Page 29 of Soulless Angel

When I returned, I found Cash almost having a meltdown. He was on his phone, most likely trying to track my ankle bracelet through the app. He glanced up at my approach, his expression changing from one of sheer panic to utter relief.

“Jesus, Clover. I was just about to use the tracker to find you. What happened? I was thinking the worst.” Bruises had started to form on Cash’s face from his scrap with Jet. He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.

Jet was nowhere to be seen. He must have taken off.

“We have to get out of here,” I said, pulling away. Frantically, I ran around to the passenger side of the SUV and got in, waving for Cash to hurry up and do the same.

Following my lead, Cash got in, and I promptly hit the door lock. “What is going on?” he asked, confused. “Where were you?”

“Just drive,” I said, almost shouting. “We can’t be here when they come back.”

“When who comes back?” Cash didn’t hesitate to start the car and get us out of there. He kept shooting worried glances at me, waiting for an explanation.

“I went around to the back of the building,” I told him, fidgeting with my seatbelt. “There were two men back there taking a body out to a van. They were talking about selling the organs, Cash. They’re not just making dark web content here. They’re harvesting organs.”

“Did they see you?” he asked, like he already knew the answer.

“Yes. They chased me, so I ran down the street to a restaurant until they left. I didn’t want to lead them right to you.” Pulling off my wig and wig cap, I unpinned my hair and finger combed the tangles. “Think the Sinners know about the organ harvesting?”

Cash shrugged, his eyes on the road as he drove us toward home. “They didn’t mention it. We’ll have to talk to them. This definitely changes things.”

We took an extra-long route on our way home to make sure we weren’t being followed. We weren’t. Still, I couldn’t relax. I was too shaken up from what I’d seen and the chase that came after.

Blaze and Daire still weren’t back. I wasn’t sure how long their task should take, although it felt like they should’ve beenhome by now. Cash seemed to think so too since he started calling their phones.

“That’s weird,” he said. “Both of their phones are off. Straight to voicemail. That’s not like them. Something must have happened. I need to go look for them.”

“Not without me. I’m coming with you.” I started pulling off the dress I wore. “Just give me a few minutes to change. Do you know where they went?”

Cash followed me upstairs, his bruised face set in a hard frown. “I have the address of the guy they went after. We’ll start there. Are you sure you want to come? I can drop you off with Raina.”

I went into Blaze’s room where most of my things were simply because he had a bigger dresser and more free closet space than the other two. Tossing the dress on the floor, I shimmied out of the tiny underwear, happy to be free of them. I was ready to feel like myself again.

“No deal. I’m coming with you. I’m part of this now. All of it. You guys made sure of that. There’s no changing that now.”

Cash’s enchanting blue gaze locked on me as I moved about the room, fetching a comfy pair of sweatpants, a tank top, and a hoodie along with fresh undies. Catching my disheveled locks in a hand, I went to the bathroom to find a hair clip, securing it atop my head.

“Fine. Bring a weapon. I can’t risk anything happening to you.” Cash went into his own room, coming back with a handgun that he tucked into the back of the jeans he now wore. He’d also changed into casual wear.

Despite their efforts to get me acquainted with guns, I still didn’t like them. I opted to bring a Taser, pepper spray, and a switchblade.

A few minutes later we were back in the car on our way to the address Cash had found. During the drive, he handed mehis phone, telling me to call the Sinners. I scrolled through his contacts until I found Riot O’Hare’s info.

The phone rang several times, making me think he was going to ignore the call. Right before it went to voicemail, he answered.

“This better be good, Lockwood,” he said, assuming it would be Cash on the line.

I didn’t bother correcting him. He’d figure it out once I spoke. I jumped right in. “Are you aware that there is more going on at Paradise than you think?”

Riot paused before snapping, “What the hell did I say about using a burner phone?”

“I don’t give a shit about that right now,” I snapped right back. “They’re harvesting organs from the people they kill, Riot. Did you know that? Answer me.”

“We had our suspicions. Nothing confirmed. That’s one of the reasons we need cameras in there. I assume you still haven’t managed to pull that off.” He sounded unimpressed. Like usual.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into the back? It’s restricted. If you want us to do this, you need to do your part too. Get us a key card so we can get back there. Isn’t that something you super smart hacker types can do?” My fuse was short. I didn’t give a shit if it ticked off Riot anymore. I was ticked off too.

He was silent for a moment, making me check to make sure he hadn’t ended the call. Finally, he spoke. “I’ll see what I can do. Do not call me again unless it’s from a burner phone or I won’t answer.”

---