Page 5 of Merciless Angel
“Get something in a bottle,” Cash advised. “I doubt the glassware here is safe to drink from.”
“Good call.” Daire sauntered up to the bar and placed an order for three beers.
While we waited for our drinks, we scanned the bar for our guy. If he wasn’t here, we had one other place to scope out. Pulling out my phone, I studied the photo we had of him before returning my gaze to the patrons.
Too bad Zane wasn’t here. I’d have loved the opportunity to drag him out behind the building and pound him until he was unrecognizable. I put my phone away and cracked my knuckles, excited at the thought of making a mess of that dumb fuck.
A guy in the back corner near the pool table caught my eye. It was hard to tell from where we stood but I thought I spotted a familiar arm tattoo. Accepting my beer from Daire, I pointed across the bar. “Is that him?”
Both Cash and Daire turned to look. Cash nodded. “Yep, pretty sure it is. Let’s make sure he’s alone first.”
Leaning against the bar, I took a drink of the ice cold beer. It went down with ease. I could hardly wait to get my hands on the guy across the bar. I needed to unleash the pent up aggression burning a hole inside me.
Anger issues? Not really. My mother would argue that I couldn’t contain my temper. I disagreed. I contained it just fine. Although I certainly enjoyed handing out some pain to those who deserved it.
The door to the building opened and three familiar people entered. The fucking Gods were here. We often crossed paths with them in seedy holes like this. They were mobsters always up to no good. Criminals that always seemed to avoid getting caught. It was only a matter of time until they did something to land on our radar. I both longed for that day and hoped it would never come.
“Look who’s here.” Cash inclined his head toward the door. His split dyed half red and half black mohawk made him stand out, drawing the Gods’ attention right to us.
Daire shoved away from the bar, ready for an altercation. The Gods ambled over to the bar. Havoc shouldered Daire aside hard enough to knock him into me. There would always be bad blood between our group and theirs.
Maybe it was our fault. We’d stolen an assload of cash from the Gods which led to their girl, Raina, seducing Daire only to tie him up and threaten him in order to get it back. It had been Daire’s idea to get his hands on Raina and make her sorry she’d pulled such a stunt. The Gods’ most fucked up member, Gage Corwin, had nearly killed him for it. Now here we all were in the same shithole bar with our own agendas bringing us together.
“Watch it, asshole,” Daire snarled.
“Oh, sorry about that,” Havoc said, clearly not at all sorry. “Didn’t see you there, scumbag.”
Havoc turned his back on us and ordered a drink. His friends kept a close eye on us, like they didn’t trust us not to try something. Gage clenched a fist, ready to finish what he’d started on Daire several weeks ago.
I wasn’t interested in a repeat of that night. We hadn’t come out on top. All things considered, we probably deserved the beating we’d received. We’d fucked with their girl. It made me think about Zane and the pounding he deserved. That kind of thing couldn’t be forgiven.
“What brings the mafia brats to a place like this?” Daire asked, unable to keep his mouth shut. “Big drug deal going down in the parking lot? Maybe a fat cash exchange for illicit services?”
Gage sidled closer, getting up in Daire’s face. “If we told you that, we’d have to kill you. How bad do you want to know, Keller?”
Undeterred, Daire said, “You know that eventually you’ll do something we can’t ignore. Then we’ll come after you and finally settle this shit.”
Gage merely grinned. It was Knight who shoved the two of them apart. He seemed as annoyed with this crap as I was starting to feel.
That’s when our guy headed for the door. I smacked Daire’s arm to get his attention. “He’s on the move. Let’s go.”
I was grateful for the distraction. I hadn’t come here to have a pissing contest with the Gods. All I wanted was to make someone hurt. Someone who deserved to feel nothing but pain. Although I’d have preferred it to be Zane, this guy would do for now.
Leaving my beer on the bar, I set off after the guy. If he got into a car, we would lose him. Cash and Daire were right behind me as I burst outside. A quick glance down the street revealed our target staggering down the block. Too bad he was drunk. Sober would hurt a lot more. Either way, he’d feel it when we were done with him.
I easily caught up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder. Spinning him around, I said, “This is going to be fun.”
His bloodshot eyes widened as his mouth opened on a question he never got to ask. My fist plowed into his face, knocking him onto his ass. Cash stepped forward, grabbing the guy by the front of his shirt. He dragged him to his feet, shaking him violently.
“Do you know who we are, Jimmy?” Cash hissed, dragging the guy around the building to the alley where we were unlikely to be seen. “We’re your worst fucking nightmares. You’ll remember us next time you think about beating a woman.”
Daire and I followed along, keeping an eye out for any cops or witnesses. Once we were in the alley, we were free to do whatever we wanted to this sorry bastard. The rush of what we were about to do gripped me. It was almost as good as sex. Almost.
Cash threw the next shot at Jimmy. A solid punch that brought a flood of blood from his nose. Jimmy swung his arms in an effort to hit back. He slurred something incoherent. Cash stood there, allowing him to land one. It did nothing.
“I’m not busting my knuckles on this waste of skin. Screw that.” Pulling a switchblade from his pocket, Daire flicked it open, a devilish grin lighting up his face.
He darted forward, slashing at Jimmy. The blade grazed his side before cutting deep into his arm. He yelped and turned to run. I grabbed the back of his shirt, holding him in place. Cash pounded him with a flurry of punches. He loved using his fists and getting hands on with the violence.