“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.
I brush my fingers through my hair, anxiety rushing through my veins. Suddenly a pretty blonde girl comes up to me, and I roll my eyes. I’m not at all in the mood for this right now.
“Hey,” she says.
When I look at her I swear I’ve seen her before. And then I realize she’s the girl that was in a fight with a distributor the other day. I was outside, minding my own business, when they started screaming at each other, and Wes told me to back off. She’s that girl.
I don’t know why I remember, because she isn’t anything special. I just do. For some reason, this stuck with me. Maybe it’s because of Wes’ threat. Or maybe it’s because the distributor she’s dating is Leafy’s friend.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight as the girl leans in to me and places her hand on my arm. “I’d love some of that stuff you offer.”
I clear my throat. “You want to buy something from me? Isn’t your boyfriend part of Alpha Psi too?”
She scowls. “I’m not in the mood to ask him for squat.”
She folds her arms, blinking rapidly as she looks his way. He’s sitting on a couch with a bunch of girls, smoking again, and they’re all over him. That must upset her. I don’t like seeing girls hurt.
I purse my lips. “Are you okay?”
“Yes …”
“You don’t look too good,” I say. “You sure you want drugs?”
A quick smile fades from her lips. “I’m fine. Just give me something to kill the pain, all right?”
“Drugs aren’t the way to kill the pain,” I say. “They could kill you, though.”
She laughs. “I’m not letting that happen. I’ve got way too much to live for.”
“All right, if you say so.” I fish out a blunt I rolled before and hand it over to her. She pushes a few bills into my hand in exchange. “Thanks, hun.”
She leans against me, her arm around my shoulder while I light the blunt. She takes a few drags without any trouble. Looks like she’s done this before. I’m not surprised, knowing she’s the girlfriend of a distributor.
“You know, you look rather cute,” she says, her fingers drifting through my hair as smoke fills the air around us. Yep, doesn’t take long for that shit to take effect. She giggles and presses her lips against my cheek. I’m not really in the mood to be fondled, so I try to push her away, but she clings to me like I’m her only solace.
“Why can’t I just hug you?” she jests, clearly high as fuck.
I roll my eyes. “You have a boyfriend.”
She snorts. “He doesn’t care about me.” She runs her finger along my chest. “You look like the type who does care about women.”
I should tell her to fuck off, but my pity for her is stronger than my apathy.
She hangs on me like a wet towel, draping herself over my shoulder. She hovers close to my ear, and whispers, “Name’s Scarlet. Could you sell me some more? I need some cocaine for later. I’m hanging out with some friends. By the way, I love your muscles.”
It’s hard not to smile at a compliment, but I know that’s the drugs talking. However, I still give her what she asks for. Anything to get rid of her as soon as possible.
My gaze shifts around the room while I rummage in my pocket. I notice Jaret sitting at the poker table, not able to even sit straight. He’s shitfaced, and it makes me laugh. As I hand Scarlet the packet, my gaze settles on a brown-haired girl who’s wearing such a short black dress I can almost see her panties. Her thin legs are amazing and I can’t wait to see what she looks like up close. But when she turns around, my heart drops to the floor. It’s Leafy. Shit.
She’s looking straight at me. I know what this must look like, especially to her. I can see her heart shatter from a distance. I’m painfully aware of the fact that the one girl I care about sees another girl hanging on my arms. There couldn’t have been a worse time for her to see me.
Selling drugs is what I do, she knows that. I tried to show her that she needed to stay away because of all this. Clingy drug-addicted girls come with being a dealer. Yet I know Leafy thinks I’m a bastard. I can see it in her teary eyes.
She turns around and runs out the door.
Immediately, I bolt after her, not even caring about anyone else right now. Jaret brought her here, and I know for a fact that he can’t bring her home. He’s wasted, and I’m not letting her step into a car with someone I don’t trust. Wherever she’s running off to, it’s not good.
When I catch up to her, I grab her hand, but she starts kicking backwards like a crazy girl. “Let me go!”
“No. Not until you listen to me,” I say. I want to explain this to her. What she saw isn’t who I am.
I’m so distracted by holding her back, she kicks me straight in the nuts, and I groan. My grip on her slips. “Wow, nice kick. You’ve learned a lot,” I say, like now’s the time to use some self-defense. I’d hoped she wouldn’t use it on me.
She makes a run for it, so I swallow away th
e pain and storm after her. We’re in the parking lot, surrounded by cars, and I wonder where she thinks she’s going. She can’t run away from me. I won’t let her get away without giving me a chance to explain. I need to make this right. But she keeps running away from me, even though I know I’m faster, which makes me chuckle. “You wanna play catch? I can do that. I’m Hunter. Seizing innocent prey is what I do best. You should know better.”
I’m sorry, but chasing girls has always been one of the better things in life. I like when they put up a good fight. Especially when they’re dressed like she is right now. Damn, that dress. If it weren’t for our continuous struggle to get as far away as possible from each other, I’d strip it off her. But since she’s kind of mad at me right now, it’s better not to think about that. However, I won’t give up trying to catch her, because I need her to know that what she saw wasn’t what she thinks it is.
Walking backwards, she shakes her head. She almost tumbles over a ridge, but I manage to catch her just in time before her head hits the asphalt. My fingers are wrapped around her wrists, and I snatch her up in my arms.
“Let go of me!” she screams, fighting me off.
“No,” I say, holding her down before she starts slapping me.
“Fuck you!” she hisses. “You can’t keep me here forever. I’m leaving.”
She tries to squirm free, but I hold her tight between my arms. Her tiny body is no match for mine, and I can go at this all night. I won’t say no to a wrestling match with her.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I say.
“Let me go or I’ll―”
Empty threats will get her nowhere. “You’ll what? Scream? Yeah, nobody’s going to react to that. Not here,” I say, laughing. She thinks she’s the one in control, but I got news for her.
“I want to go. Now,” she snaps.
“Go where? Home? Good luck. Your driver is wasted, and there’s no way I’m going to let you go on your own. It’s too far to get to the dorm, you’ll never make it on foot.”
Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series Page 18
