Page 42 of Soulless Angel

“We might’ve gone too far this time. Especially after what Brady did to her.” Blaze cast a worried glance at Clover’s unconscious form.

“How else were we supposed to keep her from freaking out and blowing the whole thing?” Right there on the kitchen counter, Daire cut up thin lines of coke with his credit card. “She would have gotten us all killed. She might be pissed but she’s alive.”

I sat on the armchair across from the couch, watching Clover’s chest rise and fall with each breath. There was no arguing that logic. We did what we had to in the moment to ensure we all left alive.

“Maybe Clover isn’t cut out for this shit after all,” I said, taking a large toke of my joint. “She’s been forced into it over and over. That doesn’t mean it isn’t breaking her down. Going forward, I think we need to keep her out of it.”

Blaze nodded. Standing next to the couch, he gently pushed the hair off Clover’s forehead. “Agreed. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her. She’s been through enough.”

I knew what he meant. He was afraid to lose her. We all were. We’d grown to love the colorful little pixie. Clover was a rainbow in our storm. She made everything better. Now we needed to do right by her and protect her. From the world outside the door. Even from ourselves.

Daire sniffed a line of coke and sighed. He fell back onto a stool at the island, staring out the window into the darkened backyard. “She deserves better than us.”

“But you’ll never let her go, will you?” I had to ask.

The thought had crossed my mind several times that maybe Clover would be better off without us. We brought too much danger and uncertainty to her world. And yet, I was too selfish to let myself go on without her.

“Fuck no.” Daire said what we were all thinking.

Even Blaze who silently watched Clover in her passed out state. Instead of addressing the subject, he said, “I’m going to take that laptop to the Sinners. The sooner it’s out of our possession, the better.”

“Don’t go unarmed,” Daire called after him as he left the room. “Watch your back.”

Sucking back one more large toke, I stubbed out my joint and rose. “I’ll go with him. Safety in numbers and all that.”

I followed Blaze out to the car, eager to have this night be over. The Sinners better consider our debt paid in full. Otherwise, we were going to have a problem.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CLOVER

My head spun, my temples pounding. Surfacing from a drugged out haze never got easier. It took me a minute to realize that I was on the couch at home.

I groaned as it took immense effort to sit up. I groped around blindly for the back of the couch, using it to help me get upright. My eyelids felt like they were glued shut. It took several attempts to pry them open.

The living room swam as it came into focus. A faint haze of light came through the window. Was it morning? I wasn’t sure how much time I had lost.

I thought I was alone. Did the guys just dump me on the couch and go to bed? Would they do something so crass?

Taking my time, I swung my legs over the side of the couch and just sat there, letting my mind catch up with the rest of me. I was pretty sure I had class today. Although I couldn’t quite remember what day it was.

“Rise and shine, beautiful.” Daire’s voice came from the kitchen. He sat at the small table, drinking a mug of coffee. His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils blown out and huge.

“What time is it?” I muttered, angry at the very sight of him. How could he do that to me? I thought we were getting somewhere, that there was really something between us. Maybe I was wrong about all of it.

“Just past seven. How are you feeling?” Leaving his mug on the table, Daire got up and came to where I sat.

He touched a hand to my forehead, then my cheek. Annoyance surged through me, and I jerked back out of reach.

My hand flew through the air, cracking him across the face. “How do you think I feel? I feel like someone drugged me. How could you do that, Daire? I trusted you.”

The shock of my slap made him take a step back. His hand went to his face, rubbing the place of impact. “I didn’t have a choice. You were panicking. We had to play along. How else were we going to get out of there alive? I’m not willing to lose you, Clover. I’m sorry that it had to be that way. I was only doing what it took to protect you.”

“You know that’s what Brady did to me. I never thought you would do it too.” I glared up at him, hating him in that moment.

Daire took another step back, like he was suddenly wary of crowding me. “I know. I get that. Trust me, I didn’t want to do it. We were on the spot, and I had a split-second to make a decision that would keep our asses alive. Was I supposed to let you go into panic mode and tip those guys off instead?”

I knew he was right. We had walked into a dangerous situation, having no idea how it would play out until we were immersed. He made the decision he felt was best in the moment. And yet, I could barely stand to look at him.

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