Enamored To A Fool by Jackie Nacht Page A

the head. “Hey, man!” Axle yelled.
    “Okay, here’s the thing. One of your buddies beat the shit out of your brother, and I need to get him some help.”
    “Wait…what? Who touched him?” Was it Donavon? Axle was almost positive. So, this guy was here to help them and not dump their bodies in the middle of the forest after offing them. Nice to know.
    “You would already know, asshole, if you weren’t drunk off your ass. Now, pay attention. See those two bags? I need you to carry them for me while I carry your brother.”
    Regret flooded Axle. He began shaking his head as he moved to sit up. “No, I’ll carry my brother.”
    “I don’t think so. You can barely walk, let alone carry him. I’ll take care of him from now on.” The guy moved to the passenger side to carefully pull Torque out of the car. His brother let out a pitiful cry before tucking his head into Red's chest.
    The guy looked down at Torque. There was tenderness in his eyes that showed that he was familiar with his brother. Is my brother dating someone and I didn’t even know it?
    “I know this is going to really hurt, but I need you to wrap your arms around my neck,” Red said to Torque.
    “Is he going to be okay?”
    “He’s going to be just fine. Now, come on,” Red began leading them into the forest, not waiting on Axle.
    Axle grabbed the two bags then swayed behind the pair. He followed them as he walked into the foggy forest. There was a moment's alarm as he lost sight of his brother, and then, the guy reached out and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the fog.
    The walk was only about ten yards before he felt the leaves beginning to crunch underneath his feet. The air warmed with each step, and the mist began to dissipate until they were standing in another part of the forest. He could see shopping bags strewn all over the forest bed. In a matter of about ten seconds, he went from a cold December day to standing in a forest that looked to be in the height of fall.
    Looking at the forest in bewilderment, Axle was too slow to react when the guy pulled him to a nearby tree. His wrists were tied to the tree with thick green vines.
    “What the hell?” Axle struggled. He had a personal rule of never allowing himself to be tied up. It left a person completely vulnerable. Although Axle was big at over six feet, he had a feeling this guy could break his neck like a dried-up twig.
    “Sit.”
    “No way! What are you going to do with my brother?”
    “Your brother is no longer your concern. You need to start worrying about yourself.”
    What the hell is that supposed to mean? He gave a desperate look at his injured brother lying in the bed of colorful leaves. This had to be a nightmare. As soon as he woke up, he was going to clean up his act, for sure. He’d quit partying, get his ass back in school and try very hard to reconnect with the brother who had been through thick and thin with him while growing up.
    The vines began wrapping around him, tripping him to lie on the floor of the forest. Red adjusted him to a sitting position with his back against the nearest tree. The guy took an envelope out of a nearby bag and pinned it to the front of his shirt.
    “My brother should be around shortly. You won’t be left by yourself for long.” Red turned and grabbed Torque, taking him away from Axle.

Chapter Two
     
     
    You have got to be fucking kidding me. Axle could not believe he was still tied to a tree. Struggling with the vines that held him was useless. The red-haired bastard had pinned a note to his chest like he was in kindergarten all over again. He had been a little shit at five, so he had plenty of experience with the note pinned to the chest. There was a deep need to rip it up and throw it in the creek, like he had done when he was five, except being tied to the tree kept him from it.
    Looking around, he could not understand what the hell was going on. One moment, he had walked into a forest that was free of leaves due to the