CHAPTER FORTY
Midnight texts
Nixon
I stared up at my bedroom ceiling. Everything was going to go down tomorrow. Trace would finally know the truth.
That I was a murderer.
And her grandpa wasn't far behind me.
On one hand, I wanted her to know so desperately that it hurt. On the other hand? Her knowing meant her possibly hating me, meant me possibly having to push her away, which meant hurting her.
Damn, I couldn't tell which way was up or down.
My text alert went off.
Trace, my Bella: You gonna tell me what happened tonight?
Oh you know two mob bosses going at it, normal stuff.
Me: Sure, u offered me your body — I'm free if u r?
Trace, my Bella: U r an ass and that's not what I'm talking about.
Me: I'm an ass? That's not what you were saying when we were kissing. Want me to come over?
It was a bad idea, being with her, spending time with her. But what the hell? I'd been engaging in said bad ideas since I'd known she existed. What was one more night before she knew the real me was covered in blood and death?
Trace, my Bella: Bring popcorn
By the time I made it to Trace's dorm, snacks in hand, Chase was outside waiting, doing the job I'd told him to do. He took one look at me and scowled.
"You've got to be shitting me."
"Skittles?" I offered, holding up the bag full of groceries.
"At least take me with you." He scowled. "I've been doing this damn perimeter check for over an hour, and I'm starving." He swiped at the Skittles while I tugged the bag away.
"Fine." I offered him a tense smile. "Think of it as a peace offering. You come hang out with us. Keep your hands off of her, and I'll let you have candy."
"Wow, thanks Dad. You're looking out."
"Don't want you to get cavities."
"I'm a sweet bitch. It happens."
Two girls walked by just as the words left Chase's mouth. One tripped, the other damn-near swooned into the wall.
"Think you could turn down the charm?"
Chase rolled his eyes and punched the buttons to the elevator. We both walked in. "Nervous it might work on your girl?"
"Hell no."
"Lies. I bleed charm."
"Ah, is that what they say?"
"Yup, seriously. I shoot, I torture, I kill, and in the end, they still love me. What can a guy do?" He shrugged and offered a cheerful smile that made me want to smack him in the face.
"What movies you bring?" Chase asked as we walked.
"Ugh," I scratched my head. "I grabbed stuff from Tex's stash." I held out the movies.
Chase read the titles aloud. "The Godfather? Really? Scarface… Tommy Boy…" Cursing, he kept reading through them. "You took her to see cows for your first date, and what? For your second you want to make sure you never have sex again?"
I reached for the movies.
"Well, well, well." The elevator stopped as Chase held up the movie. "What have we here? Looks like Tex is a closet romantic."
"I'll believe it when I don't see people shit themselves while he tortures them with that little kit of his."
"The Notebook." Chase sighed. "This gets guys laid."
"I thought you didn't want me to get laid."
"Hence me handing her the movie, jackass."
I pushed him against the wall as the elevator doors opened.
He laughed and shrugged out of my arms.
We made our way down the hall, much too fast for the groupies hanging out their doors in anticipation that we'd stop and give them the time of day. I swiped my all-access card against the girls' room and pushed the door open.
"Do you have access cards to every room or something?" Trace put down her eReader and jumped off her bed.
"Of course." I winked.
She rolled her eyes. "I don't see popcorn?"
"About that." I scratched my head. "Chase was bored so…"
"The party is here!" Chase shouted from the doorway, loaded with the groceries I'd brought over. "Move over, Nixon. It's chick-flick time, and I've got the goods."
"Is he high?" She crossed her arms and leaned in to examine his eyes.
"No," we said in unison.
"I'm my normal awesome self. I've had two Red Bulls though, so my bad for the loudness. Damn, I was bored. You saved my life." Chase winked and set the groceries on the shared desk in the dorm.
Trace stared at him a bit too long for my comfort. I slammed the door shut in order to get her to stop staring at his ass.
"So…" Trace started unpacking the groceries. "…what movie did you guys bring?"
Chase chuckled. "Well, funny that you ask that."
"Chase," I warned, knowing damn well he'd spill.
"Nixon here was pouting about your ruined date, and I thought to myself, Wow, what would make him feel better? What would inspire him to be more romantic? I mean, cows, man? Really?"
"It was romantic," Trace defended, walking straight into my arms.
My smile may have been a bit cocky.
"Cows. Cows are romantic?" Chase shook his head. "I think not. And in my opinion, or that of my dear mother's, Nicholas Sparks is the shit. Therefore, we're going to watch… drumroll, please."
Trace and I just stared while Chase bounced his hands against the desk. "The Notebook!"
"Shoot me now." I cursed under my breath.
Trace smiled. "Hey, it's a good movie."
Chase smirked at me. "Say it, dude. Say it."
"Say what?" Trace asked.
"V-vampire?" I guessed, taking a scene from Twilight. If that combined with The Notebook didn't have her in my arms by sunrise, nothing would. I put Chase into a headlock and cursed. "Fine, you were right to choose Nicholas Sparks. Good job. Too bad you can't use any of that romance on finding your own girl."
Chase pulled away and shrugged. "I've already found my girl."
My eyes narrowed. Too far. He was always pushing too far and often, way too damn often.
Chase stalked toward Trace and put his arm around her. "You see. I have it worked out perfectly. The minute you screw up — and let's be honest, you're like a time bomb — I'm swooping in for the kill."
"Romantic." Trace picked Chase's arm off of her shoulder and stepped away.
I gave him an icy glare. "Not in this lifetime, dude."
"You never know," Chase fired back.
I was ready to throw a punch in his direction.
Chase's chest heaved.
Holy shit, were we really going to throw down in her dorm room? Next to The Notebook?
"Okay, too much testosterone!" Trace stepped between us. "Let's just watch the movie, alright?"
Chase snapped out of his funk and smiled. "Sure, let me just get the chips and dip out. Oh yeah, and popcorn. I also got some licorice and Skittles."
"Skittles?" she repeated.
"He wants you to taste the rainbow." I groaned. "It's one of his lines, and then he puts the Skittles in his mouth and kisses you. It's a very tired line that he can't seem to let go of, huh, Chase?"
"Bastard," Chase joked and went about putting our snacks together.
I lay down on the bed and held out my hand to Trace.
She cuddled next to me. Her eyes were drooping by the time Chase had all the snacks ready.
"It's okay," I whispered into her ear. "You can sleep. I know it was a rough night."
"But…" Her eyes didn't open. She did, however, yawn. "We were supposed to talk about tonight and why you have guns and… Skittles."
"Skittles?" I chuckled. "What, you trying to taste my rainbow?"
"I love rainbows." She smiled.
With a sigh, I tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, "I've always loved you."
"You too," she said back.
I froze. Did she realize what had just left her lips? I wasn't sure if she did, because then she started mumbling about Skittles again.
Chase was t
oo busy setting up the movie to notice. So I moved in and kissed her neck.
"I'm glad you're safe, Trace. Now sleep."
She fell asleep before the music even started to play.
"Good work," Chase whispered. "She'd rather sleep than make out with you."
"She wouldn't make out with me anyway. You're here."
"Awesome. You're blaming me for your inability to have any sort of game. Good call, Nixon, good call."
"Ugh." I held out my hands. "Does this mean we're stuck watching The Notebook together?"
Chase barked out a laugh. "Think so. After all, she's safer with us here, both of us, and you know it."
"Yeah." I swallowed the bitterness. "I do."
"For what it's worth…" Chase's voice wavered. "…I wouldn't do that to you."
"What?"
"Sweep in for the kill, charm her pants off, kiss her without permission… I talk a lot, you know that, and you know I like her… but I would never betray you just because a girl's hot."
"She's more than hot, Chase."
"Yeah." He popped a Skittle in his mouth. "That's the problem, isn't it?"
We both fell silent as the music in the movie started.
"You cry, and I tell Tex." I warned.
Chase flipped me off. "Whatever, I've got tear ducts of steel."
And that's how we spent the evening. Chase and I, watching a sappy love story while I held the girl of our dreams in my arms, knowing damn well that he wished he could switch positions, knowing damn well, it would be better for her if he did.
When the movie was over, I set Trace's alarm for her and ushered a sleepy Chase out the door. We had a big day ahead of us. A day where I wasn't sure Trace would ever look at me with those trusting eyes again.
We made our way through the dark parking lot.
Chase paused and looked up at the dorm. "You think she's going to be pissed?"
"Yeah." I croaked. "Wouldn't you be?"
"Depends." Chase shrugged.
"On what?"
"If I felt like I was being used… like a game piece."
"It's not like that."
Chase nodded his head. "Then make sure she knows it."