Elite (Eagle Elite #1)(60)

I looked down at my phone and sighed. Still no text. The minute my gaze lifted to look down the hall, it was too late.

I ran smack dab into muscle.

Reeling back I realized it was Nixon. I sighed with relief and wrapped my arms around him for a hug.

He froze beneath my touch. Cursing, he gripped my arms in his hands and pushed me off of him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Huh?” Probably not the best response.

“Why are you touching me?” Nixon sneered.

“Because…” My gaze fell to all the students around us. Their faces were a mixture of amusement and horror.

“Because?” He took a step toward me and tilted his head. “What, cat got your tongue? Or I guess in your case it would be a… cow?”

“A cow?” I repeated. “Nixon, what the hell is wrong with you, last night…”

Gasps resounded around the hallway. I refused to back down.

“Was clearly a mistake if you still think I want more from you.” His eyes were steel. The tightening in my chest increased so much I thought I was going to stop breathing.

“But you said…”

“Are you deaf?” He shouted. “I don’t want you, Farm Girl. Not now, not last night… never.” He laughed. And with each echo of his laughter off the walls I felt my heartbeat slam into my chest like a hammer. “Let me put it into a way you understand. I will never want you. I mean, look at you. You’re nothing like us, and you won’t ever be. So do yourself a favor, leave me the hell alone.” His hands shook as he looked away, a muscle twitched in his jaw.

I refused to move. I could only stare as tears streamed down my face.

“Get the hell away from me.” Nixon was inches away from me. Those very same lips that promised me forever were driving the knife further into my chest. “Leave. Now.”

Somehow I forced my legs to move past him but not before I heard him yell after me. “Moo.”

Sobs racked my body until I couldn’t breathe or see straight for that matter. I didn’t even know which direction I was running. I just knew I had to get out of there. Away from him and away from my broken heart that had just shattered at Nixon’s feet.

I turned to make sure nobody was following me and again slammed into someone, but this time it wasn’t Nixon, and it wasn’t anyone friendly.

Phoenix grinned. “Nice show. Good to know he’s finally put you in your place. Maybe now that the whore’s out of the picture, we can go back to the way things were before you polluted this school.”

“Screw you!” I spit in his face and jerked away from him, running into the first available classroom I could find.

Unfortunately, it was occupied with a few students, but I didn’t care. I just had to get away from him… away from everything.

I crumpled to the floor in front of everyone as I tried to keep my breathing even, but it was impossible. I was dying. I knew it. I tried to breathe. I really did. But each breath was shallower than the last until I started seeing black spots.

Chase’s face was suddenly in front of me.

Wordlessly, he lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the classroom, damning the mafia to hell the entire way.





Chapter Twenty-nine


By the time we reached the Bat Cave, aka the Elect hideout, I felt like I’d lived through a thousand lifetimes. In a word, I felt old and grumpy and bitchy. And really all I wanted to do was punch something… anything in the face.

Why would he do that to me? And in front of everyone? My fuzzy brain tried to come up with excuses. Maybe that’s how pitiful I had become in the way I felt about him. I tried to justify his actions. By replaying everything he said to me the night before, I succeeded in only making my stomach feel sicker.

He talked of protecting me, loving me, doing things he didn’t want to have to do. But what the hell? I mean, I get having to make rough choices. But if his plan all along was to make me look like shit in front of the student body, couldn’t he have at least warned me? Any girl, even if she knew the plan all along, would have been in tears.

I was pathetic because I had almost convinced myself that Nixon did all of that on purpose. That he wasn’t actually using me like Grandpa said.

“Damn it, Trace, listen to me!” Chase was in front of me, examining my face and swearing so much I would have blushed had I felt anything but numb from the pain. The boy had a mouth on him.

“What?” I licked my lips and refused to make eye contact.

He grabbed my chin with his hand and jerked my face toward his. “Do you need to go to the hospital? Lie down? Need a drink of water? Want a sedative? These are all the things I asked you on the way over, and again when I plopped you on the couch. Shit.” He released my chin and ran his hands through his hair. “What the hell was that? Are out of your freaking mind? You can’t just…” He pushed away from me and began pacing.

“You can’t just break down at school like that. Can’t let people see weakness. You’re better than that. I don’t care if the freaking President of the United States waltzed in here and told everyone you were a terrorist. You’re an Alfero for shit’s sake, start acting like one!”

And he just gave a whole new meaning to tough love. My mouth gaped open. I was too shocked to be hurt anymore. Did he just reprimand me for getting my heart broken?