“I’m more of a take-it-as-it-comes kind of guy, Nassir. I’ll do what I have to do in order to make things right and keep things running in a way I think is appropriate. I can’t tell you what I am or am not ready for because this place, the way it twists and turns on itself, is always a surprise. You just need to believe me when I say I’ll do what I think has to be done.”

“You think that’s going to be enough?”

“It’ll have to be.”

I shut the office door behind me and let out the breath I hadn’t really been aware I was holding.

I wasn’t immune to violence, to the fight it took to make it in the Point. I just had lofty hopes that when you put a man who prided his brain over his brawn in the driver’s seat, some of that day in and day out battle would fade away. I hadn’t counted on the very nature of the city, the very heartbeat of the Point, calling for everyone’s blood despite my best efforts to calm the beast.

Chapter 7

Brysen

I WAS STARING AT my test in absolute disbelief. It was just a C, but a C was head and shoulders above any other grade I had gotten from the evil TA. Sure the quiz had been multiple choice and not essay, so he couldn’t count points off arbitrarily, but still. I knew Race was smart, but I had no idea how smart. The way he had laid out my notes, the little additions he had made where it was obvious I was struggling, had made all the difference. I wanted to kiss him. Well, I wanted to kiss him anyways, but now I felt like I had a justifiable reason behind the urge.

I jolted a little when Drew draped an arm across my shoulders and let out a whistle when he saw the Scantron I was holding on to like it would suddenly fly away.

“How did you pull that off?”

Irritated, I shook him off and put the quiz away in my bag. “I studied.”

“I guess your theory about the TA having it in for you was wrong after all.”

I pushed some of my hair out of my face and huffed out a breath. “Well, it’s not like he can flunk me when we all took the same quiz and I could check my answers against yours or whatever. Eventually he’s going to do something obviously malicious and I’ll be able to turn him in to the dean of academics.” He just hadn’t gone that far yet.

Drew bumped into me in a playful gesture and I let out a hiss between my teeth as he inadvertently brushed against my still-healing arm. I was a mess of scabs and ugly bruises and I couldn’t shake the feeling that everywhere I went, every time I left my house, someone was watching me. I hadn’t received any more texts, there were no more near misses with a runaway car, but my skin was tight and I felt eyes all over me. I hated it, and it was making me jumpy and suspicious of everything and everyone.

“What’s wrong?”

Drew’s voice was sharp and he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a stop. Ever since he had given me the third degree about Race, he had been more intrusive, more forceful in the way he was with me. I didn’t care for it at all. I pulled my hand back and narrowed my eyes at him.

“I fell leaving work the other night. I got a little banged up and that side took the brunt of it.”

He lifted his eyebrows at me and made a face.

“You fell?” The accusation and disbelief in his tone were clear.

I didn’t feel like I needed to explain myself to him, and I was about to tell him just that when Adria suddenly bounded over and grabbed me by both of my shoulders. She was bouncing up and down on her toes and babbling so fast I could barely understand her. I reached out both hands and clasped her on her shoulders to keep her still.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Her eyes were all bright and shiny with excitement. “I got invited to fight night!”

A chill slid down my spine. I had been to fight night. It was gory and brutal. It was uncivilized and inhumane. It was definitely not something to get bouncy and excited about.

“Don’t go.” My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard it and stopped hopping around to frown at me.

“Why? You know how hard it is to get invited to any of that underground stuff in the Point? You have to know someone who knows someone who knows someone. I’ve never been. It sounds dangerous and exciting.”

To me it sounded like a bored rich girl looking for a thrill. God, I didn’t ever want to be like that.

“It’s awful. They fight in a circle with people cheering for blood. The fights aren’t fair, and real, live people end up getting hurt. Seriously, Adria, it’s awful. There are a million better ways to spend a Friday night.”

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and took a step away from me. I didn’t notice Drew watching the exchange with curious eyes, but I could feel him shift next to me.