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I stepped out of the ring, leaving the two fuckwits behind as I walked upstairs, towards wherever the fuck Marissa was - because she and I needed to iron some shit out. She didn’t get to ghost me simply becauseshe felt like it, and the surest way to remind her of that would be with my cock buried inside her. I’d make her moan her agreement - make her remember her commitment as my tongue grazed her clit, because as badass as Marissa was, I was still an O’Riley, and I was here towin.
Chapter Seventeen : An Agreement is an Agreement
Mack
Imarchedmyassupstairs, heading for the restaurant that they kept labeling a ‘Cafeteria’. It was laughable, actually, because this setup was the furthest thing from a cafeteria, which only served to remind you that this wasn’t actually a college or university - despite the classes they made us attend - and that money truly seemed to govern all.
On any other day, I would have showered - would have made myself somewhat presentable, but as my pulse pounded in my temples, I didn’t give a fuck - I just wanted to be with Marissa - to have it out with her - to fuck her. But as I slowed my steps towards the table we normally sat at, I found only Aria and Raquel seated there. And after storming in here, there was no way I could leave now. I dropped my ass into my seat, resigning myself to the fact that I’d eat andthenfind Marissa because if I did nothing else today, it would be to hash shit out with her.
“What happened to you?” Aria sounded shocked, and I shouldn’t have been surprised - she’d probably never seen someone with a black eye before. I brought my finger to my lip, finally realizing how tender the flesh felt. Fucker drew blood there, and if it had been a fair fight, I might have applauded him, but as far as I was concerned, Josh was and always would be a dirty bastard. “I was in the ring and didn't block correctly.” I shrugged off her concern. As much as I liked Raquel and Aria, I wasn’t about to tell them what went down with two of The Society’s golden boys. If anything, now they knew that I wasn’t so easy to fuck with.
Whilst Aria looked horrified, Raquel looked amused as I grabbed myself a glass of water. My body itched with sweat, and sitting here between them, I was wholly aware that I should have stopped for a shower first - in fact, that was probably where Marissa was. And suddenly my mind was in the gutter again as I imagined water cascading over her plump breasts as she soaped herself up. Was it my own version of a male fantasy? Fuck yes, but I was also a guy and couldn’t find it within me to give a fuck.
“You could at least showerbeforejoining us.” Aria scrunched her nose up in distaste, her words serving as a reflection to my own inner sentiments. But I couldn’t agree with her - not now that I was sitting here, so I flipped her off instead, choosing to dish myself up some fucking food. The sooner I ate, the sooner I could leave, the sooner I could deal with Marissa.
“Don’t let Mack fool you,” Raquel chimed in, “the boy can fight.”
How the fuck did Raquel know that I could fight? Did she also know who I was? What my family was capable of? I played it cool, shrugging off her statement, because the worst thing I could do right then was give it any more credence than necessary.
“I’ve been doing boxing since I was five - my dad insisted upon it.” I had to give them some sort of explanation - especially with Aria staring at me, curiosity etched across her pretty face, and I had long since learned that when covering upanything, where you could offer the truth, you should. It meant that you were less likely to get caught out with the other shit.
“You have a brother, right?” Aria pressed on, and I knew that it was only natural that she’d be curious about my family - even if it fucking killed me to speak about them.
“Yeah,” I grinned, swallowing the acid-like feeling on my tongue, “two years younger than me, and not half bad at boxing.”
I didn’t like talking about Patrick - not withthem. Patrick was the best of us, and even sharing small pieces of him here felt like a betrayal. I wanted to protect him from them and The Society’s bullshit - I wanted to protect my family, and as nice as Raquel and Aria were, I didn’t trust them, not when I still wasn’t certain about where their loyalties lay.
But I also knew that refusing to talk about him and my family would serve as a red fucking flag, and I couldn’t afford that - not when I needed everyone here to assume that I was going along with The Society and their fucked-up bullshit.
“Oh?” Aria’s curiosity was goddamn annoying, but I got it - I really did. Most here were only kids, their parents forced together in the breeding program, and here I was a child oftwo. The truth was, if my family wasn’t beholden to The Society, they probably would have had a lot more of us, but my mother couldn’t stand the thought of any of us serving time at a basecamp, and my Da caved to anything Ma wanted.
“Yeah,” I nodded, “when I started training at five, he began at three - because anything I did, hehadto do as well, and so my dad ended up training a five-year-old and three-year-old simultaneously.”
I fought the deep ache that burned in my chest - the one that spoke of home and belonging - the one that throbbed each time Ithoughtabout them. I missed them. I missed home. And I missed my life before I came here, even if my weekends were often spent blood splattered and drunk. Because I was an O’Riley, and that was our way.
Aria smiled at me as if I had just told her some cute fucking fairytale, and while I adored my family, I knew that they weren’t everybody’s cup of tea.
The conversation finally came to a halt as we ate in companionable silence. I dabbed my lip occasionally, noting that the blood coming off of it was less and less each time. It irked me that Joshua drew blood, not simply because he was a bastard who fought dirty, but because he wasSociety, and I’d be damned if I lost to them.
Just then a messenger dressed in black slacks, a waistcoat, and a white dress shirt dashed towards our table, and if we weren’t already fucking eating, I would have assumed he was part of the wait staff.
It was as if we held a collective breath as he approached because it didn’t take a genius to know that nothing good could come from whatever he was delivering - he was acting on behalf of The Society, and that thought alone made dread pool in my stomach. He pulled out a crisp white envelope from behind his back with a flourish as if he were the wizard of Oz or some shit. It was annoying.
“Miss O’Luc?” He inquired.
“Yes?” Aria answered easily, her manners kicking in in that way that people of good breeding seemed to have mastered, but the erratic rise and fall of her chest gave her away - she was scared.
“This is for you.” He handed her the envelope, ensuring that she had a good grasp on it before fully releasing the paper.
“Please, be on time,” he said by way of departure, and left.
The Society was fucked up in so many ways, but this cold, calculated way they handled things under the guise of etiquette was probably the worst because they could be inviting her to Armageddon with the same brusque attitude.
Aria’s gaze darted to Raquel and then to me before finally settling on the envelope before her.
I shrugged, trying to figure out what the hell to say that would put her at ease withoutlyingto her, but Raquel dived in first, offering her the brutal truth in that blasé tone of hers.
“It probably has something to do with your assignments.”
