Rachel Dyken - Elect

Blood trickled down Chase’s chin. His eyes had started to swell shut, and he glanced behind him and saw that the girls were free then looked up to me in confusion.

I made a move to help him to his feet just as Tony cocked the gun.

“I’m not sorry.” Tony tilted his head and aimed in between Chase’s eyes. “Say hello to Nixon when you see him.”

“Or you can just say hello now,” a voice said from the doorway.

I heard girlish whimpers from behind me as Nixon made his way into the room, gun pointed directly at Tony’s head. He was followed by Luca, who was clapping.

“Beautiful performance,” Luca said. “Do you think we got everything we needed, Nixon? Or should we make him suffer.”

“Do I get a vote?” I asked from the ground, still pissed.

Nixon looked around at me and rolled his eyes. At least he looked like he was still in good humor.

Tony jumped over my body and in front of the girls on the couch.

Shit.

“How are you alive, Nixon?” Tony trained his gun on Trace. “Hmm? How is that possible?”

Nixon shrugged. “I’m like a cat. I have nine lives. Besides, God said he doesn’t want me.”

Tony chuckled. “So, what happens now? You kill me?”

Luca nodded. “The idea has some appeal.”

“How do you suppose you will be able to do such a thing?” Tony asked. “I have all your precious women at my fingertips. One pull from this trigger and Tracey dies, or how about Mil? Phoenix, you’ve always hated your sister. Why don’t you help me? The way I see it is it’s only three against two.”

“Right.” Phoenix moved to Tony’s side, the bastard.

Luca nodded and rubbed his chin. “I believe, Nixon, that I’ve had enough.” He pointed his gun in Tony’s direction and fired at the same time Tony fired at Luca.

Luca fell to the ground, still shooting. Tony cringed and held his arm.

I made a move to grab the girls and pull them to the ground with me just as a bullet grazed my shoulder.

With a wheeze I fell. Well, that sucked. At least it felt like it went straight through. Guns were firing everywhere until finally everything was silent.

I looked up to see that Tony was leaning against the wall holding his arm. Phoenix was next to him, bending over. Nixon and Luca walked across the room, both of them uninjured.

“You will have my blood on your hands, Nixon,” Tony spat. “You will both be blamed for bringing down an entire family!”

Nixon shook his head. “You can’t blame a ghost, right, Luca?”

“Correct.” He nodded to Nixon who lifted his gun toward Tony.

A shot rang out, but it wasn’t from Nixon’s gun.

Panicking I looked up to see Tony on the ground and Phoenix with his gun still aimed, shaking.

“I’m sorry,” Phoenix said. “After everything, Nixon. I can’t… I can’t let you have his blood on your hands. It’s me. I deserve it.”

“Phoenix—” Nixon moved to catch him, but Phoenix fell to the ground, blood spewing from a wound in his stomach. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You were supposed to let me shoot him. Damn it, Phoenix! Why didn’t you listen!”

Phoenix coughed up some blood and smiled. “It was supposed to happen exactly like this. Maybe in my death…” He coughed again. “Maybe God will forgive me. Maybe…” He heaved. “Now all of you are clean. Every last one of you. And I can die—in peace.”

Nixon’s eyes welled with tears. “At least it’s not the bottom of Lake Michigan, right, man?” He reached for Phoenix’s hand and squeezed it.

Phoenix let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, at least it’s not Lake Michigan. Nixon, say the prayer, say it…”

Nixon knelt over Phoenix and made a cross, then in Sicilian said, “Our code of honor has been met. God, take his soul, forgive the sins committed against you, against humanity—receive Phoenix—then and only then, may he die in peace. Amen.”

Phoenix’s eyes fluttered closed as he took his last breath.

I’d seen death my entire life.

But it wasn’t until now that I felt myself holding back tears.

I had to look away.

Feeling like I was going to be sick, I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes.

“It is done,” Luca said in a sad voice. “Bless the father, the son, and holy spirit.”

“Amen,” everyone said in unison.

Trace’s eyes met mine and in that instant I had to become indifferent. I had to focus on my task—otherwise it wasn’t going to end well. Hell, I hadn’t meant for all of it to happen this way. I wasn’t supposed to show up, but I couldn’t help it; not after hearing what the bastard had done to my family, to Trace’s family. I wanted vengeance. So I took a leap of faith.

I put my gun on the table and leaned against it as a few men walked by and readied Phoenix’s body for funeral arrangements and Tony’s for burial. He would get no funeral, no honors—nothing. But Phoenix? As long as Trace was all right with it, I wanted his funeral to honor him. What he’d done for us was… beyond what I had asked of him. In those last few days I’d had one of my best friends’ back. Possibly one of my only remaining friends considering I was ready to shoot Chase where he stood.

He couldn’t leave it alone—he couldn’t leave her alone. Did he really think I wouldn’t be watching him? Watching her?

Their stolen kisses destroyed me.

And the fact that he’d made her choose?

Their room was bugged. I’d at least thought Chase would be intelligent enough to know that. Or maybe he’d wanted me to hear.

Maybe he wanted my heart to rip into two.

“Nixon?” The warmth of Trace’s hand scalded my back. I jerked and turned around.

“Yeah?”

“Y-you’re alive.” Tears streamed down her face as she stepped into my arms. It was the one thing I’d been looking forward to. Going back to normal. But I didn’t know how. Didn’t know how to fix it.

I gently pushed her away. “Why don’t you go see to Chase? We don’t want him passing out from his wound.”

“But—”

“Go,” I urged. “I have some stuff to take care of.”

Hands shaking, I wiped off both Phoenix’s and Tony’s guns and put them in a plastic bag, handing them over to Sergio. He’d arrived shortly after to help clean up.

Another one of his specialties. Making things go away.

“Anything else?” he asked examining the room. “You’re going to need a crew to come in.”

“Yeah.” I couldn’t get my anger and hurt under control. “Could you just take care of it Sergio? I need to—”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted me. “Go.”

I nodded and stalked out of the room. The last thing I heard before the door slammed was my name on Trace’s lips.

I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. So I just drove. I drove by the place Trace and I had had our first date. Drove by the school and ended up stopping at the curb and turning off the car.

I hit the steering wheel over and over again until my fingers bled.

How the hell did things get so complicated? I’d thought I could handle it. I lied to myself. I’d forced myself to believe that I could exist in a world where Tracey and Chase were together. But I couldn’t.

It would slowly kill me inside, until I wished for death.

With a curse, I put the car in drive and made my way back to my house. Time to face the music. And tell everyone good-bye.

I opened the door to my house and walked in.

The girls were sitting at the table as if they were waiting for me. Tex’s eyes widened when he saw me. Quickly he pushed from the table and embraced me.