Page 3 of Soulless Angel

We were meeting the Sinners in the cafeteria in fifteen minutes. Daire had been adamant this morning that we were getting out of this favor we owed them. A debt was a debt. If it wasn’t this, it would be something else. Maybe something worse. If that was possible.

I hated how close Clover and Blaze had come to danger last night. We’d come so close to losing both of them already. This was no time to take chances. However, we owed the Sinners. We couldn’t simply refuse to pay up. They had the ability to destroy our lives with a few clicks.

When the clock hit the top of the hour, the professor dismissed the class. I shot out of my chair and bolted for the door. Moving fast, I raced out of the business and marketing wing, crossing into the hall where Clover’s criminal psych class was located.

She waited outside her classroom for me. My mood immediately perked up at the sight of her. There was a reason I called her Sunshine. Clover brought a much needed light to our lives. Just one look at her chased the shadows away.

“Hey, beautiful.” I greeted her with a kiss, holding on a little longer.

Someone passing by told us to get a room. Without breaking the kiss, I held up a hand, flipping the middle finger.

“Mmm, you smell good,” Clover murmured, pressing her face to my neck. “I love that cologne.”

She had no idea how easily she got under my skin. I’d have loved nothing more than to take her somewhere private and make her scream. Too bad we had a meeting now.

Slipping her small hand into my much bigger one, Clover smiled up at me. “How was class?”

I shrugged. “It was class. The usual. Probably not as interesting as yours.”

“Yeah, too bad it was so hard to concentrate. I can’t stop thinking about last night.” She peered up at me with those enchanting blue eyes. “Do you think there’s any chance the Sinners will let us get out of this?”

“Honestly? No. I think Daire will put up a heck of a fight though.” I pulled Clover out of the way as a few guys from the football team passed us, jostling and shoving each other as they shouted about an upcoming game.

“I don’t think so either,” she said, tossing her blonde waves out of her face.

When we reached the cafeteria, Riot and Felix were already there. They’d wisely chosen a table in the back corner where nobody would overhear our conversation. Blaze strolled up from a different direction, joining us as we approached the table.

Felix nodded a greeting while Riot motioned for us to take a seat. “We’re just waiting on Scratch. I assume Daire is coming?”

From what I’d heard, Scratch’s real name was Damian Sullivan. I had no idea how he’d earned the nickname, and Ididn’t really care. Riot’s nickname was self-explanatory. Nobody got a name like that without a good reason.

“Yeah, he’ll be here any minute.” Blaze motioned for Clover and me to take the remaining seats at the table. Since nobody sat at the next table over, he swiped the chairs, cramming them in at our table.

Riot had no interest in forced conversation. His attention was on the roast beef sandwich in his grasp. Fine with me. I wasn’t especially eager to be friends with these guys. Ours had been a business arrangement. Best to keep it that way.

When Daire arrived, he held a tray of food. He placed it in front of Clover. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I grabbed a few different things.”

She eyed up the salad, fruit cup, and chicken sandwich on the tray. “Aww, thanks, Daire. That’s really sweet.”

It sure was. Not like the Daire Keller I knew at all. This woman was changing him for the better. I liked it.

Scratch ambled up a few minutes later. He took the remaining seat next to Felix. Tension settled over the table.

“First of all, no business talk on a regular phone,” Riot said, getting right to the point. “We use burner phones for a reason. I’d advise you all to do the same. Now what would you like to discuss? Did you get into the club?”

“Yeah, we got in,” Blaze began, glancing at Clover. The two of them shared a knowing look. “The shady shit goes on in a back area that’s accessed by a keycard. We managed to catch the door when a waitress entered. We saw enough to know there is definitely snuff content being made there.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Daire jumped in. “I’m not sending Clover back in there. Find another way to get your footage.”

Riot took another bite of his sandwich, eyeing Daire as he chewed. “You owe us. You agreed to do this. We need camerasback there. It’s the only way to accurately identify those running things.”

“Then find someone else to plant them. You obviously know how dangerous this is since you’re not doing it yourself. We’re out.” Daire settled back in his chair, holding Riot’s piercing stare.

A faint smile crossed Riot’s face. “You owe us a favor, Keller. You’re lucky we’re only calling in the one after everything we’ve done for you guys. Clover is only sitting here right now because of our help. You’re not getting out of this.”

I’d kind of expected this reaction. The Sinners had named their price. Now we had to pay it.

Daire’s jaw clenched. His temper was always halfway to explosive. Losing his shit on the Sinners wouldn’t help us get out of this.

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