Helios(4)
After that, it was time to face the music.
“Dad?” I hated how my voice shook as I called out for him upon reaching the foot of the stairs.
Smash.
He answered me with a fist to my face, so hard that I hit the wall next to me with a loud thud. I bit my lip as he dragged me by the hair towards the garage. He threw me on the floor. “Where have you been, you spoiled piece of shit?”
He didn’t wait for me to answer. It wasn’t like I could anyway. He was kicking me everywhere, the pain of every kick making it impossible for me to speak.
When he stopped, I managed to crack one swollen eye open.
Oh God, he was getting on his bike.
Flat. Flat. I had to be flat.
Relax. Relax.
Ssssh. Think of…
Oh God, I wanted to close my eyes and cry.
But I couldn’t. That would mean giving up. That would mean James winning.
I had to survive.
Flat. I had to be flat. Relax. I had to relax. And think…I needed to think of that biker who saved the man. He was proof that there was good in the world. That life couldn’t be shitty forever.
So close now. The motorcycle’s rumble was getting louder and louder.
Sssh. Think. Dream.
That man on the bike. He’d save me too if he knew I was in trouble. I knew he would.
So for now I had to survive.
Flat. Relax. Eyes open. Sssh. Don’t breathe. Don’t make a sound.
SWISH.
Chapter One
Two years later
Girls started to fan themselves as the president of Afxisi walked past them, flanked by his officers on each side. Just looking at Helios Andreadis was enough to have the girls cry his name out. How badly they ached to touch him. But they didn’t. No one touched the president without his permission. It was one of his many infamous rules.
At nearly six foot seven, Helios Andreadis towered over everyone in his club. Aptly named after the sun god, Helios did look like one, with his long golden hair and eyes nearly the same color.
Dressed plainly in a baseball shirt and jeans, he should have looked like an ordinary fourth-year student of Christopoulos University. But instead, Helios stood out like a pagan god amidst mere mortals, and everyone wanted to worship him.
“I conducted a survey yesterday,” the club’s vice president, Kellion Argyros, murmured in Greek. His green eyes flashed with amusement as he explained, “98.6% of this year’s female applicants were after the position of the president’s bedmate. It’s up by three percent from last year.”
“Congratulations, President,” the club’s secretary, Yuri Athanas, deadpanned, also in the same language. “It is a commendable feat, especially when considering your attempt to alienate the school’s female student population.”
“Fuck off.” These words were, on the other hand, spoken in accented English. The girls who heard him sighed. If only that one had ended with a ‘you’ and was addressed to them.
Kellion smirked, but his voice was serious when he asked, “Have you heard from Andreus?”
Helios switched to his native language at his vice president’s question. “No. Not yet.” The delayed return of the club’s treasurer brought a hard look to his face. A smarter one would have known it represented danger. But the girls around him weren’t that smart. Seeing that look on Helios’ face only made them imagine being fucked by the president. Hard. Harder than they had ever been fucked.
“Shall we change our plans?” Yuri asked as they came to a stop in front of the steel gates of their club’s headquarters.
After a moment, Helios replied, “No. I don’t want to act preemptively and risk bringing a war into our territory.”
Kellion raised a brow. “We continue pretending then?”
A green light flashed above the gate just before it slowly rolled up. The girls started to scream. The day they had long been waiting for had finally arrived – a chance to be a part of Afxisi, even if it meant year-long servitude.
All the girls cared about was being part of a club that the American media had adoringly dubbed as Heart Racers, mostly because the club’s real name was impossible to pronounce. All they saw were college heartthrobs with big bikes and even bigger bank accounts.
None of them saw the truth. None of them saw past the good looks, the wealth, and the exciting and sometimes dangerous lifestyles the club’s members were known for.
And that was exactly how the club wanted it.
Helios answered Kellion’s question simply by turning around to face the crowd, a cold smile touching his lips. “Let the auditions begin.”
****
MJ Cartwright burst out of the school building’s back doors with a gasp. Checking her watch, she saw that she still had about ten minutes before club auditions officially started. She was not much of a runner. Death-defying stunts were more her forte. But stuff that were more a test of stamina than strength? She was a total loser at it. Back when she was in high school, MJ would watch the cheerleading squad run laps around the football field in their teensy weensy uniforms without breaking a sweat. She had once tried to do the same and nearly expired from heat stroke and dehydration after just five minutes.