Page 39 of Ruthless Angel

“What the…who the hell…?” My head spun as my vision blurred. I lost my balance and started to fall.

The last thing I remember was someone catching me right before I hit the floor. Then I was out.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BLAZE

“What the fuck is that little shit trying to pull here? Why would her phone be off?” In a fit of temper, Daire threw his own phone across the room. It hit the living room TV before landing on the floor.

It had been well over two hours since we’d heard from Clover. Daire was losing his mind. My stomach felt ill with worry. Something wasn’t right. I felt it in my gut.

“She was with Raina, right? Maybe we should try calling her.” Cash pulled his own phone out of his pocket. “Does anyone have her number?”

“Do the Gods know they left the city?” I asked, having little else to offer. “Maybe we should contact them.”

Daire picked his phone off the floor, angrily smacking the screen until he’d opened the tracking app for Clover’s ankle monitor. “She hasn’t moved in a while. Looks like she left the concert venue. I think this is a motel or something. I knew it was a mistake for her to go out with Raina. That mobster bitch can’t be trusted.”

“Let’s try to stay calm here,” I said, knowing that when Daire got like this, there was no getting through to him. “We can’t start blaming Raina. We don’t know anything yet.”

“Maybe we should track Clover,” Cash suggested. “Head to her last known location.”

I nodded in agreement. “That’s probably the best plan for now.”

Daire’s neck veins were popping, his face reddened with anger. “When I get my hands on Clover, she’s going to wish she’d never tested me. Hell, she’s going to wish that she’d never met any of us. I’m going to teach her the meaning of the word torture.”

Grabbing his shoulder, I gave him a gentle shake. “This might all be some big misunderstanding. Let’s not get carried away.”

“You are way too calm about this.” Daire nailed me with an accusatory glare. “Shocking for someone who was kidnapped and tormented for days by our enemy. You’re missing a goddamn finger, man, and you think I’m overreacting?”

My gaze dropped to my hand and the missing digit. It still felt weird, like my finger should be there but wasn’t.

Daire was jumping to wild conclusions. Deep down I knew he was probably right. Something was up with Clover. Either she’d taken off on us or something had happened to her. It made me sick to consider either possibility.

“Come on,” Cash broke in, trying to keep the peace before someone threw a punch. “Let’s go to Fox Grove and look for her.”

No sooner had he spoken than the doorbell rang. Daire checked the doorbell camera on his phone, his expression souring. “It’s Raina and her dumb fucking boyfriends.”

“Pretty sure they’re her husbands now,” Cash corrected. When Daire threw a glower his way, he raised both hands in surrender. “Or whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

I launched into motion, trying to beat Daire to the front door. I managed to get there a split-second before him. Pulling the door open, I found a distraught Raina on the front step.

“Have you guys heard from Clover?” Her eyes were wide with fear. “We went to that concert in Fox Grove. I lost her inthe venue. She just disappeared. I looked all over for her. When I called her phone, it was off.”

Daire shouldered his way into the threshold next to me. “No, actually, we haven’t heard from her. Thanks to you, she’s fucking missing.”

“Thanks to me?” Raina repeated. “Care to explain yourself, dick?”

“Happy to. She’s missing because you took her somewhere dangerous. We didn’t want her to go. You both knew that, and you went anyway.” Daire jabbed his finger in Raina’s face. “This is all on you.”

Gage reached around Raina to slap Daire’s finger away. “Watch your fucking mouth when you talk to my girl, unless you’d like me to knock your damn teeth down your throat.”

“Bring it on, motherfucker.” Daire raised both hands in invitation. “I’ve got a lot of pent up rage to unleash. I’ll gladly do it all over your smug face.”

I grabbed Daire and jerked him back as Knight pulled Gage away. Raina’s eyes filled with tears that she quickly wiped away.

“Can you guys beat on each other later?” She shot a scathing scowl at both Gage and Daire. “My best friend is missing. Nothing else matters right now but finding her.”

“Agreed,” Cash chimed in. “We were about to head to Fox Grove to look for her. We tracked her to a motel. Doesn’t look like she’s moved from there in a while.”

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