Page 45 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson (A Sawyer Brothers Story #1)

“You have three seconds to get your hand off her before I snap it in half.”

I grabbed Creed’s shirt, bunching it at the back of his neck and dragging him around to face me.

I had the element of surprise and I worked with that.

“Get the fuck off me,” he snarled as I released him. Creed stepped backwards and started to straighten his shirt.

“Hudson, what do you think you’re doing?” Molly panted, grabbing my arm. The thought of her defending him made the red I saw flash neon and I shook her off and got in the fucker’s face.

His initial shock soon vanished, and his body tensed as I rammed him against the fence with my hand on his throat. Molly squeaked and jumped out of the way. Creed’s head hit the barrier, and he grabbed my wrists, his expression almost as angry as mine. Almost.

I threw all my weight into the attack. “And stay away from my brother,” I growled. No sooner had the words left my mouth than Micah appeared beside me.

“What the fuck bro?” he panted in shock, taking in my hand wrapped around his dealer’s throat.

“Stay away from your brother or your girl?” Creed choked out, clawing my hand, and puffing out his chest. I stepped into him, using my torso to keep him pinned, bracing myself against the wooden panels with my free hand. I had at least a foot on the cunt.

“Both. You feel me?” I then turned to glare at Micah, not loosening my hold. “What did this piece of shit sell you?”

“What are you talking about?” Molly questioned, clearly distressed by what she was seeing.

Keeping my gaze trained on Micah, he must have noticed the look in my eyes as the color drained from his cheeks. “What? Nothing major, just a baggie.”

“How much?” I growled.

“Only an eighth, I swear,” Micah added with a swallow. An eight wasn’t anything major. However, it wasn’t child’s play either. I didn’t have a problem with the occasional blunt, but getting loaded every day was not good.

I could feel that Micah was lying, and it riled me up more .

“Bullshit,” I swore. The darkness that had haunted me since I’d witnessed what the heavier shit had done to my father surged through me.

“It’s not bullshit, Hudson. Just weed. I’m not shitting you.” My grip tightened, causing a wheezing sound from my victim.

I turned back to Creed. He was tall, but he wasn’t built like me. The son of a bitch carried on clawing at my forearm with his hands, his pallor continuing to change as I squeezed.

I knew it was madness; if I injured Anton Creed’s kid, there would be a fallout, and who knew what that would look like?

Molly was saying something, along the lines of let him go. Yeah, that so wasn’t happening. My only focus was on the motherfucker I was throttling.

“Molly. Go and find Phoenix, now,” I heard Micah say. His tone was deathly serious.

“What? Why? So, they can both pummel him?” she panted, clearly freaking out as Xander’s eyes started to bulge in their sockets. He tried to kick out with his feet, but I trapped him with one thigh.

“He’s the only one who can stop him when he’s like this,” Micah explained, shaking my shoulder, trying to get my attention. “Go, now.”

Molly’s perfume hit my senses as she rushed past us.

“Hudson, think about what you're doing. This shit isn’t cool man. It was one baggie. I told you.”

I pushed my forehead against Creed’s and snarled. “Is that the truth?”

“I’ve not sold shit to your brother lately. He still owes me money,” he rattled.

“So why tonight?”

“Fuck knows. I’m in a good mood, or I was,” Creed croaked as I loosened my grip so he could talk.

Yanking back my head, my death stare cut to Micah as I yelled at Creed. “How much does he owe you?”

He attempted to shrug. His face was pained. “I didn’t know, three grand?”

“Three thousand dollars, for what!?” I questioned incredulously.

Creed answered, drawing my attention back. “Weed. Just weed. Like he said.”

Did I believe him? Did I fuck. When it came to his stash, Micah was like a puppy in constant need of supervision. And he owed three large? Fuck.

Releasing his throat, I stepped back. Creed fell against the fence, clutching his neck and dragging air back into his lungs .

“If I find out you’re supplying my brother with any other type of shit, you die,” I growled.

Creed’s fingernails had drawn blood on my wrist, but I didn’t care.

After my prey recovered his breathing, he straightened and stepped up. He then rammed his hands against my chest and pushed me back a step.

“Get out of my face, Gage,” he snarled, straightening his shirt.

We were then joined by some guys from the party who attempted to talk us down as we squared up.

One blonde guy grabbed my arm, and another tried to push between us. Fucking juniors.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Reed suddenly cautioned, knocking the guys away from me.

“What’s going on?” I heard Josh say.

“This pussy is losing his shit because I was talking to his girl,” Creed stated. And then he made the mistake of all mistakes by prodding me hard in the chest.

“What did you say to me?” I forced him back against the fence again, the need to choke the fucker to death surging through me.

And then it was game over as Phoenix tackled me from behind, ramming his fists beneath my arms, curling them around my torso, and yanking me backwards. The movement brought Creed with us. I wasn’t so far gone that I didn’t notice how fucking sold Phoenix’s chest was.

“Easy, big guy,” Nix whispered roughly against my ear as I struggled.

“Get off me, man,” I hissed.

I could smell bourbon on his breath. “Calm the fuck down and let the nice drug baron’s son breath please,” he whispered against my ear.

“Drug baron?” I heard Molly echo.

“What happened?” Storm's voice bled into the mix. “Shit, Molly, are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” she replied in a shaky voice. I purposefully didn’t look at her. I didn’t want to show her the beast. And when the fuck did Storm and Molly become besties?

“OK,” I snarled and let go of Creed’s neck.

He fell to his knees, coughing and clutching his throat. Pussy motherfucker. “You’ve made a big mistake, man.” He tried to make his voice sound threatening but to me he sounded like a bitch that had just had his windpipe crushed.

“If I see you anywhere near school, I’ll bash your face in until you stop breathing.”

“What the hell is going on over here?” Nash Straker yelled from beside us.

“Hudson losing his shit bout sums it up,” Sanderson grunted .

“Well, take it outside,” Nash barked.

“Didn’t you invite him?” I growled at our host.

“Did I fuck. What do you take me for?” Nash scoffed, clearly offended.

Molly started to lean down towards Xander, but before she could reach him, Reed grabbed her arm, “Whoa there, beautiful. Not a good idea. Leave the nasty man alone.”

As Phoenix restrained me, my muscles screamed. “Take your hands off her,” I yelled at Reed, and he did, raising his palms.

My eyes clashed with Molly’s wide, frightened ones and I screwed my eyes closed, trying to contain my shit. Seeing her afraid of me generated a wave of regret.

“We’re leaving. Find Harper,” Phoenix barked, taking the lead.

“Where is she?” Reed questioned.

“She’s with Nick in the kitchen,” Molly replied. “Or at least she was.”

“Who the fuck is Nick?” the big man at my back barked out from behind me, almost shattering my eardrum.

I opened my eyes and rasped. “Reed, find Harper. Micah, get Molly away from that piece of shit.”

I could smell her perfume again as Micah ushered her away from the scene. Creed’s color started to return, and I spat on the floor next to the punk before Phoenix wrestled me away behind Molly and Micah.

My eyes drilled into her bare shoulders. I could see she was shaking and I knew I’d fucked up. She’d witnessed my dark side, and that was only half of it. The way she looked at me in the library would be gone for good.

As I started to calm down, I felt relieved that Micah was comforting her.

“Where’s the fire?” Harper hissed, Reed frogmarching her forward. “Molly, are you OK?”

“I think so. I don’t get what just happened?” she replied, it cracked mid-sentence, and I hated that I was responsible for that.

Harper’s face dropped, clearly shocked by what she was seeing.

“I shouldn’t have brought you. I’m so sorry you got mixed up in my brothers shit.”

“So now we’re your brother’s,” Nix barked, his arms flexing around me.

“What’s up your ass?” she said.

“You. You don’t listen.”

Harper opened her mouth to carry the fuck on, but Nix growled out. “ Neither of you should be here. ”

Her eyes fell on me, thoroughly confused. “But I didn’t…”

“Save it,” Phoenix snarled.

“You want to let me go now? Then you girls can bitch slap each other,” I snorted, straining against Nix’s huge arms.

My brother’s biceps flexed, but he didn’t release me. Harper’s mouth clamped closed as Reed ushered the girls along.

As we got back outside, I struggled in my brother's unbreakable hold, but he didn’t let go immediately.

“Get off me, Nix,” I barked. My patience with being restrained was running out.

“Are you good?” he questioned, flexing his brawn. A threat that he’d keep hold of me if he thought he needed to.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah.”

Nix untangled his arms and stepped back with his hands in an I surrender motion.

I then turned, drew my fist back and rammed it into Phoenix’s jaw. He fell back, holding his face, and Reed jumped between us.

“Enough, now!”

I caught sight of the girls with their arms around each other, both with horrified expressions.

As I glanced back at Phoenix, the cocky fucker was grinning. There was blood on his nose, yet he still goaded me. “You hit like a grandma.”

As I turned and started walking down the driveway, I saw Xander’s car, that white Audi Q5 with blackout windows.

I felt smug as shit when I saw he’d left his headlights on.

Fishing in my pocket for my keys, I withdrew them and ran the tip across both his doors.

The sounds of metal cutting into the paintwork were satisfying.