CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CLOVER
I waited for what felt like eons until I saw the men pass by the restaurant again on their way back to the club. A waitress had come to take my order. Since I didn’t have any cash or cards on me, I had to politely decline. Now she was at the bar giving me the stink eye. I needed to leave.
If I’d had Cash’s number memorized, I’d have called him to pick me up. Since I was a lazy participant of the smartphone movement, I didn’t know it. Shame on me. I made a note to memorize everyone’s number as soon as I got back to my phone.
Once I was sure the men had to have left with their body in the van, I left the restaurant and made my way back to Paradise. Several times I jumped at little sounds in the shadows, wary of anyone walking down the street. Thankfully, the club wasn’t too far away.
When I returned, I found Cash almost having a meltdown. He was on his phone, most likely trying to track my ankle bracelet through the app. He glanced up at my approach, his expression changing from one of sheer panic to utter relief.
“Jesus, Clover. I was just about to use the tracker to find you. What happened? I was thinking the worst.” Bruises had started to form on Cash’s face from his scrap with Jet. He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.
Jet was nowhere to be seen. He must have taken off.
“We have to get out of here,” I said, pulling away. Frantically, I ran around to the passenger side of the SUV and got in, waving for Cash to hurry up and do the same.
Following my lead, Cash got in, and I promptly hit the door lock. “What is going on?” he asked, confused. “Where were you?”
“Just drive,” I said, almost shouting. “We can’t be here when they come back.”
“When who comes back?” Cash didn’t hesitate to start the car and get us out of there. He kept shooting worried glances at me, waiting for an explanation.
“I went around to the back of the building,” I told him, fidgeting with my seatbelt. “There were two men back there taking a body out to a van. They were talking about selling the organs, Cash. They’re not just making dark web content here. They’re harvesting organs.”
“Did they see you?” he asked, like he already knew the answer.
“Yes. They chased me, so I ran down the street to a restaurant until they left. I didn’t want to lead them right to you.” Pulling off my wig and wig cap, I unpinned my hair and finger combed the tangles. “Think the Sinners know about the organ harvesting?”
Cash shrugged, his eyes on the road as he drove us toward home. “They didn’t mention it. We’ll have to talk to them. This definitely changes things.”
We took an extra-long route on our way home to make sure we weren’t being followed. We weren’t. Still, I couldn’t relax. I was too shaken up from what I’d seen and the chase that came after.
Blaze and Daire still weren’t back. I wasn’t sure how long their task should take, although it felt like they should’ve been home by now. Cash seemed to think so too since he started calling their phones.
“That’s weird,” he said. “Both of their phones are off. Straight to voicemail. That’s not like them. Something must have happened. I need to go look for them.”
“Not without me. I’m coming with you.” I started pulling off the dress I wore. “Just give me a few minutes to change. Do you know where they went?”
Cash followed me upstairs, his bruised face set in a hard frown. “I have the address of the guy they went after. We’ll start there. Are you sure you want to come? I can drop you off with Raina.”
I went into Blaze’s room where most of my things were simply because he had a bigger dresser and more free closet space than the other two. Tossing the dress on the floor, I shimmied out of the tiny underwear, happy to be free of them. I was ready to feel like myself again.
“No deal. I’m coming with you. I’m part of this now. All of it. You guys made sure of that. There’s no changing that now.”
Cash’s enchanting blue gaze locked on me as I moved about the room, fetching a comfy pair of sweatpants, a tank top, and a hoodie along with fresh undies. Catching my disheveled locks in a hand, I went to the bathroom to find a hair clip, securing it atop my head.
“Fine. Bring a weapon. I can’t risk anything happening to you.” Cash went into his own room, coming back with a handgun that he tucked into the back of the jeans he now wore. He’d also changed into casual wear.
Despite their efforts to get me acquainted with guns, I still didn’t like them. I opted to bring a Taser, pepper spray, and a switchblade.
A few minutes later we were back in the car on our way to the address Cash had found. During the drive, he handed me his phone, telling me to call the Sinners. I scrolled through his contacts until I found Riot O’Hare’s info.
The phone rang several times, making me think he was going to ignore the call. Right before it went to voicemail, he answered.
“This better be good, Lockwood,” he said, assuming it would be Cash on the line.
I didn’t bother correcting him. He’d figure it out once I spoke. I jumped right in. “Are you aware that there is more going on at Paradise than you think?”
Riot paused before snapping, “What the hell did I say about using a burner phone?”
“I don’t give a shit about that right now,” I snapped right back. “They’re harvesting organs from the people they kill, Riot. Did you know that? Answer me.”
“We had our suspicions. Nothing confirmed. That’s one of the reasons we need cameras in there. I assume you still haven’t managed to pull that off.” He sounded unimpressed. Like usual.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into the back? It’s restricted. If you want us to do this, you need to do your part too. Get us a key card so we can get back there. Isn’t that something you super smart hacker types can do?” My fuse was short. I didn’t give a shit if it ticked off Riot anymore. I was ticked off too.
He was silent for a moment, making me check to make sure he hadn’t ended the call. Finally, he spoke. “I’ll see what I can do. Do not call me again unless it’s from a burner phone or I won’t answer.”
That’s when he did end the call. Fine with me. I had nothing more to say to him.
I relayed the brief conversation to Cash who chuckled. “You were sassy with him. I like it. You don’t let that side of yourself out nearly often enough.”
I scoffed. “It comes out when I need it most. Besides, if I get too sassy, Daire will go nuts finding ways to “punish” me.” Holding up a hand, I made air quotes.
Cash laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about Daire. He loves a good power trip, but he loves you more. He’d die before he let himself hurt you.”
I opened my mouth to protest and a memory stopped me. Daire had silently blamed himself for what happened when Brady took me. When he startled me awake during a bad dream, Daire had retreated to the basement where he’d punished himself by cutting deep gashes into his hand. He still had the scars from that night.
That was the one time I knew about. It made me wonder how many times Daire had found a way to punish himself without any of us knowing. He’d never been a typical nice guy. He never would be. However, he’d proven that he was a man willing to do anything to protect me. In his own messed up way, Daire loved me.
Somehow, I’d fallen for him too. That’s why I had to be with Cash when he went in search of Daire and Blaze. If something happened to them, I needed to be there.
Cash was quiet for a moment before adding, “For the record, Sunshine, we all love you. I love you.”
His hand slid across the console to rest on top of mine. I smiled.
“I know. I love you too, Cash.”
We turned into a residential neighborhood that looked like any other. Middle class homes with nice yards and decent cars in the driveways. Nothing too shady or suspicious. We passed Daire’s car, which he’d parked down the street from the house they’d targeted. Seeing his car sitting there gave me an ominous feeling. Something wasn’t right.
Cash didn’t bother to park away from the house. He drove right up to the two story house and parked in the empty driveway. Not a single light shone in the windows. Weird.
“Stay behind me,” Cash instructed when we got out of the car. “If we get jumped or anything really fucked happens, get your ass back to the car and leave. The keys are under the seat.”
I nodded, not willing to argue, even though I didn’t plan to leave any of them behind. I followed Cash around the front of the garage and up to the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked and ajar. This kept getting stranger.
He pushed the door open, poking his head inside. “Shit. I smell smoke.”
Shoving into the house, Cash rushed through the living room with his gun in hand. I hurried to keep up, my gaze darting around at the darkened interior. The smell grew stronger as we reached a closed door next to the stairs.
“It’s coming from the basement. I’m going to check it out. If the smoke is too thick, go back to the car.” Cash didn’t wait for me to agree before running down the stairs into the smoky basement.
I didn’t know if it was a good idea or not but I searched for the light switch, flicking it on before following. The air was a thick, gray haze. The stairs ended at a wall before taking a sharp turn to the left. I rounded the corner to find Cash hastily working to untie Daire’s hands.
Both Daire and Blaze were sprawled on the floor, their hands and feet tied. They were covered in blood and bruises. A bloodstained baseball bat lay on the floor several feet away. Flames erupted from a garbage can in the corner. The fire had caught a nearby wall hanging as it made its way around the room.
Flipping open my switchblade, I raced over to Blaze and began sawing at the rope tied around his hands. He mumbled something to me about getting out before the smoke got too bad. I ignored him, slashing at the rope.
A few feet away, Cash used Daire’s knife to cut his bonds. I coughed a few times, the smoke burning my eyes and lungs. It had caught the couch in the corner now. Shit.
Once Daire was free, Cash dragged him to the stairs, helping him out of the basement. By the time he returned, I’d freed Blaze’s hands and feet. Cash got him out, urging me to run on ahead.
I found Daire sitting on the front step, sucking in deep breaths of clean air. I too enjoyed some deep breaths of fresh air after being inside the smoky basement.
“What happened?” Placing a hand on his shoulder, I looked him over.
His injuries were nasty. A huge lump formed on his temple. Bruises down his cheek. Blood crusted in his eyebrow and down his face. I wasn’t sure if he’d need a hospital.
“Fucker jumped us with a baseball bat. Knocked me right the fuck out with the first hit. Fuck, it hurts.” Daire touched the lump on his temple and winced.
Cash and Blaze emerged from the house, continuing on to Cash’s SUV. He returned quickly for Daire, getting him into the vehicle too.
“Take my car and get these guys home,” he said, taking charge. “I’ll follow in Daire’s car.”
“Are you sure?” I glanced uncertainly at the two injured men in the SUV. “They’re hurt pretty bad. Do you think they need a hospital? What if they have head trauma?”
“Don’t worry about that, Sunshine.” Cash pressed a fast kiss to my forehead. “Desmond has a doctor on call. We’ll ask him to come to the house. Go now, before someone calls the fire department.”
Desmond Monroe, Raina’s father, had a lot of resources at his disposal. At first, I’d been nervous about the Angels joining his organization. Thankfully, there were benefits to being part of the mob that ran the city.
I got into Cash’s SUV, adjusting the seat to my height as I started the engine. I glanced into the back where both Blaze and Daire slumped. Blaze had blood running from what was obviously a broken nose. One eye was bruised, a broken blood vessel marking the white part.
Knowing we couldn’t be caught here if emergency services showed up, I got the SUV moving, doing my best to move fast without speeding. That would also draw attention.
I kept glancing at the two of them in the rearview mirror. “No falling asleep. Keep each other awake. I mean it.”
I hated that their target got away. Pieces of human trash like that didn’t deserve to get away with the things they’d done. I was starting to really understand this whole vigilante vibe. The system let down so many victims. Someone had to do something about that.
And yet, as I glanced at my Angels, taking in their wounds, I worried that it would cost us our lives.