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CHAPTER TWO

  And the bad luck just keeps coming…

  Nixon

  By the time we reached the guys on the opposite end of the lawn, I'd almost gotten my shaking under control. I looked like a damn drug addict in need of another hit.

  "Hey, you cool, man?" Phoenix's eyes scanned me from head to toe, then narrowed as I stuffed my hands in my pockets and gave him a shrug.

  "Course."

  "New Girl's hot," Chase said, saving my ass. "And we all know Nixon's been as celibate as a priest these past few years so, yeah, he's probably having sexual withdrawals."

  "Ass." I smacked him in the head, relief coursing through my body. "I don't have sexual withdrawals."

  "She's innocent enough to draw your attention." Chase winked. "You always liked the pure ones. Hurry and get your dick under control before you embarrass yourself, man."

  I glared.

  "Pure." Phoenix snorted. "Not for long, especially at this school. She's going to get eaten alive."

  "Right," I agreed then looked back toward the dorm.

  Why the hell hadn't Mo answered any of my texts? "Tex?" My phone was blank, no new messages, "Heard from Mo?"

  He pulled out his phone and shook his head. "Nope, why?"

  "Family stuff," I lied. "Look, I'm going to go see if she's in her room. Meet me back at the cave in a few, kay?"

  "Sure."

  Tex and Chase were already walking away from me, but Phoenix stood his ground, his piercing gaze making me want to punch him. What was his angle? We were already on shaky ground now that he knew we weren't just investigating every family — but that our focus was on his.

  He said if it came to a fight, he'd pick our side.

  The problem?

  The minute he went against blood he was a dead man anyway.

  I didn't envy his position. Being a part of a family that wouldn't protect him worth shit — but would kill him if he chose to do the right thing. His father was a piece of work. And was still refusing to meet with me.

  "Are you sure everything's okay?" Phoenix asked, his tone light but his eyes still dark, like he'd lost all hope.

  "Yup." I gave a firm nod. "I'll see you later, alright?"

  "Yeah, yeah." He waved me off and went after the guys.

  Once they were out of sight, I ran back toward the girls' dorms and took the elevator to Mo's floor. What room was she in again?

  I sent Tex a quick message.

  "United States, bro. Seriously? How'd you forget that?"

  Cursing, I forced my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and walked to the end of the hall where Mo's room was. No wonder I'd thought to put Trace in that room — it was my twin's. Damn me to hell.

  I knocked twice. Then pounded the door and yelled her name.

  A few doors down the hall opened.

  And then the giggling and whispering commenced.

  There was a reason I hadn't hooked up with any of the girls at Elite. They were ridiculous, and I didn't have time for ridiculous.

  Rolling my eyes, I tried the handle. It was unlocked. I let myself in and closed the door behind me. I'd wait for her. It's not like she would be hours. Classes hadn't started, and she wasn't allowed off campus unless she asked my permission, and it wasn't mealtime.

  I went over to her bed and sat, enjoying the quiet around me. How long would it be like this, I wondered? How long would I be stuck in a world I didn't fit into? Eagle Elite wasn't my home; it wasn't what I wanted with my life. What I wanted was to run the business away from the watchful eyes of Elite. What I got was the life of a lie, the reputation of a sinner, and the inability to escape.

  Girls started laughing from the hall. I heard a few shouts, and then someone tried the door.

  It was a trick door, one had to both turn and push at the same time. If the girl on the opposite end didn't know that — then that meant she must be the new roommate.

  Great, another girl I could scare shitless.

  I waited.

  The door didn't budge.

  I heard huffing on the other end, and then the door went flying open. The girl fell to the ground in a heap directly in front of my feet.

  I fought the urge to say "I kind of like you this way." Especially when those brown eyes slowly grazed up my body and scowled in my face. Hell yeah, it had been too long since I'd been with a girl…

  Because for some strange, terrifying reason, I wanted to slam the door behind her and push her against it.

  Dip my fingers in her hair, tip my tongue into her mouth, dip my—

  A few girls congregated at the door.

  I offered my hand to help her up then remembered that I wasn't being the hero or the gentleman. Before our fingers brushed, I put on a leather glove and smirked. "Germs. You understand."

  Scowling, she slapped my hand away and got to her feet on her own. Impressive. She was brave. Too bad I was going to break her — shatter that courage until there was nothing left.

  A few girls started to giggle.

  Cursing, I shouted, "Leave us!"

  Doors slammed down the hall, blanketing us once again in silence. Damn it. When I'd asked orientation to put Trace on her floor, I hadn't meant in her room, in my sister's room.

  Shit. They were going to pay for that.

  Trace's lower lip trembled as her eyes closed. She shook as multiple doors slammed down the hall, and with each tremble of her body — I wanted. With each twitch of her lips — I was tempted.

  Finally, the slamming stopped. I walked behind Trace and closed the door. She didn't budge.

  I couldn't take it any longer. I had to be closer. My sanity was at stake. I swallowed and walked up behind her, my lips grazing the velvety softness of her ear. "You don't like rules, do you, New Girl?"

  She shivered in response to my voice.

  I almost touched her then.

  Almost threw the entire act way.

  Almost threw it all away.

  But it would have been selfish of me to satisfy my own damn curiosity and needs, when she had no idea what was at stake, what she was risking by being at Elite.

  I walked around her and smiled. "There is one final rule."

  "What?" She tilted her chin into the air, earning my approval for faking confidence like a champ.

  Licking my lips, I gave her a predatory glare and stalked toward New Girl. I pushed her body up against the door — exactly how I wanted her — trapped against the door, in my arms.

  "You earn the right to use what we have." Actually that was only partially true, but I wanted her to be too terrified to question me. "The elevators are locked. The Elect have copies of the keycard. The pools, the weight rooms — everything you have access to, even your food, has a keycard."

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the extras that I'd made for Chase earlier that week. It wasn't the typical card we gave to new students, but it would do the job. Chances were, since Mo had put her under her own protection, it would just be a matter of time before she weaseled her way into our lunch hour. May as well invite her first — plus. I could watch her.

  Not that I wanted to be creepy and stalk her.

  It was from a business standpoint — nothing else. She needed to stay silent; she needed to appear to be our plaything.

  And no chance in hell was I putting her with the rest of the student body.

  "Say thank you." I was a jackass.

  "For what?" Her eyes pooled with tears.

  "Allowing you to eat, of course," I said in a smooth voice. Hating that her tears were making me want to hold her close — but mostly, hating that her tears reminded me of the girl who still haunted my dreams.

  "What?"

  "I'm not finished talking." I was pissed she wasn't afraid, that she reminded me of a past I couldn't forget — and a future I couldn't escape. "This key card gains you access into the elevator only once a week. It also gains you access into the cafeteria, twice a day. Not three times. We don't want you gaining weight." Another lie. I was going to
freaking add protein powder to her food if she got too skinny, but I needed her insecure, so insecure that she'd rely on us for everything, so insecure that she wanted to leave Eagle Elite at break. "Use it wisely, and if you impress me with your ability to follow directions, I may just up your freedom. Until then…" I shrugged and cleared my throat. "…move aside."

  She didn't budge.

  I repeated myself — I never repeated myself.

  Slamming my hand on the door beside her head, I leaned in, my lips almost brushing hers. Blood roared in my ears as my body scolded me for not taking what was right in front of me. It would be. So. Damn. Easy.

  Too bad I wanted hard.

  It was my life motto. If it wasn't hard — it wasn't worth having.

  Unexpectedly, while I was in my daydream, her little hands pushed against my chest.

  They were warm.

  If I got shot that night, I'd still remember that one thing. Her hands were warm.

  I liked it.

  Too much.

  And I hated being touched.

  She pissed me off.

  "Did you just touch me?"

  "You threatened me!"

  "I threaten everyone." I tried not to crack a smile at her huffy attitude.

  "Then you're a bully."

  I hadn't been called a bully since sixth grade. I opened my mouth to say something rude then snapped it shut. "So you wanted to touch me?"

  Her face erupted in flames. Interesting.

  "No." Her teeth clenched. "I want you to leave me the hell alone!"

  "Say please." God, I could just devour her.

  "Please?" she begged. What I wouldn't do to hear her say my name, to beg me over and over again.

  She wasn't for me, I reminded myself. This wasn't a game. I blocked out the emotions, the warm feeling surging through my blood. "Hell. No." My lips did touch hers then, briefly, enough for me to memorize the texture of her mouth — enough for me to torture myself for the next five years of my life, if I lived that long.

  I reached for the door and jerked it open.

  Mo stood there, a cheerful look on her face, and then she looked behind me, and I could have sworn she was ready to reach for a gun.

  I slammed the door again.

  "I thought you were leaving." Smart-ass New Girl said.

  "Change of plans," I muttered then went over to the window. Good, the games were still set up. Elite was all about extreme sports. Kids had been jumping out of their windows all day instead of taking the elevators. I'd never actually participated in welcome day or the games, but it was clearly a day of firsts.

  "What are you going to do?" she shrieked. "Shimmy down the drain pipe?"

  "Nixon! Open the damn door!" my sister shouted.

  With a laugh, I stepped out onto the ledge.

  New Girl shrieked.

  It was cute that she was concerned, and here I'd thought she was going to push me.

  She grabbed my shirt. "Are you insane?"

  Yes. Very much so.

  "Hands off," I yelled and then jumped into the air. I freefell for a total of three seconds before I hit the blown-up tarp.

  "Nixon!" I heard her scream.

  Which was probably why, when I landed, my grin was huge. She cared. I was a total ass to her, and she cared.

  That stupid warm feeling tried to spread through my body again. Without thinking, I blew her a kiss and jogged off.

  Nearly running directly into Phoenix.

  "Good show," he said in a hollow voice. "Did you take New Girl's virginity too, or was that not on the menu this afternoon?"

  My hand clenched into a fist. He was baiting me.

  "She bores me," I said in an even voice. "I was looking for Mo, and I had a keycard to give out."

  Phoenix's eyebrows shot up. "And where did you put her? Red Cafeteria? The commons?" He shuddered.

  "With us," I said evenly.

  "So…" He fell into step beside me. "…you're bringing us a toy — how… nice."

  "Don't play with her."

  "Oh, I won't." He grinned. "I'd hate to take away your favorite bone. Besides, I don't do seconds."

  With that, he walked off.