The gun spins around his finger again, making me more nervous than I should ever have to be around a man who claims to love me. For fuck’s sake, it was less than twelve hours ago that he was trying to convince me to marry him, and now he shows up here with a fucking gun?
Where are the boys? They should have a leash on their fearless leader.
“Get out of here, Nic,” I say, continuing on from Colton’s statement, not denying it in the least. “I’ll talk to you when you’re not trying to intimidate me with your fucking gun.”
“What? This?” he laughs, holding up the gun and making a show of studying the barrel then looking over the revolver and making a point to show that it’s fully loaded. “This ain’t for you, baby.”
I read him like a fucking book and reach for Colton, pulling him back a step before putting myself in front of him. Nic might be a fucking cold murderer, but he’d never risk shooting Colton with me standing so damn close … at least, I think. Apparently, I really don’t know him half as well as I thought I did. Hell, he admitted himself that he killed Charles so he wouldn’t share his little secret. What’s to stop him from doing the same to me? What’s he going to do if he thinks that I’ve told Colton? I can’t have these two at war, though if Colton knew everything that Nic had done, he’d have already been dead.
Colton takes my waist and leans into me. “You have two fucking seconds to get your sweet ass behind me before I put you there.”
“Not a fucking chance, Carrington,” I tell him. “Now shut the fuck up and let me handle my business.”
Colton groans and I feel the rumble from his chest vibrate against my back, but he knows better than to try to change my mind. Besides, if he thought there was any way in hell that Nic would ever try to shoot me, I’d already be out of here. Clearly, he doesn’t know what I know, otherwise this night would have turned out very differently. I won’t be holding back though. If Nic wants to go there, then fuck it, we’ll go there, and I won’t just air a bit of his dirty laundry, I’ll tip out the whole fucking basket and watch it scatter all over the floor.
All this time I thought Kian was the bad one. It turns out that Nic is just as bad. I guess the saying, like father like son, has never been so true. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. Charles and Colton are proof of that. I just hope that Colton fell a little further than what Nic did.
No wonder Kian was so willing to have Nic as his replacement. He molded him just the way he wanted. He’s a manipulator, a murderer, and my biggest mistake.
I keep my gaze locked on Nic as he spins the chamber, making me sick with that familiar clicking. Nic used to do it all the time. It was like some kind of sick habit. Some people drum their fingernails against tables, others like to whistle, Nic plays with guns. In hindsight, I should have picked up on the signs.
“Nic,” I say in a calming tone, trying to get this situation under control. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m going to need you to get in my car. You’re coming home with me and we're sorting this shit out once and for all.”
Colton scoffs under his breath as I raise a brow, knowing damn well that is never going to happen, not after he showed his fucking crazy and then went ahead and proved that he could never be trusted again. Hell, at this point, if I were to go anywhere with him, I’d probably be gagged and bound before someone found me lying in a ditch.
“You know that’s not going to happen,” I tell him, wondering if maybe Kian accidentally dropped him on the head as a baby because there’s no way in hell that this shit is normal.
Nic takes a step toward us, lifting his lips into a wicked smirk. “I thought that’s what you were going to say.”
If Colton wasn’t behind me, I’d be backing up right now but his presence makes me braver which in all honestly is pretty fucking stupid. Here’s an idea, let’s play a game of provoking the crazy man with a gun.
“Do the boys know you’re here?”
“I’m their fucking leader. They don’t need to know shit about where I am.”
Colton’s hand tightens on my waist, preparing to pull me out of the way if need be. My hand hovers over his, needing his touch more than anything, needing his comfort and support. “Why don’t you give them a call? Let them know what you’re doing right now.”
Nic laughs. “Ahh, baby. You know that ain’t ever going to happen.”
“Nic,” I say, a little more forceful. “This is ridiculous. Put your fucking gun away and go home. No matter what you say or do, I’m not leaving with you, not after what you did. I’m with Colton and he’s taking me home so I can sort shit out with my mom. You need to forget about me, Nic. I’m not coming back.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head, the hurt blazing out of his eyes. “I’m not giving up on this. You belong with us. You belong back home, not with this rich prick.”
“Listen to yourself. You fucking proposed to me after I told you that I was in love with another man,” I cry, listening as Colton grunts in surprise from behind me, his answering scoff more than enough response to gather his thoughts on the topic. “You don’t love me, Nic. You just don’t want anyone else to have me. Can’t you see how wrong that is? You’re fucking sick. You need help, like professional help.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
Colton steps out from behind me, having heard more than enough. “Give it up, man. She’s done. She told you to fucking leave now go before—”
“Before what?” Nic demands, throwing his arm up and pointing the barrel of his gun right between Colton’s eyes.
A loud gasp comes tearing out of me and I throw myself in front of Colton as Nic rushes forward, knowing that one tiny little word from Colton’s mouth right now would have him buried ten feet under. Killing a guy like Colton isn’t something that’s going to get swept under a rug, especially if I have something to do with it. “Shoot him and I swear to you Nic, you will never see me again and that’s a fucking promise.”
Nic tightens his jaw. “Step out of the fucking way, Oceania.”
“Nic,” I spit. “Put your fucking gun down right the fuck now.”
“You and I both know where your loyalties lie. Step aside so I can end this.”
I laugh, pressing my back against Colton’s chest. “You know, that’s funny. Had you said that to me yesterday, I would have questioned myself, but after finding out what you did, you’re right, I now know exactly where my loyalties lie.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I nudge myself back against Colton while keeping my eyes locked on Nic, proving once and for all that there's no going back. Knowing that once these words come out of my mouth, that’s it for me and Nic. He will never trust me again and after this, I’ll be a loose end that needs to be sorted out. I just hope my boys will still have my back even though I no longer have their leader’s.
“You know what I found last night,” I say to Colton, keeping my gaze trained heavily on Nic.
His eyes widen just a fraction, realizing just how damn serious I am. “Don’t do it,” he warns me, stepping forward and pressing the gun right against my temple, testing me.