CHAPTER THREE
CLOVER
“What do you think of this one? Is it me?” Raina adjusted the brunette wig she wore before striking a dramatic pose.
“Actually, yeah. It looks good on you.” I perused the wall of wigs before me, eyeing up a red one. “Think I’d make a good ginger? I’ve always wanted to be a redhead.”
“With your blue eyes? Hell yeah. Try it on.” Taking off the wig, Raina put it back and reached for another. “This will be fun. You and me doing something incognito together. I never thought we’d get to do something so exciting.”
I laughed, reaching for the red wig I’d been checking out. “You’re kind of crazy, you know that? I can’t believe you’re excited. I was terrified. I am not looking forward to going back in there.”
Raina playfully fluttered her lashes. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t enjoy it. I mean, you did partake, right?”
Standing in front of the mirror, I pulled the wig on, finger combing the front strands. “I sure did. Don’t get me wrong. It was fun. Blaze and I had a really good time. Until the murder. That part sucked.”
“Yeah, I get that, but since you have to go back in anyway, might as well make the most of it.” Raina turned me around, scrutinizing my wig. “I like it. I do. Something about it doesn’t feel right though. Try a bright color. That blue one over there.”
It felt like I’d tried on almost every wig in the store. We’d been there for an hour already. Exchanging the ginger wig for the blue one, I smiled when I looked into the mirror. This definitely felt more like me.
The wig was long, much longer than my shoulder length locks. A bright medium blue, it made my eyes pop. Hmm, should I wear colored contacts as well? I wasn’t sure how far I should go to change my appearance.
I decided to go with the blue wig. Raina chose a black one that complimented her skin tone. It had curtain bangs and a shaggy wolf cut. With the right makeup and outfit, she’d be unrecognizable.
Our next stop was a clothing store that sold some pretty wild attire. So much fetish wear. My eyes bugged out of my head as I took it all in.
After another hour or more spent there, Raina picked a tight leather dress that barely covered her ass while showing off her impressive cleavage. I opted for a studded black bra and a pleated skirt with a chain around the waistband.
“What about your tattoos?” I nodded to the black cat silhouette on Raina’s wrist. She also had a black rose on the side of her neck. “Are you going to hide those?”
I only had one tattoo. A rainbow butterfly on my ankle. Easy enough to hide with some sexy stockings. Thankfully, the tracker that I wore around my ankle was thin enough to easily conceal.
Was it messed up that I felt better once I’d locked it into place? Only myself and my Angels had the combination for it. Made of incredibly strong metal, it couldn’t easily be removed. And it didn’t look like a tracker at all but a piece of regular jewelry. Knowing they could always find me gave me a peace of mind that had been stolen from me. I liked it.
“I probably should, huh?” Raina rubbed a finger over her cat tattoo. “I’ll figure something out.”
“I assume you’re bringing Havoc,” I said as we headed to the checkout to pay.
“Yeah, he was pretty adamant about being the one to come along. I think bringing all three of them would be amazing but would probably draw too much attention. Bummer. How about you? Are you bringing Blaze again?”
I laughed, recalling the discussion about it the previous evening. “I doubt it. Daire was pretty persistent in his intent to come this time. Would that be a problem for you?”
I still worried about Raina and Daire. All three of my Angels had wronged her, but none more so than Daire.
Raina hesitated before answering. She waited until we’d paid and left the store to say, “No, it won’t bother me, but let’s keep our distance inside the club until it’s time to make a move.”
Fair enough. I didn’t particularly want to be getting down and dirty in front of her and Havoc anyway. Still, it worried me that there would always be this issue between Raina and Daire. He’d fucked up. He knew that though. Too bad it was far too late for that to make a difference. Raina said she was over it. I believed that but seeing him had to bring her back to that night. To what he did. Ugh, I hated all of it.
As we got into Raina’s SUV, my phone pinged with a text from Lyra. She was going for drinks with Briar at the nightclub near the campus. They wanted us to join them. Since we’d already gone for dinner, and it was well past dark, Raina thought it would be a great way to wrap up the day.
The nightclub was just kicking off the evening. There were plenty of places to sit. No line at the bar. Lyra and Briar had scored a great table. A booth along the back wall.
Lyra wore a cute white off the shoulder peasant top with tight blue jeans. Her long brown hair was loose, cascading down her back. Makeup perfect with natural colors, she was as gorgeous as ever.
Across from her sat Briar, sipping a red drink that I guessed was vodka and cranberry. She was decked out in all of her goth girl glory. She wore a black dress with lace accents and flowing sleeves. From her eye makeup to her lips, she was painted in black. It worked for her though. Her ebony hair fell in soft curls to frame her face.
“Hey, ladies. Glad you could join us.” Lyra scooted over to make room for me. “It’s been a hell of a week. I needed a drink. How are you two?”
Raina slid in next to Briar. She glanced around for a server. “Can’t complain. A drink sounds good. I’m driving though so only one for me. On second thought, screw it. I’ll get one of the guys to pick me up.”
“I’m good,” I said, taking a seat. “Swamped with school work. The usual. Is everything okay with you?”
While Lyra told us about an exam that she’d bombed, I sipped a drink, happy to listen to someone else’s problems. Discussing everyday issues like classes and guys made me feel normal again. I didn’t get a lot of that these days.
Once Briar jumped in with a story about a horrible guy she met on a popular dating app, she had us all laughing. “Can you believe he thought Taco Bell was a nice place for dinner? Then he pulled the whole forgot his wallet bullshit. I’m done with dating apps.”
“Yikes,” Lyra laughed. “I once met a guy on there who expected me to blow him because he bought me dinner. The restaurant was nice and all but screw that. Entitled perv. I made the mistake of telling Jet about it. He beat the guy’s ass. Put him in the hospital.”
She said that last bit with a shrug, like that was to be expected from Jet. My brow arched as I sipped my drink. Somehow I doubted that Jet would react that way if it involved anyone other than Lyra.
“Of course he did.” Raina eyed Lyra over the rim of her glass. “He’s crazy obsessed with you. Does that freak you out?”
Lyra waved a hand, dismissing Raina’s remark. “He’s my stepbrother. He was just looking out for me. Jet can be a little over the top, but he’s not a bad person. Not once you get to know him.”
Raina pressed her lips into a tight, thin line. She nodded, keeping her opinion to herself. We all knew how she felt about Jet. She’d have had him killed by now if it had been up to her.
I suspected there was more going on between Lyra and Jet than Lyra wanted us to know. Not that it was any of our business. Raina was no one to throw stones when it came to obsessed guys. Hell, neither was I. Lyra was a grown ass woman. She could figure this shit out for herself.
It didn’t take long for people to file into the building. As the hour grew later, the place grew more packed. Most of the patrons were students from RU. The university crowd was pretty much what kept this place open.
I was on my third drink when Cash and Daire arrived. Blaze had stayed home to work on a class assignment. He took mostly art and music classes. His studies meant a lot to him. I loved that he had such a passion for his work.
Raina and Lyra were on the dance floor. Briar and I had remained at the table so we wouldn’t lose it to anyone else. While Cash went to the bar for drinks, Daire joined us at the table.
Lifting me off the seat, he sat down and pulled me onto his lap. Arms around my waist, he rested his chin on my shoulder. “Find anything good while shopping today?”
“I did actually. Did you talk to the Sinners about getting us some new I.D. cards?” If I was changing my identity, I’d need a new I.D. to go with it. Daire needed one too.
“Yeah, they’re on it. Told me to come by tomorrow night before we go to the club.” Daire surveyed the dance floor, glaring at two guys who flirted with Raina and Lyra. “Have any of these guys been hassling you? Whose ass do I need to kick?”
His possessiveness made me think about what Lyra had said about Jet. I hid a smile. “Nobody. Cut it out. I don’t want you fighting tonight. We have more important things to worry about.”
A guy I recognized from campus approached, clutching a beer in one hand. He offered Briar a nervous smile before asking her to dance. She shot me an eyeroll that he didn’t notice and shrugged.
“Sure, why not?” Standing up, she motioned to her half-finished drink. “Watch my drink for me, would you, Clover?”
“No problem.”
Cash slid into the spot she’d vacated. He passed a drink to Daire. “I missed you today, Sunshine.”
“Aww, I missed you too, sweetie. It’s been nice to have some time with my girls though. It’s therapeutic.” I watched the three of them dancing, tempted to join them.
Cash nodded, following my gaze. “I get it. Don’t feel like you have to stay here and babysit us. Go hang with them if you want. We’ll watch the table.”
Daire’s arms tightened around me as I tried to stand up. “Daire,” I laughed, trying to pry his arms off my waist.
He gave an exasperated sigh and let go. “Fine. Go ahead. But be warned, I’ll fuck up any guy who looks at you twice.”
“Stop that. No, you won’t. I’m perfectly capable of shooting down anyone who comes onto me, which I don’t see happening with you over here glowering at everyone.” I kissed his cheek before sashaying away to join my girls.
As I reached the dance floor, I caught sight of Gage on his way into the nightclub. He paused in the doorway, scanning the place until he spotted Raina before going to the bar. Yeah, we really were not in any position to give Lyra advice about Jet.
Speaking of the devil himself, he seemed to materialize out of nowhere. He stood off to the side of the dance floor, watching Lyra dance with a guy who was all over her. Uh oh.
Joining my friends, I laughed as Raina grabbed my hand, dragging me closer. We danced together, having no interest in anyone else. Most people knew that Raina belonged to the Gods. Not a single guy made the mistake of flirting with her. Not with Gage watching from his place at the bar.
I did my best to subtly get Lyra’s attention. She was oblivious. Her attention was on the guy who grinded all over her. I didn’t know him. The campus was large though. He was most likely another student.
Nudging Raina, I leaned in to be heard over the loud music. “Do you know that guy with Lyra?”
She shook her head, making her blonde tresses fly about. “Nope. I don’t like him though. He gives me the ick.”
The way he palmed Lyra’s ass while pulling her against his dick gave me the ick too. Our usually reserved friend had had enough alcohol to lower her inhibitions. She seemed to be loving the attention. One glance at Jet and I knew he was mere seconds from losing it.
Lyra’s new friend made the mistake of trying to kiss her. The moment their lips touched, Jet snapped.
He shoved through the throng of bodies on the dance floor. Tossing people out of his way, he grabbed the guy by the hair, jerking him away from Lyra. His fist plowed into the guy’s face. Blood sprayed from his nose in a gush.
Lyra shrieked. Grabbing onto Jet’s arm, she tried to pull him away. Not happening.
“Jet, stop,” she shouted, pulling uselessly on his arm. “Leave him alone.”
He didn’t acknowledge her as he slammed his fist into the guy’s face several more times. Everyone in the vicinity cleared out, not wanting to get caught in the melee.
Raina and I moved back several feet. Daire, Cash, and Gage were suddenly there, ready to protect us.
“You think you can put your hands on her like that?” Jet snarled, giving the guy a shove.
“Who the fuck are you?” Lyra’s new guy friend wasn’t so easily scared off. He threw a punch right back at Jet. “Mind your own fucking business, asshole.”
Once they both started swinging, everything escalated quickly. Lyra screamed at them to stop. I tugged on Daire’s hand, silently pleading with him to break them up. With a shake of his head, he pulled me away from the dance floor, back to the table. Gage steered Raina along behind us, not wanting her involved.
The bouncers took over from there. Both guys were pulled apart. They were each shoved toward the exit. Jet dug in his heels, refusing to leave without Lyra. Hoping to defuse the situation, she hurried along after him.
She didn’t seem to know it yet, but she was in over her head. She would have to figure that out for herself.