Page 64 of Ruthless Angel

“Happy?” The man asked. “Now hand over my product. I have places to be.”

My gut tightened as Gage and Daire came forward with the bags. Fingers twitching, I resisted the urge to reach for my gun. Something didn’t feel right.

My mistake. I should have listened to my inner voice.

Everything happened fast as the men ripped the bags away from Daire and Gage. To top it off, they didn’t hand over thecash. Instead, they pulled weapons on us and began to retreat to their vehicle with our cash bag.

“What the fuck?” Fearless and reckless, Gage pulled his own gun, aiming it right back at them. “You’re robbing us?”

The buyer chuckled. “It sure looks that way, doesn’t it? Sorry, boys. That’s business sometimes. Tell Desmond that we’re done dealing with each other. I know he’s been ripping me off.”

Gage proved himself to be a hell of a loose cannon when he took a shot at the man. He missed but just barely. Once the first shot was fired, we were all screwed.

Gunshots rang out as both groups began to fire. We weren’t stupid enough to stand there and take it. A few of us hid behind the van, the others darted behind a dumpster. I found myself crouched behind the van with Havoc and Knight.

Waiting for the right moment, I peered around the front bumper and took a shot. My bullet hit the man with the cash bag in the shin. He dropped the bag, bellowing in pain. Another man scooped it up, running toward their vehicle.

Gage dropped him with a shot from behind the dumpster. The man in the suit didn’t hang around to engage in gun play. He booked it for the SUV, diving into the back as he left his men behind.

He’d wrongly assumed that we’d stand there and allow him to rob us. I kept thinking about Clover. How I’d promised to protect her. I couldn’t do that if these idiots killed me. I wouldn’t let that happen.

Every moment seemed to move in slow motion. We’d managed to get better cover than the other guys, leaving most of them trying to hide behind their SUV. We took down three of them before the remaining guys abandoned all of the bags and leapt into the vehicle. They tore away with a squeal of tires, almost sideswiping our van.

My ears rang from the sound of so many shots. Although nobody had been in the area, I worried about the cops being called. We needed to get moving.

“Let’s go,” I shouted, running to grab one of the bags.

Cash and Knight grabbed the other two. Blood dripped from Cash’s hand where he’d been grazed by a bullet when taking a shot. We’d gotten lucky. Nobody else was injured.

“Well, that was a hell of an outing.” A maniacal laugh burst from Gage as he hauled himself into the van.

“I never imagined I’d actually have fun with you dicks.” Daire joined him in laughing like a psychopath. Those two had definitely been cut from the same cloth.

“Fun?” With a shake of his head, Knight tossed in the bag he held and climbed into the vehicle. “You guys are fucking insane.”

We headed back to Desmond’s house, careful to watch for a tail. We were clear. This had certainly not been a simple exchange.

Had Desmond anticipated a betrayal from his buyer? Did he know that he sent us into a dangerous situation? I hoped not. Although that was one hell of a way to force teamwork.

CHAPTER THIRTY

CLOVER

“Here. I’m sure you could use one of these too.” Raina passed me a strongly mixed drink before plopping back down in her patio chair.

I tried to relax on my matching reclining chair but found it next to impossible. When Desmond told the guys they were all going out tonight, my heart had stuttered. I didn’t like that they were working for the mob now. Their current activity was already dangerous enough. Nervous butterflies filled my stomach, making my yummy burger not sit so well anymore.

Accepting the drink with a nod of thanks, I asked, “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Desmond had gone into the house to make some business calls, leaving Raina and me alone in the backyard. She glanced toward the house with a brow raised, like she didn’t entirely trust her dad’s motives here.

“I think so. They can all take care of themselves. My biggest concern is the six of them being alone together without us there to keep them from killing each other.” Settling back in her chair, Raina plucked a joint from her bra and stuck it between her painted red lips.

I sighed, staring up at the darkening sky. The sun had descended, leaving a hazy orange glow behind that would soon disappear.

“I don’t think they’ll ever let go of the past,” I said. “And I wouldn’t blame you if you held it against the Angels for the rest of your life. What they did to you is not okay. Still, there’s a part of me that wishes everyone would get along. I know that’s unrealistic.”

“What they did to me was fucked up,” she agreed, lighting up her joint. “It’s history though. Things have changed. You love those psychopaths. I respect that. I’d love for everyone to get along too. Like one big, happy, screwed up family. That’s a lot to expect from any of those guys.”

---