for a few years at this point, and we have driven gators and four-wheelers our whole lives practically.
We all live on what the family calls the farm. It’s a giant stretch of land right on the edge of the city. There are multiple houses on it. The land has been in the Marino family for generations.
My oldest uncle and head of the family, War, lives in the original family home.
The place is massive with whole wings, and at one time we all would stay in it when not in the city, but as we kids got bigger, Mom decided to build another house on the land.
My other uncle, Ronan, did the same. We’re a tight-knit family.
You have to be. That’s how you trust each other, and in this gray world we live in, trust is everything. Without it, people end up dead.
“Nope.” Nix comes bursting into my bedroom. Since my older brother Eros isn’t around as much anymore, now all my siblings have the annoying habit of hanging out in my room. “Not trying to be labeled a dork on my first day.” She smirks.
“Too bad,” Damon tells her. “Mom, we’re taking her. It’s for the best.”
“No!” Nix starts to protest. My brother and I know the real reason she doesn’t want us to take her, and it has everything to do with people knowing she’s connected to us. Does she forget we all have the same last name?
Mom’s eyes bounce between all of us before agreeing. “You can ride with your brothers.”
My sister lets out a huff. “Fine, but I’m not ready yet.” Nix spins around, stomping out of my room. She’s in her uniform, so what the hell else does she have to do?
“You let her know she can’t bring weapons to school, right?” Damon jokes.
“Be nice, she's nervous.” She is not nervous. What she is is boy crazy. She’s not fooling anyone but herself, thinking we don’t know exactly what's going on. I might be knocking some freshman punks’ heads together to make sure they stay away from her.
It wouldn’t be the first time. I’ve come to blows a few times over Kinsley, and she doesn’t even have a clue.
“Now come. Need to put some food in you before you leave.”
Mom herds us downstairs, where Dad is making breakfast, thank fuck.
Mom would burn the place down if she tried to boil an egg.
Dad gives us all a chin nod. Bet my ass he's glad summer is over, and he'll have more free time with Mom. You’d think they’re newlyweds and haven’t known each other their whole lives with how affectionate they still are.
"Come here," Dad orders Mom. She shakes her head but goes to him. He grips the back of her neck, tugging her in for a kiss. Mom is in charge for the most part and can get away with murder, but Dad has a hard line that not many will push up against.
Plus, there’s no getting anything past the man.
You may think you’re pulling the wool over his eyes, but he can find out any information he wants within seconds.
He’s a damn genius with the computer. It doesn’t hurt that he also has our Aunt Ellie, whom everyone calls Marks, to help him out.
She’s a badass too when it comes to computers.
"You want that shit?" Damon asks low so only I can hear while shaking his head no at the same time.
Damon believes falling in love is a disease that fucks with your brain.
I can't argue with that. I haven't been the same since I first saw Kinsley. But I’ll tell you one thing: You could offer me a cure and I’d tell you to go fuck yourself.
We shovel food into our mouths before we’re out the front door, after taking a million and one pictures.
“You’ll let me out at the gate?” Nix asks from the back seat of my Charger as we pull out of our own gate that wraps around most of the property, except the wooded area that is thick and leads to nothing but more land. It’s also loaded with censors and cameras.
“No,” Damon and I say in unison. You have to go through a gate to get into the school.
Not sure why, when some of the most dangerous people are inside.
It’s all the elite kids from families in the city.
Hell, some move here for their kids to go to this school.
Pretty sure school paid for a few athletes to move closer as well.
I don't get it. I never wanted to be an athlete, but Mom pushed us to do something. They have this whole thing about our family being more…I suppose the best word would be legal and normal-ish. It’s well-known that the Marinos weren’t always on the up and up.
I picked football so I could hit people. It was just my fucking luck that I could throw a ball better than anyone else. Damon got lucky, and he gets to keep hitting people while protecting my ass.
“You guys are going to ruin my whole vibe,” Nix huffs. The car grows quiet, and she leans forward, her head popping up between us. “Don’t forget I’m Mac’s favorite.” She smirks, sitting back in her seat.
The threat hangs in the air. Mac is our older cousin. She can take you down with a few strokes of her keyboard. Damon and I glance over at each other, but I end up calling her bluff.
“Marks would tell you to stay away from boys, too,” I point out.
“Yeah.” Damon partly turns to face our sister. “What happened to the bunker club?”
“What bunker?” she responds. I see in the rearview mirror that Nix is dead ass staring him in the eyes as she lies. The women in our family are all part of a “secret” club, and they meet in an old bunker. It’s where our Aunt Marks grew up.
“The man-haters club bunker.” Damon shakes his head. “They should kick you out of the club.”
“Maybe it’s all a trap, and I’m planning to lure them back and sacrifice them.” I’m not sure if she’s joking or not. This is why our family will never be fully legal. I mean, Marks might be wanted in a few countries at this point.
“Back where?” Damon smirks. “To the bunker?”
“What bunker?!” Nix shouts back, making me grit my teeth. The fucking lungs on her.
The two of them go back and forth. I ignore them, my mind on Kinsley. It’s been too long since I saw her. Two days isn’t a lot, but it’s close, and she didn't know I was even there.
That’s going to change. No more lurking in the shadows. It’s time I pulled her into them with me.