Elite (Eagle Elite) - By Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,77
breathe. I also couldn’t look away, even though I knew I should.
Grandpa grabbed Phoenix’s hands and tied is wrists together. “You look at her without asking — you lose an eye. You touch her with your dirty hands?”
A pregnant pause caused me to gasp.
Nixon held the hammer over his head. “You lose your hands. And I promise, this is just the beginning.” The hammer came down and smashed against Phoenix fingers. The sound of bones crunching almost made me puke. I did look away then. I tucked my head into Chase’s shoulder and blacked out.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Trace, look at me.”
I moaned and shook my head.
“Trace!” The voice was frantic.
My eyes fluttered open to see Nixon leaning over me. “Trace, I need to…” Nixon’s eyes were wide with panic. “I need to know if anything happened if he—” Nixon swore, biting down on his lip as his eyes pleaded with mine.
“No,” I said in a scratchy voice. “You guys came just in time.” I wanted to yell and scream that even though nothing happened, that I was so traumatized, so scared that I didn’t know what to do. My entire body felt numb. I was torn between wanting Nixon to kiss me and tell me everything was okay, and wanting to cry myself into a pitiful coma in order to erase what just happened.
I tried to calm my shaking body. But it had been close, so close to being something irrevocable.
I gave another involuntary shudder as Nixon said something in Sicilian to Chase who apparently was still holding me.
Grandpa stood over us. Nixon stood, spoke to Grandpa again in Sicilian. Grandpa nodded once in agreement.
“Trace, baby girl, I—” Grandpa’s eyes welled with tears as he knelt down. “I should have done better. I don’t know what I would have done if Nixon and Chase—” He swallowed. “I can’t lose you. Do you understand? I can’t, Trace. You’re my life.”
I gave him a shaky smile. “I’m not going anywhere, Grandpa.”
He sighed in relief and stood. “Nixon, would you please stay with her?”
Nixon looked as shocked as I felt. What happened to wanting to kill him? He nodded once. Grandpa looked over to Phoenix who had passed out from the pain. “I’ll have everything ready for your arrival… sir.”
It was the first time I heard my grandpa address anyone younger than him as sir and actually put the respect behind the name. The shock must have hit Nixon too, his eyebrows rose just briefly before he gave Grandpa a curt nod and a handshake.
“I’ll protect this family until I breathe my last breath, to that I swear.”
“I know that now.” Grandpa’s nostrils flared. “Tracey, I love you, sweet girl. Please listen to Nixon in my absence, I’ll be only a phone call away, but as you can imagine, I have something to take care of.” His gaze flickered back to Phoenix. Two men were lifting his body into their arms.
“When you’re ready.” Grandpa slapped Nixon on the back and walked off.
“Ready?” I asked, voice still hoarse from exertion. I wasn’t even that curious. It was just that I needed something else to focus on. If not, I was pretty sure I was going to lose it.
Nixon swallowed. “Ready to rub him out.”
My eyebrows furrowed in exhaustion as Nixon chuckled darkly and leaned down to the ground, his knees popping in the process. “Kill him, when I’m ready to end his life, Trace.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I mean, I knew he was bad. I knew he would have raped me and possibly killed me, but did that make killing okay? A life for a life?
I struggled to my feet and nearly toppled over. Nixon caught me and motioned to Chase.
Chase paused for a second.
Nixon’s brow furrowed. “Chase, you can go.”
“But…” Chase licked his lips, his hand reaching for my back.
I sighed and stepped back into Chase’s arms. It was Nixon’s turn to look confused and a little pissed off.
“Thank you, Chase.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes. “I love you.” Yes, Nixon had helped save me. But Chase, he had literally saved my life with his perceptive question. Tears burned at the back of my throat as Chase’s blue eyes warmed.
“Love you too, Farm Girl.” He pulled away and held my chin in his hand. “You call me if you need me, okay?”
I nodded as he stepped back and walked out of the room.