Enforce(16)
Her face turned bright red. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chase tense. Yeah, it was about to get so much worse.
“Oh, they must, huh?” I folded my arms across my chest. “Trust me, Farm Girl. I don’t care how much makeup you put on or how expensive your clothes may be. I don’t even give a rat’s ass that half the student body likes you right now. You are charity. I wouldn’t even screw you if you paid me. So, the answer is no. And next time you feel like showing up to one of my school’s parties, at least have the decency to wear some new shoes.”
Instead of sobbing, she lunged for me, but Tex was there in an instant, protecting me, not her. Though he’d probably think he was the hero, Tex knew exactly what I was doing. I could see it in his eyes. He was a coldhearted bastard, and he knew it needed to be done. Push her away so she doesn’t distract me. Push her away so they taunt her. Push her away so she learns her lesson. And never comes back. She shook so hard in his arms that I thought she was going to pass out.
Mo flipped me off. I gave her a cool nod as if to say, “Take care of it.”
Soon Chase joined Tex.
Trace was yelling for them to get away from her but neither of them budged. Even when students started throwing food at her — their way of welcoming her into the group, their way of saying, if they had to choose, it would always be me. Never her.
The minute it was impossible to shoot Trace without hitting both Chase and Tex, the students stopped and looked back at me.
They were waiting for their king to command.
I smirked and offered a shrug. “What? Isn’t this a party? Where’s the music?”
People laughed, and the music started again.
“So…” Phoenix said, falling into step beside me as I fought the urge to run after the girl I liked. “…that was… a bit out of character.”
“It was necessary.”
“Because?” Phoenix’s eyebrows shot up. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like angry foreplay as much as the next guy, but why the hell did you just push her away when it looked like it was harder than hitting one of the men with a hammer?”
I swallowed and popped my knuckles — damn nervous habit. “She was getting too close. We don’t want her snooping around. If people see that a girl can make me soft, where does that leave us with the investigation?”
Phoenix cursed under his breath.
“Besides, she needs us, and the only way for her to realize how much is to see how ugly things can really get.”
“You’re testing her?”
“She’s either for us or against us. Either way, she needs to know that even if we do offer her protection from the rest of the spoiled rich kids who go here, it isn’t because we like her or because she’s part of us. She will never be part of what we are. The message needs to be clear. We’ll protect her when she finally comes crawling back, but everything comes at a cost.”
“Nixon…” Phoenix patted me on the back. “…do you think that maybe you’re over reacting? Damn, she’s just a girl.” His face shadowed briefly before he looked down. “She’s beautiful, she’s—”
“You touch her, I kill you,” I spat. “And you’re right, she’s just a girl, so find another one who can satisfy a man of your appetite.”
It was a low blow. I’d never used his past against him, never discussed it, never made him feel as small as I knew he felt.
The shame that crossed his features was something I’d never seen on another human being. The horror, the sadness. And suddenly it was like I wasn’t even staring at my best friend anymore but a complete stranger.
He nodded and stepped back, his jaw clenched. “Got it, boss.”
He rarely called me boss. I was more friend than boss, more family than anything. After all, I’d promised him he’d be third in line, next to Chase.
Tex couldn’t be, well, because he was Tex, and his history didn’t allow it, but the De Langes? They needed it. Phoenix needed it.
“Phoenix—”
“See ya.” He turned on his heel and walked off, shoulders hunched.
As I watched him make his way through the doors, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d done something that I could never undo, and that the one action I’d just taken would seal our fate forever.
CHAPTER TEN
A dance and boots
Chase
HE SENT ME AWAY like a damn toddler.
What’s worse? I listened to him. As if I had something to be ashamed of, as if I hadn’t just been waiting for the chance to offer her a dance. What the hell kind of card was he playing?
With a sigh, I walked to the edge of the dance floor and watched while Nixon took her hand and smiled.