Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series (25 page)

I breathe out loudly through my nose, because I’m trying to keep my
cool whilst I’m infuriated. “Whatever. As long as you do
not
use it.”

She snorts and starts wrapping bandages around my hand. “Why do you
care? You’re the one who’s handing out drugs to people. It shouldn’t matter to
you.”

What? Is that what she thinks of me?

I grab her hand and look straight into her big blue eyes. “
You
matter to me.”

She stiffens and her skin turns strawberry red. She averts her eyes.
“W-well, I don’t think you’re the one to tell me what to do and what not to
do,” she stutters. “You take them yourself. That day you showed up in the
cafeteria you looked like you were beaten up quite badly, and you had red eyes.
Don’t deny it. You’ve done it yourself.”

I close my eyes and sigh. It’s true, I did that, but I feel horrible
about it. I don’t want to use that stuff. I hate it. I hate it with all my
guts. My family got ripped apart because of those drugs. There isn’t anyone who
knows better than me what that crap can do. “And you think I wanted to do
that?”

“You tell me,” she says under her breath.

“I hate it. I hate the fucking stuff so much, you can’t even begin
to imagine. But I had to. There was no other way to …”

“To what? You had to use drugs to do what?”

To save my brother, but I can’t tell her, goddammit! If she knew,
she’d butt in, and she’d definitely ruin my chances of succeeding. She’d only
make it more difficult than it already is.

“To what? You had to use drugs to do what?” she says.

I can clearly remember how I felt that day I used the pot. It was
very freeing, like all the bad parts in my life had evaporated. I could laugh
about pretty much anything. It was nice to forget my problems for once. They
forced me to use it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t consciously do it.

“To forget. To feel a little better. And because they told me to,” I
say, sighing.

She takes in a sharp breath, visibly shaken, while wrapping the
bandage around my fingers. I look down at the pill in my hand and feel my
stomach twist from the torment inside me. “Tell me you won’t use that stuff …
please,” I say. I know I must sound like a beggar, but this is the only thing
I’d ever beg her to do. She can’t end up like those people, like Jennifer, like
me. “Not ever,” I add for emphasis.

She looks at me, a tiny smile forming on her lips. Then she snatches
the pill from my hand and chucks it in the bin. I relax and feel a little
relieved.

“I won’t. But why do you?” she says.

Damn. Of course, she can’t live without the questions. That’s her.
“Because I have to.”

“Why can’t you just tell me why? Are you afraid I’m going to spill
your secrets or something? Don’t you trust me?”

Short answer? No. I don’t trust her to stay safe. I don’t trust her
to keep her ass out of trouble. Sometimes it’s like she’s looking for it. No
wonder she started hanging out with me.

“Because I don’t want you to get hurt, all right?” I say. If she
knows more, she’ll eventually start digging, finding out about the gang, and
then she’ll want to come there … hell no. That’ll never happen if it’s up to
me.

Her jaw slowly drops as she stares at me, completely fazed by my
comment. How long is she going to ignore this? She can’t keep denying that I
feel something for her. That I’m attracted to her. That I want to keep her safe.
She matters to me.

My hand reaches for her face, and my thumb skids past her cheek,
gently caressing her. I don’t want her to be mad at me. I hate the way she
looks at me when she is. I need her approval more than anything right now. I
want her to know that I’m not trying to be a monster. I might look the part,
but that’s only a farce. The real me is in here, and it’s all hers.

I think she’s holding her breath, and I can feel her head nudging
against my palm, wanting more. It gives me all the more reason to keep going,
but I know it’s not good. If she’s with me, I can’t guarantee her safety. It
takes a lot of willpower to pull my hand back.

She shivers, her arms riddled with goose bumps. Her eyes are wide
when my fingers leave her face. Damn. I knew it. She still freezes up when I
touch her.

“I told you you’re afraid of me. I knew it,” I say.

She bites her lip and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, making
me want to lick her. “I’m n-not,” she says.

“Yes, you are. You’re terrified of me. Just a touch from my hand
makes you shiver.” I can’t help grinning. This is just too good. I wonder why
she’s still holding back. “Why are you so afraid? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Because I’ve never had a boyfriend before, okay?”

Fuck. No wonder she’s so scared. This is too good to be true, but
then again it makes sense. I should’ve known. Doesn’t matter; all the more fun
for me. I can’t help but think about being the first to kiss her, to hold her,
to see her naked and pucker up her rosy flesh that hasn’t been seen before by
anyone else but me. I’m dying to be the first to make her experience the
pleasures a man can bring her. Especially me. I can pleasure her more than she
could ever dream of …

She sighs, but it sounds more like a groan. “At least not past the
kissing stage.”

I’m jerked from my lusty thoughts by her groan, which made me think
we were having sex already. I guess the ‘first kiss’ is already taken, though.
Not that it matters; there’s plenty of undiscovered skin on her body I’d love
to explore.

Still, it’s hard to believe this is what has made her so afraid of
me. I was thinking something way worse, but if this is it then I have nothing
to worry about. “Is that it?” I ask, laughing a little, because it’s cute.

“Yes. Stop laughing,” she mutters.

She punches me on the shoulder, and I wince, because it still hurts
a little from Jaret’s blows back in the arena. “Ouch. Damn, your punches have
improved.” I want to make her feel good.

She snorts, shaking her head. “You’re an asshole, you know that?
Laughing at girls because they’re not experienced.”

Oh, I’m not laughing at her inexperience, I’m laughing at the fact
that this is the best thing I’ve heard in a while, but I have no chance to say
it. Her friend enters the room.

“Hey,” Leafy says to her.

“Can we talk?” the girl says, looking annoyed.

Yep, this is my cue to go. “I’ll get going,” I say, getting up.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow for training then?” Leafy asks with a
hopeful smile on her face. God, I love seeing her smile.

“Sounds cool,” I say, and I smile back. “Thanks.”

I walk past her friend, who seems pissed to even see me. Ah well,
who cares. I’ll have enough personal time with her tomorrow. And I intend to
get very personal with her …

Chapter
21

Two-faced

Later that evening …

I’m in my room, checking my notes to see if I missed anything
important I’m supposed to do. I’m also waiting for Jaret to come back so I can
talk with him about what we’re going to do to find out more about the gang.

“Hey.”

I raise my head and see Wes standing in the doorway, casually
leaning against the doorpost with a cigarette in his mouth. “I got a job for
you.”

I snort. “Oh, really.”

“You’re going to trade at a party I’m invited to.”

He raises his head, squinting, and looks down at my notes. I close
the book and put it away to prevent him from seeing. I’m impressed he came here
alone. It’s tempting to kick his ass right here, right now, but I think he
knows I need him. That’s why he’s so sure of himself. No matter; I’ll wipe that
smirk off his face the moment I get the chance.

“C’mon,” he says, and he signals me while walking out of the room.
“And bring your stash.”

I grab a few little powder bags and pills, and stuff them in my
pants before jogging after him. We get to the parking lot, and then I notice
there’s more than one car waiting for us.

“You take that one,” he says.

“I’m driving?”

“What else?” he muses, opening the door to his own car. “It’s a
gift.”

“For what?”

“To make you realize that Alpha Psi is really a good thing to be
in.” He winks and steps into his car.

Shit. This is exactly like the time my brother got that car from the
gang. It’s a threat.

I get into the car, and he’s just waiting there, probably wanting to
drive behind me so he’s sure I go to the place I’m supposed to go. There’s a
note with the address on it stuck to my steering wheel. I decide not to risk
it, and just follow orders.

When we get to the party, I can hear the music before I’m even out
of my car. It’s a huge house, and it seems packed with people.

I step out and so does Wes. He walks toward me with a confident
stride. I wait for him to tell me what the idea is, because I have no fucking
clue what he wants me to do. The smug look on his face makes me want to hurl.
He throws his old cigarette on the ground and puts a blunt in his mouth,
lighting it. “Ah … much better.” After taking a few drags, he holds it out to
me, raising an eyebrow when I just frown at him. “Take it. It’ll make you a
better seller.”

“Not interested.”

He laughs and puts the blunt back into his mouth. “A dealer not
taking drugs, huh? You’re one of a kind.”

“Let’s get inside.  I’m dying to get to this party,” I say. I’m not,
but I’m not interested in talking to him.

“That’s more like it!” He slaps me on the shoulder in a friendly
manner, like it’s all peaches between us again.

When we step into the house all the people burst out into cheers at
the sight of Wes. It’s like the party has only begun now that the drugs have
arrived. They come up to him and shake his hand or give him fist bumps.

“Go stand there, and try not to be a dick to customers,” Wes tells
me as he points at a spot in the room. “I’ll be entertaining the guests.”

The people draw around him like a buzzing crowd, pulling him into
the room while offering him drinks. Someone comes over to me, holding out a few
bills. “You’re the dealer, right?”

“Uh … yeah.”

“Bag of cocaine, please.”

With furrowed brows I take it out of my pocket, and he snatches it
from my hand, giving me the money. “Thanks,” he says, and then he turns around
and goes on partying.

I make my way to my designated spot. I’ll be the dealer if that’s
what it takes. This party is the perfect opportunity to find out more about the
leader. Who knows, maybe he’s even here. I think I know my perfect way in. If I
can only find out who the courier is, I can find out who the leader is, because
the courier is in direct contact with the leader. The only way to find out who
that is, is by talking to the distributors. And I plan to do exactly that.

Scanning the crowd, I try to find Jaret. I haven’t seen him since
the fight in the arena, but I know he’s here. He wouldn’t pass up on something
like this. I need him to help me right now. I want to ask him to introduce me
to other distributors or ask him to talk them into sharing more. There’s got to
be a distributor willing to spill the beans.

When I spot him, I signal for him to come closer, and he does.

“Hey, dude,” he says. “You okay?” He checks out the wounds on my
hand and the bruises on my face.

“I’m all right. Hey, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

I lean in. “Help me find out who the courier is.”

He squints, frowning, his face turning rigid. “I’m not sure I …”

“You said you’d help,” I say bluntly.

He swallows. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Just talk to one of the other distributors. You know who they are,
right? We need to know who the courier is. Get them drunk if you have to. I
want the information.”

He sighs. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll give it a shot, but I can’t
promise anything.”

“Thanks, bro. I appreciate it,” I say as he gives me a firm
handshake. “I think you’ll do fine.”

“Don’t count on it,” Jaret says, laughing. “They’re a tough bunch.
They won’t spill crucial information like that easily.”

“You’re a manipulator, Jaret. This is what you do best,” I say with
a wink. “I trust you.”

He takes in a deep breath and sighs. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah, I’ll be here.”

Before he walks off into the crowd, he turns around and says one
more thing. “Oh, and by the way, I brought your girlfriend.”

My eyes widen, but he’s already disappeared before I have a chance
to say anything. Fuck. He brought Leafy into this? Why the fuck did he have to
do that? I want to go find her right now, but I know Wes would kill me if I
left this spot.