Elect

Chapter Fifty Nixon

Trace’s eyes met mine and in that instant I had to become indifferent. I had to focus on my task—otherwise it wasn’t going to end well. Hell, I hadn’t meant for all of it to happen this way. I wasn’t supposed to show up, but I couldn’t help it; not after hearing what the bastard had done to my family, to Trace’s family. I wanted vengeance. So I took a leap of faith.

I put my gun on the table and leaned against it as a few men walked by and readied Phoenix’s body for funeral arrangements and Tony’s for burial. He would get no funeral, no honors—nothing. But Phoenix? As long as Trace was all right with it, I wanted his funeral to honor him. What he’d done for us was… beyond what I had asked of him. In those last few days I’d had one of my best friends’ back. Possibly one of my only remaining friends considering I was ready to shoot Chase where he stood.

He couldn’t leave it alone—he couldn’t leave her alone. Did he really think I wouldn’t be watching him? Watching her?

Their stolen kisses destroyed me.

And the fact that he’d made her choose?

Their room was bugged. I’d at least thought Chase would be intelligent enough to know that. Or maybe he’d wanted me to hear.

Maybe he wanted my heart to rip into two.

“Nixon?” The warmth of Trace’s hand scalded my back. I jerked and turned around.

“Yeah?”

“Y-you’re alive.” Tears streamed down her face as she stepped into my arms. It was the one thing I’d been looking forward to. Going back to normal. But I didn’t know how. Didn’t know how to fix it.

I gently pushed her away. “Why don’t you go see to Chase? We don’t want him passing out from his wound.”

“But—”

“Go,” I urged. “I have some stuff to take care of.”

Hands shaking, I wiped off both Phoenix’s and Tony’s guns and put them in a plastic bag, handing them over to Sergio. He’d arrived shortly after to help clean up.

Another one of his specialties. Making things go away.

“Anything else?” he asked examining the room. “You’re going to need a crew to come in.”

“Yeah.” I couldn’t get my anger and hurt under control. “Could you just take care of it Sergio? I need to—”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted me. “Go.”

I nodded and stalked out of the room. The last thing I heard before the door slammed was my name on Trace’s lips.

I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. So I just drove. I drove by the place Trace and I had had our first date. Drove by the school and ended up stopping at the curb and turning off the car.

I hit the steering wheel over and over again until my fingers bled.

How the hell did things get so complicated? I’d thought I could handle it. I lied to myself. I’d forced myself to believe that I could exist in a world where Tracey and Chase were together. But I couldn’t.

It would slowly kill me inside, until I wished for death.

With a curse, I put the car in drive and made my way back to my house. Time to face the music. And tell everyone good-bye.