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I can see some neighbors down the street staring at our altercation, but this is the West Side. No one gets involved unless they have to. Nix’s eyes narrow on me, the surprise replacing with annoyance at my persistent questioning.
He extends his arms out wide, egging me to go on. “Defy me, Rush. I dare you. Just know if you don’t leave here with me, then don’t show your face ever again. That’s your call but think about why you need this. Why you,” he enunciates each word, “need me.” His smug look kicks up my anger a notch because he knows he has me, because flashes of my family flicker through my mind. Nix grabs tightly onto my wrists, yanking them from his shirt before stepping up into my face. The fact that he would dig so low to bring my family into this has me disgusted by him. He’s aware of why I need this job and has never rubbed that in my face until now.
My fingers itch to hit him, to put him in his place for acting like an entitled prick. For using my need to protect my family against me just to keep me in line. IknowNix is an asshole. It’s part of his so-called charm and why I like working for him. He’s a no-nonsense, straight shooter. Underneath that layer, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, he cares. He’s got a soft side that he doesn’t let a lot of people see because he views it as a weakness. His father forced him to hide any emotion besides jackassery, so he doesn’t like to let people in for fear they might get to know the real him.
However, throwing the reasons as to why I need this job at me is a slap to the face and blatant disrespect. “First off, don’t ever threaten my family again. Second, I am doing my job—the one you specifically assigned to me. My only job right now is to protect her. I can’t do that if we leave her here and if I don’t know what’s going on. So, either tell me, or I’ll go in there and ask her myself.”
He looks at me one more time, like he’s trying to get a hold of his emotions, before shaking his head. The tension in his shoulders is palpable, and he’s still high-strung. Whatever he’s dealt with in the last hour has caused him a great deal of stress. “Look, she’s staying with her family, okay? Her parents need time to digest what we just told them. They weren’t happy, things didn’t go well, and I need to leave.” He holds my eyes, and I can see a slight flicker of pain before he blinks it away.
“Tara’s staying alone without security?” Disbelief echoes through my tone. There’s no way he’s going to get me to leave her here. Not by herself. The Draaks have specifically threatened to hurt her because of his association with the Snakes. Why would he even consider abandoning her?
“Why are you pushing so hard?” Suspicion clouds the air. I should tell him why else I’m worried about leaving her. I should spill about that douchebag Zayan, but I can’t break her trust like that.
“We can’t leave her here alone,” I plead, hearing a slight crack in my voice. I try to cover it with a brief grunt, but Nix already latched onto it. The question is on the tip of his tongue, but thankfully he let it go.
“I’ve already called backup to come watch over her and the house, but I need you to come with me.” He turns his back as he reaches for the door handle, almost like he’s dismissing me.
“Who? When will they be here?” I question. Nix pauses for a second before getting in the car. He’s definitely over this conversation, but I’m not because I still don’t have the whole story.
“Snakes. They’re on the way now. Viper is sending men this way.” I pause. I’m taken off guard that he’d call them to stand watch when I could do it myself. I mean, it makes sense for them to be at his beck and call because he helps them and they help him. But why wouldn’t he want me to stay instead? Watching Tara is my assignment, and she trusts me. Shit, I’d sleep outside on the steps just to make sure she’s safe.
“Shouldn’t we wait for them to get here?” I don’t like the thought of there being no security on her for even a second. Although right as the words leave my lips, Viper comes barreling down the road, making me instantly relax. Viper stops and Nix approaches. They start to talk and Nix is getting animated. Viper checks his phone and watches, then nods his head at whatever Nix is saying. While Viper shuts off his bike and sits there, Nix comes back over to me.
“See, Viper’s here. She’s fine,” Nix angrily states. Viper wouldn’t let anything happen to her, especially if Nix was asking for it. Neither of them will admit it, but they have some weird bromance going on.
“I answered your questions, now let’s go.”
“What specifically do you need me for?” What is more essential than Tara’s safety right now?
Nix’s back stiffens as I continue to push. “I’ll tell you when we get there. We’ve got to go back to the house and check on some security measures. Get the fuck in, Rush. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
I hesitate, torn between staying and following his orders. Tara will be safe under Viper's command, but I need to keep Nix happy too. Deep down, I know he wouldn’t actually fire me, but I don’t want to test that theory out just in case I happen to be wrong.
Maybe they just needed space from each other. They’ve been at each other’s throats since before they even got married. Nix and Tara are stubborn hotheads who don’t know how to communicate their feelings for each other, putting everyone else in a shitty spot.
Maybe meeting her parents didn’t go as well as he expected, and they wanted time with her? It’s an honest possibility. I’m sure telling your family you secretly got married to a man they’ve never met, who is also not the man they had planned for you to marry, would create a shit ton of tension. They could be trying to convince Tara to annul the marriage. She might have to smooth things over without him being a looming presence.
At this point, I have to trust that Nix wouldn’t risk her safety, especially when it comes to the Draaks. They take their threats seriously and love when people call their bluff.
I round the car and slide into the driver’s seat. Nix huffs, his fists still clenched at his sides as he angrily glares out the windshield. Instead of pressing, I drop the topic for now. Shifting into gear, I drive off, content with the fact that I’ll be back later tonight regardless of what my boss says. Even if Viper is watching her, it’s not the same as having my own eyes on her. I’ll placate Nix for now by leaving here with him, but nothing will stop me from ensuring my girl is protected.
The drive home was tragically quiet, filled with uneasy tension and a few angry sighs from Nix. As soon as I park in the garage, Nix storms into the house with me following quickly after him. There’s something he’s not telling me because he wouldn’t be acting like this if it was just her parents not approving.
They are always going head-to-head. Except tonight. They kicked me out of the car when we got to Tara’s parents. I could only pick out select words through the door, but when they went into the house, they were happy. I’ve never seen a time when Nix’s eyes were so soft and his smile that big. Their whole hot and cold situation is confusing the hell out of me.
“Alright, we’re back now. Are you going to tell me what the hell is actually going on?” I demand, not giving Nix the opportunity to run or hide. “You’re usually an ass butneverthis bad.” My glare burns a hole in the back of his head as I slam the door shut behind me.
Nix stops walking and spins around to face me, causing me to run into him. A growl escapes his mouth, and I watch as his light blue eyes fill with fire. Not sure if that fire is meant for me or her, but I’m going to find out. I’m a few inches taller and broader than Nix, and I’ve definitely lived a harder life. If he wants this to get messy, by all means, we can go that route, but I’d rather not knock his ass out. I’m ready to throw down, but the look in his eyes is enough to make me stop in my tracks. “How about you mind your own fucking business, Rush. I told you to fuck off, so fuck off.”
“Your attitude could be risking her life. For myjob, and the assignmentyougave me, I need to know. I thought we had to leave for security purposes, so what exactly is that? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re a liar.” Deep down inside, I know that my job isn’t the only reason I keep pushing to find out the truth. Tara has slowly dug her claws under my skin and into my heart. After running into Zayan and shit with the Draaks, the thought ofmenot having eyes on her forces uneasiness and anxiety to the forefront. The only reason I left that house was because I knew Viper would be there until I got back.
Nix pushes me and I stumble back a step, completely caught off-guard by the force. “She’s fine. She has everything she wants. Now let it go. We might be friends, Rush, but I won’t hesitate to punch you if you don’t leave me the hell alone and fucking drop it.”
Everything she wants?“What do you mean Tara has everything she wants?”
He closes his eyes and clenches his fists like he’s trying to hold back from hitting me. I don’t care if he does, at least he’ll be releasing a bit of his rage, which could calm him down enough to talk rationally.
Without a word, Nix charges past me, checking my shoulder as he heads back into the garage.He’s leaving. That’s my initial thought until I hear him banging around in the toolbox. “Nix,” I call. “What the fuck are you doing, man? You going to act like a coward and run away like a little bitch? Do I need to get Reilly to talk some sense into your ass?”
