Page 14 of Dark Angel

With a curt nod, I wipe the bloody blade on the grass and stand. I quickly scan the area, my eyes locking onto a fourth enforcer—a dangerous individual radiating power and menace. With a surge of adrenaline, I take off toward him, channeling my angelic essence to bolster my strength for what's to come. The memories of innocent victims flash in my mind, fueling a primal fury that burns deep within.

I lunge for him, my heart pounding in anticipation. Our collision sends tremors through his muscled frame, and I feel the perverse energy of his soul through my heightened senses. Revulsion and anger mix in a potent cocktail within me.

As I hiss my question, my voice holds a cold edge that cuts through the night air, "Why are you here? What do you want?" I'm ready to unleash the justice that these vile individuals deserve. The gray veil descends over my psyche, a celestial gift that allows me to exact retribution without hesitation, at least for now.

Gratitude fills me for this power that sets my heart strangely at ease with tormenting him. I know there will be consequences when my human morality and conscience return, but for now, I embrace the fury that drives me.

He scowls at me, fear and hatred swimming in his eyes as he realizes he's met his match. "Viper sent us, beautiful. You stole his property, and we're here to get it back."

The reference to my looks as "beautiful" sets me off. The demons within me ignite and nothing matters but suppressing the anguish of my own past.

When I come to, I find myself in one of the specially designed interrogation rooms in the PE Operations Centre, my back against the wall. Sasha, my anchor in the storm, is by my side. " We've got what we need, Jaden. We know where Summer is."

* * *

The location the enforcer gave us was a desolate, abandoned warehouse at the outskirts of town. It was a typical spot for an organized crime boss to hold one of the women from his dreadful stable. As we speed toward our destination in my Aston Martin DBS, Sasha's concern for me is evident.

"Jaden, you can't keep losing it like that.” Her voice is casual yet firm. "I get it, man, the anger, the pain, it's all part of what we do. But you need to get your feelings under control, or it's gonna get you killed one day."

I grip the steering wheel, my jaw clenching. "Mind your own damn business, Sasha," I snap, my emotions simmering beneath the surface.

But Sasha doesn't back down; she's always been the kind of friend who cares enough to push. "I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass, but you know I worry about you. We all do. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders like this. It's eating you alive."

My grip tightens on the wheel as I try to contain the storm within me. "I said back off, alright?" My voice is tinged with frustration. "I'm working on it, okay? I know I've got a damn problem, and I'm trying to deal with it."

Sasha doesn't let up, her concern shining through her eyes. "You're not alone in this, Jaden. But you don’t want to talk, I get it. So, let’s talk about Destiny instead.”

I shoot her a sharp look, my defenses still up. “Her name is Rayne, and I said drop it, Sasha," I reply, my voice low and harsh. Not a tone I generally curse her with.

She gives me a determined look, undeterred by my harsh words. "Fine, this isn’t a good time. Let me know when you’re ready to talk.” She turns away, and we retreat into our individual solitary places as we prepare for the rescue ahead.

The purring of the sleek black Aston Martin fills the air as I accelerate toward the desolate, abandoned warehouse. My emotions are a tempest inside, but I can't afford to let them consume me now. We pull up to the warehouse, and I feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Inside, we find her—Summer. Although her skin tone is much lighter than Rayne’s, the resemblance is unmistakable. My heart clenches as I see her innocent, limp body, and a surge of fury crashes down upon me. I know what those bastards have done to her, and my anger boils like a cauldron of hellfire.

With ruthless precision, we take down Viper's goons, and I scoop Summer into my arms, cradling her like a fragile angel. She’s alive, but barely. Healing energy flows through me, accelerating the healing of her physical wounds, but my powers can’t penetrate the emotional void that was once this vibrant girl. Thankfully, her vitals stabilize. I glance at Sasha, my jaw clenched tightly, and we leave that wretched place.

The drive to Harmony Hills Treatment Centre is a blur of desperation and worry. I can't shake the feeling that something is amiss; that time is slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. I don't know why I'm drawn to Rayne, why her presence lingers in my thoughts, but there's an undeniable pull—an inexplicable connection that I can't ignore.

The car hums beneath me, a mechanical lullaby that can't drown out the buzz of my thoughts. We're in a race against time to get Summer to the treatment center, but it's Rayne who keeps drifting into my mind. She's got a hold on me, some kind of magnetism I can't shake. The pull I feel toward her goes beyond physical—it's like she silences my inner chaos. Just met her, and already, there's this bond? Celestial intervention? Ridiculous. I took this assignment to protect her, so there’s no reason for the gods to spellbind us. We pull up to Harmony Hills. The sterile smell of the place hits me with memories I’d rather ignore as I hand Summer over to the professionals. They know how to handle this type of damage; I don't. I catch glimpses of her past traumas, little snapshots that can't even compare to what Rayne must have gone through. I can't shake the image of her, haunted yet intense, and it’s unsettling how much I find myself wanting to protect her.

Stepping back, I force myself to breathe. Now isn't the time for my own issues. But thinking of Rayne, her gaze that seems to cut through all my defenses, lights a fuse on emotions I don’t want to deal with.

The farther we get from her, the more restless I become. My past is a constant weight, always there, always pulling me down. But with Rayne, there are moments where it all seems to fade away. That scares the hell out of me.

My thoughts are a damn mess as we head back. On one hand, I want to shut down, to avoid all this emotional turbulence. On the other, I feel a pull to be near Rayne, like she's some kind of lifeline. I've got to get my head back in the game; this isn't the time to come unraveled.

I suspect Rayne’s darkness is more like a Roman shield wall instead of the very dark hole where I exist. Knock down one of her shields and she’ll come charging out, a blaze of light.

I make a silent vow that comes out of nowhere. I've got to make peace with the wreckage. But for now, it’s Rayne who's at the forefront of my mind. As much as it pisses me off to admit it, she might just be what I need—a glimmer of light when all I’ve known is darkness. And as much as it terrifies me, I can't shake the feeling that she could be my way out.

8

RAYNE

Nausea consumes me for several minutes that seem like an eternity before my system starts to adjust to the drug coursing through my veins. It’s not as if I haven’t been here before. The drug is probably Viper’s favorite cocktail of Rohypnol and cocaine. He didn’t give a shit how sick the drug made me, as long as the johns could spread my legs. On the upside, it saved me from a host of distasteful blow jobs . . . vomit will do that.

When I can open my eyes without the room spinning, I’m looking at one big-ass security monitor that I hadn’t noticed before. The screen is divided into about ten different windows, displaying the perimeter of a large, beautiful home in what looks like real-time surveillance. I watch a lot of comic book movies, and I feel like I'm watching a scene from one of them playing out before me.

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