Page 9 of Merciless Angel

“This will go a lot smoother if you stop fighting and hold still.” The man roughly pushed me against the side of a large dumpster. He tugged at my pants, making it clear that it wasn’t money that he wanted.

Panic filled me with adrenaline. I fought hard, kicking and hitting, doing all I could do keep him from pinning my hands. My bag of snacks had fallen somewhere between the front of the building and the alley. I should have stayed inside and gone to bed.

I managed to claw him with my fingernails, gouging his eye. He shook me vigorously before slamming me against the dumpster. The impact stunned me. His next hit was a backhand across my face. It snapped my head to one side, leaving me with the taste of blood in my mouth.

This was it. This guy was going to rape and kill me. My body would be found behind this dumpster. I wished I was more like Raina who carried a knife with her more often than not. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I prayed that it would be over fast.

Then it was. The man was suddenly jerked away from me. His grabby hands were gone. The sound of flesh on flesh made me open my eyes. I gasped at the sight of Blaze Bixby slamming the man against the pavement.

Blaze dropped fist after fist into the man’s face. Cash and Daire held the guy in place while Blaze beat him bloody. I pressed a hand to my mouth, watching in stunned silence.

“You made a big mistake touching my girl,” Blaze hissed. He kicked the man in the face, breaking his nose. “I don’t like it when people touch my things.”

His girl? His things? Those trigger words should have alarmed me. With adrenaline pounding through my system, I couldn’t process the meaning of his claim right then.

“I’m sorry, man,” the guy on the ground cried. “I didn’t know.”

Blaze shrugged, holding out a hand toward Daire who placed a switchblade knife in his palm. “Too late for sorry now.”

A small shriek escaped me as Blaze buried the knife in the man’s sternum. He jerked the knife free, this time grabbing the man’s hand. One by one, he sliced off each finger, including the thumb. When the man’s screams grew too loud, Cash stuffed a wad of his bloody shirt in his mouth.

Was this a dream? A terrible nightmare? Surely I would wake up any second and be safe in my bed.

When Blaze started in on the guy’s other hand, I knew without a doubt that I was wide awake. I couldn’t look away, watching as each finger was sliced off. Bile rose in my throat. I choked in a lungful of air, reminding myself to breathe.

I should run. I told myself to move, but my body refused to obey. Once they were finished with him, would they start in on me? They’d tied Raina down and sliced her up with a knife. What would stop them from doing the same to me? The Angels were deadly and dangerous. Right then I believed everything I’d ever heard about them. There was no telling what they were capable of.

Blaze paused in his torture to glance over at me. “Are you okay, sweetness? Did he hurt you?”

My mouth was dry, my heart pounding. I struggled to form words. Somehow I managed to say, “He dragged me back here. He slammed me against the dumpster. He was trying to…pull my pants down.”

I wasn’t sure why I told him everything. The words poured out. Rage filled Blaze’s amber brown eyes. Turning back to the man bleeding on the ground, he slammed the knife blade into his throat. I bit back a yelp. My eyes widened as Blaze sliced a huge gaping gash in the man’s neck.

There was so much blood. Again my brain shouted at me to run. Again my body refused. I stood there quaking in shock instead.

“Jesus, Blaze. Do you have to make such a mess? The cleanup is going to be hell.” Daire punched Blaze in the arm, motioning to the man bleeding out in the alley.

“Fuck it.” Blaze swiped a hand over his brow and handed the knife back to Daire. “Just toss his ass in the dumpster. Nobody is going to miss this guy.”

To my surprise, Cash and Daire did just that. They picked up the limp body and heaved it into the dumpster. It landed with a loud thud against the metal. I cringed at the sound.

Blaze approached me with a determined stride. My already high anxiety climbed until my breath came in sharp gasps. His hand was warm when he touched my face. Tipping my chin up so I was forced to meet his searching gaze, Blaze stroked my cheek with his thumb.

“Breathe, Clover. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“Am I though?” I heard myself say.

Daire snickered. “Good question. Is she Blaze?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Blaze barked at his friend. To me he asked, “Are you scared of me, Rainbow?”

The shock had removed any filter I’d have normally had. I blurted, “Terrified. I know what you did to Raina.”

Daire’s soft laughter sent chills racing through me. He edged closer. “She told you about that, huh? Hey, it was just business. She fucked us over. We had to take matters into our own hands. She brought it on herself really. Besides, I think she kind of liked it.”

I suddenly felt like I’d just escaped one predator only to be surrounded by three more far deadlier predators. The way Daire looked me over made me feel like he pictured me as his victim now.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Blaze said, drawing my attention back to him. He caressed my swollen cheek. “When I hurt you, I promise that you’ll only beg for more.”

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