Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER THREE

CLOVER

Class wasn’t an option the next day. After spending a restless night in Daire’s bed, I wasn’t feeling up to sitting in a classroom wondering what was happening to Blaze. Besides, I had nothing to wear.

“I need to go to Raina’s to get my things,” I said, sipping my coffee.

I sat at the small bistro table with Cash who worked on his laptop. Daire stood near the counter brewing his second cup of black coffee with the one cup coffee maker. I didn’t know how he could drink it that way.

“I’ll drive you over there after I grab a shower.” Daire popped a coffee pod into the machine and pressed the button to make it start. Leaning against the counter, he rubbed his stubbled jaw and yawned.

“I’m coming too.” Cash stuffed a bite of toast into his mouth. “I’m not staying here alone so Brady and his thugs can come for me. Seems like a bad time for any of us to be alone.”

I couldn’t argue that. As much as I hated having them monitor my every move, I didn’t want to be caught in a vulnerable position. This Brady guy sounded scary as hell. The business he was involved in was terrifying and evil. I never thought I’d want the Angels to kill someone. I wanted them to kill this guy.

An hour later we were on our way over to the Gods’ house. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my toothbrush and makeup bag. Some fresh clothes would be heaven.

“Let’s all be on our best behavior, okay?” I glanced between Cash and Daire as we pulled up in front of the house. “There’s really no need to keep up this beef with them. Maybe it’s time to take the high road.”

“That would be a lot easier if they weren’t filthy criminals,” Daire scoffed. When I merely stared at him expressionless, he added, “I’m not making any promises. If they start shit, we’ll finish it.”

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. “Whatever. I’m not being part of this childish shit.”

Daire muttered something about making me sorry for the disrespect while Cash laughed. Ignoring them, I rang the doorbell, hoping the punishment for what I was about to do wouldn’t be too severe.

Raina flung open the door and hugged me. “No class today? Never mind, you probably need your things for that.”

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom? I need to freshen up a little and change.” Glancing back over my shoulder at Daire and Cash who ambled up the front walk behind me, I lowered my voice to add, “Something bad happened. Really bad. Daire doesn’t want me to tell you.”

“So naturally you have to tell me.” Raina nodded knowingly. “Come on in.”

Raina led the guys into the kitchen where she read the riot act to everyone gathered there. The Gods didn’t seem too happy to see us. Couldn’t blame them.

“Clover and I are going upstairs for a minute to do some girl stuff. I fully expect you all to keep your hands to yourselves. No fighting. Play nice, boys. I mean it.” She shook a finger at them.

Havoc snickered. “Careful with that finger, Bad Girl. You wouldn’t want me to spank your ass in front of guests.”

A pink hue colored Raina’s cheeks. When she didn’t sass him again, I suspected that Havoc’s idea of a spanking took a dirty twist.

She took my hand and led me from the room. I was nervous about leaving all five guys together without us. There was a good chance we would come back to bloodshed.

“Do you really think we can leave them alone down there?” I asked when we reached the top of the stairs.

Raina shrugged. “I don’t know. If they kill each other, then at least we won’t have to put up with this stupid rivalry anymore.” She brought me into a bedroom that smelled faintly of male musk and marijuana. “You can shower in this bathroom. It’s the one I use most so you know it’s clean. I’ll grab your things from the basement.”

While I showered, Raina waited in the bedroom. After a good scrub down and some dental care, I felt more like myself again. I changed into a fresh purple tank top and a pleated rainbow skirt. Knee high socks covered the ankle monitor but didn’t hide the bulge. Dammit. Opening the bathroom door, I waved Raina inside.

“Okay, what’s up, girl? Where’s Blaze?” She sat on the edge of the tub, watching as I picked through my makeup bag. “Holy shit, is that an ankle tracker you’re trying to hide?”

“It is.” Holding an eyeshadow brush in one hand, I turned to face her. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Someone grabbed Blaze last night. Some guy named Brady. Apparently, he’s into trafficking. The human kind.”

Raina listened with wide eyes as I told her everything. It felt so good to get it off my chest. I didn’t care how mad Daire was about it. I needed to go to my best friend on this one.

“This Brady guy wants you in exchange for Blaze? Fuck. We can’t let that happen. We need to find this guy. He needs to die.” Raina shot to her feet, as if she’d head out and do just that.

“That’s the problem,” I said, opening an eye shadow palette filled with rainbow colors. “Daire was against telling you. He didn’t want to ask the Gods for help. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out I told you anyway.”

“Sounds like Daire needs to get over himself. Would he rather lose Blaze? God, what is that guy’s problem? He’s such a degenerate.” Raina shook her head, disgust marring her face. “Sorry, Clover. I know you’ve got something going on with him. I guess I’m still holding a grudge.”

“That’s fair. You have every right.” I quickly applied a light dusting of purple eye shadow, topping it off with some mascara. Good enough.

After dragging a brush through my tousled hair, I followed Raina back down to the main floor. I sucked in a deep breath, steeling myself for Daire’s outrage.

“I’m not sure I like how quiet it is,” I remarked as we descended the stairs.

“That makes two of us.”

We entered the kitchen to find it empty. That was odd. Movement through the window drew my gaze to the backyard. Relief swept me to find the five of them out there. Nobody appeared to be beaten or bloody. A miracle.

They were passing around a few joints when we joined them. The five of them stood awkwardly in a circle, keeping their distance while muttering what passed for small talk.

Raina clapped her hands together. “Look at you all sharing space without trying to kill each other. I knew you could do it.”

“What took so damn long?” Daire held out a hand, motioning for me to join him.

“I had to grab a shower and get changed.” I went to stand next to him, trying not to make eye contact. I was so damn obvious.

“You told her everything, didn’t you?” Daire slung a possessive arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him.

“I might have,” I admitted. “We need more people, Daire. That’s just a fact.”

Daire’s hand strayed down to clutch my sore ass. “You just can’t get enough, can you?”

“What’s going on?” Gage’s eyes narrowed as he glanced between Raina and me.

She nodded at Daire, indicating that he should speak. With an exasperated sigh, he said, “Someone grabbed Blaze last night.”

Cash joined in to help him explain who Brady was and why he was after them. When they’d finished, the three Gods exchanged a look.

“And you want our help?” A devilish grin spread across Havoc’s face. “Why should we help you? You’ve done nothing but interfere in our business. Let’s not forget what you did to Raina. Maybe you’re getting what you deserve.”

Daire stiffened next to me. “I told you they wouldn’t help. Let’s get out of here.”

Taking my hand, he started to pull me away. Raina raised both hands, stepping into the middle of everyone.

“All of you can shut the hell up,” she shouted, commanding attention. “This guy who took Blaze has his eye on Clover. I will not let him get his filthy hands on her.” Turning to Havoc, she said, “We have to help them. This isn’t about what happened in the past. This is about protecting my best friend. Please.”

Havoc eyed her, his jaw clenched. He didn’t want to do a damn thing to help the Angels. But he wouldn’t deny Raina anything.

“Fine. We’ll help.” He redirected his gaze to Daire. “What do you need us to do?”

Both Raina and I breathed sighs of relief. I hadn’t expected either group of guys to cooperate. Maybe they would prove themselves to be bigger than the issues that divided them.

“I’m not even sure where to start,” Daire said, looking like he’d rather be anywhere than here. “We tracked Blaze’s phone to an abandoned building across town. They’ve probably moved him by now. Might not hurt to take a look though.”

Havoc nodded and turned to go inside. “I’ll make a call. We’ll get some more people and go check it out.”

When Daire said nothing, Cash jumped in. “Thanks, Havoc. I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye but we appreciate this. Really.”

Havoc waved away his remark and disappeared into the house. The rest of us waited for him to rally some backup. The silence among us was tense. I hated that it was so hard for them to put their differences aside. It would sure be a lot easier for Raina and me if they did.

An hour later we were all on our way to the abandoned building. Raina and I rode in the back of a blacked out SUV while Knight and Cash rode up front. Gage, Havoc, and Daire had taken a separate vehicle. They would be leading a team of men inside the building while the rest of us waited outside where we could make a safe getaway if things went south.

“It will be okay, Clover.” Raina patted my arm, sensing my fear. “We’ll get Blaze back.”

“What if we can’t find him?” My voice was breathy and laced with worry. “What if they take him somewhere else and we can’t get to him in time?”

Sympathy shone in Raina’s hazel eyes. “They won’t kill him. Not as long as they want to use him as leverage. We’ll find him. Try to stay positive.”

I was doing my best. I kept seeing the image of Blaze on the video they’d sent. He’d been badly beaten, his head hanging in defeat. My heart hurt at the thought of them torturing him. Maybe I was suffering from some form of Stockholm Syndrome. Blaze had come to mean something to me. The thought of losing him made me crazy.

Cash turned in his seat to face me. “Brady can’t run forever. He’s a dead man, Sunshine. I promise you that.”

When I only gave him a tight smile, he reached over to caress my cheek. I leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth and comfort. It shouldn’t have felt so right. After everything he’d done to me with the others. Ignoring all of that, I let myself have this moment.

We parked down the block from the abandoned building. During the day it didn’t appear so ominous and deadly. Instead it seemed sad and forgotten. The entire neighborhood had that vibe.

I held my breath when Daire and the others went inside. They were heavily armed and in a large group. That didn’t mean they were safe. If Brady and his people were inside, there would be bloodshed. Someone would die.

I wanted to ask Raina how she remained so solid and calm in the face of danger. If we’d been alone, I’d have poured out my concerns. Having Cash and Knight present kept me from spilling my feelings.

We all waited in strained silence for some kind of an update. It felt like it took forever before the others emerged from the building. Daire shook his head. A simple but effective way of telling us that there had been no sign of Blaze inside.

Brady had taken him. They were gone. How would we find him now?