Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
"Fucking weak," I mutter and stand to go to the bar. I snatch a bottle of bourbon from the top shelf, pop the cork, and take a long drag. The burn of it feels so good while it courses through my cold chest. I keep my gaze on Sebastian as I swallow, thinking about how to approach him without starting another fight.
Lee saunters over, his own bottle of booze in hand. "Is it just me, or are these assholes worse than last year’s assholes?"
I snort. "I was just thinking the same thing. Five shots is nothing. That run is nothing."
I raise my voice so the recruits can hear me. "And if these assholes don't get moving soon, I'm going to start adding more shots and wood trails to what needs to get done tonight."
One of the assholes stumbles to his feet, and Lee gives him an appraising look. "You ready, asshole?"
He nods. "Yes, sir."
Lee gives him a saucy wink. "Show me the proof of your daily task, and it better fucking be interesting."
The recruit digs through his clothes on the floor for his phone, opens it, and shoves it at Lee. I lean over his shoulder and look down at the pictures. They each had to fuck five different people today and get proof to be admitted to the initiation.
Lee nods as he scrolls through the photos. "At least you've been thorough, asshole. Your shots are done. Let's go start your run."
Lee signals to Aries, who is monitoring the recruits on the floor still drinking. Seb stands and precedes Lee out the door. The recruit follows them, and I come up behind. A brisk wind howls outside, and the recruit immediately starts shivering as I clutch my fleece tighter around my shoulders and shove my hands into the pockets.
"Get on with it, fuckface. I don't want to get frostbite waiting for you."
Now that football season is over, we start the initiation process for the new recruits. Those who will take over in the coming years as Lee, Seb, and I graduate. It’s slim pickings at this point, but someone’s bound to have the balls to take over.
I stop next to Sebastian on the starting line, but like I anticipated, he doesn't even spare me a glance. Not until I snatch the bottle of top-shelf vodka from his grasp. Physically, he’s here, but mentally, I know he’s off in some faraway land, probably plotting my demise.
His eyes shoot to mine and narrow. "Fuck off," he says, low and menacing.
It's not even in the same tone he used to tell me to fuck off in. This tone promises a fight if I push him. And if I’m being honest, I've had just enough alcohol to fucking push him.
In fact, a fight is exactly what I need, because anything would be better than this painful reminder of what I did to Bel, of how I hurt her.
"Where is she?" I question confidently. There’s no point in beating around the push. He knows that I want her, that I’m dying to see even a glimpse of her sunshine blond hair.
He snatches the vodka back, holding it in one hand, his other shoved into his black dress pants. As always, he's dressed like he's about to hit the stock market floor. If I had to guess, I’d say Sebastian really wants to punch me in the face, and maybe that’s why he has his hand buried deep in his pocket. To stop himself from giving in to the impulse.
"Perhaps you’re deaf. I said fuck. Off."
I step closer, my breath fogging the night air. "Not deaf, buddy, just not listening to your bullshit. She hasn't returned to school for nearly a month. Her academics are important to her. When is she coming back?"
There's a crash as one of the recruits stumbles out of the house naked, racing toward the starting line. He zooms right past us. Finally, someone who is just as ready to get out of here as I am.
I focus my attention back on Seb. "Anyway, as we were discussing, you were just about to tell me when Bel planned to return to school?”
His green eyes narrow to slits. "First, why the fuck would I ever tell you? Second, why do you care so much? If my memory stands correct, you made it painfully clear that she is nothing to you. What, now that she's not trailer trash, you think you can have her back? She’s not a fucking toy that you can pass around to your friends.”
A hot wash of rage whips through me. "We both know I didn’t mean anything I said that day. All I was doing was protecting her from my father. You know how he is, and he's got it in his head to make her pay for sullying our name. I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I’m aware that I did, but that wasn’t my objective."