Wild Side [h.s au]

Chapter 7

"Hey!" She calls after me.

Don't think about knives, don't think about knives, I think to myself, not trusting my temper.

But when I feel her fingers curl around my forearm and tug my sleeve, I react instinctively and turn, punching her straight in the face. A faint crack is heard, her hand immediately releasing me as she clamps her nose, a loud screech leaving her lips.

"Don't touch me," I say calmly, adjusting my collar. My hand is slightly sore, but I barely feel it since satisfaction of seeing her bleeding is stronger.

Take that souvenir, bitch.

Jess snorts and covers her mouth, looking at me. "You're my hero."

"Bitch!" Lia yells, looking down at her bloody hands. She tries to launch herself at me, but Jess drags her back. "She's not who you all think she is! She's an insider from Vortex!"

My blood runs cold at her words, colour draining from my face. How could she possibly know that? Did she see my tattoo? Impossible. The whole room goes silent and all eyes are now on me, widened and filled with shock. I open my mouth then close it, unsure how to react or what to say.

Well, shit, busted.

"Look at her arm if you don't believe me," Lia spits, glaring at me with hatred. "Or her brother's."

"El, is that true?" Tori asks me, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

"It's not like that," I defend. "I'm not an insider."

I hear shouts behind me and my body quickly turns, seeing my brother on his knees as three soldiers hold him down, pulling the sleeve of his sweatshirt down and uncovering his tattoo. Anger soars through me and I run toward them. "Let him go!"

However, multiple hands grip my shoulders and arms, pulling me back abruptly, almost making me lose my balance. I react immediately, stomping on the foot of one of the female soldiers holding me back while elbowing the other girl in the gut. Their grip on me loosens and I free myself, beginning to run toward my brother when another soldier grabs my forearm; male this time; yanking me toward him. Panic slowly starts kicking in, unwanted flashbacks flashing before my eyes as I tear myself from his grip.

I manage to push him away, but before I realise it, his strong fist collides with my jaw, my head whipping to the side while I barely manage to keep myself on my feet. I gasp in shock as pain washes over me, my first instinct being to pull a pocket knife from the pocket of my sweatshirt. He tries to punch me again, but I'm faster than him, ducking down and avoiding the punch.

I quickly unfold the knife, holding it in front of me. "Touch me again and I'll cut you."

"Oi, calm down!" Louis shouts, entering the circle formed around me and my brother. "You three, let him go, we don't know what's behind all this," he orders the soldiers holding Alex.

"They're from Vortex, there's nothing else to know," one of them speaks. "We know what are the rules."

"We don't decide what happens, David and H do," Louis tells him harshly. "Let him go right now or you'll face the consequences."

After a few moments, they hesitantly release him and I exhale in relief. I haven't even realised how fast my heart is beating until now, a slight sheen of sweat covering my forehead. My free palm presses to my already bruised jaw, trying to estimate the damage. I wince slightly from the pain and feel a liquid on my fingers, realising the wound on my busted lip has reopened, bleeding again. But that's least of my concerns at the moment.

"What's going on here?!" H's deep voice bounces of the walls. A few soldiers step aside, letting him and Niall walk inside the circle. I watch as his pale green eyes scan the scene, estimating the situation. "You two. Come with me," he orders Alex and me. "And you," he looks at Lia then the soldiers who attacked us, "we'll talk more later."

Without another word, he turns around and starts walking toward the exit. Alex and I hesitantly follow him as I decide to look ahead and hold my head high, aware of the people's stares on the two of us. We've been exposed and I can only pray we won't get kicked out of the base. It wasn't our fault, I'm certain both of us were careful, so I have no idea how did Lia find out. The only ones who knew are David and H.

"Lenny, you okay?" Alex asks me, his warm brown eyes showing concern.

"I'm fine," I answer quietly. Adrenaline is still running through my system, subsiding the pain. When I look down at my sore knuckles, I realise I'm gripping the handle of my knife. I discreetly fold it again and push it inside the pocket of my sweatshirt.

H is walking quietly in front of us as we follow him outside the warehouse. I'm surprised he's not yelling or screaming at us, but then again, he might be saving it for later, when we reach David's office where I assume he's taking us.

"Pack your shit and leave," H suddenly says as he stops abruptly, turning to face us.

"Wait, wha-- why?" Alex asks, his eyes widening. "What happened wasn't our fault, they attacked us."

"Yes, because they realised who you are," H retorts. "This will only bring more fights and problems, and I don't want that in my base. So get out."

"No," I say. "David allowed us to stay and until he says we have to leave, we're staying. As far as I'm concerned, he's the leader, not you."

H glares at me, his fists clenching. "Don't start with me, tiger. This is a battle you can't win."

"I don't have to win anything. I just have to talk to David."

"No, I'll talk to him," he argues. "And when I'm done, I'll make sure to blow you a kiss on your way out of this base."

"A real charmer," I mumble angrily under my breath, barely stopping myself from flipping him off.

He makes a hand gesture to a few soldiers on the guarding duty, signalling them to approach. When they do, he says, "make sure they stay here. They're not allowed to move, much less talk." He gives me a harsh look. "When I come back, we'll escort them outside together." With that, he turns around and leaves.