Read Online The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire by Charles Scottie - Free Book Online

would have laughed, if Marco hadn't taken that exact moment to
reappear. His consistency was remarkable.
        “ Aww, thanks for the compliment, cuz! That
means a lot to me.” Marco’s final hunt for supplies had been less successful
than his previous expeditions. He had returned with only a single handbag
half-filled with toiletries, but he seemed pleased with himself anyway. Rico’s
kind words were just icing on the cake.
        Unfortunately
for Rico, the bag in Marco’s hands wasn’t large enough to keep him from being
pulled into a hug. His cheeks flushed with annoyance, but his wriggling
attempts to free himself from his cousin’s grip only served to provoke Marco to
squeeze tighter.
        “ It was a compliment that I ended with an
insult, which you would have heard if you paid any attention. Now would you get
the Hell off me?” Rico’s tone was insincere, but his younger cousin wore an
exaggerated look of heartbreak nonetheless. Shoving Marco back a step, they exchanged
a pair of amused smirks. Natalie shook her head at the two of them, trying
unsuccessfully to hide the growing smile on her own face.
        They
were clearly family, regardless of the little problems they had with each other
from time to time. It had been a long while since she'd seen normal people be
together. As much as she felt warmed by the thought, her heart was tense.
        Having
somebody to love meant having somebody to lose. Before everything fell apart,
that was fine. T he bet was usually a safe enough
one to make. But now, when
death literally lurked behind every corner, it just seemed like a liability.
Natalie's thoughts cleared up just in time to catch the last of the cousins'
conversation.
        “...are
so full of crap. Now shut up and get out of my way, we've both got work to do.”
To her surprise, it was actually Rico who had spoken. Both men were smiling at
each other, clearly accustomed to this good-natured ribbing. Alas, with those
words came time for Marco's teaching. Natalie braced herself for the worst.
        “ Why do you look like you're about to throw
up?” Marco cocked an eyebrow at her, and Rico snorted at him as he started
shuffling through supplies on a nearby counter.
        “ You really asking? Because I've got about
a half dozen reasons for why you make people sick.” Rico chuckled to himself, and Marco pursed his lips with a knowing nod.
        “ Yeup, alright, I walked into that. Forget
I asked.” Clearing his throat, Marco did his best to adopt a more professional
stance.
        “ Listen up, Nat. I'm going to give you a
crash course in hand signals. It might not seem important now, but talking is
going to be kept to a minimum out there. First thing is about rooms.” Stepping
away from the table, he gestured for Natalie to follow him to the entrance to
the den.
        “ If we're clearing rooms, we have a
protocol that the point-man is supposed to follow.” Marco paused, as if
suddenly remembering something important.
        “ Do you, uh, know what I'm sayin'?
Clearing, point-man, all that?” He glanced back at Natalie as he spoke, his
forehead wrinkled in thought. To her credit, she wasn't completely ignorant of
tactics. Admittedly, she'd picked up most of it from video games, but knowledge
is knowledge.
        “ Clearing is making sure the room is safe,
point-man is the person who is leading the group into each place.” His question
had been a fair one, but his look of surprise as she answered annoyed her. That
he seemed a little impressed only got more on her nerves.
        “ Not bad, for a girl! Not bad at all.” He
turned to look back into the den, and missed Natalie gritting her teeth as he
did. A flash of violent pictures flew through her mind. She knew she didn't
care for Marco, but this was a completely separate kind of intense dislike.
Placating herself, she settled on fantasizing about punching the smirk clean
off of his face. The thought