Sweet Fall

“What the f**k did you see?” I snapped coldly.

“N-nothing, I saw nothing…” she whispered, all huge eyes on her tiny face. She must have only been about five feet flat.

“You’re lying,” I said coldly.

“No… really…” she whispered. I could see her pulse slamming in her slim neck.

What the f**k was she doing here in the quad, on her own, at this time of night anyway? Only reason I was even lifting weights this late was because Rome and me always put in extra sessions, way more than anyone else.

I pushed my chest against her body and heard a short sharp inhale of breath. “You saw my brother. What was he doing? And don’t f**kin’ lie.”

I knew she knew what was going down, of course, but I needed her so fearful of me that she wouldn’t say shit even to her closest friends. I had to make sure she kept her mouth shut. Couldn’t go spreading rumors around campus.

With a slump of her shoulders, I saw the fight leave her body. “Drugs. I think he was selling drugs.” She sighed in defeat. “No. I know he was selling drugs.”

Breathing in through my nose, I tipped my head back.

Fuckin’ A.

Bye-bye, scholarship.

“I won’t tell no one, I swear… Just… just let me go, please,” she begged, her soft voice cracking with fear. I stared her down, all black clothes, skinny as f**k frame. And she was a first-string cheerleader. I’d see her at every game, every f**kin’ game of the season. Home and away.

“Carillo, please, let me go.”

I caged her in farther against the wall with my arms, bending down to place my mouth at her ear. “You forget what you seen here tonight. If you do, we’ll be good, no consequences. But if you even speak a word of this to anyone, and I mean anyone, you won’t like the ton of f**kin’ bad shit that comes your way. You have no idea what you’d be screwing with. With people who will do anything to keep you quiet. And I mean anything.”

I heard her sniff and she nodded her head meekly, hearing my warning crystal clear. Backing away, I folded my arms across my chest and flicked my chin. “Go. Get the f**k away from here.”

A second later, the cheerleader began sprinting across the quad, her legs flying across the dried grass. I felt like the biggest prick to grace the Earth. She’d been petrified of me.

Damn shame she was now collateral damage.

Over one thousand days.

Over one thousand days since I’d left the crew, made a new life for myself here at UA, and left all that dealing shit behind.

And over one thousand a days until it came back to bite me in the ass.

Rubbing an anxious hand across my forehead, I fell back against the Denny Chimes. Axel’s gonna be pissed at her witnessing his coke deal, and he isn’t someone who forgets. He never leaves witnesses without making sure they don’t talk. The Heighters don’t tolerate anyone snitching on Heighter business—Gio’s orders.

Noticing a cop car’s headlights flare in the distance, I watched as it stopped not too far from where I stood. I froze and held my breath.

Just as I was about to cut and run, the cop got out of the vehicle, disappearing around the corner from view. Then a minute later, he reappeared, walking a chick back to his car… that skinny chick who could bring us all down.

Fuck!

Seeing the car pull onto the road, I set off jogging behind it, sticking to the dark part of the sidewalk to follow its trail.

Chapter Five

Lexi

My breath came hard and fast as I sprinted across the quad. Rounding a corner, I slammed my back against a wide-trunked tree, my head falling back against the rough bark, scratching at my scalp.

I couldn’t run anymore; my legs just wouldn’t let me.

He’d been dealing drugs. That guy had been dealing drugs so brazenly on campus. Austin Carillo’s brother. Austin Carillo, number eighty-three for the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of the most promising wide receivers in the whole SEC. Austin Carillo, the pierced, tattooed bad-boy-done-good from the wrong side of the tracks… dealing drugs on campus. I guessed maybe he wasn’t as boy-done-good as everyone thought.

The sound of a car door slamming had me almost jumping out of my skin.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

My hand slapped over my furiously beating heart, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was campus PD.

“Yes… yes, I’m fine. You just scared me,” I said breathlessly.

The cop knelt down before me. “Miss…?” He trailed off, wanting to know my name.

“Hart. Lexington Hart.”