Page 15 of Merciless Angel
My fist shot out, slamming into his chin. Brady stumbled backwards, his drink spilling on his shirt and the floor.
“Why not settle this now?” I held up both hands in invitation. “Let’s take this outside.”
Brady let out a strangled sound of anger as he threw his glass at me. It bounced off my raised forearm. He threw himself at me next, arms going around my waist as he sought to tackle me to the floor. My bigger stature made him look like a child trying to take down a grown ass man.
Dropping a fist down onto the top of his head loosened his hold. He made a desperate grab for the bar as he slid to the floor. Daire’s laughter only riled him up further.
Brady grabbed a bar stool by the legs and swung it as he stood up. He nailed me in the shoulder with it before I wrenched it from his grasp. Blaze stepped in to take a turn, punching Brady in the back of the head.
The bartender’s shrill shout rang out above the rest of the noise. She shouted at us to break it up and get the hell out of her bar. When Brady turned to take a swing at Blaze, the bouncers got involved.
“That’s enough.” A guy with thicker arms than mine shoved between us. “Time to leave.”
“They threatened to kill me,” Brady shouted, hiding behind the bouncer. “Please let me stay until I can call for a ride. Don’t make me go outside with them.”
The bouncers exchanged a look before pushing the three of us along to the door. “Don’t make us call the cops. Just get out. Don’t let us see you in here again.”
“I didn’t even get to finish my nachos,” Daire muttered, letting the man push him out the door.
“So much for finding our drunk driver,” I mused.
Brady Rollins was hardly a threat. The man was a pitiful worm with a tough guy complex. Eventually, he’d slip up again, and then we would end him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CLOVER
By the time my alarm went off in the morning, I’d achieved about two hours of sleep. Broken sleep. I tossed and turned from the time I got into bed until my phone alarm brought me back to reality. A hard reality that sucked ass.
A shower did nothing to wake me up. I went through the motions of getting dressed and doing my makeup before deciding that I couldn’t handle going to class today. The thought of sitting there for hours while the professor talked at length felt too exhausting.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror of my tiny bathroom. With my bright green eye shadow and pale pink lips, I looked like myself. I sure didn’t feel like myself though. I left my shoulder length hair straight, having no energy to style it. Pink leggings and a purple tank top made up my casual attire.
Despite the murder that replayed in my head all morning, my stomach began to grumble with hunger. This time before I left my dorm room, I stuffed the small container of pepper spray that Raina had given me into my bag. I didn’t own any weapons. Maybe that would have to change.
I hated the thought of having to carry a weapon or use it. My safe little world had changed so quickly. I left the dorm and made the short trip to the coffee shop near the school. It was early and people were everywhere. That should have made me feel safe. Instead I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder.
But who was I looking for? Zane? A stranger with ill intention? The Angels?
All of the above.
The trip to the coffee shop was uneventful. I chugged down my coffee but only picked at my bagel. I sat down with my laptop on one of the benches outside the school. Maybe I could get some work done.
I stared at the screen, seeing nothing but Blaze plunging that knife into the man on the ground. So much blood. The thud as the body hit the bottom of the dumpster rang in my ears. I’d witnessed a murder, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
Part of me desperately wanted to call Raina. She’d been raised in a world of blood and death. This kind of thing happened all the time. Maybe she’d be able to talk me down and help me through it.
Except I couldn’t call Raina. The Angels made me promise not to tell anyone anything. Even though they hadn’t done anything bad to me, I knew that they could and would if I should give them a reason. I was entirely alone in this.
When an annoying seagull kept hassling me for my bagel, I tossed it on the ground and let him have it. Someone might as well eat it.
I’d just begun to get some work done on a class assignment when a shadow suddenly blocked the sun shining down on me. Startled, I jumped when I looked up to see Zane towering over me.
“Sorry.” He offered me a small smile. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you out here and thought I’d bring you some lunch.”
He held up a bag with the local sub shop’s logo on the front. Without waiting for an invite, he sat down on the bench next to me. My body immediately stiffened.
Zane dug into the bag, pulling out a sandwich loaded with turkey and Swiss. “Here, I got your favorite. I also grabbed you a Dr. Pepper. I know you like those. I hope that’s okay.”