Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CLOVER

Four more days passed before we got another tip on Brady and his men. We were at a party with Raina and the Gods when the message came in. Pete had been spotted at a local casino.

So much for getting a chance to girl talk with Raina about the latest developments with the Angels. I needed to tell her about the other night with Blaze. He’d been more affectionate since. Loving in a way that I’d never expected from him.

However, he was still Blaze. Still dangerous and threatening. Still all too happy to choke me while he fucked me until I screamed his name.

Cash was the one who sought me out where I sat in a dark corner of the frat house living room with Lyra and Raina. He winced as he broke into our conversation.

“Sorry, Sunshine. Don’t mean to interrupt or be a buzzkill, but we just got a lead on one of Brady’s men. He’s been spotted at a casino downtown. We should move fast. Do you want to come, or would you rather stay here with the girls?”

As much as I wanted to stay and discuss my emotions and the many questions they brought along with them, I needed to be there. Derek was only the beginning. All three of them had to die, and I had to be there to witness their last breaths.

“No, it’s cool. I’m coming with you.” To the girls I said, “Sorry to cut and run. I can’t miss this.”

“Hell no you can’t,” Raina agreed. “I wouldn’t miss it either if I were you. Call me later and let me know how it goes. Do you guys need any backup?”

Cash shook his head. “Not this time. Thanks. We’ll keep you posted if that changes.”

I took Cash’s offered hand as we weaved through the throng of bodies on our way out of the house. Apprehension filled me. Getting our hands on Pete might bring us closer to finding Brady. If not, it would still take one more piece of human garbage out of this world.

Daire and Blaze were already waiting in the car. Revving the engine of his blacked out Audi, Daire peeled away from the house as soon as we got into the vehicle. He was clearly in a hurry.

“Clover, you know what this guy looks like, right?” Daire glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

“Hell yeah, I do,” I confirmed. Nothing would make me forget the man who’d helped Brady drug and kidnap me.

“Good. I can’t wait to get my hands on that fucker. He signed his death warrant when he touched you.” Daire’s hands tightly gripped the wheel. As we came upon a red light, he had to hit the brakes.

“Take it easy, dude,” Cash admonished. “Let’s get there in one piece. The guy is at a casino. He’ll be there a while.”

Gambling the money he made off selling me and other people. Probably sitting around, drinking, plugging money into machines or handing it over at the craps table. Not thinking about how he obtained that cash. Not caring at all.

Rage boiled up inside me. I clenched my hands into fists, creating tiny half-moon gouges in my palms. I thought about how he’d helped Brady pin me down, stick me with needles, and manhandle me to the bathroom. Pete deserved payback.

My knee bounced up and down impatiently when we arrived. Daire circled the parking lot, looking for a space. Finally, he gave up.

“I’ll drop you guys off at the door. Get your hands on him and bring him out. I’ll be waiting.” He didn’t look too happy about not being able to join us.

As soon as he pulled up in front of the entry, I flung my door open and hopped out of the car. Pete had to still be here. I needed to make sure he suffered for what he’d done to me and so many others.

I bounced from foot to foot in the lobby when we were forced to show our identification to the doorman. Legal age here was eighteen. The doorman nodded and handed me back my ID card. I shoved past him in a rush.

Blaze and Cash were right behind me as we swept the main floor of the casino. There were so many people and so many places he could be. We checked the slot machines row by row. From poker to blackjack, roulette, and more. We checked everywhere.

Finally, we made our way upstairs where it was pretty much more of the same. That’s when I spotted him.

Pete sat at a slot machine with a woman on his lap. Low and behold, it was the same woman who’d helped us nab Derek. I didn’t know how Desmond had come to work with her, but I was eternally grateful.

She saw us coming and hopped off Pete’s lap. He was so fixated on his slot machine that he barely noticed when she sauntered away.

As she passed us, she patted me on the shoulder and said, “Get ’em, girl.”

Blaze slid in behind Pete, holding his gun low as he pressed it to Pete’s back. “Get up slowly and come with us. Don’t even think about trying anything or I’ll put a bullet in your spine. With all the noise in here and a silencer, nobody will hear a thing.”

Pete froze. He turned to find the three of us. At the sight of me, his expression morphed into one of horror and dismay.

“This is a mistake,” he stammered. “I’m not the one you want. Brady is the one behind everything.”

“So you weren’t there when he kidnapped me and stuck me with a needle?” I challenged. Unable to stop myself, I slapped him hard across the face. “You didn’t jack off all over me?”

“Get up and start walking.” Grabbing Pete’s shoulder, Cash dragged him to his feet. “You don’t want to fuck with us.”

Pete glanced nervously between the two Angels. Swallowing hard, he began to move. I walked in front of him, leading the way, with Cash and Blaze bringing up the rear. We moved as a tight group. Nobody paid us any attention. They were all too focused on their gambling to realize Blaze held a gun on Pete.

We exited through the front entry. The doorman was busy with those coming inside. He never looked at us for more than a second as we left.

Once we were outside, it was much easier to steer Pete over to the idling car where Daire waited. Cash and Blaze got into the back on either side of him while I slid into the front with Daire.

Pete blubbered as we drove down the street to a closed restaurant with a parking lot in the back. “I’m not the one you want. It’s Brady. I can help you find him, if you’ll let me go. I swear.”

He may not have been the one who stuffed his dick in my mouth but he was just as guilty as Brady. He’d still been there and participated. No doubt he’d done worse with other girls they’d grabbed. Nothing about this man was innocent.

“Oh yeah?” Daire parked the car and turned to look at Pete. “Where is Brady then? Derek said you all went your separate ways. That he didn’t know where Brady would be.”

“I know all his hangouts. I can give you some ideas on where to find him. Please, don’t do this.” Pete’s entire body shook as Cash dragged him from the vehicle. He knew this was the end.

Using rope from the trunk, Cash tied Pete’s hands behind his back and forced him to his knees on the pavement. “Start talking then. Tell us where Brady might be found.”

Pete frantically rambled off a list of potential bars and gentlemen’s clubs along with a few of his favorite restaurants. I made note of them all, jotting them in my new phone. When he had nothing left to give us, the real punishment started.

Cash slammed his fist into Pete’s face over and over. So hard that Pete spat out a tooth. That wasn’t enough for Cash. He kicked Pete in the temple, sending him flying onto his side on the hard ground.

Fisting Pete’s hair, Daire dragged him upright, back onto his knees. “You deserve so much worse than what you’re getting. You know that you’re a piece of shit, right?”

“I know,” Pete blubbered, his eyes wide and panicked. “I’m a piece of shit. I fucked up. Please, don’t kill me. I’ll leave town. I’ll never touch a girl again.”

Blaze walked a slow circle around him, snickering. “Well, you’re right about that last part.”

He grabbed Pete by the back of the head and slammed him down face first into the asphalt. A nasty crunch made my stomach turn as his nose shattered. Blood poured down his face. He spat out a second tooth.

“Your turn, Clover.” Daire gave me a gentle nudge.

I pulled out the switchblade that I now carried all the time. Stepping up in front of Pete, I carved the word pig into his forehead. Brady was the one I really wanted. This wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it should have been.

Blood slid from the etched word down into his eyes, trickling down his face. I stared at Pete dispassionately as I stepped back, motioning for the guys to finish him off.

They beat him until he was nearly unconscious. Only then did Blaze put the gun to his head and pull the trigger. I didn’t look away. I felt nothing. Not even satisfaction. Not until it was Brady Rollins.

“Are you all right, Rainbow?” Blaze touched my face, bringing my gaze to his.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish it was Brady, you know?” I glanced down at my attire, finding it free of blood. “Can we go back to the party?”

“You just watched a man die and you want to go party?” Daire laughed. “You really are meant for us, Angel.”

I couldn’t argue that. “I want to go hang with my girls. I need them right now.”

We piled back into the car. I kept waiting to feel something. Guilt. Happiness. Anything. I felt nothing. I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.