Fierce

by Wild, Clarissa

  “Oh …” I say. I don’t really know what else to say.

  “Well anyway, don’t think you’re horrible. If anyone’s horrible around here, it’s me.”

  She chuckles. “What did you do now?”

  “Nothing! I just couldn’t stay at that damn funeral reception. All I could think of was what happened, Hunter and what he’s doing now, and then I saw Brody and I freaked out. Like big time.”

  She laughs. “Nothing new to me. You’re always out of it.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad I’m out of there. I’m really not good at those things.”

  “Who is?” she says, and then she sighs.

  It’s quiet for a few minutes, and we’re both just sighing, trying to make sense of it all.

  “Thank you for helping me,” she says. “I really appreciate you sticking by me.”

  She leans her head on my shoulder and puffs. “And Hunter, of course.”

  I giggle. “Hunter?” I can’t believe she even mentioned him and a ‘thank you’ in the same sentence.

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy.”

  “Oh, is he now?” I chuckle a little.

  She pokes me in the side. “Don’t laugh. I mean it. He isn’t half as bad as I thought. Especially when he defended us back at the party.”

  “So are you telling me you actually like him now?”

  “Maybe. I’m not saying ‘like.’ I mean, the whole drugs debacle is still irking me, but if you can deal with it, then I should be able to as well.” She looks up at me and smiles.

  I smile back. I’m happy she can accept him for who he is. Or at least accept the fact that I like him and that I want to be with him. I don’t want to ruin the moment by telling her I haven’t seen him all day, and that it’s making me angry. I’d rather have this instead.

  “I’m just glad he can make you happy,” she says, and she laces her fingers through mine. “I’m happy for you two.”

  “Thank you,” I say, putting my arm around her and hugging her. “It means a lot that you say that.”

  “I can’t breathe,” she whispers, while I squeeze her tight.

  “Sorry,” I say, laughing a bit and releasing her from my grip.

  “It just makes me feel so much better knowing you’re fine with Hunter and me being in a relationship.”

  “Hmm, so you’re in a ‘relationship’ now?” She makes quotation marks with her fingers. At first my heart drops into my shoes. Her teasing makes me think she’s still not okay with it.

  But then she bumps her shoulder against mine and says, “Good on you, girl.”

  “I don’t know, I don’t even know what to call what we have. We just … After all those times we got together … it just happened.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Her eyes grow big. “You had sex?”

  I blush, feeling scrutinized. That, and I don’t want her to feel bad. I know how she feels about me.

  “This is for real? You? Autumn Blakewood? You had sex?” she squeals. “How was it?”

  Wow. I did not expect her to react the way she did. Maybe she really is over it.

  “It was … nice.”

  “Nice my ass. It must’ve been amazing!”

  “I don’t know. I never did it before, so I have nothing to compare it with. But it was … good.” I turn red as a beet again, just thinking about what I did with Hunter. Or rather, what he did with me.

  “God, I can’t believe it,” Evie says, slapping her own forehead. “I’m away for like one week, and you’ve already broken most of your nerd records.”

  I gasp. “What? You’re making it sound like I’m some kind of virginal geeky holy Mary.”

  “You are.”

  She laughs and starts tickling me, making me squirm. She hasn’t been this perky in ages, and I’ll gladly let her make me beg for mercy while she tickles me to death. It takes us a few minutes to stop laughing and giggling.

  “So … what do we do from here?” I say after a while.

  “Well,” she says, stretching her arms. “You seem to have a spare bed in your room, and I don’t see anyone else’s stuff lying around, so … mind if I bunk with you again?”

  “Yes! Of course you can sleep here. Actually, no, I demand you bunk here.”

  She punches me in the shoulder, and I drop down onto the bed. She drops down with me, lying next to me, and puts her arm around me like she used to.

  “I don’t want anything to change, though,” she says, and she lifts her head. “Is that okay? Can I still be the old me? Even after …”

  “Shut up. You’re Evie. You’re always Evie. And you’re always my best friend, no matter what.”

  She smiles, and I grab her hand to show her that I still care. I do. I don’t care about what happened between us. I want things to be okay. I want my best friend back.

  And now I have her back. On a day that was supposed to be miserable, gloomy, and sad, I somehow managed to get Evie back on my side. I should feel bad about being happy on a day like this, but I’m not. Good things can come on bad days, and I don’t feel sorry for feeling happy.

  I only wish things could stay like this forever. But I’ve learned from the past that bad things are always bound to happen, it’s only a matter of time.

  Chapter 25

  Into the Underground

  Someone knocks on our door, and we both shoot up from the bed. Jaret steps in, his face dark and concerned. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” He signals me.

  I look at Evie, and she nods.

  “Uh … Sure,” I say, and I get up from the bed. I glance at her one last time, feeling a bit anxious because Jaret looks like he has some bad news. Then I step outside with him.

  “Hunter’s having some … problems right now. I’m not sure if I should be the one to say this, but I don’t want to lead you on either,” he says.

  “What happened to him?”

  He comes closer. “Look, I can’t really tell you, because my life is on the line.”

  “Okay …” I swallow. My throat suddenly feels raw and hot.

  “I’ve been helping Hunter, but only because he asked me to. I didn’t think it’d get this bad.”

  “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Look, they forced him to do something, because they found out we’re looking for the boss.”

  My eyes widen. Oh no. Oh God, no.

  “What’s going on? Where is he?” I say.

  “Shhh!” he says, putting his finger on his lips. “Don’t shout so much. Look, I really can’t tell you a lot. I’m sorry. I don’t want to get in trouble. If I’d known it’d get this tough, I would never have agreed,” he sighs, rubbing his hands over his head like he’s in some deep shit, just like Hunter.

  Oh God. Where are they keeping him? What did they do to him?

  “Is it bad?” I ask.

  “No … Yes. No, he’s done this before. It’s what they always ask us newbies to do. It’s just that it’s never been this …” he swallows those last words.

  “What am I supposed to do with this information if I don’t know where he is? How can I find him?” I say.

  Jaret rummages in his pocket and takes out two paper tickets. “Here. Take this. I got them from one of the distributors. Brody.”

  “Brody?” I scream. So Brody is a pawn in this as well?

  Jaret puts his hand over my mouth.

  “He probably got them from the courier. I had to give these to you, so my best guess is that he got the same order.”

  “You want to give these to me? What do I have to do with this?”

  “I don’t know, I’m just following orders, trying to get their trust back,” Jaret says with his eyebrows raised.

  I frown, while he presses the tickets firmly into my hand. “Don’t look at them until you’re in your room, and I’m gone.”

  He gazes at me one more time with a stern look on his face before turning around and walking away as if nothing ever happened.

  Baffled, I go back inside and close the door b
ehind me. The scrunched-up tickets in my hand are the only thing I’m aware of right now.

  I can’t believe what just happened. Jaret basically told me Hunter’s been doing what he’s doing right now for a long time already, and it’s all because of them. The frat club. Only this time … it’s way, way worse. They even want me to see it.

  Whatever it is, I need to find out and get him out of there.

  Dammit, if only he hadn’t gone after that boss, he’d be out of trouble now. Why in hell’s name is he putting so much at risk?

  “What you got?” Evie asks.

  I’m startled, pulled out of my thoughts.

  Unwrapping the paper, I walk toward her and sit down on the bed. We both stare at the tickets. They’re entry passes into some sort of event tonight. Big fat letters exclaim the words ‘Hunter,’ ‘V.S.,’ and ‘Killer.’

  Chills run down my spine reading those last few letters.

  It freaks me out to an impossible level.

  “What the …”

  “He’s in trouble. Big time.”

  “Jaret gave these to you?”

  “Yeah.” There are two of them. “I guess he wants me to take you?”

  “I guess …”

  “Please, don’t make me go alone.” I put up my puppy-dog eyes.

  She caves, laughing. “Oh, all right. How can I not go when you look at me like that?”

  Her laugh doesn’t make me feel any better. This whole thing is making me feel sick to my stomach.

  I hope Hunter is all right.

  ♥♥♥

  8 p.m.

  We’re walking through the city, our legs shaking from the cold. It’s dark and scary outside. Lampposts barely light the streets, and it’s grown increasingly deserted the last couple of streets. Cars don’t come here. Nobody comes here. This is a place filled with abandoned warehouses.

  And I have no idea what the fuck Evie and I are doing here.

  I wish I’d never accepted those tickets.

  Part of me wants to run back to campus and just wait it out, but my gut is telling me to get over my fear. I need to find Hunter and help him. I know he’s in danger. I can feel it. If I run now, there’s no way I can save him.

  “I don’t like this one bit …” Evie mutters.

  Her teeth chatter, and she clamps onto her coat for warmth. I’m shivering, but I don’t want to admit I’m scared to death. I don’t want her to be afraid, and if I am, so will she be. I need to be the strong one now.

  “Me neither, but we have to,” I say.

  “Remind me again why?”

  “To find Hunter. For me. He’s in danger.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, I just have this feeling in my gut that something is wrong.”

  “Oh … well, I hope he’s okay, but I’m more worried about you.”

  “I’ve got you with me. I won’t be in danger.” I wink, and she smiles, trying to relax a little.

  We cross the street, checking the signs for the way to go. It should be right around where we are now, although I still have no idea what I’m looking for.

  “This is it,” I say, as we walk into an alley.

  “I don’t see anything,” she whispers, tugging my coat.

  “There!” I point at the door, and drag her with me.

  It says ‘NO ENTRY,’ but when I pull the door, it opens right away.

  “You sure this is the place?” she asks, her voice trembling.

  “Yes.”

  We both look at each other and gulp away our fears. Not that it helps one bit.

  There’s a staircase leading down into a basement. One light is dangling from the ceiling. Spider nests cover the walls. Scary shit.

  “Ew … nasty,” Evie says, as we walk through.

  We go to the end where there’s another door. I can hear loud noises coming from behind it. I wonder what the heck is going on down there.

  “You ready?”

  She nods, swallowing again.

  When I open the door, I get the urge to close my eyes in case something comes flying my way, but there is only one person standing behind it. There’s a man, at least six foot tall, with tattoos all over his arms and face, and he’s right in front of me. His arms are folded, and he smells like hasn’t bathed in years. On his shirt are the words ‘Alpha Psi.’

  “Tickets,” he says gruffly.

  Loud cheering and yelling comes from behind him. It sounds like there are at least a couple hundred people in this place. I peek over his shoulder, wondering what’s up there. He blocks my view.

  “Tickets,” he snarls.

  “Uh, yeah,” I say, fishing them out of my pocket.

  He snatches them from my hand, his fingernails scratching my skin. Dang, that hurts. He brings the tickets so close to his face, I swear I think he’s sniffing them.

  Inspecting them, his eyes sometimes flick to me, then to Evie, and then back to the papers in his hands. He squints, grumbling.

  Shit.

  Unexpectedly, he gives them back. “You can pass.”

  For a moment I just stand there, baffled, while he moves to the side.

  “Well?” he says, his voice growing impatient.

  “Thanks!” I grab Evie by the coat and drag her with me.

  We enter what looks like a giant warehouse, but there are rows and rows of bleachers forming a circle around the center. In the middle of it all is a cage.

  We’re on a lowered part of the warehouse, so I can only see the top of the bars. It echoes with screams and shouts, people who are cheering for something. Or someone.

  It gives me the chills just listening to their chants.

  Killer, Killer

  Make him be the spiller

  The floor will flood

  With all of his blood

  Killer, Killer

  I swallow. The horror that fills my heart unsettles me. Everything about this screams danger.

  Still, I press on.

  Evie and I hold hands as we walk to one of the bleachers. Angry men with tattoos and piercings glare us down. Evie squeezes my hand. We slip past them, up the bleachers. There are a couple of spots left in the middle, so I set my gaze on those and make my way toward them, ignoring everything and everyone around me.

  Groans and thuds are coming from the center of the room, the cage, and I recognize the sounds to be human. The audience cries out in enthusiasm. Shivers run down my spine hearing them roar at the sound of someone’s bones cracking.

  I close my eyes as we sit down. Sweat drops roll down my shirt. My fingers are tingly, and I’m not sure if it’s because Evie’s squeezing the life out of them, or if it’s because I’m going to faint.

  “Can you look?” I ask.

  “Why? You have eyes,” she scoffs.

  Neither of us are remotely interested in watching, but I want to know what’s going on.

  “Please? I’m scared.”

  She sighs. “Fine.”

  It’s quiet for too long, so I ask, “What do you see?”

  “Oh. My. God.”

  “What?” I say.

  “You have to see this for yourself.” She lets go of my clammy hand.

  I feel left in the dark. I know I have to open my eyes eventually, but I’m scared of what I’ll see.

  Breathing out slowly, I gather the courage to look.

  And what I see shocks me so much, I think my heart temporarily stops beating.

  The guy in the cage getting beaten to a pulp is none other than Hunter Bane.

  Chapter 26

  Brawl or Die

  I stare in complete and utter abhorrence at the cage in the center of the warehouse. Hunter is going all out in a fight with a guy twice his size.

  They’re punching, jabbing, thrusting their whole bodies at each other as much as possible. Every second a quick jab is thrown out. I can’t even follow their movements, they’re so fast. They’re like two raging bulls storming at each other, continuously beating each other up.

  So this is
what Hunter has been doing all this time. Each time he came to my room all busted up, he’d been in a fight just like this. In a cage, beating up his opponents until they passed out.

  I’m trembling in my seat, trying to make sense of it all.

  Evie’s equally as terrified as I am; she hasn’t spoken since we both saw Hunter fighting.

  Is this what they make him do? Fight people for money?

  And how long has he been doing this? Hours? Days? Has he been locked up in here ever since he left after Scarlet’s death?

  I can’t believe he would let them do this to him. That he’d agree to something this horrible.

  It’s hard to watch.

  Hunter’s nose is bleeding, his jaw is purple, and his eye is swollen. It looks like he’s already taken quite a beating.

  He wipes his nose with the back of his hand, which from a distance looks covered in bruises. The look in his eyes is bloodthirsty, murderous. Clenching his jaw, he runs toward his opponent and rams him down with brute force.

  The guy flops down on the hard concrete ground, and I think I hear something crack. The audience goes ‘ooh,’ and I wince when the guy places his hands on his ribs, his face contorting with pain.

  Hunter prowls toward him with a smug smile on his face. Grabbing the hem of the guy’s shirt, he lifts part of his torso up into the air, and raises his fist. He mouths something, but nobody can hear it. Then he punches the guy straight in the face.

  Multiple times.

  My eyes widen. I’m shocked.

  Hunter beats the guy’s face to a pulp and doesn’t let go until he’s fainted, his body limp in Hunter’s hands.

  I’m disgusted.

  The crowd bursts out into cheers, while I want to throw up in a bucket. I can barely hold down my dinner.

  “It’s a win for the Hunter!” A big tattooed guy dangles a key between his fingers and opens a barred door right behind the fainted guy. Hunter backs away, spitting out some blood, and goes back to his side of the cage. Clinging onto the bars, he gazes at the crowd, peering at each and every one of them.

  When his tongue dips out of his mouth, and he licks his lips, I can’t help but feel hot.

  And then he roars. The crowd goes mad.