Page 1 of Merciless Angel

CHAPTER ONE

CLOVER

My best friend was a mob queen who would one day run the city. It still blew my mind to look at Raina and see the girl who’d become like a sister to me. I’d always been more of a goody two shoes. The type to sneak a drink with my friends when my parents weren’t home but nothing worse than that. The things Raina had shared with me would make me an accomplice in some incredibly shady events. I could only imagine the stuff she hadn’t shared.

She passed me a joint before tipping her whiskey to her lips. “Can you believe I’m married? Goddamn, that’s surreal. How did this even happen?”

Raina glanced toward the house where her three lovers played poker inside. We stood in the backyard near the blazing fire, sharing some much needed girl time. The wedding after party was well underway. I sucked deeply on the joint, loving the way it felt entering my lungs.

“Congratulations, babe,” I said, coughing slightly. “I’m happy for you. Those crazy bastards better be good to you.”

“Oh, they will be.” A knowing smirk adorned Raina’s face. “I have no doubt about that.”

“Good, I want you to be happy.” Offering the joint to our friend Lyra who shook her head in refusal, I studied Raina’s beaming smile. She really did look happy. After the shit she’d gone through to get to this point, she deserved it. I was overjoyed for her.

Raina plucked the joint from my fingertips and nudged me lightly with an elbow. “What about you two? Are you happy? Honestly.”

Her gaze strayed to where my current kind of boyfriend stood several feet away drinking beer with some guys from campus. Zane and I had been seeing each other for a few months now, although it never felt serious. Not the way it should have by now. Sometimes I suspected we were merely using one another to pass the time until someone better came along. Not really grounds for a healthy relationship.

“That’s a bit of a loaded question, isn’t it?” I joked, sipping my strawberry vodka cooler. “If you’re asking if Zane is the love of my life, I’d have to say no. I don’t think so. We’re having fun though. It’s good for now.”

I cringed as the words left my lips. Who was I kidding? Our relationship was a joke.

Raina pursed her lips and shook her head. She’d never liked Zane. Several times she’d made it clear she thought that I could do better. She glanced at Lyra, raising a brow as she awaited her response.

Lyra made a face of disgust. The firelight reflected in her pretty blue green eyes. “I’m happy whenever Jet isn’t around. I can’t wait until I graduate and I can leave the school and this city behind.”

“You think Jet will let you go that easily?” Raina asked, a frown creasing her brow.

“He’ll never find me,” Lyra replied with a confidence that didn’t reach her eyes.

It was no secret that Raina hated Lyra’s stepbrother. She’d offered to have him killed. Lyra had refused, of course. The two of them had a strange relationship. They didn’t act anything like siblings. Jet was a possessive jerk who went out of his way to make Lyra uncomfortable. Thankfully, he wasn’t here tonight.

Zane sauntered over, interrupting our discussion. Lyra seemed relieved. She quickly excused herself, finding another group to mingle with.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Zane slung an arm around my shoulders, nodding to my drink. “Ready for a refill?”

“Not quite.” I swirled the pink liquid left in my bottle. “I’m good.”

Raina barely hid her expression of distaste. She pulled me into a quick hug and said, “I’ll catch up with you later. Love you, girl.”

Zane slid his fingers through mine, pulling me along across the lawn. “Come on. Let’s go hang with Owen and his girlfriend.”

I let him pull me along to a small group gathered in a circle passing a fat joint around. Cheech and Chong would have been proud of that sucker. I nodded along to the ongoing conversation, content to keep quiet and sip my drink.

Hopefully Raina wouldn’t mind if I headed back to my dorm soon. I had to study for an exam. Regular classes had let out for the summer, but I’d opted to take a few summer courses in order to finish my program earlier. It also allowed me to stay on campus instead of having to go home to my parents and their constant bickering.

A murmur went through the party goers at the arrival of some newcomers. I glanced up, surprised to see the Angels stroll into the backyard. What the hell were they doing here?

The Angels were rumored to be vigilantes. Nobody knew for sure, although the stories surrounding them were pretty outrageous. I knew they were bad news because they’d gone after Raina. It made me ill to think about what they’d done to her. I felt ashamed of how hard I’d crushed on Blaze Bixby only to learn what a vile prick he was.

I watched him now as he and his two best friends, Daire Keller and Cash Lockwood, crossed the yard to where Raina stood. The Gods had joined her, gathering protectively around her. She was their Goddess now. They would do anything to protect her. I feared we may see some bloodshed.

“What are those assholes doing here?” Zane muttered.

We watched as the Angels boldly approached the Gods. There was nothing but bad blood between the two groups. I held my breath. When Blaze offered them a backpack filled with cash, I began to breathe again. Raina had said she didn’t want any violence tonight. So far everyone was playing by the rules.

A few words were exchanged before Raina threw a punch in the face of the ringleader, Daire Keller. She had every right to hurt the guy. He’d tied her down to a bed and abused her in vicious ways.