Envy: An Eagle Elite Novella Read online

  Envy

  An Eagle Elite Novella

  By Rachel Van Dyken

  1001 Dark Nights

  Envy

  An Eagle Elite Novella

  By Rachel Van Dyken

  1001 Dark Nights

  Copyright 2018 Rachel Van Dyken

  ISBN: 978-1-948050-26-5

  Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose

  Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Book Description

  Envy

  An Eagle Elite Novella

  By Rachel Van Dyken

  From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Eagle Elite series…

  Every family has rules, the mafia just has more....

  Do not speak to the bosses unless spoken to.

  Do not make eye contact unless you want to die.

  And above all else, do not fall in love.

  Renee Cassani's future is set.

  Her betrothal is set.

  Her life, after nannying for the five families for the summer, is set.

  Somebody should have told Vic Colezan that.

  He's a man who doesn't take no for an answer.

  And he only wants one thing.

  Her.

  Somebody should have told Renee that her bodyguard needed as much discipline as the kids she was nannying.

  Good thing Vic has a firm hand.

  **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

  About Rachel Van Dyken

  Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

  She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

  Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

  You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com.

  Also from Rachel Van Dyken

  Click to purchase

  Liars, Inc.

  Dirty Exes

  The Players Game Series

  Fraternize

  Infraction

  The Consequence Series

  The Consequence of Loving Colton

  The Consequence of Revenge

  The Consequence of Seduction

  The Consequence of Rejection

  The Wingmen Inc. Series

  The Matchmaker’s Playbook

  The Matchmaker’s Replacement

  Curious Liaisons Series

  Cheater

  Cheater’s Regret

  The Bet Series

  The Bet

  The Wager

  The Dare

  The Ruin Series

  Ruin

  Toxic

  Fearless

  Shame

  The Eagle Elite Series

  Elite

  Elect

  Enamor

  Entice

  Elicit

  Bang Bang

  Enforce

  Ember

  Elude

  Empire

  Enrage

  Eulogy

  Envy

  The Seaside Series

  Tear

  Pull

  Shatter

  Forever

  Fall

  Eternal

  Strung

  Capture

  The Renwick House Series

  The Ugly Duckling Debutante

  The Seduction of Sebastian St. James

  An Unlikely Alliance

  The Redemption of Lord Rawlings

  The Devil Duke Takes a Bride

  The London Fairy Tales Series

  Upon a Midnight Dream

  Whispered Music

  The Wolf’s Pursuit

  When Ash Falls

  The Seasons of Paleo Series

  Savage Winter

  Feral Spring

  The Wallflower Series (with Leah Sanders)

  Waltzing with the Wallflower

  Beguiling Bridget

  Taming Wilde

  The Dark Ones Saga

  The Dark Ones

  Untouchable Darkness

  Dark Surrender

  Darkest Temptation

  Stand-Alones

  Hurt: A Collection (with Kristin Vayden and Elyse Faber)

  Rip

  Compromising Kessen

  Every Girl Does It

  The Parting Gift (with Leah Sanders)

  Divine Uprising

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  I thank God every day for the opportunity to create stories and do what I love. Thank you so much to my husband and son for putting up with me. Readers, you will never fully understand how much I appreciate you. Without you I wouldn’t have a job, not only that, without you it wouldn’t be as fun as it is. I love gushing about books with you guys and I’m so blessed to be part of this amazing reading community. Thank you, readers, for being you. Bloggers thank you for constantly pushing books. And to Liz for taking a chance on me, haha. Thank you for inviting me into the 1001 Dark Nights family, it’s not just a pleasure it’s an honor to write for you guys. I hope everyone enjoys Envy! And if you want a super fun safe place to talk books, don’t forget to join Rachel’s New Rockin Readers on Facebook! Blood in. No Out. HUGS, RVD

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One

  Click here to explore

  FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black

  CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham

  CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom

  DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake

  AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione

  NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones

  SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair

  ROPED IN by Lorelei James

  TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

  CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  TAME ME by J. Kenner

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two

  Click here to explore

  WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan

  WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham

  EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby

  MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair

  CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner

  ADORED by Lexi Blake

  HADES by Larissa Ione

  RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton

  DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James

  RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  DRAGON KING by Donna Grant

  PURE WICKED by Shayla Black

  HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye

  STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham

  KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

 
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster

  TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti

  THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice

  SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three

  Click here to explore

  HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan

  BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham

  SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst

  DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice

  ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey

  DEVOTED by Lexi Blake

  Z by Larissa Ione

  FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige

  EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby

  UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton

  HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye

  DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant

  KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  STRUNG UP by Lorelei James

  MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian

  TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti

  DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black

  THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely

  SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four

  Click here to explore

  ROCK CHICK REAWAKENING by Kristen Ashley

  ADORING INK by Carrie Ann Ryan

  SWEET RIVALRY by K. Bromberg

  SHADE'S LADY by Joanna Wylde

  RAZR by Larissa Ione

  ARRANGED by Lexi Blake

  TANGLED by Rebecca Zanetti

  HOLD ME by J. Kenner

  SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst

  TOO CLOSE TO CALL by Tessa Bailey

  HUNTED by Elisabeth Naughton

  EYES ON YOU by Laura Kaye

  BLADE by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  DRAGON BURN by Donna Grant

  TRIPPED OUT by Lorelei James

  STUD FINDER by Lauren Blakely

  MIDNIGHT UNLEASHED by Lara Adrian

  HALLOW BE THE HAUNT by Heather Graham

  DIRTY FILTHY FIX by Laurelin Paige

  THE BED MATE by Kendall Ryan

  PRINCE ROMAN by CD Reiss

  NO RESERVATIONS by Kristen Proby

  DAWN OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  Tempt Me by J. Kenner

  Sign up for the 1001 Dark Nights Newsletter

  and be entered to win a Tiffany Key necklace.

  There's a contest every month!

  Click here to subscribe.

  As a bonus, all subscribers will receive a free copy of

  Discovery Bundle Three

  Featuring stories by

  Sidney Bristol, Darcy Burke, T. Gephart

  Stacey Kennedy, Adriana Locke

  JB Salsbury, and Erika Wilde

  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  About Rachel Van Dyken

  Also from Rachel Van Dyken

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four

  Foreword

  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

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Five

  Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights

  An excerpt from Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken

  Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

  Special Thanks

  One Thousand and One Dark Nights

  Once upon a time, in the future…

  I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.

  I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and

  the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast

  library at my father’s home and collected thousands

  of volumes of fantastic tales.

  I learned all about ancient races and bygone

  times. About myths and legends and dreams of all

  people through the millennium. And the more I read

  the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered

  that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually

  become part of them.

  I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher

  and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I

  would not be telling you this tale now.

  But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off

  with bravery.

  One afternoon, curious about the myth of the

  Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to

  see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar

  (Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then

  sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written

  and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,

  the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand

  women.

  Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived

  in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged

  places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had

  never occurred before and that still to this day, I

  cannot explain.

  Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have

  taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can

  protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to

  protect herself and stay alive.

  Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.

  And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a

  point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.

  And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that

  he might hear the rest of my dark tale.

  As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new

  one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before

  you now.

  Chapter One

  Renee

  “Gotcha!” I grabbed Serena’s chubby foot and pretended to shove it in my mouth. She squealed and pulled it away, only to put it back again with a giggle. Babies. I shook my head and did it repeatedly for the next twenty minutes, causing hiccups of laughter. She was only eighteen months but the cutest baby I’d ever seen, next to the little guy currently trying to stack blocks on Serena’s right. I called him Junior since he had his dad Phoenix’s same name.

  Nixon, the boss to the Abandonato family, walked by and winked at his little one, careful to hide his Glock in the back of his jeans as he bent over and kissed her on the head.

  I looked away.

  I never stared too long.

  Fact: My parents specifically told me not to speak to any of the bosses unless spoken to.

  To drive their point home, they told me a story about one of the made men interrupting family dinner and getting shot in
the kneecaps.

  They let him bleed on the floor for an hour before finally helping him—the guy still walks with a limp to this day. I wish I could say they were scary stories you told your kids to put the fear of God in them, something you and your siblings whisper about late at night.

  But I knew it was true. All of it.

  The mafia was a very real beast.

  And it took no prisoners.

  It would rather kill them.

  With a sigh, I kept playing with Serena and tried to make myself small. I didn’t need the attention, and while Nixon had always been nothing but kind to me, I knew what he was capable of.

  Phoenix Nicolasi walked into the room next—no, he commanded the room, the very air that dared touch his skin—he wielded it with his silence.

  Terrifying…did not adequately describe him. And the fact that he had black folders, one for every single person connected to the family, including the cappo—our version of the Godfather if you want to get specific—well, it was petrifying.

  I had friends from college that complained about working at coffee shops or in the mall during the summer. I lied and said I worked at a doctor’s office.

  Phoenix pulled out his gun and checked to make sure it was loaded.

  Yeah. Not quite a place that saved lives and cured runny noses.

  Serena tugged on my hair to get my attention. It was like she could sense my fear, the way that my body carried a slight tremble whenever the men were near me and the women weren’t in the same room.

  It was normal behavior for those guys.

  To bust out their weapons at any point without thinking about the little eyes that watched, that wanted to be just like Dad, killer and all.

  I tried not to judge.