Page 28 of Nixon’s Promise

It was Sunday, cleaning day for McKenna. Zack had told him that his sister didn’t leave the house on Sundays—instead she spent the day scrubbing the house from top to bottom. Mandy was a crapshoot, maybe there, maybe not. He did know Zack was there because he had chores to do before he came over to Nix’s later to help him repair the door on the metal shed.

Nix may not have seen McKenna over the last few weeks but he had seen Zack. He rode the dirt bike over to the farm almost every afternoon. Sometimes he helped Nix and sometimes he’d come over just to shoot the shit. He’d told Nix all about Mandy’s seventeenth birthday fiasco and how hurt McKenna had been when Mandy refused to blow out the candles or eat any of the birthday cake McKenna had made.

Nixon hated that she was struggling with her sister. Zack seemed to be settling in. He had a girl he wanted to ask out and spent some time asking Nix some very personal questions about girls and sex. He’d answered the fifteen-year-old the best he could. Trying his best to press upon him to always respect the girl he was with.

Which of course led Nix to think about McKenna and how he’d fucked her on his kitchen counter without thought if she wanted him to wear protection. Nothing like not practicing what you preach.

Nixon pulled into McKenna’s drive to find both her and Zack outside in the yard. Zack looked furious and McKenna was bent at the waist, looking at the gravel, and both hands on her thighs. Her head came up when she heard his truck and her eyes widened. She said something to her brother but he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Nix immediately asked.

“Mandy got pissed, threw a bitch fit, and tore outta here in McKenna’s car.”

“What were you fighting about?” He looked at McKenna. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks flushed.

Shit.

Zack waited a beat, and when it was clear McKenna couldn’t or wouldn’t answer Nixon, he spoke.

“I started it. Friday at school I found out that Mandy had a boyfriend. I heard some of her friends talking about it. They said it was cool she was seeing someone who could buy them beer. Then one of Mandy’s friends said she thought it was gross because the guy was like thirty.”

“Thirty?” Nix growled and McKenna’s gaze shot to his. “Did they say a name?” he asked Zack.

“No. Then they noticed me and shut up. I was going to wait and see if the rumor was true but then Mandy was being even more secretive than normal and was late on her curfew last night. So I asked her about it. She told me to mind my own fuckin’ business. She’s my sister, so she is my business. McKenna came upstairs to find out what we were yelling about, and I told her. Mandy called me a snitch then screamed at McKenna that it wasn’t her business either. Then Mandy threw a total bitch fit and threw it in McKenna’s face that she wasn’t our mother, and she hated her. When I tried to step in and shut her up, she shoved past me and ran downstairs, got in McKenna’s car and left. That was right before you pulled in.”

The kid had barely taken a breath the entire time he told his story.

“Any idea where she’d go?” Nix inquired.

“No.”

“You?” He turned to McKenna.

“No,” she whispered, looking shell-shocked.

Nix moved to her, took her face in his palms and held her gaze. “Babe, you need to pull it together and think about all the places she might go. Then you need to get into your truck, I’m gonna get into mine, and we’re gonna go look for her. You think you can do that safely?”

“Yeah, Nixon.”

“Good. I’m gonna take Zack with me. You call him if you find her. You also need to call Becky so she and Rob can get in on the search.”

“I can’t bother them, they have two small kids,” McKenna protested.

“Haven’t seen them in over a decade. But I don’t suppose either of them has changed all that much. Becky has the biggest heart of anyone I know. It will not be a hardship for her to put her kids in the car and drive around.” Nixon paused, wondering how well she knew Rob and what he should tell her about him. “And knowing Rob, he’d be pissed you didn’t call on him to help.”

Back in the day, Rob had knocked the hell out of ole Dick Dillinger, too. He hadn’t taken kindly to hearing about what Dick had done. Rob had two younger sisters, both of them beautiful. He also had a protective streak a mile wide, and between football, basketball, baseball, and his martial arts training, he had the muscle to back that up. So, Rob had caught Dick a few times and had expressed his displeasure on hearing about Dick’s hearing problem.

“You’re right. They’d both be upset if I didn’t share.”

“Call your girl, then get in your truck. We’ll find her,” Nix gently urged.

McKenna nodded, and without thinking, Nix leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. It wasn’t a full kiss, however his intentions were clear. Not wanting to have a discussion about the state of their relationship, and needing to go find Mandy, he turned, finding Zack watching them. He wasn’t sure what the boy’s reaction would be, and at fifteen the kid didn’t have much say, though he’d hear him out if he had an issue with Nix pursuing his sister.

He swung into his truck and waited for Zack. As soon as he was in, Nix took off.

“Are you with McKenna?” Zack wasted no time.

“Yes.”