Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series (10 page)

I’m pacing up and down in my room, trying to figure out what to do.
My brain and heart are locked in a battle between what’s wrong and right, and I
don’t know which one is going to win.

I’ve barely slept at all since I joined the gang. Images of a needle
being stuck in my arm while I’m tied to a chair haunt my dreams. The bag of
weed lying on my table has never left my thoughts. Every fiber in my body is
telling me not to do it, but sheer will is forcing me to continue. I
need
to save my brother. He will be freed. I cling to this single thought.

Suddenly my new phone rings with a melody I’m not familiar with yet.
I hate new phones. However, this phone call is probably important. I rush to it
like it’s the last connection I have with life.

“Hello?”

“Come downstairs to the yard. I have the specifics.” It’s Jaret, and
he sounds serious.

“All right. Be right there.”

I put my phone back into my pocket and hurry downstairs and out of the
dorm. Jaret’s standing with the same group of guys we met on my first day on campus.
Wes is one of them.

Straightening my back, I stride toward them.

“Glad you could make it,” Wes says.

“I came down as soon as I got the phone call. So, what do you want
me to do?” I say with a confident tone.

“We loaned a guy some money. We want our money back, and since we
didn’t get it in time, we want you to send a message.”

“Okay,” I say, feeling bad already. “Who?”

“That guy,” Wes says, and he points at a guy with a beanie near the
fountain.

“What do you want me to do?”

“You know …” Jaret says, squinting.

Right. Beat him up. I nod.

“You want your money back, right?” I say.

“Yes, but not before you give him a good whooping.”

“What? You won’t even give him a chance to redeem himself?” I say.

Wes spits on the ground. “That motherfucker had his chance. You’ll
kick his ass, and then take the money. It’s a lesson he has to learn.”

I frown, drawing in a deep breath. “Okay.”

“You’ll take the drugs before the fight,” Wes says.

I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“You heard him,” one of the other guys says, but Wes puts his hand
firmly on the guy’s chest, showing him who’s in charge.

“Take the drugs and beat him up.”

My nostrils flare as I face the decision I have to make. I know I don’t
have much time. They won’t take no for an answer.

“Fine.”

Wes smiles arrogantly. “Good boy.”

Fuck. I have so much trouble holding back. I could almost punch him
in the face. Fuck him. Fuck them all. Once I find out who the leader is,
nobody’s going to stop me from smashing him to a pulp.

“We’ll check up on you once you’re done, but make sure you find a
quiet spot,” Wes says.

Sure, of course they don’t want anyone to see.

“Whatever.”

Wes slaps me on the shoulder with a short laugh. “We’ll check up on
you to make sure you took the drugs.” And then he walks off.

I’m breathing in and out loudly, trying to compose myself. When I
turn my head to see if it’s safe to approach the guy I’m supposed to beat up, I
see Leafy standing nearby with her friend, watching me.

My eyes narrow in on her. What is she doing here?

Her eyes widen, and then I know she realizes I’ve seen her.

Is she snooping on me? Damnit. I can’t have her involved in this.
She should keep her nose out of my business. It’s for the best.

She and her friend run off immediately. Good. I hope they’re afraid.
I hope they won’t even want to come near me. It’s better this way. For now.
Although I’m not sure if I can do the same.

“Good luck, Hunter,” Jaret says, and after a friendly pat on the
back he leaves as well.

I hurry back to the dorm, because that’s where I left the weed. Once
I’m in my room, the reality of it all hits me like a brick straight to the
face.

I swallow away the lump in my throat and glance at the bag of weed.
Shit. Now it’s really happening.

With shaking fingers I close the door, staring at the drugs. I pick
up some of the brown paper Jaret left and spread it out on the table. I unpack
the weed, take some out and put it on the sheet. Then I roll it into a blunt.

My fingers drift toward the lighter Jaret left for me. Christ, he
thinks of everything. I would’ve forgotten to get one. Guess he’s always
prepared.

I draw in a few sharp breaths, mentally preparing myself. Just
looking at that shit makes me sick to my stomach. The thought alone that I’ll
have to use that stuff … drugs … the reason behind all my problems and those of
my brother … it’s hard to swallow.

I’ll just have to keep in mind that I’m doing it all for my brother.

I put the blunt in my mouth and light it. A sweet aroma drifts
through the room, entering my nose. Inhaling for the first time makes me cough
like crazy. It feels like I’m choking, tears springing into my eyes.

But then I spot Wes leaning against the doorway.

Shit. He’s really come to check up on me.

“You’ll get used to it,” he muses, smiling lazily. “Hold the smoke
in for a moment before releasing it.”

“Fuck …” I mutter, blowing out some smoke. “I’m trying.”

“C’mon. Take some more.”

Squinting, I briefly glance at him before taking another drag. Smoke
fills my burning lungs and I gasp for air. I can already feel it taking effect.

My head is feeling lighter and lighter the more drags I take. It’s
getting easier to take the hot fumes, although I’m still sure I’m doing it so
wrong. But it doesn’t matter as long as I get it done.

Wes is staring at me from his corner, smiling deviously, like he’s
enjoying the fact that he just forced a rookie to smoke pot. I’ll beat that
smirk off his face once I get the chance.

My worries are diminishing, though. When I say I’m going to beat him
up, I actually don’t feel angry at all. It feels more like a fun thing to do.
To have a laugh about.

And suddenly the idea of my brother being in jail doesn’t seem to
bother me that much anymore. It’s like I’m okay with it. Like he can handle it.
Yeah, it’ll be all right. I’ve got nothing to worry about.

“All right, you’ve had enough,” Wes says, and he takes the blunt
from my mouth, takes it to the nearest sink and flushes it down the drain. He
cocks his head. “Now get to work. I need to get back to my classes.”

“Whatever you want, boss,” I say, laughing my ass off.

I don’t know why I’m laughing, but I don’t care either. It’s all
good.

I’ll go beat up some dude now, no problem. Easy.

♥♥♥

I find the guy standing in a corner of the dorm, reading a book. He
seems anxious when I approach, twiddling his thumbs. His eyes skid all around
the room, probably looking for an exit. There’s only one, and it’s the back
entrance, the one I intend to drag him through. Trees cover the narrow path
behind the dorm, partially hiding it. Perfect for random fights.

“Come with me,” I say with a smug smile, still feeling the effects
of the weed.

I’m overly joyful and don’t have a care in the world, other than
being up for a brawling match.

The guy looks like a wimp, though.

“What do you want from me?” he says.

“Come outside. Now,” I say with a smirk.

“N-no,” he stammers, closing the book.

I grab his shirt and drag him with me.

“Hey! Let go!” the guy yells, dropping his book. “What do you think
you’re doing?”

“When I said ‘come with me’ I thought I was being fairly clear.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“We’re gonna have a nice little talk,” I say, coughing, because my
throat feels unusually dry.

I can hear him gulp as I drag him past a few other students, whose
eyes widen when they see me drag him through a door. Good. They need to know
I’m going to beat him. That way word spreads, guaranteed. I
want
people
to know.

I throw the guy outside and close the door behind us.

“Do you want money?” he says, plucking at his trousers.

“I don’t want your money. Do you see me? I’m happy,” I say with a
big-ass smile. “But others do want your money.”

“Oh no …”

“Oh yes,” I say. “I’m here to send a message.”

“I just wanted to have some fun. Please, don’t hurt me. I promise
I’ll give back the money. I can give it to you now. I know it’s too late, but I
have it. Please don’t kill me.”

I burst out into laughter. Is this guy serious?

“Of course I’m not going to kill you.” I step closer, and he takes a
step back, shivering. I back him into a corner. “Listen up. The gang wants me
to beat the crap out of you.”

“Please don’t.”

“Just shut up for a second, will you?”

He whimpers.

“I’m not exactly in the mood to start beating up random people that
I don’t even know. I don’t have anything against you, you know.”

He nods vigorously.

“I just want to make them believe that I did.”

His lips quiver. “Okay.”

“Besides, I’m too stoned to care.” I put up a smug smile, and he
relaxes a little. “So what do you say we just pretend?” I say.

“What?”

“Do I speak Chinese or something?”

“N-no, no.” He shakes his head, and to me it looks like one of those
bobbleheads you put on the dashboard of your car. Crazily funny right now.
Everything is funny right now.

“Look, just give me the money, and we’ll fake our way through this,
all right?”

“Okay,” he says, fishing out some cash from his pockets.

I snatch it from him. “Good, now listen up. I’m going to have to hit
you so it’ll look realistic. After that, you hit me. Hard. Like, give me a real
bruise. You got that?”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, just do as I say! Do you want to get out of this or not?”

He nods so quickly it makes my head spin.

“You ready?” I say.

“What, now?”

Before he has time to prepare, I hit him against the shoulder. He
screams in pain like the little girl he is. I have to hold my hand in front of
my mouth to stop the laughter from spilling out. It’s too funny to watch him
squirm, but nobody can know that we’re faking it. This has to look and sound
real, so no laughing.

And then I hit him again in the face. He winces and groans, tumbling
back on his feet, catching himself on the wall.

“That hurts!” he says.

“Duh, of course it does.”

“Do I have a black eye now?” He blinks a couple of times.

“Probably. Now grunt a few times.”

He frowns in confusion, making me sigh. “Just do it.”

His groans sound almost like he’s taking a shit outside, but it’s
good enough to pass.

“Now hit me,” I say, pointing at my face. “Right there.”

“Okay … here I come.”

He throws a quick jab at my eye, and I’m impressed by the punch he
manages to land. Fuck, it hurts. I did not expect this dude to be able to hit
me that hard.

“Damn …” I mutter, closing my eye, because it feels bruised and
broken.

“Sorry.”

“I’m not. Stop acting like a wimp. Man up.”

I start making some weird-ass grunts, trying to sound as realistic
as possible, but it’s hard while being under the influence. But shit, I’ve
never felt like this before. Being high certainly makes life feel a lot easier.

When I’m done faking, I say, “Right, now you’ll have to disappear
for a few days.”

“What?”

“Do not under any circumstances come back to campus. You got that?”
I say, poking his chest with my finger. “Stay away.”

“If you say so …”

“You’ll be in danger if you do. Just lay low for a while.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll manage. I have to stay here, but I’m good at pretending. Don’t
worry about it. I can fool the gang.”

“Okay … Thank you,” he says, sighing with relief. “I owe you.”

“No, you don’t. Just don’t ever buy or take anything from Alpha Psi
again. You understand?”

As he nods, I say, “Now get out of here.”

I shoo him away with my angry eyes, although I’m not even really
angry. Pain is buzzing underneath my skin, and when I touch my eye, I know it’s
going to be black. Guess I’ll have to start wearing more hoodies from now on.

I’m also hungry as fuck.

Whatever. I can’t stop smiling. God, I am so damn smart.