Paxton's Promise (Gloves Off #3)(59)
“Which one?”
“The one where I said I would always keep you safe. I wanted to kill him, Gabby. I couldn’t stop him from hurting you.”
“Hey, I’m okay,” I assured. “I’m a fighter too, remember? And you did keep your promise. You stopped him.” Glancing over his shoulder, I think he did more than stop him. Cliff wasn’t moving, and there was blood pooling underneath his head. Mason noticed my hesitation and came over.
“All right, I think it’s time we all get out of here and head to the station. The others are going to go inside and look around. One of my men said they saw Josh, Cliff, or Rage, whatever the f*ck you want to call him, pull the gun on the other one. I was also told they found some of the things he stole out of your apartment. We’ll get all of that back to you once all of this is over.”
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t really want any of that stuff back, knowing Rage’s hands had been all over them. The only thing I wanted was the picture he stole of me and Ashleigh. Paxton put his arm around me and guided me toward Mason’s car, and Camden followed. It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that Cliff was Rage the whole time. He’s been living right beside me. I’d given him my number and confided in him about my stalker.
“Wait,” I said, stopping mid-step. “My bag is in Red’s truck. It has my phone in it.”
Mason went to the truck and grabbed it before nodding to his car. Paxton opened the door and then slid in beside me, holding me close as Camden got in on the other side. Hopping in the driver seat, Mason quickly glanced at us and then started on the way.
I wasn’t planning on looking back, but my curiosity got the better of me. The ambulance had pulled up and the paramedics were around his body, fingers checking for a pulse. Before the whole scene disappeared from view, I saw a white sheet billow in the wind as it was placed on top of Cliff’s body.
He was dead. Paxton had killed him.
“After this is all over, I’m leaving town,” Camden confessed.
I glanced over at him and Mason stared at him through the rearview mirror. “Why is that?” I asked. Paxton kept his gaze out the window, not saying a word.
“There will be severe repercussions for my actions. I’ll have a price on my head. I’m not going to have a choice.”
“So you’re just going to leave? What about your friends? Your brother?”
Camden smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t have any friends, Gabby. I think it’s best if I turn around and never look back.”
“But . . . it’ll be lonely,” I whispered, taking his hand.
He squeezed once and then let me go. “I’m used to it.”
Two Days Later
EVEN THOUGH IT had only been two days, it felt like an eternity. Paxton’s house was just how we left it, including his mother’s ring sitting on the dresser in my room. I didn’t know if he still wanted me to wear it, but I put it on my finger anyway. It made me feel closer to him, especially since he wasn’t talking to me.
When Paxton found out Rage was dead, I didn’t know what to expect. For two days, we talked to the police and went through our stories over and over again. Paxton was held a lot longer than I had been, and at the end of the day, I could tell it was wearing on him. Hell, it was hard on us all, but Paxton couldn’t seem to shake it.
“He’s going through a lot right now,” Mason explained, running his hands through his dark blond hair. His gaze focused on Paxton, and I could see his understanding.
Mason was heading back home and stopped in to see how we were doing. I hadn’t left Paxton’s side, even though he hadn’t talked or looked at me since everything went down. I missed him, but I knew he needed his space. I would wait as long as I needed to.
“I know he is,” I replied. “I just wish I could get him to talk to me.”
Paxton was in the garage, working on his cars. The news stations had been by, hoping to get a glimpse of the local hero who helped solve a murder mystery. However, Paxton didn’t view himself as a hero. No matter what everyone told him, it went in one ear and out the other.
Our story had spread throughout the country. Everyone knew how Mason busted up another underground fighting ring with the help of me and Paxton. I had briefly been afraid Paxton would lose his title for being involved, but it only brought him more fame. And now my title fight against Allie was receiving so much press and buildup, it scared the shit out of me.
Unfortunately, my brother wasn’t too thrilled when he found out what we had done. Mason was the one who broke the news to him, and I was very thankful for that. Luckily, he was staying on vacation with his family. At least I didn’t have to worry about facing him just yet.
Mason put his arm around me and squeezed. “It’s not easy, but I know what the guy’s going through. The first time I killed someone, it messed me up bad. Even though the guy pulled a gun on me first and I had no choice. It was my life or his. Still, it doesn’t change the fact I did it . . . I ended someone’s life.”
“How do I help him?” I asked. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Paxton as he slaved away in his garage. For the past two days, I held in my tears but I couldn’t do it anymore.
“I don’t know if what I say is going to help, but it’ll be a start. Do you want to know what Paxton said to me yesterday?” Crossing my arms, I glanced at him and nodded as a reply. “He said he wasn’t sorry for killing Rage, that he most likely saved the lives of countless women by doing it. What he’s most worried about is what you think of him now. You watched him kill another man. You saw a side of him that he didn’t want you to see.”