CHAPTER ONE
The beginning of the very end
Nixon
I WATCHED AS THE parade of cars made their way through the black iron gates, as if somehow that barrier would protect them if the country went to war. Funny, they had no clue that the war — Lucifer himself — was already parading around inside, safe from the police, the feds, anyone who would be a threat.
Safe from everyone but me.
My eyes flickered to Phoenix on my right. He grinned as a new girl walked up to him and gave him a flirty wave.
I elbowed him hard in the ribs.
His grin turned sour as he glared at the girl and flipped her off.
Remember your place.
I’d said it once, twice, a million times to the guys, and they were still struggling with the idea that they weren’t here to go to school, they weren’t here to make friends. We weren’t at peace. We were in a freaking war zone.
And Phoenix’s family was our only key to redemption.
“That seems to be the last of them.” Chase’s cool gaze surveyed the main road that led into campus. It was easier on security to have one road in and one road out. Too bad life wasn’t that convenient.
If someone didn’t belong, it would take us minutes — scratch that — seconds to eliminate them, their family, all the while making it look like a very unfortunate accident.
“Wait.” Tex squinted toward the iron gates. “I think there’s one more car.”
“The hell there is,” I muttered. “I counted the cars. I’ve looked at the lists. We aren’t missing anyone.”
Chase yanked the list out of my hand and started reading through the names of all the freshman enrollees. His grin made me about lose my shit as he lifted his head and handed back the paper.
“I hear Wyoming’s beautiful this time of year.”
“What?” I jerked the list away and started greedily reading through the names.
One stood out.
Tracey Rooks, Female, 18, Casper, Wyoming.
“Great.” I dropped the list onto the ground and smirked. “A girl who probably smells like cow shit. What’s her background?”
Nobody answered.
I said it louder, this time grinding my teeth together.
Tex was the first to answer. “We couldn’t really find any.”
“Couldn’t. Really. Find. Any,” I repeated. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Look…” Tex shook his head. “…we have Sergio on it, but the girl doesn’t really have a lot of information about her. Parents dead, Grandma dead, Grandpa her only living relative, and somehow her social as well as her birth certificate were both lost.”
“Lost.” I licked my lips. I told my head not to go there, told my heart to stay in my damn chest and stop hoping as images flooded my mind. Dark hair, dark eyes… “Nixon, I’ll save you.”
“Dude, you okay?” Chase elbowed me.
“Let’s go welcome her to Eagle Elite.”
Nobody moved.
“I said…” I started marching toward the girls’ dorms. “…let’s go welcome her.”
“Why do I have a feeling this is a really bad idea?” Tex muttered under his breath.
“For once, Tex, keep your mouth shut and stay in the background, paste a shit-eating grin on your face, and let me and Chase deal with this. Do you think you can do that? Hmm?”
“Take a Xanax,” Phoenix grumbled.
I sent a seething glare in his direction.
He mumbled a curse and walked off with Tex to wait by the tree while we continued the next few feet to the girls’ dorms.
The car was a rental.
The grandpa was ancient.
The girl was… young.
And she had shit as belongings. Her suitcase was covered with stickers. Her grandpa handed her a small box, and I could have sworn I saw a tear escape her eye and roll down her smooth cheek.
“Hell no,” I grumbled. “She’ll be destroyed here.”
“Won’t last five minutes,” Chase agreed.
“Tears.” I wiped my face with my hands. “Tell me I’m not seeing tears.”
“Girls don’t cry here.”
“They don’t,” I agreed.
“She isn’t like them.”
“No.”
“We need Mo.”
I laughed at that. “We need a miracle.” With a curse, I quickly dialed the number for orientation and made arrangements for said New Girl to be moved to the third floor. Mo, my twin sister, was supposed to be on that same floor. I figured she needed all the help she could get. No way would little Wyoming survive the year with anyone else, not that I was happy about it. I mean, in hindsight that was probably my first mistake.
I’d officially invited her into my life — by way of my sister.