Elite (Eagle Elite) - By Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,59
out.
I closed my eyes for a few minutes in order to conjure up Nixon’s smile, his face. When I opened them, Grandpa seemed to be immersed in his driving.
I snuck out my phone and sent Nixon a quick text.
I’M KIND OF FREAKED.
He didn’t respond right away, but when he did, I pretended not to hear the vibration. Grandpa was clueless. I pulled out the phone and looked at the screen.
U R SAFE AND U HAVE NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF.
I smiled and texted back.
WHY? U FOLLOWING ME?
My phone went off again.
GOTTA RUN!
I glanced in the rear view mirror just in case I was right. But I didn’t see Nixon’s SUV. Clearly I was reading too much into things.
Grandpa took the next exit. We were on the outskirts of town in some sort of subdivision I’d never been to before.
“Where are we?” I asked as we passed some large houses and land. I could still see Lake Michigan, so I knew we couldn’t be that far out of Chicago.
“Lake Forest,” he answered.
Something about Lake Forest seemed familiar. I just didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was just because I’d seen lots of signs for it? Wait, hadn’t Nixon taken me out in this direction for our date? Granted, we hadn’t gone this far. Or had we? Gosh, it felt like it took forever to get back, but I could have sworn it was only a twenty minute drive. Or was it?
I wracked my brain. “This kind of looks like where Nixon took me for our date.”
“Date,” Grandpa repeated. “With what, pastures?”
I looked around at some of the pretty farmland. “Yeah, kind of.”
Grandpa didn’t say anything for a while as we headed down a paved road into what looked like private property. “He was probably trying to get you to remember. I should shoot him for doing that to you.”
“He’d probably pull his gun on you too, Grandpa.” Whoops, that slipped.
Grandpa slammed on the brakes. “You saw his gun?”
“Kind of hard not to with people chasing us.” I shrugged.
Grandpa cursed in the same language Nixon often cursed in, and I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. This was too strange. Like something out of a movie. Clearly I was losing my mind.
“What’s so funny?” Grandpa smiled.
“You sound like Nixon. What language is that anyways?”
Grandpa was silent again as we drove to the gate of the property. Across the railing it said. “Alfero.”
“That’s on Grandma’s necklace.” I pointed at the sign as the gates opened, revealing a gorgeous expanse of grass and water fountains with trees lining the driveway. As we neared the end of the driveway, a three-story house came into view. It was a freaking mansion. My mouth dropped open as Grandpa pulled the car to a stop.
With a sigh he pulled the key from the ignition and looked at me, sadness dancing across his face. “Welcome home, Trace.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“Home?” I repeated in a small voice.
Suddenly a man with an ear-piece pulled open my door. “Miss Alfero, an honor. Just this way.”
I gawked at the man and looked back at my grandpa. He was getting out of the car and walking toward us.
The guy with the earpiece gave a curt nod to Grandpa. “Mr. Alfero, welcome home, sir.”
Grandpa gave the man a swift nod in return and put his hand on my lower back as he led me up the stairs to the giant entryway of the house.
Nothing anyone said could have prepared me for what was behind those doors. Nothing. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be happy or sad or pissed or shattered… I could only stare as Nixon stood in the entryway in my supposed house, with at least fifteen armed men. Chase and Anthony by his side.
“Ready?” Nixon asked, not once looking in my direction but over my shoulder to Grandpa.
Grandpa answered a gruff yes and continued pushing me through the giant hall.
Heartbroken and so totally betrayed, I didn’t know what to do. All I knew is the one person I wanted to trust had lied to me, big time.
My legs almost gave out on me before I could sit on the couch. Nixon sat directly across from me. All of his armed men behind him, and then I turned around and noticed that we had twice as many men behind us in that large entryway.
Everyone had guns.
And every single gun from Nixon’s group was trained on Grandpa. Every single gun from Grandpa’s group was trained on Nixon.