CHAPTER TWENTY
CLOVER
The sun shone down, beaming from a bright blue sky. That made for an especially warm late September day. Closing my eyes, I turned my face up toward the sun, drinking it in. It wouldn’t be long before it was too cold to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.
“I just don’t understand why he’s not responding to any of my messages. I even tried calling, but it rang through to voicemail.” Lyra sat across from me at one of the picnic tables scattered around the outdoor area where several students loitered about between classes.
I did my best not to react. Raina and I both knew exactly what had happened to her missing boyfriend. I hated not being able to tell her what I knew. It had only been two days since the guys helped Jet get rid of Ryan. It was nothing short of a miracle that Jet himself was alive after the tactic he’d used to get them to help him.
When they came home and told me what Jet had confessed, I’d been a mix of shocked and relieved. I had a feeling that Jet was capable of a lot more than any of us yet knew. He’d wanted a job done and he’d found a way to achieve that. On one hand, it was kind of impressive, yet on the other, it was nothing short of diabolical and absolutely psychotic.
“It’s not like Ryan to ignore my texts,” Lyra continued. “He usually replies within minutes. I thought we were really getting somewhere with each other. I can’t imagine why he would suddenly ghost me.”
If I were in her shoes, my first thoughts would have been Jet. Maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge that he was capable of such a thing. Maybe she couldn’t bring herself to even think it, even though deep down, she knew it was true.
“Try not to worry about it so much. Maybe something came up. I’m sure you’ll hear from him in no time.” Briar did her best to comfort Lyra. She had no idea what had really happened though, and her reassurance came from a genuine place of care.
The four of us had met up to hang out for a bit after our classes ended for the day. I didn’t know how Raina could so easily sit there like she didn’t know what we both knew. I found it incredibly difficult to meet Lyra’s eyes.
Lyra nervously chewed her bottom lip. She glanced around before quietly saying in a hushed voice, “Do you think that Jet might have done something to him? I don’t think he could’ve even known about Ryan. I did my best to make sure he wouldn’t find out.”
It took everything in me not to look at Raina. I didn’t want to be so obvious and give it away.
“Do you think that Jet is capable of something like that?” Raina asked cautiously. She picked absently at a chocolate chip muffin, popping a piece in her mouth.
Lyra dragged her thick brown braid over her shoulder, nervously toying with it. “Kind of. I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him. The last time he saw me with a guy, he threatened to cut off his fingers. I figured he was just being over the top. He’s always been a possessive asshole toward me, but he wouldn’t really hurt someone, would he?”
“You would know the answer to that better than anyone.” Raina offered her a sympathetic smile. Reaching across the table, she patted Lyra’s hand. “Give it some more time.”
This conversation was making me feel all kinds of uncomfortable. We needed to change the subject matter before I was forced to leave in order to keep my mouth shut.
Because I couldn’t contain myself, I blurted, “Looks like me and the guys will be going back to Paradise. Hopefully, this will be our last visit. VIP this time.”
“Paradise?” Briar raised a brow. “Isn’t that the sex club near the convention center?”
Oops. The other girls didn’t know about my recent trips to Paradise. Although they did know that the Angels were rumored to be vigilantes. It couldn’t really hurt to confirm that.
“Yeah,” I said, picking my words carefully. “Something shady is going on there. We’ve been looking into it.”
“Girl, no,” Raina protested. “I don’t think you should go back there. It’s too dangerous. I think you guys have taken it as far as you can go. Tell the Sinners to get fucked and do the job themselves if it means so much to them.”
“The Sinners?” Lyra repeated. “What do they have to do with it?”
Making sure nobody else was close enough to overhear, I lowered my voice when I said, “They wanted us to get footage of the criminal stuff going on in there. It hasn’t been easy.”
Briar sipped from an iced coffee, pausing to swirl the ice chunks around in the cup. “I guess the Angels really are vigilantes then.”
“They’re also mafia now too,” Raina said, taking another bite of muffin. “They joined my dad’s organization.”
My eyes widened. Wasn’t that supposed to be a secret? Everyone knew that Raina’s dad ran the mob. Havoc’s dad had recently been involved in the city’s crime world as well. Until Havoc killed him. A lot of this had been unknown to me as it happened. Once the Angels joined the Monroe Syndicate, Raina had filled me in on the things I’d been missing.
I understood why she had kept it from me. No doubt it was safer that way for all of us. Now that the men I was involved with were a part of that world, there was no keeping me in the dark anymore. Still, I wasn’t sure we should be so open about it with the other girls. Although I guess we weren’t spilling any deep, dark secrets.
“Wow.” Lyra snuck another peek at her phone, hoping to find a text from Ryan. “That’s wild. You two must love danger. Your men are all over that shit.”
Raina snickered. “What can I say? It keeps things spicy. Nothing feels as good as that post danger fuck.”
I almost choked on my latte. A sudden burst of laughter almost made some come out my nose. Raina was far more blunt and bold with personal information than me. However, she wasn’t wrong.
“I bet. Sounds exciting.” Briar laughed, clinking her ice again. “I’m jealous. I haven’t had any action in months.”
Raina waved a hand, indicating the many guys on campus. “Take your pick. I’m sure you could have pretty much any guy here that you want.”
Briar scoffed. “Most of these guys are a hard no. Not my type.”
The girls began to discuss the campus men. I listened while Briar and Lyra compared notes on guys they’d dated. Lyra didn’t have many stories to share. According to her, Jet had chased off everyone who’d shown interest in her.
“What’s the deal with Jet and his cult anyway?” Raina asked, crumpling her empty muffin wrapper into a ball. “How much do you know about it?”
“Not really anything.” The mention of Jet’s name had Lyra fidgeting with her braid again. “He’s never told me much about it. Before I lived on campus, when we both still lived at home, he came in one time covered in blood. He didn’t expect anyone to be awake. I ran into him on my way to the bathroom while he was creeping back into his room. He told me not to say a word about it to anyone. Whatever he’s doing, I don’t want to know.”
Raina seemed skeptical. “That’s all he said? No threats or anything? That doesn’t seem like Jet’s style.”
A faint pink hue colored Lyra’s cheeks. She glanced down at the table top. “There may have been a threat of some sort. I don’t really remember that well. It was a while ago.”
Yeah, there was definitely a threat involved. One that she did not want to share with us. I could just imagine.
“Maybe we should find a way to infiltrate that little cult of his,” Raina suggested. “I would love to know what he’s really up to.”
Lyra gave a vigorous shake of her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I prefer to stay as far away from Jet as possible. Whatever he’s up to, it’s probably better if we don’t know.”
“Ignorance isn’t always bliss,” Raina pointed out. “They make documentaries about guys like him.”
“Guys like who?”
Jet’s sudden appearance made me jump.
Lyra let out a little yelp, covering her mouth. Her sea colored eyes grew wide, filling with fear. “Nobody. Nothing. Just girl talk. What do you want, Jet?”
“Yeah, Jet. What do you want? When Lyra is with the girls, she’s off limits. Got it?” Like a wild animal about to pounce, Raina watched him with a predatory glint in her eyes.
Jet hunched over, a hand on his ribs. A scrape marked his face from Daire throwing him down on the asphalt. I’d heard all about the ass kicking the Angels had given him. I was surprised to see him up and around.
“Stuff it, Raina. I’m not interested in anything you have to say. This is between me and Lyra.” Leaning down next to Lyra, Jet murmured something softly in her ear.
Her face turned red, and she immediately grew flustered. She shot to her feet, mumbling, “I have to take off. I’ll talk to you girls later.”
Jet cast a satisfied smirk back at us as the two of them walked away together. Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the slight limp every time he took a step.
As much as I hated Jet and loved Lyra, nobody could save her from him. She would have to save herself.