Paxton's Promise (29 page)

Cliff moved me back toward the Mercedes while Mason moved forward a step. “That’s not going to work. If you and everyone else don’t back the fuck up and let me be on my way, I’ll slit her throat right here and now. I’m sure you know I’m capable of it.”

Mason huffed and backed up a step, reluctantly lowering his gun and giving the signal for everyone else to follow. I mouthed the word ‘Paxton’ to him and he nodded reassuringly. It didn’t matter where I was going or who I was with, as long as Pax was okay, I could get through anything. In fact, he slowly turned the corner and came into view, his gaze hardening the second he saw my torn shirt.

“Well, this just keeps getting better,” Cliff grumbled. “So you turned into a pussy and called Mason for help. That’s pathetic.”

“I’d say it’s a lot better than stalking women and killing them when they finally see you’re a disgusting pile of shit.”

Using his free hand, Cliff slid it up my thigh, and on up to my chest. “This one doesn’t think I’m disgusting.” He squeezed my breast hard. “In fact, she loves it when I touch her. Don’t you, Gabby?” The knife dug harder into my skin and I hissed.

“Yes,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Now that we got that settled, I want you all to back the fuck up.”

I kind of hoped Mason would use his sharpshooting skills and just blast him through the head, but he didn’t. Instead, they all backed away. With a pained expression, Paxton took a step back and disappeared.

Chuckling, Cliff bent down and whispered in my ear, “I guess ol’ lover boy didn’t like hearing your confession.”

Biting my tongue, I kept my gaze on Mason until I was forced into the Mercedes. Were they seriously going to let me leave with him? Once Cliff got into the car, he backed it out of the garage and sped up the side driveway to the front of the house. There were police cars around, but they weren’t blocking the road.

Revving the engine, Cliff pressed the gas as hard as he could and squealed the tires. My heart raced and I knew that if I was going to get out of there, I had to do something drastic. It just so happened that as soon as we left the driveway, the tires burst and the car clunked to the ground. As fast as I could, I grabbed the back of Cliff’s head and slammed his face down into the steering wheel before opening the door. My foot got caught and I fell out onto the road. Before Cliff could get me in his grasp, Paxton came out of nowhere and jerked him out of the car.

“Gabby,” Camden shouted. Rushing toward me, he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the car.

“Thank God, you’re okay,” I cried, hugging him tight around the neck. When I tried to let go, he held me in place. “Camden, let me go.” I pushed against his chest but he wouldn’t budge.

“Trust me, Gabby, you don’t want to see this.” The sound of fists hitting flesh and the crunch of bones echoed through the night air. It was enough to make me sick.

“Why aren’t they stopping this?” I screamed. The police were standing around, just watching it play out, with their guns pointed at the ground.

Camden held me tighter. “Let them handle this the way they want. That fucker deserves to get the shit beat out of him for what he’s done.”

“But he’ll
kill
him,” I cried. I didn’t want that weight on Paxton’s shoulders.

“Then he kills him, Gabby. Either way he’s a dead man.”

I grew lightheaded and nauseous. The sounds were too much. “I think I’m going to be sick.” Immediately, Camden let me go and helped me down to the ground. It was then I got a glimpse of the fight.

The knife Cliff had earlier fell out of his hands when Paxton slammed his wrist into the pavement. Judging by the gashes on Pax’s arms, he got a few good swipes in. However, it didn’t faze him; he kept going. In fact, he reminded me of Ryley when he was in the ring with Camden. It was terrifying.

“Gabby, are you okay?” Mason asked, rushing to my side. Putting his hands on my shoulder, he looked down at the cut on my chest, eyes burning with hatred.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “He didn’t do anything to me other than that. But please, Mason. I need you to stop Pax.
Please
.”

My gaze drifted to Paxton who was now on top of Cliff, pounding his head into the pavement. Mason rushed off and desperately tried pulling him away, grunting with the force. Nostrils flaring, Paxton’s eyes were wild and dangerous, his body shaking as he was torn away. He stared down at Cliff and nothing else, almost like he wasn’t even there. It was the place where all of us fighters went while in the ring, but the place Paxton was in was much darker.

With all his strength, Mason held him steady until I could get over there. Slowly, I put my hands around Paxton’s neck and turned him to face me. “Pax, look at me. It’s over,” I murmured.

He shook his head, still not looking at me. “It’s not over until he’s dead. I won’t be able to rest until I know he’s gone.”

“He’s never going to bother us again, I promise. Mason will make sure of that. Please, just look at me.”

Huffing, he closed his cold eyes and stood there for a few minutes before opening them. Now they were sea green and crystal clear. Snaking his arms around my waist, he held me tight and lifted me in his arms. “I just wanted to keep my promise,” he whispered.

“Which one?”

“The one where I said I would always keep you safe. I wanted to kill him, Gabby. I couldn’t stop him from hurting you.”

“Hey, I’m okay,” I assured. “I’m a fighter too, remember? And you did keep your promise. You stopped him.” Glancing over his shoulder, I think he did more than stop him. Cliff wasn’t moving, and there was blood pooling underneath his head. Mason noticed my hesitation and came over.

“All right, I think it’s time we all get out of here and head to the station. The others are going to go inside and look around. One of my men said they saw Josh, Cliff, or Rage, whatever the fuck you want to call him, pull the gun on the other one. I was also told they found some of the things he stole out of your apartment. We’ll get all of that back to you once all of this is over.”

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t really want any of that stuff back, knowing Rage’s hands had been all over them. The only thing I wanted was the picture he stole of me and Ashleigh. Paxton put his arm around me and guided me toward Mason’s car, and Camden followed. It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that Cliff was Rage the whole time. He’s been living right beside me. I’d given him my number and
confided
in him about my stalker.

“Wait,” I said, stopping mid-step. “My bag is in Red’s truck. It has my phone in it.”

Mason went to the truck and grabbed it before nodding to his car. Paxton opened the door and then slid in beside me, holding me close as Camden got in on the other side. Hopping in the driver seat, Mason quickly glanced at us and then started on the way.

I wasn’t planning on looking back, but my curiosity got the better of me. The ambulance had pulled up and the paramedics were around his body, fingers checking for a pulse. Before the whole scene disappeared from view, I saw a white sheet billow in the wind as it was placed on top of Cliff’s body.

He was dead. Paxton had killed him.

“After this is all over, I’m leaving town,” Camden confessed.

I glanced over at him and Mason stared at him through the rearview mirror. “Why is that?” I asked. Paxton kept his gaze out the window, not saying a word.

“There will be severe repercussions for my actions. I’ll have a price on my head. I’m not going to have a choice.”

“So you’re just going to leave? What about your friends? Your brother?”

Camden smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t have any friends, Gabby. I think it’s best if I turn around and never look back.”

“But . . . it’ll be lonely,” I whispered, taking his hand.

He squeezed once and then let me go. “I’m used to it.”

Two Days Later

EVEN THOUGH IT had only been two days, it felt like an eternity. Paxton’s house was just how we left it, including his mother’s ring sitting on the dresser in my room. I didn’t know if he still wanted me to wear it, but I put it on my finger anyway. It made me feel closer to him, especially since he wasn’t talking to me.

When Paxton found out Rage was dead, I didn’t know what to expect. For two days, we talked to the police and went through our stories over and over again. Paxton was held a lot longer than I had been, and at the end of the day, I could tell it was wearing on him. Hell, it was hard on us all, but Paxton couldn’t seem to shake it.

“He’s going through a lot right now,” Mason explained, running his hands through his dark blond hair. His gaze focused on Paxton, and I could see his understanding.

Mason was heading back home and stopped in to see how we were doing. I hadn’t left Paxton’s side, even though he hadn’t talked or looked at me since everything went down. I missed him, but I knew he needed his space. I would wait as long as I needed to.

“I know he is,” I replied. “I just wish I could get him to talk to me.”

Paxton was in the garage, working on his cars. The news stations had been by, hoping to get a glimpse of the local hero who helped solve a murder mystery. However, Paxton didn’t view himself as a hero. No matter what everyone told him, it went in one ear and out the other.

Our story had spread throughout the country. Everyone knew how Mason busted up another underground fighting ring with the help of me and Paxton. I had briefly been afraid Paxton would lose his title for being involved, but it only brought him more fame. And now my title fight against Allie was receiving so much press and buildup, it scared the shit out of me.

Unfortunately, my brother wasn’t too thrilled when he found out what we had done. Mason was the one who broke the news to him, and I was very thankful for that. Luckily, he was staying on vacation with his family. At least I didn’t have to worry about facing him just yet.

Mason put his arm around me and squeezed. “It’s not easy, but I know what the guy’s going through. The first time I killed someone, it messed me up bad. Even though the guy pulled a gun on me first and I had no choice. It was my life or his. Still, it doesn’t change the fact I did it . . . I ended someone’s life.”

“How do I help him?” I asked. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Paxton as he slaved away in his garage. For the past two days, I held in my tears but I couldn’t do it anymore.

“I don’t know if what I say is going to help, but it’ll be a start. Do you want to know what Paxton said to me yesterday?” Crossing my arms, I glanced at him and nodded as a reply. “He said he wasn’t sorry for killing Rage, that he most likely saved the lives of countless women by doing it. What he’s most worried about is what you think of him now. You watched him kill another man. You saw a side of him that he didn’t want you to see.”

The tears streamed down my cheeks and I choked. “But I don’t see him being any different. If I had the chance, I would’ve killed Rage. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about him.”

Mason tapped me on the chin. “Then you should tell him that. Maybe he’s afraid of seeing judgment in your eyes. Just let him know, no matter what, you will always be there through the good and the bad. He’s at a low point, but you can bring him back up with your love and support. You can do this.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, he embraced me one last time before getting in his car and nodding toward the garage. “Go get ‘em. I’ll see you at the title fight.”

Mason waved once he got out of the driveway. Taking a deep breath, I started toward the garage, but then stopped once Paxton’s phone began to ring. He refused to answer his calls, so I’d been carrying it around. And I definitely wasn’t expecting to see Kyle’s name pop up on the screen. Should I answer it or not? I hated him, but he
did
help us find out Rage’s real name.

“Hello,” I answered. The line went silent. “Kyle, it’s Gabby, I know it’s you.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to answer the phone,” he replied.

“Paxton isn’t doing much talking these days, so I’ve been answering his calls.”

“Is he okay? I’ve been watching the news reports. I wanted to call and see how you guys were doing.”