Page 12 of Rebel

His jaw dropped when he saw Stray’s mask then the rest of us gathered behind him. Stray moved fast, wedging a foot in the door as he stuck the syringe into the man’s neck. He stumbled backwards, falling down on the floor in the entryway.

We entered the house, quick to shut and lock the door. I assigned Auryn to stand watch while the rest of us picked up the unconscious man and carried him to the bedroom. Casper quickly got to work, opening the supply bag. He’d studied the videos and instructions Jordan sent. Now he had to pull off an organ removal without killing our victim. Just in case shit went south, I had our cleaners on standby for a body disposal. I wasn’t taking any chances.

Casper motioned for Stray to hold a flashlight on the spot where he would be cutting. Then he put on clean gloves and used disinfectant to cleanse the man’s skin and the tools he’d be using. I stood at the foot of the bed, watching intently.

“Damn, that’s nasty,” Dom murmured as he watched the scalpel slide through the man’s flesh.

Casper paused, shooting him a dirty look. I nudged Dom, miming for him to shut it. We didn’t need a distraction botching this whole thing.

As Casper worked to carefully remove one kidney, I watched in fascination. Was there supposed to be that much blood? Damn. This dude better not die on us.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Casper placed the kidney into a cooler filled with ice. He sucked in a hiss of breath as he worked on patching the guy back together.

I risked pissing him off by quietly asking, “This dude isn’t going to bleed to death, is he?”

Casper shot me a withering glance and shrugged. That was reassuring. Since I really didn’t want to have a body to take care of this time, I planned to make an anonymous 911 call once we were finished here.

Unable to stay still any longer, I left the bedroom and paced the hallway. Since Dom couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut another moment, he joined Auryn near the front door. Finally, Casper and Stray exited the bedroom with the cooler and supply bag in hand. Done. Just like that.

“Everything all good, man?” I lightly punched Casper in the shoulder.

He nodded, making the okay symbol with a hand. Good enough for me. I sent Auryn out first to make sure the street was clear. We didn’t need a neighbor spotting us on our way out. Then we all climbed back into the rental and took off.

We stopped at a gas station on the edge of town and used the phone to call 911. The drive back to Wintervale went fast. Once we arrived, we went straight to Destiny Church, our preferred place of business.

The church itself was on the small side. When it had been operational, it had likely held less than a hundred people. Now it was little more than a long forgotten building with boarded up windows, discolored paint, and a slight lean.

We parked behind the church, out of view of the road. Our buyer was already there.

This was where things could get dicey. More than one fool had tried to rip us off. That didn’t usually end well for them.

“Casper and I will do the hand off,” I said before getting out of the car. “You three watch our backs. Anyone does anything funny, shoot them.”

With the other three right behind us, Casper and I stood between the two cars. The gun tucked into my hoodie pocket provided little security. If anything went wrong, it would be my crew that took care of business. We were a well-oiled machine. Able to read each other with a mere look. I trusted them with my life.

Two men exited the other car. One of them hung back, his hand on his hip, ready to go for his weapon. The other approached with a fat bag of cash. I motioned for Dom to count the contents.

We all waited in tense silence until he said, “Two hundred grand.”

“Perfect.” I nodded for Casper to hand over the kidney cooler. “Enjoy your new kidney.”

“It’s for my daughter,” the man said, gratefully grasping the cooler handle. “You have no idea how much this means to us. She’s at the end of a long transplant list. She’d have died before she ever got one.”

I didn’t need the sob story. I had no interest in getting personal with a client. All I cared about was the cash.

“Good luck,” I said, waiting for them to get in their car and drive away before letting my guard down.

They left without incident. Satisfaction crept in, leaving me content. I was ready to get home and plan how I would further torment Storm. Imagine my delight when the guys dropped me off right as she pulled into her driveway.

CHAPTER EIGHT

STORM

“The Kings are hosting another one of their graveyard parties this weekend. Are you guys going?” Codie lay sprawled on her back across the sectional couch, twisting a lock of ebony hair around a finger. She craned her neck so she could see the rest of us girls.

Athena had invited me over to the apartment she and Codie shared just off campus. The opportunity to get away from my house—and from Rebel—had been welcome. I sat on the ottoman that went with the arm chair in the corner of the living room. Athena lounged on the chair behind me. Both Luna and Ripley were squeezed onto the remainder of the couch.

“As long as I don’t have to work,” Ripley said with a scowl. “My mom is charging me rent now so I’m trying to pick up some extra evening shifts at the restaurant. She expects me to do all the chores too while she sits on her ass and watches TV. I’m considering a move to the dorm. It’s got to be cheaper.”

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