Page 17 of Ruthless Angel

CHAPTER NINE

CLOVER

Video chatting with a balding, red-faced middle-aged man was not fun. Trying to be girlish and sound younger than my age proved to be a challenge. He seemed to buy it. Once I suggested meeting, he was all for it. I told him that my parents were out, and I was able to get out of the house undetected. The cretin practically salivated.

Although the guys planned to hide in the park amongst the trees before the man arrived, Daire still insisted that I carry a gun. Having only had one proper lesson, I wasn’t comfortable with that plan.

“I’m not asking,” Daire said as he pressed the gun into my hand. “I’m not taking any chances here. Hide it in the waistband of your skirt.”

“What if it goes off?” I paled at the thought.

“It won’t. There are built in safety features. It won’t fire unless you pull the trigger. You probably won’t even need to use it. Take it for my peace of mind. Please.” The unspoken pleading in Daire’s eyes cut through my resolve.

“All right. I’m trusting you.” I tucked the gun into the waist of my skirt, pulling my hoodie down to cover it. I’d dressed in what I thought may appeal to the creep. A short skirt and cutesy pink hoodie.

We drove to the park half an hour before the man, Dan, was set to arrive. Both the Angels and the Sinners hid themselves in the trees. The darkness helped keep them hidden. I sat on a bench beneath a park light, doing my best not to freak out.

The Sinners had found a few addresses linked to Brady. One of them had been for a restaurant that shut down a few months ago. Daire felt strongly that may be where they’d taken Blaze. He was certain they hadn’t taken him out of the city.

It blew my mind that the Sinners had demanded ten grand. Cash and Daire had paid in full. I guess vigilante types had access to a lot of money.

Blaze was worth it though. That’s what I told myself as my adrenaline began to spike. He was suffering. Helping to trap a predator was the least I could do.

As I waited, I felt the watchful stares of all five guys upon me. I should have felt safe. I wasn’t alone. The gun digging into my stomach should have added to that security. It didn’t. The thought of using it made me nervous. Everything about this made my stomach flip.

I pulled out my phone, pretending to surf social media sites while waiting. That was normal, right? In my peripheral, I kept an eye out for Dan. I didn’t want him to take me by surprise.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what he did. Approaching me from behind, his hand suddenly fell upon my shoulder. I jumped, letting out a small shriek.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He gave my shoulder a creepy rub before rounding the bench and sitting next to me. “You look cute. I like your hair.”

Knowing what men like this preferred, I’d tied my hair up into pigtails atop my head. Cash had made a gross remark about using them as handles which made Daire chuckle darkly. Sickos.

“Um, thanks.” I didn’t have to pretend to play coy and shy. It came naturally.

Dan wore jeans and a polo shirt. He stunk of cheap cologne and cigarettes. Placing a hand on my knee, he grinned. “Did you wear this skirt just for me?”

This guy made me sick. Would it be terrible if I vomited in his lap?

Swallowing hard, I asked, “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Dan tugged on one of my pigtails and slid closer to me on the bench. “Would you like to come back to my place? We can order pizza and watch movies.”

I’d never really been much of an actress. Playing along was harder than I’d expected. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to do it much longer.

“Sure, that sounds fun.” I tried to make my voice a little higher and lighter. I didn’t want him to hear my disgust.

Reaching for my hand, Dan rose, pulling me with him. He seemed to be in a hurry to get me to a private place. Fuck that. I let him lead me away, expecting the guys to make their move.

They did.

The Angels seemed to materialize in front of us, stepping from the shadows like ghosts taking form. Behind us the Sinners gathered, trapping Dan between both groups.

“Step away from the girl,” Daire barked. He held a gun in one hand. “I won’t tell you again.”

Dan panicked at the sight of the young men surrounding him. He’d come more prepared for trouble than I’d anticipated. Pulling a gun from his pants, he jerked me against him and pressed the barrel to my temple.

“Back off,” he hissed. “Try anything and I pull the trigger.”

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