CHAPTER SIX
DOM
I really wasn’t in the mood for this shit today. As I walked into my first class of the day, I felt the immediate urge to walk right back out. Stray was already there, sitting in the back row. An empty seat beside him. Sucking it up, I took a deep breath and pushed forward.
I sat down next to him with an irritated huff. He looked me over, a brow quirking up.
“What’s with you today?” he asked. “You didn’t get laid on the weekend, did you?”
“Nope. I wasn’t trying to. Unlike you, I don’t need to constantly have my dick buried inside someone’s warm hole.” His chuckle had me glaring. I loved all of my friends but Stray really enjoyed being an antagonistic shit.
“I think that’s your problem,” he continued, pulling his laptop out of his bag. “If you spent more time in someone’s warm hole, you’d probably be less of a dick.”
At one point, I had gone through a phase of engaging in plenty of hook ups with random women. Although I’d never been the manwhore that Stray and Auryn were known for. I had no doubt that if Stray hadn’t fallen for Codie Edwards, he would still be fucking everything that moved.
“What can I say? I have standards.” I shot him a smug smile.
Stray scoffed. “Standards? I hardly think so. I know you’ve got it bad for Noah Cunningham. Why don’t you just fuck him already and get it over with? You’ll probably feel better.”
I froze. Even though I suspected all of my friends felt this way, Stray was the only one to voice it. I respected that. Even though it made me want to punch him in the face.
“Tread carefully, Stray,” I warned. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Pretty sure I do. We all see it, dude. No judgment. If you want him, have him. It might solve a lot of your problems and ours as a whole.” Sitting back in his chair, Stray eyed me curiously.
Between clenched teeth, I said, “It’s really not that simple.”
How could it be? Noah and I were enemies. Wanting to fuck each other didn’t change that. He and his friends had come after our crew. We’d killed two of theirs. I failed to see how fucking each other would help any of that. If anything, it would only make it all so much worse.
“Why not? The tension has got to be killing you guys. At some point, one of you will blow. And I don’t mean in the fun way.” Stray was serious now.
He had a point. This thing between Noah and I had to reach its peak at some point, didn’t it? What would happen then?
The arrival of the professor ended our conversation. Fine with me. I had nothing left to say on the matter.
Once the professor got into the subject matter, I was able to focus.
Stray and I were taking investigative studies.
Some students would use this material to pursue a career in the police force.
I had no interest in being on that side of the law.
It was the investigative side of things that intrigued me.
I could see myself being a PI in the future.
We had two classes back to back before we had an hour long break before our next one.
It was past noon when we were able to sneak away outside for a much needed weed break.
We headed outside and around the building on the side facing the parking lot.
Since the others were still in class for another twenty minutes, it was only Stray and me.
Leaning back against the cold brick wall, I pulled the hood of my hoodie up over my head. Hands stuffed in my front pocket as I waited for Stray to pass the joint my way.
“I can’t fucking wait to be done this shit,” Stray said, releasing a plume of smoke. “I’m so glad this is our final year.”
“Me too. I’m looking forward to never having to come back to this place.” I didn’t have a problem with the classes themselves. The schedule is what did me in. I’d much rather spend all morning in bed and start the day when I damn well felt like it.
While Stray and I passed the joint back and forth, we shot the shit about random topics. Eventually moving on to his recent engagement to Codie.
“She wants a summer wedding. That gives us several months to plan. Paris for a honeymoon. That was Codie’s choice. Can you picture me in Paris? Those people are going to hate me.” Stray chuckled.
I nodded in agreement. “Hell yeah they will. I guess you should’ve paid more attention in high school French class.”
When Noah rounded the corner then, my laughter died.
At the same time, my pulse quickened. In faded blue jeans and a gray hoodie, there was nothing about him that stood out.
Nothing to make me look twice. Still, I couldn’t take my fucking eyes off him.
With his dirty blonde hair slightly disheveled and the overcast winter day making his eyes especially green, he easily held my attention.
“What the fuck do you want?” I greeted him with my usual grim demeanor.
Noah held up both hands as he approached. “No need to be so aggressive. Just here to deliver the information Rebel demanded. Unless you’d rather I keep it to myself.”
“No, it’s cool,” Stray cut in. “Give us what you have.”
Noah pulled his phone from his hoodie pocket. “Give me a number to send it to.”
Stray caught my eye, subtly inclining his head, indicating for me to hand over my number. I knew exactly what that fucker was up to. Sucking the last of the joint down to nothing, I threw the remains into the snow.
“Send it to me,” I said before reciting my number.
Noah stared at his phone screen, typing for a moment. “There. Done. I’d appreciate if you guys wouldn’t screw up my job with that guy. I need to get my hands on him whenever you’re done with him.”
“Yeah sure. Whatever you say.” Feeling my phone vibrate, I checked the notification, finding an address and a few other details.
“Always nice talking with you, Dom. A real fucking pleasure.” Noah gave me a salute, using only his middle finger, before turning to walk away.
I took a step forward, ready to go after him. Stray grabbed my hood, jerking it off my head as he dragged me backwards by my hoodie.
He waited until Noah was out of earshot to say, “Yeah, you two really need to fuck and get it over with already. This shit is getting ridiculous.”
I pointed a finger in his face and hissed, “Shut up about it or I’ll break each of your fingers one by one.”
Not at all fazed by my threat, Stray rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man. Enjoy your blue balls. Let’s go hit the cafeteria. I could go for a corndog.”
I followed him inside, having no appetite myself. Watching Stray stuff two corndogs into his face made my stomach turn. Try as I might to resist, I couldn’t help but scan the cafeteria. I shouldn’t have been looking for him. I shouldn’t have given a damn.
The more I thought about Noah the more I wanted to kill him. If only so he’d never be able to get inside my head again.
After my last class of the day, I promptly left the building, having no reason to hang around. Stray split off to meet up with Codie. I continued on to the parking lot.
With my head down, I pulled out my phone, focused on the screen. I tapped the message from Noah with the information he sent. Against my better judgment, I added him to my contacts list under the name Douchebag.
I was so intent on my phone that I barely noticed when someone stepped out from between two vehicles right in front of me. I really should’ve been paying better attention to my surroundings. I knew better than that.
“Whoa. Careful there.”
I glanced up to find a man standing in front of me, blocking my path. He was dressed for the weather in a thick jacket, a scarf wrapped around his neck. He didn’t appear to be much older than my twenty-two years.
“Dominik Taylor?” he asked.
“Who wants to know?” Eyeing him suspiciously, I put my phone away. I needed my hands free if I was going to have to fight this guy.
“I’m here on behalf of someone else. Someone that prefers to remain anonymous. They sent me to speak to you. To ask if you’d be interested in a job.” He wore a soft smile that made him appear harmless. I wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t accept jobs from anonymous people.” I started to push past him.
“My boss wants to hire you to kill Noah Cunningham.” His words stopped me in my tracks. “He thought you might be up for it.”
Now he had my attention. I turned back to face him. “All right. I’m listening.”