Page 20 of Waging War
The air in here is too thick. Sweat marks my brow, and any second, I feel as though I’ll start gasping. I’ve been careless with emotions I’ve buried for quite some time. They’re clawing their way to the surface, and it’s all I can do to force them back down.
Coming here was a mistake. One that I can’t make again.
“Happy birthday, Hazel.”
Pure unfiltered shock blankets her. She takes a step away from me, then another, until she’s far enough that I can’t reach her.
Closing my hand around the doorknob, I turn to bolt.
Hazel’s voice rasps from behind me, holding me by an invisible thread. “Ben.”
I angle my body toward her, waiting for her parting words.
“I hate you.”
CHAPTERSIX
Ben
Fatigue bleeds into every strand of muscle as I roll through another round of bench presses. I push harder, inviting the strain and burning sensations of lifting heavier than usual. Heavy metal pounds through my headphones, helping me drown out the presence of Félix and the other two guys down here.
When the Wolves ransacked Jackie’s home, they busted out most of the windows and nearly caught the whole mansion on fire. The only thing that stopped them from succeeding was a barrage of bullets once the guards were able to round up enough backup. Jackie’s home is a complete wreck, his pristine yard now charred black, and as a result, our compound has been relocated to a rundown hotel.
Retaliation from the Wolves was expected, but we thought Kenneth’s absence would buy us a little time to request a meeting with Cooper. Instead, barely a week after Jack and the rest of them escaped, they came for revenge.
Thinking back to my run-in with the VP, I can’t decide if Cooper alluding that the gang has been split up works for our plan or against it.
I rack my bar, nodding to Félix as he exits. He’s one of few men here who isn’t a complete asshole. We’ve partnered up on different assignments, but he never allows for much conversation. I’ve made minimal attempts to get to know him better, but the man remains a mystery.
Samantha enters our makeshift gym as he leaves. Long, wavy locks frame her face in an unnaturally messy way, and her gait seems oddly sluggish.
Strange…She never wanders this far through the hotel.
Without acknowledging me, she walks across the space and out of my line of sight.
It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s just left one of guys’ rooms, but it’s hard to ignore the niggling sensation that something is off.
I try to let it slide as I grab the bar again and work through another set, but I can’t stand the tension gnawing at me any longer.
Sweat slides down my body as I rerack and roll off the bench to confront her. I get one foot on the ground before I hear a muffled cry through my headphones. Ripping them off my head, I whip around to see Alfonzo and another man cornering Sam beside a rack of dumbbells.
Alfonzo has a hand around her neck while the other gropes her over her shirt.
“What the fuck do you two think you’re doing?” I ask, bounding across the room and reaching for Sam.
It’s then that I notice her too-wide pupils, the pallor of her normally tan skin, and the droop of her shoulders.
Classic signs of drug use.
Only, for as long as I’ve known her, I’ve never once seen her use any sort of drug.
“Are you on Remi?” I ask her, stunned.
The squattier man beside Alfonzo has the balls to swing at me, and I shove him hard enough that he trips over his feet and falls on his ass.
“Chill out, Ben. We were just having some fun. We didn’t know she wasyourbitch.” Alfonzo smirks as he slowly backs away from Sam, and I want nothing more than to beat the taunting look off his ugly face.
Sam touches my shoulder, relaxing her body against me as her eyes sag.
