Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CLOVER

Time to bring my nightmares to an end. I leapt off Daire’s lap and grabbed my clothes. Since I couldn’t wear pajamas out to take vengeance on Brady, I pushed past Blaze and sprinted up the stairs.

Well, I could wear pajamas, although that wasn’t really the look I wanted for something so huge. So profound. Upstairs I ditched my pajamas, changing into black leggings and one of Blaze’s t-shirts. I didn’t have a lot of black clothing.

I made a speedy visit to the bathroom for a brief cleanup and to tie my hair up in a clip. Daire shouted from downstairs for me to hurry up. I took the stairs two at a time, holding onto the railing so I wouldn’t take a tumble.

Daire slid his freshly cleaned knife into its sheath and crammed it into his pocket. He tucked a handgun into the back of his jeans, giving me a onceover. “Do you have a weapon?”

I nodded. “A knife.”

“What did I tell you about using a gun? If there was a time to carry one, it’s now.”

“It’s fine.” Brushing him off, I opened the front door. “You guys all have one. We won’t be short on guns.”

“What happened to your neck?” Cash asked with a frown as we strode down the front walk.

“Me.” Daire’s response was short and clipped, daring anyone to have a problem with it.

Of course they wouldn’t. They were just as chaotic as he was in their own way.

We piled into Daire’s car. He’d insisted on driving. With the way he drove, it was a miracle that we didn’t get pulled over more often. This would be a terrible time for that. Daire seemed to know that since he actually obeyed the traffic laws and didn’t lay on the gas pedal.

Blaze checked his phone, repeating the address. “Brady is at a bar on the north side. The man watching him said it looks like he’s waiting for someone. Hopefully we get to him first.”

“Probably waiting to buy a fake passport so he can skip town,” Cash muttered.

We were not letting Brady leave the city. If he managed to get out of the country, we would never find him. I needed to put my demons to rest by looking him in the eye and watching him die.

I was a lover, not a fighter. Or so I’d always believed. Witnessing the ugliness of the world firsthand had changed me. I kept expecting to feel guilty. Even though Brady and his friends were human scum, that didn’t give me the right to take justice into my own hands. I didn’t care about that. In a perfect world, the victim would be encouraged to take revenge. It was only fair.

Maybe I tried too hard to justify it to myself. Killing Brady was something I needed to be part of, whether it was wrong or not didn’t matter.

Blaze reached over to take my hand. That’s when I realized that I was shaking. “He’s not going anywhere. He doesn’t know we have the entire mob watching out for him. Obviously, since he’s gotten cocky.”

“That will be the last mistake he makes,” Daire promised, gunning the engine when the light ahead turned green. He’d rinsed off his bleeding hand and hastily wrapped a bandage around it. I’d have to help him with a better wrap when we got home.

When we reached the nasty little bar where Brady was supposed to be, Daire turned to the rest of us. “Cash and I will go inside and get him. Too many people will draw too much attention. Keep the engine running.”

That made sense. Blaze and I would trigger an immediate reaction from Brady. The other two would stand a better chance at taking him by surprise.

Blaze nodded, getting out of the back to move into the driver’s seat. “We’ll be ready to go.”

I joined him in the front seat. Nerves made my mouth dry. I watched as Cash and Daire disappeared inside the rundown bar. The neighborhood itself was rundown and ramshackle. Not the kind of place one would go for a night out unless they were up to no good.

“He’s got to still be here,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“He will be,” Blaze assured me, rubbing my shoulder. “Did I ever tell you how much I love seeing you in my clothes?”

I glanced down at the t-shirt I wore and smiled. “I love that it smells like you.”

Leaning over to kiss the side of my face, he asked, “Are you ready for this? It all ends tonight.”

“I am,” I said, feeling good about it. “Are you? Brady did a real number on you too.”

“Fuck yeah I am. That bastard deserves to suffer.” Blaze studied his hand with the missing finger. “He deserves to lose a few body parts too.”

Remembering his dick in my mouth, I grimaced. “Hell yeah he does.”

“We can’t kill him in town. We’ll have to take him out far enough that nobody can hear him scream.” A vicious smile lifted Blaze’s lips. God help me, it was hot as hell.

Time seemed to crawl as we waited. Every time the door to the bar opened, my adrenaline shot up a notch. Finally, it opened and Cash strode out holding Brady in a headlock. Daire followed, rushing ahead to open the car door.

They shoved Brady inside and climbed in with him. Cash must have choked him unconscious because he was limp, his eyes rolling back in his head.

“Let’s go,” Daire barked.

Blaze put the car in gear and hit the gas, peeling away with a squeal of tires. I turned in my seat to watch the back seat activity. While Cash held Brady in a chokehold, Daire tied his hands behind his back. For good measure, he also tied his feet before relieving him of the gun he carried.

Brady’s eyes rolled and fluttered. “What the fuck?” he grunted, trying to breathe. “How the fuck did you find me?”

“Did you really think that we wouldn’t?” Daire punched him in the face. “We’ve had people all over the city watching for you. You should have left when you had the chance.”

“I had some loose ends to tie up first. I was supposed to leave tomorrow night.” Coughing and choking, Brady flailed in Cash’s hold.

“Guess it’s a good thing we caught you when we did.” Not content with one punch, Daire smacked him again and again. “We are going to have some fun with you.”

“Like I did with your girlfriend?” Brady shot me a lecherous grin. “Did she tell you about that? Did she tell you that I fucked her mouth and came down her throat? I took pictures. I thought about sending them to you but decided to keep them for myself.”

Just as Brady wanted, Daire lost his temper. He pounded Brady’s face until it was bloody and bruised.

“Cut it out, Daire,” Cash shouted, trying uselessly to shove Daire back in the small confines of the back seat. “He’s trying to get us to kill him fast. Do not let that happen.”

If I were Brady, I would want a fast death too. He knew the Angels were going to torture him. They had to, especially after what he’d done to Blaze and me.

“I owe him pain,” Blaze said, trying to focus on the road. “Do not kill that fucker. Not yet.”

We left the city and drove down a dark rural road into the country. My knees bounced as I gnawed my bottom lip, toying with the silver hoop through it. I was anxious to do this. To hurt Brady the way he deserved and to finally kill him. I needed to get this over with.

Brady continued trying to taunt the guys until they finally stripped off his shoes and socks, stuffing the dirty socks into his mouth. With Cash holding him so he barely breathed, he didn’t cause any more trouble.

Blaze turned off the main road and took a gravel road several miles before turning again onto a tiny worn path through the trees. The forest quickly grew too thick to take the car any further.

Leaving the car, we got out and went the rest of the way on foot. Cash hauled Brady along like a heavy sack, Brady’s bound feet dragging behind. It wasn’t too long before we reached a small clearing in the trees. That’s where Cash shoved Brady to his knees.

Daire waved me closer, nodding to Brady. “Go on, Angel. Mark this pig like you did to the others. Make sure he feels it.”

Brady eyed me warily as I approached. Pulling the switchblade from my waistband, I flicked it open. He didn’t seem as frightened as his friends had been. It was almost like he’d resigned himself to this fate, knowing it to be a valid possibility.

Using the knife to slice his shirt open, I then dug the blade deep into his chest. I made the letters as large as possible while carving the word into his skin. Pig. It felt so damn good to drag the blade through his flesh, watching the blood well up in the light from Daire’s phone.

“I should make you suck this bloody knife the way you made me suck your grotesque dick,” I snarled, waving the knife in front of Brady’s face.

The socks in his mouth kept him from speaking. It didn’t stop him from trying. His muffled protests were frantic and pleading.

“Do it,” Daire said, cool and calm. “Cut his fucking tongue out.”

Daire pulled the socks from Brady’s mouth, motioning for me to go ahead. Adrenaline made my heart pound harder. I didn’t think I was able to follow through on my threat.

“No, no, please don’t,” Brady begged. “Just kill me and get it over with already.”

“You don’t deserve to die quickly,” Blaze reminded him. “You sure took your time making me suffer. Now it’s your turn.”

Blaze fisted Brady’s hair, jerking his head back. “It’s okay, Rainbow. You’ve got this.”

Letting the nightmares that plagued me fuel me, I held the knife in front of Brady’s face. “Open your mouth.”

“I’m not going to apologize or plead for mercy—”

I cut off Brady’s jerky remark by sticking my knife into his mouth while he was talking. He tried to pull away but was held in place by Blaze. It felt right to be doing this with him. Brady had hurt us the most.

Slowly, I slid the blade in and out of his mouth, watching as it sliced up the sides of his lips. Despite Daire’s encouragement, I couldn’t bring myself to cut out his tongue. That didn’t stop Blaze from doing it.

Seeing my hesitation, Blaze took my knife. With an aggressive flick of his wrist, he jammed the knife into Brady’s mouth and sliced. I stepped back as he screamed, his tongue flopping out onto the grass and dirt. Blood poured from his mouth, puddling where I’d been standing.

I stared in shock at the scene before me. I knew it would be gruesome. Seeing it made my head spin. I felt both sick and in awe.

“Don’t forget about his dick.” Cash stepped forward to slam a heavy fist into Brady’s bloody face. “He bragged about forcing it in Clover’s mouth. Now he’s going to lose it.”

Brady began to violently thrash about while wailing nonsensically. It took both Cash and Blaze to hold him still. I took a few more steps back. I’d seen them do this to Zane, and it had left me shaken. There was no doubt in my mind that Brady deserved what was coming to him. Still, I wasn’t too keen on witnessing such brutality. It messed with my head.

There was a struggle as the guys pulled down Brady’s pants and underwear. Seeing his naked genitalia flashed me back to the drugged out haze he’d used to control me. Yeah, he definitely deserved this.

They pinned him down on the ground with Cash kneeling on his chest. Daire withdrew his knife and gun, handing the gun to me.

“Get ready, Little Unicorn. You get to finish him off. Whenever you’ve decided he’s suffered enough, put one in his head.”

I accepted the gun with a nod, holding it so it aimed at the ground. It made sense. I had to be the one to make the final move. So why the hell did my stomach flip so hard?

When Daire swung his knife at Brady’s groin, I closed my eyes. The sounds almost made it worse without the visual. Brady’s agonized cry echoed all around us.

I opened my eyes to find him lying there in a pool of blood. His severed penis was on the ground beside him. Holy shit. His eyes fluttered as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

The Angels moved out of the way, giving me a clear shot. Steeling myself, I took a few steps forward, aiming the gun at Brady’s head. For the briefest moment, his eyes met mine. I saw pain and misery in their depths. One thing I did not see was remorse. He really wasn’t sorry.

That made it so much easier. I pulled the trigger, bracing for the kickback as the gun fired. The bullet hit him in the face and it was done.

Needing a moment to gather myself, I handed the gun back to Daire and walked away several feet. I sucked the night air into my lungs, trying to calm my racing heart. It was over. Now I could move on.