Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CASH

“You need to calm down, Daire. We’re finally getting somewhere. That’s a good thing.” I braced myself, expecting to get punched.

Daire sat to my right at a table in a busy sports bar. He was on his third drink. Since he’d been getting double shots, it was more like his sixth. We’d all been a wreck since we discovered Clover missing. No doubt Daire had been the worst.

I didn’t think he’d slept more than a few hours since we lost her three days ago. Or was it four? I could barely think straight. I’d been surviving on Red Bull and prayers to a God I didn’t believe in.

Blaze wasn’t doing any better. He’d stopped eating. Other than coffee and weed, he hadn’t consumed much of anything.

“Those goddamn Sinners are corrupt as fuck. What kind of cunts charge ten grand for info on a human trafficking ring? They should want to help.” Daire clenched his hand into a fist.

He’d almost killed Riot when he told us how much their help would cost this time. It had taken both Blaze and I to hold him back. We’d barely succeeded.

The Sinners had been able to do some digging. They discovered an underground auction in the city. A place where humans were sold to the sick fucks looking to purchase. That had to be where Brady planned to take Clover.

According to the Sinners, only those with the password got in. For another five grand, they got us the password and the location. The next auction was scheduled for tomorrow night. We’d missed out on tonight’s auction. It had ended hours before the Sinners got their intel.

I worried that Clover would have been sold tonight. Finding her would be so much harder if someone had taken her to another location. Going forward, we would need to attend every auction until we found her.

There was only one problem. None of us were able to attend without being spotted right away by Brady and anyone else he may be working with. We’d killed some of his men. Not all of them. He wasn’t stupid enough to work alone.

“We need to go to Raina and the Gods,” Blaze said, watching Daire chug back his drink. “We need to send in someone who won’t be recognized.”

“And where are we supposed to get the money to buy Clover back?” Daire countered, his lip lifting in a vicious sneer. “We can’t walk into a place like that and shoot our way out. Not without getting us all killed. A girl like her won’t be cheap.”

Our bank account had taken a few hits lately, especially with the Sinners earlier. We had a decent chunk of cash left, but how much would it cost to buy a whole human being? Hell if I knew. That wasn’t my line of business.

“That’s why we need to go to Raina. She’ll pull some strings. She’ll help.” Shoving a hand through his disheveled hair, Blaze sat back in his chair and sighed.

He wasn’t wrong. We were fucked if we didn’t get some help here. I was able to swallow my pride and go to Raina. I wasn’t so sure about Daire.

A drunken man on his way to the restroom stumbled, banging into Daire’s chair and jostling him about. Daire was on his feet in an instant.

“What the fuck is your problem, asshole?” he shouted. “Watch where you’re fucking going.”

“Suck my dick, motherfucker. It’s not that big of a deal.” The drunk guy got dangerously close to Daire, bringing them face to face.

I saw it coming before Daire smashed a fist into the man’s face. He didn’t stop with one hit. It took two punches to put the guy on the floor. Daire dropped two more into his face before Blaze and I hauled him off.

“Get off me. I’m going to kill that piece of shit.” Daire took a swing at Blaze who blocked in time to avoid a broken nose.

Wrapping an arm around Daire’s neck, I put him in a tight headlock. If I had to choke him out, so be it.

Together Blaze and I dragged Daire toward the exit. He fought and flailed, trying to punch anyone and anything within reach. Once we were outside, I threw him against the side of Blaze’s Camaro.

Pinning Daire in place, I pressed an arm across his throat. “Listen to me right fucking now. Your bullshit isn’t helping Clover. All you’re doing is slowing us down. Do you want to find her or not?”

I waited for him to nod.

“Good. Then stop this unhinged shit and get in the car. We’re going to see Raina.” I dragged open the car door and shoved him inside.

Blaze and I exchanged a knowing look. We’d spent years intervening before Daire did something stupid. In some cases, right after he’d done it. We were used to his nutbar behavior. This time felt different though. Daire was slipping in deep to a dark place. If we didn’t get Clover back, I didn’t think we’d get him back either.

We drove to the Gods’ house with a ranting Daire in the back seat. Thankfully, it was a two door car. The crazy fuck couldn’t leap out and run amok down the street.

When we pulled up in front of the Gods’ house, I turned around to face Daire. “Do not fuck this up. We need their help. If you screw this up, Daire, it will be the last thing you ever do.”

“Fuck off, Cash,” he muttered. He was smart enough not to push me further. It took a lot to make me snap. Nobody wanted to see that.

I let Blaze lead the way. He approached the door first while I kept Daire at bay. His history with Raina would sink this entire thing if he opened his mouth and said something awful.

With Gage glaring over her shoulder, Raina answered the door. She ushered us inside, leading us into the living room where Havoc and Knight sat.

“Any news?” Raina’s eyes were hopeful. The nervous way she fidgeted with her wedding ring revealed her inner turmoil.

Blaze took the lead. “We were with the Sinners not long ago. They found us a lead. We’re going to need help.”

“Anything,” Raina promised. “Tell me what you need.”

As Blaze explained the situation, I kept an eye on Daire. He stood next to me, his expression neutral. I didn’t trust him not to blow this. He shocked me by keeping his mouth shut.

Raina listened to Blaze, chewing a fingernail as he spoke. When he finished, she glanced around at all of us. “I think I know what to do. We’re all going to go pay my dad a visit.”

Nobody questioned her or argued. We had no choice but to trust her to make the right call. Raina’s father was a mafia boss that nobody fucked with. Truth be told, the thought of being face to face with him made me a little uneasy. Did he know what we did to his daughter? I fucking hoped not.

“He doesn’t know anything,” Raina said, reading my mind. “I’m going to ask him to attend the auction. He’ll get in easier than any of us. If Clover is there, my dad will bring her home.”

Sending Desmond Monroe into the auction made sense. He was older, had a serious reputation, and was loaded. He had a better shot at getting Clover back than we did. I hated that we needed his help. I was man enough to accept that this was beyond us. Sometimes being strong meant asking for help. I didn’t care what it took. I would humble myself before anyone who could bring her back to us.

Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of a large, swanky house behind Havoc’s Lexus. Daire had been surprisingly silent the entire drive. He seemed to be lost inside himself.

Raina’s father greeted her at the door. The rest of us hung back behind her. He pulled his daughter into a hug while she apologized for the late visit.

Desmond Monroe had silver sprinkled dark hair. Tall and lean, he looked like he kept himself in decent shape. I guess running the mob demanded one to be able to throw down no matter their age. His jaw was covered in silver and black stubble, adding a ruggedness to his already intimidating appearance.

He stepped back to allow us inside, eyeing us each in turn. I nodded in greeting, offering what I hoped was a friendly smile. We all gathered in his large kitchen, sitting around the dining room table.

“Can I get anyone anything?” Desmond asked, standing in front of the fridge.

“No thanks, Dad,” Raina answered for all of us. “We’re all good. We need to talk about something important. It’s kind of life or death.”

Desmond’s expression grew hard, his brows knitting together. “What’s going on?”

Raina motioned for him to take a seat at the head of the table. “Sit. It’s bad. Really bad. It’s about Clover.”

He listened while she filled him in on everything that had taken place. His expression never changed once. Not until she’d finished. His brows came together in a tight frown, his fingers tapping on the table’s surface.

Desmond’s gaze swung toward me and the other two guys. “Someone you know took Clover? How exactly do you know this person?”

“We killed his brother,” Blaze said, opting for the truth. “They were into the trafficking business back then. We wanted to take them both out, but this one got away. This is his revenge.”

“I see.” Desmond rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers. “How long have you boys been involved in this kind of activity?”

The three of us exchanged a look before I said, “A few years or so. Give or take. We target those that have escaped the system, for the most part.”

“And I understand that you’ve also targeted my son-in-law and his friends in the past.” Desmond inclined his head in Havoc’s direction. “You’ve stolen from them.”

“It’s not a problem, Sir,” Havoc jumped in, surprising me by coming to our defense. “It’s true that we’ve had bad blood with the Angels in the past. I’m pretty sure they’ve learned not to mess with us anymore. We want to help them. This is about Clover now.”

“Of course.” Desmond nodded. “You’re an honorable young man, Havoc. I want to help Clover too. She’s a sweet girl. I can’t imagine how scared she must be. However, I do have some conditions.”

“Name them,” Daire blurted. “Anything you want.”

A tight, tentative smile crossed Demond’s face. “Clover must mean a lot to you. I will go to the auction and get her back. In return, you three will never again mess with my family in any way. You’ll also work for me from this point on.”

At first I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. He wanted us to work for him? For the mob?

“Work for you?” Daire repeated, sobered up by that remark. “You want us to join your organization?”

“I do,” Desmond confirmed, slightly amused by our shock. “You’ll take orders from me going forward. If I ask you to do something, you’ll do it. No questions asked. Do we have an agreement?”

I suspected that no matter what we said, he would still go after Clover. For Raina if not for us. However, I knew better than to piss off a mob boss. Being in with a guy like Desmond Monroe was far better than being on the outs with him. We didn’t really have a choice, and he knew it.

“What about our own personal activity?” Blaze dared to ask. “We can’t let guys like Brady get away with this shit.”

Desmond shrugged. “As long as it doesn’t affect me or my operations in any way, you’re free to continue your vigilante efforts. But if I ask you to do something, I expect that to become your priority.”

“Fair enough,” I said, ready to promise him anything.

Daire was ready and willing too. He stood up to reach across the table, extending a hand to Desmond. “Deal. We would be happy to work for you.”

A sense of relief settled in, spreading through me. We may have just signed our lives away to a mafia king which may very well result in our deaths. Clover was worth it.