Her Striker by Charlene Raquel

Chapter Twenty-two

 

 

Once again, Drew awoke tied to a heavy wooden chair. The fog in his head was lifting as the remains of the drug left his system. These assholes needed to stop drugging and kidnapping him. He couldn’t wait to figure out who they were and take them all out.

This time, he was blindfolded. He was going to be pissed off if they doused him with water again.

“He’s waking up.” Drew could hear Abby’s voice. He knew she had been involved.

“Give him a few more minutes. We’re not ready yet.” He knew that was Parker. Drew waited for Adrian to say something.

He could sense someone coming closer, and he tensed. There was not much he could do without being able to see or move his arms. Surprisingly, his legs were not secured. That was a mistake on their part. Drew needed to know what was going to happen next, so he wouldn’t do anything yet.

A glass was thrust against his lips. “Here, drink this. It will help with the after-effects of the sedative.” Abby’s hand grazed his chin.

He pulled his head back away from her.

She laughed. “Oh fine.” She roughly pulled the blindfold off his head, taking several strands of hair with it. “Look. It’s just water.” She took a sip. “We’re not going to drug you again, yet.”

Drew glared at her.

Abby pulled the glass away from him. “You don’t have to drink it. I don’t give a shit. But, trust me, you don’t want to be dehydrated for what happens next.”

“What happens next?”

Abby snickered. “You really don’t know? This should be interesting.”

Drew rolled his eyes and suppressed a wince. His head was pounding. He could use the water, but he wouldn’t beg her for it.

Abby held up the water again and purposely poured it, so the water spilled out of the glass, wetting his face and shirt. She cackled as she pulled it away again and moved out of his reach.

Drew was going to enjoy getting even with the bitch. He forced himself to ignore her and assess his situation. He was back in the same basement he had been in before. Sconces lined the walls, creating a flickering glow that didn’t illuminate much of the space. More people were in the room than before, and he could pick out several of them that he knew, including a couple of the university faculty members, several administrators and even the provost.

Adrian and Parker moved forward, but everyone else was lining the outer rim of the large chamber. Abby was off to the side, away from most of the others. Drew wondered why she was apart from them.

“The Scorpio Society is an ancient organization that only accepts into its membership the most elite and most worthy. Among our ranks are political leaders, fortune 500 company CEOs, royalty and nobility, and of course some of the richest and most powerful people in the world.” Adrian circled Drew as he spoke.

Adrian got closer and whispered into Drew’s ear. “You are not worthy to be amongst us, but I can’t do anything about that now.”

He moved away from Drew, making a show of his purposeful movements. “We only induct the best this university has to offer. Once you are a member, you will remain a part of the Scorpio Society for life. Death is the only way out.”

Adrian paused for effect, and Drew wanted to roll his eyes again. This whole thing was a joke.

“Bring out the test.” Adrian turned to the crowd. They pressed closer but still left a wide space in front of them.

Parker wheeled a cart forward, and Drew strained to see what was on it. There was a box of some sort that was covered with a white cloth and a couple of vials.

Adrian picked up two vials that held clear liquid inside. One tube had a light blue stopper, and the other had a red cap. “Only the strong and worthy survive the initiation. You must select a vial. Only one will save you.”

Drew was getting tired of the games and the drama. He hated being the focal point of Adrian’s sick game. He decided to stay quiet and see what happened.

“I see you still don’t quite understand your peril. Parker, show him our pet.”

Drew got his first taste of unease.

Parker lifted the cloth off a small clear plastic container with a wire mesh top.

Drew’s body tightened as he caught a glimpse of the large scorpion inside. Most scorpions had a sting that hurt like hell, made you a little sick, but were mostly a nuisance. Dean’s comments about the medical examiner’s report flashed in his mind. Was it possible that these assholes had a deadly type of scorpion?

Adrian laughed almost maniacally. “I see you’re finally understanding the situation. One of these vials has the anti-venom, and one doesn’t. It’s your choice.”

“That’s fucked up.” Drew had a fifty-fifty chance of dying from a scorpion sting.

“It’s the price of admission into the most exclusive society in the world. If you pass this test, you are sworn to secrecy, never to reveal our membership or ways.”

“What if I want to pass on the opportunity?” Drew couldn’t believe that all of the people in the room would watch him die if he selected the wrong one.

“It’s too late for that now. You’ve seen our faces. You have entered our world.” Adrian thrust the vials at Drew. “Pick now, or I will pick for you.”

Fuck. This was it. He was either going to live through this deadly initiation and find out what happened to his brother or his life was over. He wished he could have told Gwen he loved her one last time and prayed he’d make it back to her. Taking a deep breath, he glared at Adrian. “The red one.”

Adrian’s smirk turned evil as he peeled the red cap from the vial and shoved the vial into Drew’s mouth.

Drew tipped his head back and gulped the bitter liquid down, swallowing it. He had no idea what he drank, unable to tell from the taste.

Parker slipped on a thick rubber glove that covered his arm up above his elbow before lifting the lid to the cage and pulling out the scorpion.

Drew channeled every drop of courage he possessed to stay still while Parker inched the deadly insect closer to him.

The scorpion was dropped onto Drew’s hand and its tiny legs tickled as it moved into a more stable position. Drew held his breath and stayed still as the creature slowly made its way onto his wrist. Maybe it wouldn’t sting him if he didn’t move a muscle.

Drew’s hopes were dashed when Parker brought out a long thin stick and poked the scorpion. Its reaction was immediate. The scorpion’s tail whizzed down and pierced Drew’s skin on his arm. Excruciating pain radiated from the center of the sting, up his arm, and his body began to convulse.

Gwen was his last thought before everything went dark.