Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series (12 page)

“Yeah, I gave him a nice beating. Here is the money he owed,” I say,
and I fish in my pockets and take out all the cash I got from the guy. This
money was burning a hole in my pocket anyway. I’d rather be rid of it.

“Thank you, Hunter. You’ve proven yourself to be quite valuable.”
Wes signals a girl in high heels and skimpy clothes to come to us with a tray
of filled glasses, and I swallow at the sight of her. She’s dressed like a
hooker, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she is one.

“Here,” Wes says as he takes the glasses from the tray and gives one
to me. “You earned it.”

I stare at it for a second, wondering what the hell is in it, but
when I see his glaring eyes pierce mine, I realize I really have no choice but
to drink it. Refusal isn’t in their dictionary.

I gulp it down in one go, and the burn is quite hard on my throat,
so I wince. Damn, that’s some hot stuff.

Wes laughs. “It’s called a White Russian. Vodka, Kahlua, a dot of
whipped cream and some ice cubes to top it off. Like it?”

I nod, putting the glass down on a table. I’ve had a few mixes, but
never this one. It hits hard.

“Takes the edge off things,” Jaret muses.

“There are plenty of things in life to take the edge off things. Why
not enjoy them, I’d say?” Wes chimes in, swaying his glass back and forth.
“This business is all about enjoying those short moments of ecstasy in life.”

“I bet you enjoy lots of benefits,” I say, trying to get him to tell
me more.

“Hmhm, drugs are not just a way to escape. They can create unreal
experiences, unlike anything else in this world.”

“I reckon you have a lot of experience with it then,” I say.

Wes nods. “Let’s just say this business has brought me a lot of positive
things.” He smirks.

Damn, he’s so full of himself. I hate that look on his face. I hate
it that he talks about this shit like it’s a good thing. As if those drugs he
deals don’t ruin people’s lives. I’ve seen how it can destroy a family. It
destroyed mine.

It takes all my self-control not to turn around and walk out of here
and never come back, but I’m not done yet. Not until I find who’s behind this
all.

So I lie. “I’d like that too.”

Wes squints. “I bet you would.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, dragging
me closer, placing his entire arm around my shoulder. “Tell you what, I’ll give
you plenty of drugs to deal to our clients, along with a list of buyers, and
you go make us some money. You can keep thirty percent for yourself.”

“Really?” I say.

Actually, I’m disgusted, because he wants to use me. I despise him
for making it sound like I’m selling candy to children. But Wes is my way into
this gang and I’m not letting go of this. No way. Besides, I can use the money
to bail out my brother, too.

“Of course! You’re a good asset to our little brotherhood,” Wes
says.

Wes briefly glances at Jaret and then winks at him.

Jaret nods. “I’ll help him with the first transactions, so he can
get the hang of it.”

“Good,” Wes says. “He’ll need someone to … help him.”

Somehow, the word ‘help’ sounds more like he wants Jaret to keep an
eye on me instead.

My eyes drift off toward the club, and for a second I think I
recognize someone. A dude with short blond hair, who’s chatting with a couple
of girls while rolling a joint. I feel like I know him.

“C’mon, I want to show you something,” Wes says.

My eyes are immediately pulled away from the guy with blond hair.
Wes drags me with him toward a door in the corner, past all the couches. We
enter a room, and I’m stunned the moment I see all the drugs lined out on the
table. Pills, powders, liquids, needles, pipes, bongs; everything is here. Loads
of it.

I’m flabbergasted.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Wes walks in, grabbing a few bags of pills
and powders. “We get our inventory from the big guys.”

“Who?” I say.

Wes frowns, and then I realize I’ve asked a sensitive question.

“That doesn’t concern you. Besides, there’s only one person who
knows them, and that’s our leader.”

“Right, sorry,” I say, but I’m making a mental note to remember
this. The leader of Alpha Psi isn’t even the one in charge of all the drugs.
Sure, he decides what happens here and on campus, but that’s probably because
this is his turf. We’re all part of one giant scheme. Damn, this is a much
bigger problem than I thought.

“Anyway, here, take this.” Wes presses the bags into my hand. “Now,
I have the perfect job for you tomorrow,” Wes says. “I want you to sell some
dope to the Bentley boys. They’ll be at the Denny’s joint around eight tomorrow
night. You’ll wait for them there until they’re ready to make the trade. Jaret
here will give you the price list and our client list.”

“Yeah, I’ll give it to you once we’re back in the dorm. It’s in my
drawer.”

“C’mon, I still want to show you something,” Wes says, and he
signals with his index finger for me to follow him. Hesitantly, I step out of
the room and follow him all the way back to the entrance again, but instead of
going outside, we walk into the central hall.

“This is where it all happens,” Wes says, raising both his hands.

There are four huge bleachers in a square, and in the middle is a
metal cage.

I gulp.

Blood stains the floor. This must be the arena. The place I abhor
the most.

“This is the place where money flows, bets are made, and winners are
born.” Wes turns around toward me, his smug face showing he thinks this is
glorious. “And you will be up there too someday.”

“What?” I say.

“You know this is part of the gang, right?” Jaret says. “Rookies
have to fight.”

“Either you die fighting or you die fleeing. There is only one thing
we don’t tolerate in here, and that’s when someone doesn’t follow the rules. So
you really have no choice in the matter,” Wes says.

My hands turn into fists, and I get the urge to start throwing
around chairs, but I keep my cool by focusing on my brother. In this moment
he’s so close to me, and yet so far away. His blood is on this floor, on the
bars of that very cage. I will make them pay for what they put him through.

“I’ll fight,” I growl.

Oh, I’ll fight all right. I’ll fight until all my teeth are knocked
out and until all my bones have been broken in two. I’ll fight until every last
drop of blood has left my body. I’ll fight to the death if I have to.

But I will never, ever, let them win.

Chapter
11

Fighting Temptation

The next day…

The cage has been on my mind ever since I left that nasty building.
It haunts me in my dreams, reminding me that one day I’ll have to knock someone
out in there or risk facing the same fate. And the fact that there’s a load of
drugs in my drawer doesn’t help either. There goes another good night’s sleep.
I can’t even count the days I haven’t slept, because there are too many to
remember.

I’ve got my notebook filled to the brim with dates, names,
information, and everything else I have to remember. I penned them down right
after I came home yesterday. If I don’t write it down, I can’t make sure I have
all the information I need to catch them. And I’m sure Agent Williams will
demand evidence, so I
need
to remember everything. Otherwise I’ll never
get my brother out of jail.

I’ve been so busy writing down things about the gang, the drugs, and
the dates and times when I have to be somewhere that I barely spent any time on
my homework. Worst of all is that it’s due today, and I know it’s half-assed. I
hate that I’m wasting my time with the gang, because I promised my brother I’d
do my best in college. It’s just so much to deal with right now, and I’m not
sure I can do both at the same time. I want to make my brother proud, and I
want to save him, but it seems impossible to do both. I don’t want to choose
between the two horrible options of failing in class and disappointing him, or
failing to free my brother and facing the world alone. I can’t make that
decision.

What my brother wants and what I want are not the same thing. I feel
conflicted because of the desire to make my brother proud and to make myself
happy by having him in my life. Is it even possible to have both?

I get up from my bed and grab my bag. I should stop thinking about
this and just go with what I think is best, which is to make both happen.

When I finally get to class I know I’m going to get scolded, but I
don’t care. I can handle it. I knock on the door, and the teacher is just
standing there, staring at me like I’m some kind of alien. I’m not sure I’m
allowed to come in, so I wait.

“Well, come in then,” the teacher snaps at me.

I step inside and hide my face further with my hoodie. My eye is
still pretty black from getting hit in the face when I was high, and I don’t
want anyone to notice. I’d rather not have that attention drawn to me,
especially not when I’m trying to worm my way into a gang like Alpha Psi.

I look around the room and spot Leafy sitting there, cringing when
she sees I’m looking straight at her. She’s clearly still shaken from last time
we saw each other, and I feel guilty for being so rude the other day. I was
having a shitty day, weighed down by the effects of the drugs. I can only
remember bits and pieces, since the pot pretty much made my writing skills
useless, and when I can’t make notes I can’t make sense of what I’ve done
either.

“You’re late,” the teacher says, and I direct my attention back at
him.

“Yeah … Sorry,” I say.

“And your homework is shoddy at best.”

That part is true. I can’t even remember the last time I actually
turned something in. Of course, it’s not on my priority list either.

“Mister Bane, I don’t know if you realize this, but your grades are
on the line.”

Again he’s telling me things I already know. Yes, I know I’m a screw-up,
and no, I can’t help it. Some things are more important than homework.

For the sake of making my brother happy, I’ll try to make this work,
though.

“I know, it won’t happen again. I’ll work harder. I promise.”

The old geezer squints at me, mulling it over for a second. I hope
my persuasive smile will help him come to the decision to let me stay.

“This is your last chance, Mister Bane. Don’t screw it up.”

I try to hide my smirk while nodding. Yes! I’ve done it again. That
sincere act always works.

I hurry up the steps, making my way toward my usual spot beside
Leafy. I go wherever she goes. It’s only because I know she’s a geek and her
notes will help me get through college if I actually manage to peek without her
noticing.

Yep, that’s the only reason I’m sitting next to her.

No, really.

I sit down and grab my bag, throwing everything I have onto the
table. I want to focus on studying now, just like I promised my brother.
Nothing’s going to stop me from achieving what I want. Not even the attraction
I feel toward Leafy.

Dammit! Why am I even thinking about this? I shouldn’t. I don’t have
time for it. As if I don’t have enough problems already.

But she’s piercing my skin with those blue eyes I could drown in. I
don’t have to look to know she’s watching. She’s been shivering in her corner
ever since I sat down here.

I turn my head and look her straight in the eyes, and I’m
immediately fazed by how amazing they look. It’s so fucking mesmerizing, I
can’t look away anymore. Shit, that was a bad decision.

“Don’t you have to pay attention?” she says, her eyes pulling away
from mine.

“To you? Yes.”

She’s been too interested in me from day one, and I keep wondering
if she’s going to be a problem later on. I don’t want her to get me into
trouble.

She pulls on her scarf as if it’s wrapped too tightly around her
neck. “The teacher has already started talking.” She points at him, but I don’t
even bother to look.

“I don’t care.”

For once, I’m telling the truth. I’m much too focused on her right
now. I’m hoping that by staring into her eyes I can force myself to remember
what I told her and what she did in the cafeteria. I can only remember a
fraction of it, and the things I do remember scare me. I think she knows
something’s wrong in my life, and she’s poking her nose where it doesn’t
belong. I have to be careful around her.

Leafy blinks and swallows, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Like
two magnets, our eyes are drawn toward each other. When they meet I feel lost
again. Just looking at her makes me forget everything bad in my life. It’s like
time stops and suddenly all the anger and frustration coiled up inside me
evaporates. She frees me.