Page 56 of Ruthless Angel

“Doesn’t matter. You were there. That puts you on our hitlist.” Cash rounded the bed to stand next to Derek. “Now, let’s get started, shall we?”

Daire stepped up on the other side of the bed. He wasted no time slamming a fist into Derek’s face. “Where’s Brady?”

“I don’t know,” Derek shouted, bracing for another hit.

Blaze shook his head, leaning on the end of the bed. “This is not a good time to lie, my dude. Covering for Brady won’t save you. It will guarantee that we torture the hell out of you before we kill you.”

“I really don’t know.” Derek twisted and writhed. He wasn’t going anywhere. “After we ran into you guys at the hotel the other night, we all went our separate ways. Brady said it was safer that way. I haven’t seen him since.”

Shoving away from the bed, Blaze picked up Derek’s pants from the floor, fishing his phone out of the pocket. Using Derek’s face to unlock it, he scrolled through. “Let’s send Brady a message and see what he has to say.”

“In the meantime,” Daire cut in. “Let’s get started making this scumbag sorry he messed with our girl.”

Daire slammed his fist into Derek’s face repeatedly until blood gushed from his nose and lips. There was nothing Derek could do but take it. He begged and pleaded for mercy. He started to make so much noise that Cash grabbed his underwear from the floor and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Shit.” Blaze threw Derek’s phone on the floor, crushing it with a heel. “Brady knows something is up. I asked him where he’s at and he replied telling me to go ahead and kill Derek. That he knows nothing.”

Disappointment flitted through me. Getting rid of Brady’s friends was one thing, but it was really Brady I wanted. He needed to pay.

“Brady can hide. We’ll still find him. For now, we’ll settle for you, dickhead.” With a vicious grin, Daire wrapped both hands around Derek’s throat and squeezed.

I watched with growing excitement as his eyes bulged and his face turned red. My feet moved, bringing me around the side of the bed next to Cash. I realized then that I held my knife in one hand. I didn’t recall taking it out.

Something shifted inside me, putting me in a strange headspace as I brought the knife down. Right onto his torso. Daire let go of his throat, giving me the joy of hearing his muffled screams as I carved into his chest and stomach.

The blade glided through his flesh so smoothly. So easily. When I finished, the word pig covered him from neck to groin in giant letters. Blood oozed from the wounds, holding me entranced.

“He didn’t touch you, did he?” Cash asked, eyeing me closely.

“No, he didn’t.” Derek hadn’t been there when Brady and Pete touched me. Brady had done the worst. He deserved to suffer the most.

Dangling his own knife over Derek’s face, Daire said, “Good. Then I guess we don’t need to castrate him. Might be fun though.”

Derek’s muffled cries grew louder and more frantic. Tears spilled from his eyes to stain the old motel pillow beneath his head. I felt no sympathy for him.

“He doesn’t know where to find Brady. No need to drag this out and risk getting caught. Let’s end this now.” Blaze reached to take the bloody knife from my hand. He went to the adjoined bathroom to clean it before bringing it back to me.

Daire pressed his gun to Derek’s forehead. “Might want to look away, Angel. It’s going to get messy.”

I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. Seeing this through meant something to me.

“I’m good,” I said with a shake of my head. “Do it.”

Daire held my gaze as he pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed, hitting both of us. The warm splat against my skin was shocking. I couldn’t look away from the mess that was Derek. So bloody and horrific, yet I felt nothing.

“Come on, Rainbow. Let’s get you out of here.” Sliding an arm around my shoulders, Blaze steered me toward the door. After double checking the parking lot, we headed for the car.

Cash and Daire followed, taking care to close the door as they left the motel room. I kind of felt for the person who would end up finding Derek.

I got into the car, sliding into the back with Blaze. One down. Two to go.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CLOVER

My head buzzed with electricity. The drive home was a haze. Adrenaline raced through me, slowly subsiding the closer we got to the house.

When we arrived, Blaze and I went inside while Cash and Daire took everyone’s bloody clothes somewhere safe to dispose of them. Scarlet splattered my hair and face. I went right up to the shower to clean up.

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