Page 24 of Ruthless Angel

The anger roiling around inside me bubbled up, bursting free. Maybe it was the pressure I was currently under. Maybe I just didn’t like hearing some bitch talk about Daire that way.

I whirled around with a fist already raised. One thing I was not was a fighter. That didn’t stop me from lunging at the girl who’d called Daire a freak. I threw my drink in her face. When she gasped in surprise, I punched her.

Pain shot through my hand. Holy crap, that hurt more than I’d anticipated. Thankfully, it hurt the girl more.

She fell backwards with a yelp, dropping her drink. Her friend knelt beside her, glaring up at me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted. “Why did you do that?”

Raina was suddenly there, stepping up beside me. “Did I really just see you throw a punch? What’s going on?”

“That was for Daire,” I said, my voice shaking. “Fuck you for talking about him like that.”

Both girls gaped at me as if I’d lost my mind. I had.

The blonde one that I’d hit held her bleeding nose. “Oh my god, you’re as crazy as he is. You fucking bitch.”

Raina held me back when I tried to go for her again. “Hold up, Clover. This isn’t you. Let’s grab Lyra and Briar and go grab some food somewhere. You need to calm down.” To the bleeding blonde she said, “Watch your mouth when you talk to my friend. I’ll be happy to finish what she started with your face.”

I let Raina pull me away. She surprised me by laughing.

With a shake of her head, Raina said, “I guess Daire isn’t the only one who’s head over heels.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

DAIRE

Although we had a list of addresses that were potential hot spots for where they were keeping Blaze, my gut said we needed to check out the closed down restaurant first. I’d learned long ago to always trust my instincts in these situations.

The Gods had joined us. They brought along a ten man crew to back us up. I’d once seen Clover as a way to get info on the Gods. A means of interfering in their business and fucking them over. I’d never dreamed that she would be the reason we had them to back us up tonight.

We’d probably never be friends. After what we’d done to Raina, what I’d done, they would never let me get that close. Which was for the best. Our ladies connected us though. I was glad that we could at least be allies when it was called for.

“Just so you know,” Havoc said when we’d gathered down the street from the restaurant. “When it’s time to return this favor, we fully expect you to drop everything and be there.”

“Of course,” Cash answered first, like he didn’t trust me to be nice. “We won’t forget this.”

“If you guys get me killed, I’ll spent eternity haunting the fuck out of you.” Gage slid a fresh magazine into the semi-automatic he held.

“Fair enough,” I muttered. I gripped my own gun tight as we marched down the street to the restaurant.

The men Havoc brought surrounded the building. They’d wait outside, watching every exit. The five of us were going inside.

As much as I’d have loved to blast my way in, we needed to be quiet. Announcing our presence too soon would tip Brady off and give him the chance to escape or to kill Blaze. Luckily, Gage was pretty handy with picking locks. He had the back door open in no time.

Cash and I entered first. I half expected the Gods to hightail it out of there and leave us behind. When they didn’t, I grudgingly formed a level of respect for them. I couldn’t say I wouldn’t have taken off and left them behind.

We entered into a small hallway. An office to our left and a staff break room to our right. Nobody was around. I heard them though. Voices rose up from below, just as I’d suspected.

Taking care to step quietly, we moved down the hall to a doorway that led to what must be a cellar area previously used for storage of food, wine, and whatever else a restaurant might store in a cool, dark space.

The first step creaked beneath my foot. I paused, listening hard. The voices below continued. They talked too loudly to hear us. Good.

If Blaze was dead already, I’d take my time killing Brady. He needed to know the true meaning of suffering. He deserved to know pain in a real and brutal way. I wouldn’t let him get off easy. I wished we’d killed him back when we took out his brother. None of this would have happened.

My pulse pounded with anticipation as I reached the bottom step. Once I took the last step, I would be in view of those in the basement. Then everything would happen fast. Steeling myself for the violence that would ensue, I took that last step down.

Brady and five other men sat around a card table in the far corner engaged in a game of poker. Liquor bottles and a bag of pills indicated that they were far from sober. Perfect.

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