Page 58 of Fury
"I'm your only sister, dumbass."
As they banter, I notice Bethany and her group exiting the bar, followed by men in polo shirts and khakis who must be their husbands. They spot us immediately, and Bethany's lip curls in disgust.
"Look at that," she stage-whispers, loud enough for us to hear. "They even got the gay doctor hanging around with them now."
Xavier stiffens slightly but keeps his expression neutral. Samantha, however, whips around, fury blazing in her eyes.
"What did you just say about my brother?"
One of the men, a red-faced guy with a receding hairline, steps forward. "Your brother needs to pick better company than a bunch of biker whores."
"And maybe pick a lifestyle that's not going to send him to hell," another adds, sneering. "Bad enough we've got gangs in this town without adding those people to the mix."
Xavier places a restraining hand on Samantha's arm. "Let it go, Sam. They're not worth it."
"Listen to your fairy doctor brother." Bethany laughs nastily. "Run along home before you catch something."
I feel a presence behind me and turn to see Zach materializing from the shadows, his expression thunderous. Tiana moves to intercept him, whispering something urgent in his ear that makes him pause, though his hands remain clenched at his sides.
"You know what's funny?" I say, stepping forward before this can escalate further. "The 'fairy doctor' you're insulting just finished saving lives in the ER while you were getting drunk and making fools of yourselves."
"And he's twice the man any of you will ever be," Meadow adds, her voice dripping with contempt.
The first guy puffs up his chest. "You bitches need to learn some respect. Your kind is ruining this town with your trash."
"Our kind?" Tiana echoes dangerously. "And what kind is that, exactly?"
"The kind that doesn't belong in decent society," Bethany's husband replies, emboldened by liquid courage. "Criminals, deviants, and their whores."
The tension crackles like electricity, and I notice more cuts appearing at the edges of our group, prospects and full members materializing as if summoned by the brewing conflict. The husbands notice too, some of their bravado faltering.
Xavier steps between the groups, his professional calm firmly in place. "Gentlemen, I suggest you take your women home before someone says something they'll regret."
"Do you mean like calling you a faggot?" the red-faced man spits, stepping closer to Xavier. "We all knew about you in high school. The way you'd stare in the locker room. Disgusting."
Another man laughs cruelly. "Should've beaten it out of you back then. Might've fixed you."
"Always could tell you were one," a third chimes in, his words slurring. "The way you walk, talk. Everything about you screams queer."
Xavier's professional composure cracks, pain flashing across his features before he can mask it.
Before anyone can react, Zach surges forward, shouldering past Tiana. His fist connects with the red-faced man's jaw with a sickening crack. The man crumples instantly, unconscious before he hits the pavement.
"Anyone else got something to say?" Zach snarls, standing over the fallen man.
Chaos erupts. One of the husbands lunges for Zach, only to be intercepted by Tiana, who drives her knee into his groin. He doubles over, and she follows with an elbow to his back that sends him sprawling.
Bethany shrieks and grabs Tiana's hair, yanking hard. Meadow doesn't hesitate, she delivers a perfect right hook that snaps Bethany's head back, blood spraying from her nose.
"That's for high school, bitch!" Meadow yells.
I find myself facing Kaitlyn, who's clawing at me like a cornered cat. Instinct takes over, and I block her wild swing and drive my fist into her stomach, satisfaction surging through me when she gasps for air.
The parking lot becomes a battlefield. Rose tackles one of the women to the ground, pinning her with practiced ease. Vanessa and Cassandra double-team a husband who's built like a linebacker, one sweeping his legs while the other delivers a punishing blow to his sternum.
Samantha stands back-to-back with Xavier, both landing precise strikes that speak of martial arts training. "Not so helpless now, am I?" Xavier shouts, his fist connecting with a jaw.
Prospects and full members have formed a perimeter, not joining in but ensuring no one escapes or calls the police. This is club justice—swift, violent, and contained.
