Page 24 of Merciless Angel

Daire stepped in to grab Zane by the hair, jerking his head back. Ripping the hood off, he slammed a fist into Zane’s face over and over. Blood erupted from his nose. He blubbered and begged. It was useless.

“You’re a vile piece of shit that loves to abuse women,” Blaze hissed, moving in to take his turn. “Do you think anyone will miss you if we kill you and leave your body to the coyotes?”

Zane spat blood, sucking in sharp, painful breaths. “My parents will know something is wrong. They’ll see that my shoes are still at the house along with my phone and wallet.”

Tapping a thoughtful finger on my chin, I said, “What I’m hearing is that we’ll have to kill your parents too.”

“Oh my god, no, please don’t hurt them. They aren’t part of—”

Zane’s pleas were cut off by my foot connecting with his ribs. We weren’t going to kill him today or his parents. By the time we were done with him, he’d wish that we’d ended him.

Grabbing a handful of Zane’s hair, Daire hauled him to his feet. Holding tight to him, Daire smashed his face into a nearby tree. Bloody gashes marked Zane’s face. Pressing him against the tree, Daire wrapped both hands around his throat.

“Do you know how easily I could kill you?” Daire snarled. “Can you feel it, motherfucker?”

Daire squeezed until Zane’s face turned purple and his eyes rolled back in his head. I stepped forward to grab Daire’s shoulder, jerking him away.

“Settle down, dude. We’re not killing him today.” My reminder was met with a scowl.

Zane gasped for air, his eyes wide and red streaked with burst blood vessels. I slammed my elbow into his abdomen before shoving him toward Blaze. By the time we were done with him, the damage was severe. We left him unconscious on the ground covered in blood and bruises.

“Leave him,” I said. “Let the bastard find his own way back to the city.”

I studied my cut knuckles once we were back in the car. My hands would ache later, but it would be worth it.

“God, that was exhilarating.” Daire opened the sunroof as he pulled back onto the road. “Almost better than sex. I’d still rather fuck someone senseless than beat them senseless, but both feel pretty fucking great.”

I settled back into my seat, watching the countryside fly by as we made our way back to Wolfwood. The rush of the beatdown rode me hard. When we reached the city limits, a new sense of excitement gripped me.

It was time to pay Clover a visit.

CHAPTER TWELVE

CLOVER

Texting with Raina made me feel like shit. I wanted so badly to tell her everything. If she knew about Zane, she would kill him. If she found out about the screwed up deal I’d struck with the Angels, she’d be pissed. Would she try to kill them too? I didn’t want to drag her into my mess. It wasn’t her problem.

She wanted to get together tomorrow for lunch and some light shopping. I considered making up an excuse about having an assignment to finish. Realistically, I knew that I couldn’t avoid her until my bruises healed. I would have to suck it up and tell her the truth.

After getting coffee earlier, I’d come back to my dorm to relax. That was pretty much impossible. Cash had said they would come by my room. Since seeing him, I’d been in a constant state of anxiety.

I laid on my bed with my iPad propped against the wall. A romantic comedy that I’d chosen at random played, but I barely paid attention. Instead, I stared at my phone, aimlessly doom scrolling.

At one point my eyes began to grow heavy. I dropped my phone and dozed off. A sudden knock on the door jerked me awake. I sat up with my heart racing.

“Open the door, Rainbow,” Blaze called. “You don’t want to keep us waiting.”

I bolted off the bed so fast it made my head swim. He made it sound like all three of them were here. Fuck me.

Taking a deep breath, I flipped the lock and opened the door. All three Angels stood in the hallway. Daire and Blaze gawked at my bruised face.

“Are you going to invite us in?” Cash asked, a brow raised as he tilted his head to one side. “Or will we have to invite ourselves in?”

Pulling the door open wider, I stepped back so they could enter. “Come on in. It’s not like I have a choice.”

They filed inside, swinging the door shut behind them. Right away I noticed the cuts and bruises marking their bloody knuckles. I swallowed hard. They’d gone after Zane.

“Why didn’t you use the bracelet?” Daire’s tone was hard. He came at me so fast I was forced to back up until my legs hit the bed and I sat down heavily.