Page 23 of The Merciless

“To this very minute,” Neera examined her nails as she spoke softly, “No one knows what’sactuallyhappened on the island.” Her hard gaze flickered to Angel’s, those dark blue colors shifting as she clicked her tongue, “People only knowsomething’shappened. They know Raylene’s in a coma. They know Maya Larsen is hurt. And Kyle Larsen is missing. Their people have disappeared, and their businesses have shut down.”

Angel shook at the simplicity of her words. They’d meant toerasethe Lions from the chart, from the map. Simply gone. But that didn’t explain the withering glare everyone around Ray shot him.

He scowled, shifting back on his arms as he turned his confused eyes to Ray, who sighed.

“What?” he snapped finally when none of them said anything.

“Ray should’ve been dead to the world by now.” Neera said agonizingly, and Angel froze at her words.She should be what now?He breathed in as Ray put her face in her hands, opening his mouth and closing it in an attempt to understand what she was trying to say.

“If you hadn’t jumped in theway,”Akash drawled, as Cameron, evenCameronshook his head as if he were a meddlesome child, “Then the plan would’ve been foolproof. Kyle would be scrambling around instead of lying half dead in the hospital because he discovered you, andyou,”he shot Ray a glare, “In a room together. Obviously. Fucking. Alive.”

Angel rubbed his brows as he tried to understand the situation, “So you’re blaming me for jumping in the bullet’s way when I thought she was going to actually die?” he asked, his tone thinning with impatience, “And now you expect me to do what? Apologize?”

“Enough.” Ray murmured, finally lifting her head but not quite meeting his eyes as she turned a scalding glare on Akash, “Kyle isn’t half dead. He’s on his way here with Vera right now.”

“Vera,” Sorin muttered softly as Noah leaned forward, looking at Ray as if they weren’t sitting right there.

“That’s the other thing.” He started, “How come that psychopath’s helping us?”

Ray shrugged as Christina interrupted their conversation, “Wait so, Veranaisn’twith you?” she asked, and turned to Akash, “Isn’t she your cousin?”

Akash nodded, his handsome face going slack with understanding,

“She is. But she was too crazy to join us.” he said indignantly.

Luke let loose an annoyed sound at his words but Akash only deadpanned in response, “She chose the Lions way before.”

His eyes cleared, something like clarity flickering through them as he turned to Ray, “Butthis,she just–”

Ray shook her head, “She shot Kyle without hesitation.” She murmured and lifted her gaze to Luke and then back to Akash, “Split second after he saw that I was alive.”

“When we could’ve killed you in the hospital itself.” Neera murmured.

“Okay, this is getting uncomfortable and darkveryfast.” Jack said, looking exhausted by all the information they’d been bombarded by, “I get it now. You were behind the fires,” a nod from Ray and Neera, “And you staged that entire thing at the announcement party, but no information of Akash being the one behind it had gone out yet.You,”he pointed at Ray, “Are in a coma. While the entire world is now slowly believing that the Lions are becoming weak.”

He heaved a deep breath as Luke patted him on the back. Ray shrugged in acceptance and Angel was about to say something when Mia hummed from beside him and nudged her chin in the direction of the kid who was shifting away and away from Ray,

“Explain the boy.”

Ray turned over her shoulder, her eyes going wide in realization. Angel saw Sorin turn slightly and place a comforting hand on the young boy’s shoulder, angling his body so he was visible to everyone.

The boy only shrunk in the hoodie he was wearing, but not before Angel noticed the faint scars on the side of his face.

Two dents, one over his cheekbone and the other right where a dimple could be. He had skin a tint darker than Angel’s, shining brightly with the purple hue from the night sky as those wary grey eyes peered at them all.

“That’s Micah Diaz,” Ray stated and turned away from him as the boy flinched at the sound of his name. Angel felt a pang of remorse for the kid as Ray plowed forth, “He was also working for the people who used our names to stage that ambush.”

“With Ira then,” Angel mumbled at turned to look at Ira, who was staring at Micah with a guarded look in her eyes.

“According to Ira, he worked as an,” She turned to the kid, blinking at him to continue.

“Assassin.”

Angel blinked at the quiet word. His gaze narrowed, this situation getting dire by the second. Even Ray looked a bit pissed at his admission, her anger aimed at the people hiding in the shadows,

“They’re hiring children to do their job.” She snarled softly, the fire in her gaze flaring as she turned to Ira, obviously thinking of something that had her rearing back in a slight panic. Ray shook her head before him, “Who knows? Might be training them as well.”

“We need to get ahead of them,” Irene said, her voiceironas she stared to her side, looking at the window. At the shifting clouds outside, “Before they can get ahead ofus.”

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