Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

BLAZE

“Who wants a burger? They’re almost ready.” Desmond stood at the grill in his backyard, flipping patties.

He held a beer in one hand, glancing over to where the rest of us sat on patio chairs in the yard. He’d invited us over for a barbecue and drinks. Not only had we been invited, but the Gods had been invited too.

I had a feeling this was Desmond’s way of forcing peace between our groups. Although he didn’t know the entire story between our two groups, he knew there was bad blood. Now that we were part of his organization, he didn’t want trouble among his people. Made sense to me.

“Sounds great, Desmond,” I said, getting up to grab myself another beer from the cooler. “Are you sure you don’t need any help with that?”

Popping the cap off the bottle, I ambled over to where he stood. I took a long swig of beer, savoring the way it hit the spot. Cold and refreshing after a hot summer day. The summer was starting to wind down now. It wouldn’t be long until fall hit and we were all back in classes.

“You can grab me that plate over there, if you don’t mind.” Desmond nodded to a stack of plates on the patio table.

While I fetched a plate, I noticed that Clover and Raina were happily giggling together while drinking cocktails. The Gods were sitting several feet from Cash, Daire, and I. We’d barely spoken to one another since arriving.

“I take it you boys are still not getting along all that well.” Nodding his thanks as I handed over the plate, Desmond gestured to where the Gods sat.

“We’ve managed to keep the peace because of Raina and Clover. Honestly though, I doubt we’ll ever be friends. We’ve got a history. It’s not good.” I chose to be honest, although no way in hell was I telling him why the Gods hated us so much. He’d probably have all three of us skinned alive.

Desmond placed burger patties with melted cheese onto the plate. “You’ve worked together a few times though, right?”

“Yeah, we have. Only because of our girls though.” I winced as the words came out. Desmond must have thought we were all a bunch of weirdos to share a girl in our friend group. Did he think it was messed up?

“I see. Well, I can’t force you all to be friends. However, I do prefer that those who work for me work well together and are able to trust one another. You can put that on the table.” To everyone else, he shouted, “Get your burgers while they’re hot. Buns are on the table. Does anyone want a hotdog?”

Everyone gathered around the table, loading their plates with burgers and potato salad. The Gods sat on the opposite side from us, as expected. Desmond sat at the head of the table where he could see all of us.

“This burger is divine, Mr. Monroe,” Clover gushed. “This might be the best burger I’ve ever had.”

“Thanks, kiddo. Call me Desmond.” He winked at her, bringing a smile to her face.

If I didn’t feel confident in my relationship with Clover, I’d worry about him stealing her away. She beamed at him and nodded before taking another huge bite of her burger. Once I bit into my own, I realized why she’d been so exuberant about it. Damn, it was fucking good.

“Any luck finding Brady Rollins?” Desmond asked, popping a bite of potato salad in his mouth. “My people haven’t managed to locate him yet.”

“We haven’t either,” Daire said, a tinge of bitterness in his voice. “We won’t stop looking though. He has to pay for what he did to Clover.”

Gage fake coughed into his hand while saying, “Hypocrite.”

Daire fired a glare across the table at him. “That’s a nasty cough you’ve got there, Gage. Might want to see someone about that.”

Desmond followed the exchange with narrowed eyes. A nervous heat spread through me. The last thing we needed was to air our dirty laundry in front of him. We needed his help to find Brady. If Gage opened his mouth about what we did to Raina, we were dead.

“No worries,” Gage quipped, drinking from his beer. “I’m fine. No guilty conscience here.”

“Who said I feel guilty?” Daire fired back, making me die a little inside.

Raina and Clover exchanged a worried look. Clearing her throat, Raina said, “I think we can all have a nice dinner. Can’t we, boys? Or do I need to punch you both in the face?”

“Raina Ann,” Desmond admonished with a shake of his head. “No violence at the dinner table.” To Gage and Daire, he said, “You two can either share with the rest of us why you’re taking shots at each other or you can cut the shit. Now who wants to go first?”

Tension gripped everyone at the table. Daire and Gage exchanged a hateful look before Gage said, “It’s nothing.”

Desmond nodded knowingly. “That’s what I thought. I’m aware there’s some kind of animosity between your two groups. Frankly, I don’t give a shit what that is. Either fight it out and be done with it or let it go. We have work to do together.”

“There’s no need for fighting.” Raina spoke between clenched teeth as she kicked Gage under the table.

Neither of them argued her, although Gage did shoot her a look that promised punishment later. If Desmond noticed it, he didn’t let on. No doubt he trusted his daughter to take care of herself. She didn’t want his interference. I was cool with that. I didn’t want it either.

The rest of the meal was dominated by talk of upcoming classes and Desmond’s latest business takeover. Like most mob boss types, he owned several legitimate businesses. A necessity when also running so many illegal operations. I was interested in learning more about his business.

When we’d finished eating, Desmond asked us to accompany him inside and down to the basement. Clover remained upstairs with Raina and the Gods. I knew where this was going when I caught sight of the metal brand hanging on the wall next to the fireplace where a fire already burned in the hearth.

“By joining my organization, you’ve agreed to become part of something big. Something special. This is how you prove your commitment.” He grabbed the brand off the wall and held it out for us to see. “Any questions?”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Daire chuckled. “Damn, that’s fucking wild, man. I like it.”

“Who wants to go first?” Desmond eyed us each in turn.

“I will.” All three of us spoke at the same time.

An amused smile crossed Desmond’s face. “Let’s go left to right. Blaze? Shirt off please. Kneel before the fire.”

A nervous tremor slipped through me. I’d faced torture at the hands of Brady and his friends. They’d done almost everything one could do to another person. Even though this wasn’t torture, it severely tested my mental strength.

I could do this. I had to prove my commitment and my loyalty to Desmond. Shallow breaths made me feel lightheaded. Focusing on filling my lungs with deep breaths, I pulled off my t-shirt and sank to my knees.

The watchful gazes of the other guys were heavy upon me. Desmond stuck the brand into the fire, getting it good and hot. I told myself repeatedly not to pass out as he turned and brought it close to my skin.

When the brand touched the flesh over my heart, it took all of my strength not to cry out. I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced pain quite like it. Jesus Christ, that seriously tested my will in every way. I fell forward, catching myself with my hands on the carpeted floor. The pain of the burn seemed to increase with every passing second.

“Motherfucker,” I muttered, swiping a hand through the perspiration that dotted my brow.

“I have some salve upstairs I’ll give you to help ease the sting.” Desmond turned to Daire, motioning him forward.

I shoved to my feet, picking up my shirt, afraid to put it on against the fresh wound. Goddamn, that hurt. I glanced down at the brand now etched into my skin. A small M that marked me as a member of the Monroe syndicate.

As Desmond stepped up to Daire with the brand in hand, he said, “I’m not sure what you did to my daughter that made her boys hate you so damn much, but this will be your one and only warning. Do not fuck with my kid. Otherwise, I’ll have to do something that guarantees you’re never seen again. Understand?”

Daire’s expression was stony and cold, revealing very little of what he likely felt on the inside. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of messing with your precious Raina.”

When Desmond pressed the blazing hot brand to Daire’s chest, he seemed to hold it there a little longer than he had for me. Maybe Raina hadn’t told him anything but he was no idiot.

Cash was next. Once we were all successfully branded as syndicate members, Desmond took us back upstairs where he fetched a healing salve from the bathroom. I didn’t know what was in it, and I didn’t care. It felt so damn good on the fresh wound. Cooling relief.

We returned outside where Desmond called us all together as a group. “It seems to me that you all could use a little teambuilding exercise, so I’ll be sending you on a job together tonight. I fully expect you to work together, to have each other’s backs no matter what, and to accomplish the task set out before you. Is everyone on board?”

We all nodded. Raina sat up straighter, worry crossing her face. “Is that really necessary, Dad? Tonight? Can’t it wait?”

“No. Sorry, peanut. I need to know they can work together. Now gather round, boys. I’ll tell you where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing.”

The six of us gathered with Desmond in the kitchen, leaving Clover and Raina in the yard. We were given specific instructions. We would be making a delivery of illegal goods to a buyer. He didn’t say what we were delivering and we didn’t ask.

It sounded like a basic drop. Nothing too complicated. This shit could be dangerous though. I knew that much.

At Desmond’s insistence, we all rode together in a van he had parked in his garage. Havoc drove while the rest of us crammed into the remaining seats. Knight and Gage rode in the back with the bags of goods we were delivering.

“You guys are so fucking lucky that Raina doesn’t want her father to know what you did to her,” Havoc said, eyeing his side mirror as a vehicle passed on the left. “He’d have you all killed.”

“You could have killed us yourself by now,” Daire taunted, unable to keep his big mouth shut. “What’s the hold up?”

Havoc slammed on the brakes so Daire almost face planted into the dash. “Did you forget that I stopped Gage from killing you? Might want to show some gratitude, Daire. I stopped him to keep our asses out of jail at the time because frankly, you’re not worth it. That doesn’t mean I won’t let him torture you like you did to Raina. You deserve at least that much.”

None of us could argue that. If the Gods had done to Clover what we did to Raina, I’d have been homicidal.

“Do it then,” Daire fired back. “If that’s what it will take to make you guys drop this shit already, then do it.”

Gage leaned forward, gripping the edge of the seat. “Careful what you wish for, asshole.”

“We agreed to drop this shit for Raina,” Knight interjected. “She was clear on that. Now let’s do what we’re here to do and stop with the crap. Raina and Clover are best friends. We all work for Desmond. That puts us in each other’s lives. We don’t have to like each other but we need to tolerate each other.”

Knight didn’t sound too happy about letting the issues from the past go, but he knew better than to upset Raina. He was right though. We had a job to do. That needed to be our focus.

The rest of the drive was spent in tense silence. I kept expecting Gage to snap and lunge at Daire. Thankfully, it didn’t happen.

We got to our destination a few minutes before our scheduled time. We parked in the darkened back lot of a warehouse in the industrial district. The many businesses in the area were all closed for the night. The warehouse may have belonged to the buyer for all we knew.

Our instructions were clear. Hand off the bags and accept payment. A simple deal. So why did my stomach twist uncomfortably? My intuition told me to be ready for anything. I wasn’t loving that.

We’d all come armed. Desmond had made it clear we needed to always be armed and ready for anything when doing a job for him. I preferred to be ready for anything no matter what, especially since my time with Brady.

It didn’t take long for our buyer to show up. A blacked out SUV rolled up. Seven men spilled out. A man in an expensive suit stood out as the apparent leader.

Since Havoc had been doing this shit for years, we let him act as our leader. Daire and Gage each took a bag from the back, flanking Havoc as he approached the man. The rest of us stuck close to Daire and Gage, ready to protect the goods.

“You’re Desmond’s guys?” The older man looked us over with disinterest.

“We are,” Havoc confirmed. “You have the cash?”

The man scoffed. “Of course. This isn’t my first time, kid.”

Havoc bristled as the man’s condescending tone. I didn’t blame him. Something about this guy rubbed me the wrong way.

“Let’s see it then.” Havoc jutted his chin toward the large duffel bag held by one of the buyer’s men.

The buyer waved a hand, and the guy stepped forward. He opened the bag and showed us the stacks of cash inside.

“Happy?” The man asked. “Now hand over my product. I have places to be.”

My gut tightened as Gage and Daire came forward with the bags. Fingers twitching, I resisted the urge to reach for my gun. Something didn’t feel right.

My mistake. I should have listened to my inner voice.

Everything happened fast as the men ripped the bags away from Daire and Gage. To top it off, they didn’t hand over the cash. Instead, they pulled weapons on us and began to retreat to their vehicle with our cash bag.

“What the fuck?” Fearless and reckless, Gage pulled his own gun, aiming it right back at them. “You’re robbing us?”

The buyer chuckled. “It sure looks that way, doesn’t it? Sorry, boys. That’s business sometimes. Tell Desmond that we’re done dealing with each other. I know he’s been ripping me off.”

Gage proved himself to be a hell of a loose cannon when he took a shot at the man. He missed but just barely. Once the first shot was fired, we were all screwed.

Gunshots rang out as both groups began to fire. We weren’t stupid enough to stand there and take it. A few of us hid behind the van, the others darted behind a dumpster. I found myself crouched behind the van with Havoc and Knight.

Waiting for the right moment, I peered around the front bumper and took a shot. My bullet hit the man with the cash bag in the shin. He dropped the bag, bellowing in pain. Another man scooped it up, running toward their vehicle.

Gage dropped him with a shot from behind the dumpster. The man in the suit didn’t hang around to engage in gun play. He booked it for the SUV, diving into the back as he left his men behind.

He’d wrongly assumed that we’d stand there and allow him to rob us. I kept thinking about Clover. How I’d promised to protect her. I couldn’t do that if these idiots killed me. I wouldn’t let that happen.

Every moment seemed to move in slow motion. We’d managed to get better cover than the other guys, leaving most of them trying to hide behind their SUV. We took down three of them before the remaining guys abandoned all of the bags and leapt into the vehicle. They tore away with a squeal of tires, almost sideswiping our van.

My ears rang from the sound of so many shots. Although nobody had been in the area, I worried about the cops being called. We needed to get moving.

“Let’s go,” I shouted, running to grab one of the bags.

Cash and Knight grabbed the other two. Blood dripped from Cash’s hand where he’d been grazed by a bullet when taking a shot. We’d gotten lucky. Nobody else was injured.

“Well, that was a hell of an outing.” A maniacal laugh burst from Gage as he hauled himself into the van.

“I never imagined I’d actually have fun with you dicks.” Daire joined him in laughing like a psychopath. Those two had definitely been cut from the same cloth.

“Fun?” With a shake of his head, Knight tossed in the bag he held and climbed into the vehicle. “You guys are fucking insane.”

We headed back to Desmond’s house, careful to watch for a tail. We were clear. This had certainly not been a simple exchange.

Had Desmond anticipated a betrayal from his buyer? Did he know that he sent us into a dangerous situation? I hoped not. Although that was one hell of a way to force teamwork.