The Brotherhood
Chapter III
By X
All the showerheads exploded with powerful jets of freezing ice-cold water. The shock was too much to handle because I stumbled and knocked us both to the floor. As if our situation wasn’t embarrassing enough, I landed on Arsen, but he was quick to push me off to the side.
I tried rolling away from the icy water and bumped into Jason. It appeared everyone was laid out on the cold tile, squirming like a fish out of water.
Before long, though, the brothers were yelling for us to get back on our feet and under the showerheads to rinse off.
Shriving and wet, all the pledges stood shoulder to shoulder before the Brothers; chattering teeth echoed in the shower room. They made us stand there for at least five minutes before one of the Brothers ordered Mike and Xavier to the back room to get some towels for us. We were given thirty seconds to dry off and throw the wet towels in the dirty bin.
With most of the cold water gone from my naked body, I felt better, warmer, and waited for whatever was coming next.
With his quiet stride, Eric strolled up and down the row of pledges, his eyes staring into each pledge as if searching for some hidden secret. “There is a matter that needs to be taken care of before we allow you back upstairs to change.”
“Yes,” Q’s voice came from the side.
Turning my head slightly to the right, I caught his profile in the corner of my eye. Before I knew it, a hand gripped my jaw, forcing me to look straight ahead.
“Did anyone give you permission to move, pledge?”
It was Steel looking at me with fierce, bulldog eyes, yelling at the top of his lungs. My heart got caught in my throat; that’s how bad he scared me. I didn’t see or hear him coming. He was just there, appearing seemingly from nowhere.
I swallowed hard. “No, Sir!”
“Then why the fuck are you moving?” he demanded, releasing my face and stepping closer to me until he was just hairs away.
“I don’t know, Sir! I’m sorry, Sir!” I swear I felt like I was on Parris Island. You know, the place where they train marines. Never been there myself, but I’ve seen it on the Discovery channel. Call me crazy, but I think those guys have it easier.
“Move again…” he said as if daring me to defy him. I was smart enough to know that wasn’t an order but a warning.
I could finally breathe when he backed away and took his place with the other Brothers. Asshole, I thought, and Steel turned to look at me with narrow eyes as if he heard me.
What the fuck was that all about?
“Like I was saying,” Eric continued, jerking his head to the side to clear this long hair from his face. “There is a certain matter that needs to be resolved. Paul and Steve.” Snapping his fingers, he pointed to the spot in front of him, which happened to be directly in front of me.
Q’s voice filled the room again, but I did not dare look for him this time. “Earlier in the day, you were given a choice to either run naked like the rest of your pledge brothers or keep your jock on.” Q came into view and walked around the naked pair; his raven hair covered half his face like a veil of darkness. “You choose to keep your jocks, did you not?”
“Yes,” they both answered, and I could almost see the word “Sir” slip from Paul’s lips, but he caught himself just in time.
Standing before my two pledge brothers, Q ran his hand thru his hair, revealing his pale face and shimmering orbs of pure silver. “Well, that was your mistake. If you truly want to be part of the Brotherhood, you must learn to stand by your brothers no matter what. This morning you had the chance to show your commitment to your pledge brothers by sharing in their disgrace. Instead, you decided to take the high road while your pledge brothers crashed and burned. That kind of attitude has no place in the Brotherhood.”
A long, uncomfortable silence filled the room. One could hear the drops of water hitting the floor.
“Do you have anything to say for yourselves?” Q questioned, his lips scarcely moving, his eyes set on the two pledges.
Paul was the first to speak. “With all due respect, Q, I wasn’t given a chance to speak because Steve here decided to speak for the both of us.”
Stepping up behind Paul and Steve, Eric folded his arms over his chest. “So, you’re saying it was Steve’s fuck up, and you shouldn’t be held responsible for his stupidity?”
Paul nodded. “Exactly, Sir!”
“Wrong!” all the brothers in the room shouted in one unified voice, and every single pledge was startled and jumped. My heart banged in my chest after that, and I knew every other pledge was experiencing the same thing.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Steel asked.
Frustrated, Q sighed. “Let’s hope they all get it before initiation is over. At any rate, you will shave each other’s heads. That’s your punishment for your actions. And Paul, you just went the extra mile, so you get a bonus. Once you shave Steve’s head, he will free you of all body hair.
The horror of Q’s words took a few seconds to sink into Paul’s head, but when it did, his eyes flew open like he had just received the shock of his life. I saw the look on his face and knew he was about to open his mouth to protest, and all I could think was, man, keep your trap shut!
Thank God Eric was quick to say something before he did. “One word out of you and losing all your hair will be the least of your worries, I promise you.”
The gathering of naked pledges was led to another room next to the showers with a single chair made of cold steel and a long table that looked equally as hard and cold. The chair was so cold that when Steve was instructed to sit, he jumped up slightly, his ass hovered over the cold steel before being forced down by one of the Brothers. Paul was handed some clippers and went to town on Steve’s head, leaving only peach fuzz after a few minutes. Poor Steve looked down at his ink-black hair lying around the base of his chair and feet.
A mischievous grin played on Paul’s lips, one he tried desperately to conceal as he removed the last strands of his hair. I, for one, could not understand what he was grinning about since he would share the same fate. Worse, he was about to lose all his body hair at the hands of the person he liked the least. He was given a can of shaving cream and told to apply it to Steve’s head. Then he was given a straight-edge razor and told to shave Steve’s head until it resembled a bowling ball.
I was thinking how stupid, not to mention dangerous, it was to give Paul a razor where Steve was concerned. The poor kid was lucky Paul didn’t slit his throat from ear to ear right then and there.
I looked around with my eyes, noticing the room was packed from wall to wall with pledges and Brothers. Q, Eric, Steel, and now Seth and Geo, the Inner Circle of the TBH house, stood around Paul and Steve in a semi-circle, their stern gaze set on them like hawks zeroing in on their prey.
But like always, for some reason or another, I was most drawn to Q. There was just something about him I could not explain. He had a way about him. His composed personality. The influence he held over others. Q was the type of guy that could walk into a place, slightly narrow his eyes, and silence the whole room. The aura of mystery surrounding him was enticing. It pulls you in like a fishing line reels in an unsuspecting fish. One can’t help but get drawn in and not want to be rescued. That’s the effect he had on people…on me. If ever there was a Brother I wanted to be like, it was Q.
He looked up at me suddenly, his body perfectly still, but his eyes snapping up with such speed I could not look away in time. Q held my gaze for a moment, as if by a spell, and I was powerless to counter it, then looked back at Paul and Steve as quickly as he had looked at me.
I felt like such a fool.
“Careful, Pledge,” Seth warned Paul firmly before blade met flesh. “Remember that you are bound to your pledge, brother, and whatever happens to one will certainly happen to the other. So whatever nicks and cuts he endures at your hand, you will endure by ours. Remember that.”
“Remember, indeed,” Eric echoed, his brow rising slowly in thought.
It was all the incentive Paul needed to be extra careful, and when he was finally done and the white foam was cleared away, Steve walked away without so much as a scratch. Before he cut Paul’s hair, he was given the same warning, and it wasn’t long before Paul was as bald as him. They stood there for a moment, side by side, feeling what they’d lost and not looking too happy about it.
Without a hint or word, Q removed himself from the other Brothers and walked out of the room. I wondered where he went.
The other Brothers, especially the remainder of the Inner Circle, acted as if they didn’t notice his departure and continued as if Q was still there. Eric ordered Paul onto the table and told Steve to continue with caution. We all knew what that meant. Paul’s entire body would be as bald as a newborn’s butt in a few minutes.
Right then and there, I could’ve fallen to my knees and thanked God for not being one of the guys who screwed up. If I had been given a choice to run naked with my pledge brothers or keep my jock on, I would’ve chosen the ladder for sure, not realizing they were testing my loyalty to my pledge brothers. It was a valuable lesson learned; too bad it was learned at the expense of my buddies. Oh, well, that’s life.
Using shaving cream and the same razor, Steve went to work. The light hair on Paul’s chest was easy to remove; the same went for his legs and thighs. Steve worked with the precision of a surgeon, keeping his hand very still as he passed the sharp blade over Paul’s body. He did his pits next, and within minutes they were as devoid of hair as his head. The real challenge came when all that remained was his bush.
Steve hesitated. I think he was hoping one of the Brothers would speak up and tell him not to go any further, that they learned their lesson or some stupid shit like that. Did it happen? Nope! Steve was insane if he believed that was going to occur.
“Classes start in a few days,” Steel snapped, “I’d like to get this done before then if it’s not too much trouble, pledge!” Steve still didn’t move. “Today pledge! Today!”
Steve jumped with a start, brushing the blade against Paul’s thigh, and almost cutting him.
A sharp gasp left Paul’s lips, and I swear I thought he would jump off the table and run for the hills, but something inside him told him to stay put.
Squeezing out a generous amount of cream onto his left hand, Steven applied it to Paul’s crotch and went to work. Before the blade touched flesh, he looked at Paul to reassure him.
All Paul could do was look back at him with eyes that screamed, cut me, and I’ll kill you!
As if the guy needed the extra pressure. I must admit the look on their faces was quite amusing.
Everyone or I should say the pledges, watched with bated breath as the first spot of hair was removed without incident, and then the next and the next. You would think Steve was a professional barber or something because he executed the job flawlessly, and before long, Paul’s nether region was as bald as his head.
After it was done, Steve wiped him down with a towel. Being told to get back in line with the rest of us probably made Paul the happiest guy in the room.
Geo turned to regard us all. “Keep in mind that if you pledges keep screwing up, you will endure the same fate.”
“Or something much worse,” Eric added with a sinister smile, his long, brown hair falling over his face like a mask woven out of fine silk. “Stop thinking as individuals and start thinking as a group…as one mind. The journey ahead of you can be dark and treacherous if that’s how you make it. But it also can be as easy as walking thru a door, depending on how you act and respond to certain things.”
“Remember,” an unknown voice said seemingly from nowhere, “give yourself completely, freely to the Brotherhood, and you will fly thru this. Resist…, and you will know firsthand what hell is like.”
This voice was strange to me, soft like a delicate rose and commanding as an army general. Weird. I tried to look around by moving only my eyes, but I couldn’t see anyone who might have spoken those words. By this time, we were surrounded by the Brothers, and the voice echoed off the tile like a ball bouncing off the walls.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Then I started thinking about what Arsen told me when we were lying in bed. He said the top guy, the one in charge of The Brotherhood, was from our house. This guy runs the whole show under the same roof we pledges slept under. It was exciting in a way, but at the same time, I thought it peculiar. What’s with all the secrecy?
“You are your brother’s keeper,” the voice said again, fading away like a gust of wind.
We were taken back upstairs and told to change. Changing simply meant putting on fresh pair of underwear and an ankle-length robe. They gave us only two minutes to get ourselves together, unlocking the cuffs remotely so we could put on our robes and locking them again when we were done.
Seth walked up and down the hall, looking at each of us as if it was the first time he’d ever laid eyes on us. Then he ordered us to open our robes. We obeyed. I knew right off the bat what he was checking to see if we were wearing the correct pair of underwear. rrr
Thankfully, we were with the hilarious logo, Property of The Brotherhood.
I think I heard a collective sigh of relief from the pledges, myself included. Buttoning up the front of my robe, I got in line and followed the troop out of the house. Before we left, of course, we were told we were not allowed to have any contact with anyone, not even eye contact. We were to look straight ahead and pretend the world around us, and everyone in it did not exist.
Three Brothers, Gage, Brook, and Bone, led us to the cafeteria for breakfast, which was a good thing because I was so hungry my thigh was starting to look mighty tasty. Forming two rows and cuffed at the wrist, we marched thru campus like a bunch of jailbirds being led thru the prison grounds to get some chow. We passed by many people who snickered and pointed. It was worse for Paul and Steve because they looked freshly bald, so everyone knew they fucked up in some way or another. But I must say it wasn’t as bad as when we were jogging butt naked thru the streets.
While on our way to breakfast, I observed some pretty lame shit. I couldn’t believe some fraternities envied The Brotherhood so much that they copied their methods. For instance, I saw this one frat leading their pledges down the street the way we marched. They wore cheap-looking robes, and their ankles were bound with rope instead of being cuffed at the wrist. Pretty pathetic!
I got in line behind the rest of my pledge brothers to get my food, and who should happen to walk by?
“Hey, babe!” It was Alex, my girlfriend, smiling at me like I was her man returning from war. She stopped beside me, holding her tray in her hand as she stared at me, waiting for me to say something. I couldn’t. “Well,” she snapped, “aren’t you going to say something?”
I was forced to ignore her completely, looking straight ahead at the head in front of me. God, I wanted to gaze into her pretty eyes, hold her in my arms and feel her soft, supple body pressed against mine. I wanted to press my lips against her and whisk her away into the darkest corner where we could have our way with each other.
But none of that was going to happen, I’m afraid. All I could do was stand there like a statue.
“Jacob, don’t you hear me talking to you?” she demanded, a little too loud for my taste.
Gage was at the front of the line, smiling, watching me to see if I would break the rules and say something to my girl. My mom didn’t raise a fool, so I kept my mouth shut and eyes forward, and it killed me. I allowed her to storm away angrily, cursing me under her breath as she walked away.
I heard some of the other pledges chuckling under their breath. I could have kicked each of their asses right then, but I swallowed my pride, got my food, and sat down with the rest of the pledges. The tables around us were filled with Brothers, many of which I had never seen before. They chatted among themselves and with others but paid us pledges no mind. It was as if we weren’t even there.
Breakfast was over quickly; before we knew it, we were walking back to the house. The group was broken up into two. Paul, Steve, Ant, CJ, Arsen, and I were in the first group. Mike, Xavier, Nick, Troy, Sam, Kevin, Jason, and Justin were in the other. My group was taken upstairs to where the Brothers slept, and outside some of the doors were duffle bags filled with dirty clothes. It turns out it was the Brother’s laundry. Gage told us to take the bags and bring them downstairs to the laundry room.
“Sir, may I address my group?” Arsen asked as I reached for the first bag. He scared the shit of me because it was so quiet in the hall.
Passing his hand over his mouth, Gage folded his arms over his chest and stared at Arsen for a long time before finally saying, “sure.”
We got in a little huddle. “Guys, notice each bag has a name tag on it, but none of the doors do, so make sure you remember what name goes with what door. The last thing we need to do so mix up their clothes. Got it?”
Everyone nodded and reached for the duffle bags. We made two trips and decided to wash the clothes we had before we got more as not to mix them up. My group worked silently, with Gage sitting on one of the washing machines watching over us like a sentinel.
Then, quite suddenly, he laughed and jumped off the machine. “You guys can talk, but just keep it down. I’m going upstairs to grab an apple; when you’re done with this load, you can go upstairs and get more bags. Go straight to the rooms and don’t take any detours.” He waved in a silly sort of way and left. I liked him. Gage seemed cool.
Even after we were told we could talk, no one said a word for fear that this was another test. It wasn’t until the first load of wash was finished and we were putting the cloths in the dryer that the silence was broken.
“Dude, someone needs to say something.”
As much as CJ’s “dude” annoyed me, it was music to my ears to hear a voice other than a Brother’s. “You already did…dude,” I mocked, laughing softly with the other guys.
Throwing the last wet clothes into the dryer, Paul slapped his head. “I can’t believe this shit!” he declared bitterly. He wasn’t all that happy with his new haircut.
Laughter filled the laundry room as we rubbed Paul and Steve’s heads.
“You guys look ridiculous,” Ant teased, his brown eyes glinting with glee. “Bald is defiantly not your look!”
“All because of this moron!” Paul stated, yanking Steve’s cuffed hand with his own.
“Me? What about you? You’re the one who tried to pin all this on me!”
“Because it was your fault! If you had kept your mouth shut and let me answer, we wouldn’t be in this mess, but noooo, you had to open your fat mouth.”
“Oh, quit your bitching, both of you,” I said finally, as I leaned against the machine and tried to fold my arms, forgetting for an instant that I was still cuffed to Arsen. “The fact of the matter is you both fucked up, but that’s okay because I probably would’ve said the same thing Steve did. But now we know. Brothers come before pride, before all things.”
“But…” Paul began.
“Paul, let it go,” I interrupted. “It’s done, and there’s nothing you can do but move on with your bald self.”
Again, we all laughed loudly.
CJ stepped forward like he was about to make some grand speech. “Dude, I just can’t believe they made us run thru campus butt-ass naked.”
“I can’t believe how many times you can use the word dude in one day,” I joked, punching him playfully in the arm.
“I can,” Arsen finally spoke, his green eyes widening slightly as if he was about to reveal a dark secret. “This is what fraternity life is all about. I feel like I’m repeating myself.”
“Blah!” Steve said oh so eloquently. “I still think it was too much.”
“Fine,” Arsen conceded, grinning wickedly. “If you have a problem with how they do things, you should take it up with the Inner Circle.”
“The Inner Circle?” Ant regarded him quizzically and then looked at me as if I knew some hidden truth. And in a way, I suppose I did, for Arsen already told me all about the command structure of The Brotherhood.
Arsen took the time to explain it to the rest of the guys since we had nothing better to do but wash clothes.
“So, who’s this guy?” Steve asked, referring to the head of The Brotherhood.
Almost instantly, I saw Paul roll his eyes. “Did you not hear a word Arsen just said? No one knows who this person is. Hell, only the Inner Circle knows who it is. Do you know what that means? That none of the other full-fledged Brothers across the planet know who it is. And you’ll stand here and ask who it is as if the answer will pop out of thin air.” He shook his head, infuriated. “You’re an idiot, plain and simple. And I want to gnaw off my hand to get away from you for two seconds. Just two seconds! You’re that annoying!”
It was mean and brutal, yet I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off. “No, Paul, don’t hold back! Tell Steve how you feel about him.”
Steve appeared unaffected by his comments. I think he learned early on to grow a thick skin when he’s around Paul, which, unfortunately for Steve, was twenty-four-seven.
“I think it’s cool,” Anthony said, looking at me with excitement in his tiny eyes. “It adds this air of mystery to an already mysterious house. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I gave a small, dismissive gesture with my free hand. “I’d still like to know who it is, though. What about the Inner Circle, though? What do you guys think about them?”
“Steel scares me!” CJ was quick to say, snickering like a little kid.
“They’re a little too arrogant if you ask me.”
“You’re just bitter, Paul, because you’re bald,” I said matter-of-factly. “And guess what? They get to be arrogant because they’re in a place we want to be in. Shit, if I were in their shoes, I’d have my fun too.”
“You would, wouldn’t you?” Paul sneered jokingly.
“Yeah, like you wouldn’t.” I was silent for a moment before I spoke again. “I think Q is by far the most interesting.”
“Totally,” Arsen agreed. “There’s just something about him I can’t put my finger on.”
“That’s what I’m saying!” To show my agreement, I nudge him a little. “He’s just one of those people you want to sit down at a café with and just talk, get into the deepest recesses of his mind, and find out what he’s all about.”
Arsen nodded. “Who knows? One day we might get that chance.”
I saw a little smile play on Ant’s lips, but there was something sinister about his grin. “Hey, Jacob, what will you do about your girl?”
I rolled my eyes. He just had to bring her up! “I don’t know, kid. She’s probably not speaking to me now after the whole cafeteria bit. The one thing she hates is being ignored.”
“And you did a good job of doing that now, didn’t you?” Ant’s stupid grin never left his face.
“Shut up!”
“I’m just saying…” he laughed.
The next several hours were spent chatting, washing clothes, making trips around the house to pick up more bags, and dropping off the clean ones. It was funny. We would be walking around the house collecting the duffle bags, talking up a storm, but when we passed a Brother, which happened often, we fell silent as if we had nothing to say. It started to sink in how big the house was when we made all those trips.
At any rate, that was our day—washing clothes. The second group was tasked with cleaning up the house. We’d run into them from time to time as we ran around the house, offering a simple nod or smile when we crossed paths.
When we were done with the clothes, we had the pleasure of washing the many cars and bikes that belonged to the Brothers. Arsen and I got to clean up Q’s car. I knew it was his because the rear plate had a single Q. He had a pimped-out Benz, midnight black, with dark tint, twenty-inch chrome rims with low-profile tires. He wasn’t the only one with a crazy ride. Every car in the garage was expensive and hooked up like no other.
The next three days were spent doing the same thing repeatedly. Nothing changed. Nothing! There were still bags of clothes and cars for us to wash. And when I say the same thing, I mean the exact same thing. We were forced to stick to the same routine the minute we got up in the morning. Wake up, go to the bathroom, do our morning run, shower, do breakfast, clean, eat lunch, and do more cleaning! My God! I was out of my mind with boredom.
We didn’t even see anyone from the Inner Circle those three days. The other Brothers took turns being with us from morning to night, so they wouldn’t get stuck doing the same thing repeatedly. It was cool in a way because we got to meet more of the Brothers, but it was still annoying as hell. How much clothes and cars can one wash before losing it?
The fourth day brought something different at last. A lot of the pledges had to meet with their advisors. For the first time since stepping out of the Pit, the pledges were freed from their cuffs so they could handle their business. But we were warned not to have any contact with anyone save for the staff.
When I finally walked out of the house, free from Arsen, I damn near lost my mind. I think I was skipping through campus like a giddy schoolboy. I took my time getting there and was five minutes late, but my advisor didn’t mind. She was cool like that. We talked for over an hour, and she had a lot of exciting things to say and a lot of helpful advice about my classes and professors. I dreaded leaving her office because I didn’t want to return to the same old, dreary routine. And as much as I like Arsen, I was much happier being free.
Walking down a quiet, lonely corridor, I hummed the tune playing over the loudspeaker, sticking to the right wall for some reason or another. I was thinking of my potential future with The Brotherhood when a door flew open, and a pair of hands dragged me into the janitor’s closet.
I was so stunned I barely had a chance to react, and before I could even open my mouth, I felt lips pressed against mine. I exhaled deeply, and the scent told me instantly that it was Alex. Her perfume was unmistakable.
“What are you doing?” I said softly, pushing her away gently.
“I haven’t been with you in a long time, and I need you like yesterday!” She kissed me again, harder than before. “Don’t push me away.”
But I did. I had to! “Babe, I can’t be doing this! Not now!” I shook my head and rubbed my forehead. “Besides, I thought you would be pissed at me.”
“Me pissed?” she giggled. “No way! Do you know how the other girls treat me because you’re pledging the Brotherhood? Oh my God! You don’t understand! I’m like their queen or something. Your status with The Brotherhood has made me very popular with everyone. And I just want to thank you for that.” She grabbed me forcefully, pushed me against the wall, and kissed me again.
“Alex, Alex, Alex!” Again, I pushed her away, but I did not want to. God, I wanted it so bad! “I can’t do this! If the brother’s found out, I’m dead!”
“What? You took a vow to give up sex or something?” she laughed.
“Basically!” She smelled so good, too, like a field of blooming flowers. “As much as I want to, Alex, I can’t! Me being here just talking to you can land me in a world of shit!”
“Stop being a pussy!” She threw herself at me. “I need you to satisfy me now! No one will know.” She rubbed her knee against my crotch and bit my ear. “No one’s around!”
Like an idiot, I kissed her back, and we started to make out. Halfway through our make-out session, an image I did not expect popped into my mind.
Q.
I started to imagine how disappointed he would be if he knew I was breaking the rules. Any of the Brothers would be seriously upset, but it wasn’t them; I was concerned about it.
“I can’t do this,” I repeated and pushed Alex away.
She was about to protest, but luckily, I was saved.
“What are you kids doing in my closet?” I heard a man yell. “Open this door right now!”
Looking beyond annoyed, Alex rolled her eyes and pulled me thru a second door leading to a different hallway. She quickly straightened out her clothes, and we were both thankful no one was around.
“Well, that was stupid,” Alex said. “I don’t know what you’re deal, but next time you better have shit together.” She kissed me one last time, and before I could say anything, she ran down the hall, and I was forced to go the other way.
My head was spinning. I couldn’t believe what happened, and I certainly couldn’t believe I let it happen, considering the consequences I would face.
Holy shit, I thought, walking down the hall with my hand to my head, thinking of The Brotherhood.
“What was I thinking?” I whispered to myself. “What if they find out? What if…”
Another set of hands snatched me into a dark room before I could finish my sentence. I was thrown against a wall, face first, and whoever it was pressed their body against mine.
“You fool,” this person said harshly.
“Who the fuck are you?” I demanded thru clenched teeth. Balling up my fist, I used all my strength to push the stranger off me, but it was like trying to move a mountain, even thou the person didn’t feel any bigger than me.
“What would the Brotherhood say if they knew what you just did with your little girlfriend?” I swallowed hard; it was all I could do. “I could just see the look on their faces if I told them. Do you think they were kidding when they said they have Brothers all over the place keeping an eye on everything, Brothers you’ll never see or meet?” He laughed a little. “I hope it was worth it!”
“Please don’t say anything,” I said before realizing the words had left my mouth. “I can’t afford to fuck this up.”
“Do you have any idea the mess you’re in right now?” I was trying hard to place the voice, but I couldn’t. Whoever this was, I had never met him before. Either that or he was doing a great job disguising his voice. “I can only imagine what they’d do to you. Maybe they’d dismiss you? Which means you not only fucked your chance but your little buddy’s too.”
Arsen.
Whatever happens to one happens to the other. I felt sick to my stomach.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“You know me all too well, I’m afraid.”
“What? Who the fuck are you?”
“Jacob,” he whispered with his lips to my ear, “I’m the only thing standing between you and Brotherhood’s wrath.”
“What do you want?”
“What do I want?” He moved to my other ear, whispering just as softly.
In vain, I tried to push him off me again, using every ounce of strength I had, and I’m no weakling. If he moved even a centimeter, I couldn’t tell. He was, in fact, an immoveable object.
“What do I want?” he repeated.
I’ll never forget that sinister laugh.