Page 45 of Soulless Angel

Coughing and choking, I blinked hard as my eyes watered. He hadn’t expected me to be prepared for an attack. He stumbled back out of the stall, falling against the one opposite. I shoved off the toilet, darting from the stall. He grabbed my ankle as I ran past, dragging me hard to the floor.

I fell painfully onto my stomach. The impact knocked the switchblade from my hand, and I watched in horror as it skittered toward the sinks. I turned back, blasting him with another shot of pepper spray. With my free foot, I kicked him in the face as hard as I could.

He grunted in pain, trying to drag me closer. I reached forward, hooking my hand around the base of the stall wall next to me. I kicked him again, fighting to keep him from catching that foot as well. He coughed and gagged, his eyes bloodshot and running.

“You’re not getting away, bitch. JD wants you dead.” His guttural snarl sent shockwaves of terror through me.

Now I really wished that I had listened to Cash and stayed home. He wasn’t being paranoid at all. He’d been doing this long enough to know this would happen. His instincts had been right.

I needed to get to the switchblade. It was the only weapon I had left. I managed to boot him in the face one more time. This time I heard a crunch and he released my ankle.

Scrambling forward, I rushed for the knife. He was right behind me. As my hand closed around the switchblade, he came down on top of me. My head hit the tile, making my vision dance for several seconds. He wrapped his gloved hands around my throat and started to squeeze.

Knowing that I had to move fast before he choked me unconscious, I flicked the knife open and started swinging. The blade plunged into his side, making him shout. I didn’t stop there. Jerking the knife free, I stabbed him over and over, anywhere I could reach.

Bringing the knife up higher, I stabbed it into the side of his neck. That was the blow that stopped him. Blood spilled down on top of me, splattering my face. I shrieked.

His red, raw eyes widened, and he slumped on top of me. I struggled to roll him off, adrenaline helping me to escape the dead man’s weight. Someone banged on the locked door. I heard murmured voices beyond as they wondered why the door was locked. It wouldn’t be long before they found a custodian or someone able to open it. What the hell did I do?

Rushing to the sink, I hurriedly washed the blood from my face. Then my knife. The sky blue top I wore was stained as well. Thankfully, I had a hoodie in my bag. Returning to the stall where it still hung on the back of the door, I fetched my bag and sped through changing out of my top and sliding into the hoodie.

After cramming the bloody shirt into my bag along with my knife and pepper spray, I crept to the door and listened. I heard nothing. The person trying to get in must have gone in search of a different restroom instead.

I hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew that. This man attacked me. Yet I knew that we couldn’t get the police involved. There would be too many questions that we would not be able to answer. Somehow, I needed to get out of there without being seen. I couldn’t be linked to this situation.

Turning the lock, I inched the door open and peeked out. Relief crushed me when I saw the hall empty. Slipping from the restroom, I hurried down the hall. I didn’t know where I was going or what to do. I only knew that I needed to get a hold of my Angels immediately.

Leaving the building would be idiocy. Someone might be waiting out there for us. Instead, I went to a different restroom on the other side of campus. That’s where I locked myself in a stall and called Blaze.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

BLAZE

This was not happening. Going to class after what happened at Paradise last night was a useless endeavor. The first chance I got, I slipped from my seat and left the room. On my way out of the building, I dug a joint from my pocket. I needed something mellow right now.

The hallways were relatively empty. Most students were in class right now. The cafeteria was relatively busy though, occupied by those on break. I kept going right past it, intent on my personal mission.

I left the school and continued on until I was far enough away from the door that nobody would give me shit if they smelled my joint. Although it was legal here, it wasn’t allowed on campus grounds. I didn’t really give a shit about that.

I rounded the building, going around to the side that faced the parking lot. There wasn’t much activity here, other than the occasional student going back-and-forth to their car. Leaning against the building, I lit up my joint and took a large drag. Resting my head against the hard brick, I stared up into the sky.

Even though there was a fall chill to the air, the sky was blue with the occasional cloud drifting over. I savored the moment. None of us should’ve come to campus today. After what went down last night, we all needed a mental health day.Clover wouldn’t hear of it. She could be incredibly headstrong at times.

I didn’t blame her for not wanting to be stuck in the house with us. What we’d done was unforgivable. I knew we didn’t have another way at the time, and she’d been so sure that she could handle it. Maybe we should have known better. Maybe we shouldn’t have let her become involved.

Too late for that now. Clover was part of us. She’d proven herself to be more of a badass than she realized. While she wasn’t the type to enjoy violence or hunting down those who deserve it, she’d taken more than her fair share of shit and come out the other side. I’d never known anyone so strong. She’d captured my heart right from the start. That’s why I needed to keep her out of this now. Our vigilante activity was ours and not hers. I wanted to protect her from the repercussions of this life. I just didn’t know if that was possible.

The crunch of tires on the loose gravel covering the asphalt drew my attention. I glanced over in time to see a dark gray sedan rolling past me on its way out of the parking lot. Nothing seemed amiss. I wouldn’t have even looked twice if the passenger window hadn’t rolled down. When the occupant stuck a gun through the opening, aiming right at me, I jolted upright.

My legs were moving before my mind even processed what was happening. Instinct had me running. A shot was fired, whipping past me so close I saw my life flash before my eyes. I made it around the corner, the brick taking the shot meant for me.

I dropped my joint, forgetting it completely. Other than a small knife, I had no weapon. Definitely nothing that could stand against a gun. I was caught in a precarious position. I could either run back towards the front of the building and hope to make it to an entryway before they caught up with me, or I could take a chance on getting to my car in the parking lot.

My car was technically closer, although that would mean running right past them. The closest entry into the school was far enough that they would be able to drive right up into the loading zones out front and keep taking shots at me. I had to make a decision, and I had to make it fast.

My assailants made it for me. With a squeal of tires, they followed me around the school, taking the small service road that ran along the front to the loading zones. There was nothing to protect me out here. Nothing to hide behind unless I made it to the giant concrete pillars at the main entry. They would gun me down before I even came close.

I had no choice but to head for the parking lot. That meant running right past them. It also meant they would have to turn around to follow me, which would give me a few seconds to get ahead.

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