Ravage (Raegan of Ruin Book 1), page 9
He doesn’t.
He shows up at my door.
I’m tying my hair up in a ponytail when the distinct beeping sound of the buttons to enter my apartment goes off. I know better than to assume it’s Elias because knowing Aiden, he’d somehow be able to find out my apartment and code to threaten me again, so I withdraw my longest blade from my thigh holster and cover myself behind the wall of the bedroom where I can still see the door.
I mentally curse him for the millionth time for ruining my gun because I’m now back to close combat fighting as my only real option. Asshole.
The door opens, and Elias calls out, “It’s just me. I know you’re here, so stop ghosting me.”
I sigh and lean on the bedroom doorframe so he can see me. “If you know I’m doing it, then you obviously aren’t getting the point.”
He pauses when he sees my outfit and frowns. I’m in black cargo pants, boots, and a tight long-sleeve Henley with a gaiter wrapped around my neck. The gaiter can either cover the lower half of my face or come up to cover my entire head except for my eyes. Then his gaze falls on the dagger in my hands. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Yup. I was just heading out. What can I do you for, Elias?”
“Out? Do I want to know what for, dressed like that? Never mind, I don’t. I can already guess.” He strides to the couch and sits, leaning against the back cushions with his arms outstretched on either side and one leg propped up over the other. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
I sheath my knife. “I’m better off doing this particular job alone.” I join him in the living area and choose one of the chairs to sit in to the right of the coffee table between us.
He nods like that was the answer he expected. “I’m heading out of the country for a few weeks. The person who was following me wasn’t from Gifted Enterprise, but from a contact I have in Europe trying to reach me discreetly. There’s someone he needs help with and asked if I could come out to get it all sorted.”
I nod along with a straight face. I respect him even more for how he literally flies all over the world to help others out, and then I feel guilty that he’s been helping me when he could save others. I’ve been fine on my own so far. I’ve escaped all of my nasty situations alive one hundred percent of the time, so I’d say that’s a good record.
“I don’t want to leave you while you’re in the middle of—well, everything with Gifted Enterprise. If you need me to stay, I will. I have friends who can go out there for me to help until I can get there.”
I blanch and shake my head in earnest. “What? No! Go. I’m fine here. Really.”
Elias smiles. “I knew you would say that, especially since you’ve been avoiding me. Still, my offer stands if you change your mind. I don’t abandon those I’m helping. Our arrangement will remain for as long as you need it. I do have friends in the city if you ever need help. I’ll be out of touch, so you’ll need to go directly to them if something happens. I can leave you with an address of where to go. Someone is always there, just tell them I sent you and they’ll get you what you need.”
The offer is tempting, but I won’t take it. GE may not be following him like we thought, but it was a harsh reminder that I shouldn’t have involved anyone else in my personal vendetta. Elias is too good of a person to get mixed up with me.
The people closest usually wind up dead.
I smile at him anyway, and his brows draw in as he pins me with a look.
“Don’t give me that fake smile. Promise me you will use the help if you need it.”
He reads people way too well. I sigh and roll my eyes. “Fine. I will.” If I’m dying and I have no other choice.
Elias holds my stare for another minute and then pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’ve never had someone so difficult to help before. In any case”—he drops his hand—“I’m also here to ask a favor of you.”
I cock my head to the side, and my hair sways with it behind me. “A favor?” What could he need that he can’t get himself?
“There’s…someone…I’d appreciate you keeping a lookout for while you’re around.”
That piques my attention. “Who?”
He rubs the back of his neck, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him look uncomfortable. Or not in complete control of himself. “She works at Hype downstairs. I’m hoping you can just check in every now and then to make sure she’s there and okay. She works every night shift, so it doesn’t matter when.”
I raise my eyebrows, and a smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. “A girlfriend? Or crush?”
Elias clears his throat. “Neither. Just…a friend. I’m looking out for her, and she tends to draw unwanted attention frequently. The security in the club already watches over her there, but she won’t let them escort her home.”
Definitely a crush. My smirk stretches to a full Cheshire grin. “I see. Sure, I can check in on your girl. What does she look like?”
Are his cheeks pink? Ugh, this is too adorable, and my black heart can’t take it.
“Brown hair. Short, around five foot two. Green eyes. You can’t miss her. She always has a smile on her face and lights up whatever room she’s in. Even at the nightclub.”
“Wait. Glitter girl?” I break into a fit of laughter and slap my knee. “The girl who dresses like a rainbow and smiles at everyone like they’re the nicest person?”
His mouth is turned down in a frown, and if I didn’t know better, I might think he’s glaring at me. “Her name is Portia.”
“Right. Portia. Okay, yeah. She’ll be easy to spot and check in on.”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise, but she knows my friends, and she would notice if they kept showing up at the club while I’m not there.”
I nod, the grin still splitting my face. “Understood. It’s a secret crush.” He’s about to say something, but I cut him off with a more serious tone. “If I can’t contact you, what do I do if I need to report something about her?”
Elias looks torn between defending against my claim and answering me, but finally, he pulls an envelope out of his inner jacket pocket. “Go to this address, and the person there will be able to find me and get in touch.”
I take the plain envelope from his hand and check inside for the slip of paper. There’s an address, apartment number, and the word “Kit” written on it.
“Got it. Anything else?”
“One more time. Are you sure you don’t need me around here for a bit longer? It looks like you’re about to go out to fight GE. Are you questioning that paramedic now? I can stick around in case something happens.”
“I’m positive. I’ve been doing this for years. Don’t worry about me. Now, I at least have access to quick cash and a place to sleep every night. I’m better off now than I’ve ever been,” I promise.
It’s sad that it’s actually the truth.
We walk to the door, and he pauses in the hallway. “Be safe, Rae.”
I nod and smile reassuringly at him, then close the door.
The worst thing that can happen is that I die in the process of fighting for something I believe in.
That’s far better than where I could have ended up.
Chapter ten
Raegan
Now I’m running late.
I pocket my phone, double check all of my knives are in place, and then head out.
The paramedic should be asleep in his apartment now, based on the routine I’ve been tracking the last week. He works the day shift and sleeps alone in his apartment. It’s a relief he doesn’t have a family or roommate with him. Now, I can use his apartment for some one-on-one time.
Once I make it there, I slip around the back and begin my climb up the metal balconies. They’re all independent of one another but close enough that I can stand on one and jump to pull myself up to the next one. I have to take it slow to keep from making enough noise to draw attention, which only adds more time to the plan. It’s an exhausting exercise, and I’m glad I took a city bus to this area rather than walking.
The last thing I need is to be too tired to get this guy restrained and wind up getting myself killed because of poor planning.
I really wish I had my gun.
I count the six balconies that I’ve climbed and carefully step down on the metal floor so as not to make a sound. I peel off one of my gloves to expose my hand and then hold my palm against the glass door.
My gift warms in my gut as I call on it, pulling it to my exposed hand until it burns. Fuck, does it burn. I don’t let my enemies know that it hurts me to use my gift. That I’d rather use a gun or a knife than pull on this little trick to destroy whatever I touch. But I’ll also use it when I need to.
I grit my teeth and thrust my gift out from my palm in a rush. If I do this too slowly, the glass will crack and make noise as it falls apart. If I do it fast and hard, I can force the glass to dust in a matter of seconds with minimal sound.
The burning pain spreads down my arm, but then the glass is gone, and crystal dust falls in front of me like ash. I shake my hand in the cool night air, but it’ll take a good fifteen minutes before the burning pain stops.
I carefully tug the glove back on and then flex my hand to make sure I can still move it through the pain. With my right, I grab a knife and point it ahead of me.
Then I push aside the curtain and step inside.
The apartment is dark, as I’d planned, except for the thin line of light under the bedroom door at the end of the hallway.
Fuck. Is he still awake?
I creep closer, focusing on silence and stealth more than speed, then freeze when I hear bone breaking followed by a groan.
“—where it is. One bone every time you don’t answer the question,” someone growls from inside the bedroom.
“Did you know there are 206 bones in the human body?” a nonchalant second voice adds.
Son of a bitch.
The first one roars with laughter. “Did you hear that? Sounds like you have 203 chances left. I guess we’ve got some time together still.”
Kellan and Jackson.
I turn the door handle and throw it open. There’s no point trying to sneak in. Jackson would kill me before I could even see the room. At least this way, they’ll see me before they act.
I’m taking the risk, though, because neither of them tried to kill me the last time. So far, it seems like we want nothing to do with one another, and that’s it.
I can handle that to avoid missing out on this lead.
I just wish they would stop showing up wherever I go.
The man that was supposed to be my victim is zip-tied to his gaming chair in front of Kellan and Jackson. He’s covered in blood, bleeding profusely through his nose, and littered in bruises already blooming over his face. One of his legs is bent at a weird angle, which explains why they didn’t bother tying his legs up.
I shift my gaze to Kellan, who’s standing in a wide stance, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. The bit of knuckle I can see on one hand is already scaled over, meaning he bloodied his fist and his gift took over to protect him. Apparently, he’s using that armor-like skin to continue beating the guy. Kellan’s jeans are ripped, his shirt maroon and tight across his chest and arms, accentuating the pure muscle he’s developed.
Jackson is dressed like the first night I’d seen him in the city. All black, hood up, but his piercing blue eyes almost glow through the shadow of it as they lock on me.
Kellan looks like a pure enforcer, while Jackson looks like the God of Death, just waiting for Kellan to be done with him before he whisks him away to the afterlife.
“What the fuck, Jack?” Kellan growls at his friend. “You knew she was here, didn’t you?”
Jack shrugs, which makes it difficult to tell if he knew and didn’t care I was here or if I somehow surprised him.
Since my target is already bound and helpless, I yank my gaiter off my head. “What are you doing here? This guy’s mine.” I jab my finger at the guy whose head is bent over while he sobs into the carpet.
“I didn’t see your name on him anywhere, beautiful,” Kellan drawls in his deep voice.
My teeth clench as he uses the nickname for me again. To torture me? If so, it’s working. It feels like a punch in the gut, winding me with memories and old feelings of safety and being cared about. And then it all slips through my fingers when he stirs those emotions up, because I may be physically close to them, but I’ve never been farther away.
“Well, I’ve spent weeks getting to this night. I’m not letting it get fucked up because of you,” I snap back.
This is also my last lead that Elias worked hard to get for me before leaving on his trip.
I have to make this count.
Kellan scoffs and steps up into my space. I hold my ground, my hand gripping the knife at my side tightly. One wrong move, and I’ll stab him in the dick.
Wait, would that scale up like everything else? Become an armored dick?
Fuck, not important. Focus.
He leans over me, because he’s a giant compared to my five-foot-four self and smirks. “Not my problem. Now, skedaddle before you become my problem. Or more of a problem than you already are by being in this city.” He smells of blood and musk, rich and dark and so delicious; my body heats with excitement at his proximity, even as angry as I am with him. I really need to get my mind and body on the same page.
“I didn’t realize you owned this city. Where’s your name stamped on it?” I snark back.
“Oh, it’s on it. Trust me. You just need to listen a bit harder.” He bares his teeth in a grin, and I’m tempted to stab him over it. Prick.
“Look. I’m not leaving until I get some information. Either you let me stay or—”
“Or what? You’ll fight me? Don’t waste my time.” Kellan turns away from me, and I take that moment to lunge forward. He spins, prepared to block my attack, but I pivot and wrap my hand around the back of the restrained guy’s neck. It doesn’t matter that my glove is still on. It’ll disintegrate first, and I can buy new ones.
“Fuck, you wouldn’t,” Kellan growls at me. Then he turns to snap at Jackson. “Are you really just going to stand there?”
“Or,” I continue as if he never cut me off, “I kill him. Then none of us get the information, and we’re all back to square one.”
Kell swears viciously, and his face turns thunderous. “This isn’t a race. Both of us losing only means they’re winning. Let him go.”
At least Kellan can’t read my body language so easily to tell that I’m bluffing. “Let me stay.”
Jackson tsks and finally moves from his spot to stand in front of the guy in the chair. He squats down and leans his face into his fist as his elbows rest on his knees. “See what you’ve done? She might just kill you out of spite because you won’t tell us one location. And when she does, believe me, it’ll hurt far worse than anything he or I could do to you.” His voice is husky and low but calm as ever while he talks about murder. Then he smiles, and a full body shiver takes over the man.
He continues, “Do you know what she can do? Her gift allows her to break down the molecular structure of things she touches. Primarily inanimate objects, but it works on people too. You see, people don’t just turn to dust like other matter. It attacks your organs first. Breaks them down internally. Then it hits your skin, and it begins to crack. It splits apart. And finally, your heart bursts. It’s all in a matter of minutes, but I’m sure you can imagine it’ll feel like an eternity when it’s happening to you.” Jackson’s smile is sharp and wicked, the gleam in his eye making it look like he’s lapping up the fear he sees in the man.
“Would you like to give it a try? You can let us know how it feels. The others are usually too busy screaming, so we’ve never gotten a clear answer. Maybe you can do better,” he finally finishes.
Even I have goosebumps on my skin at the threat, and it’s my gift he’s talking about.
It’s terrifying and…I’m so turned on by him.
Definitely broken.
The man is bawling now, his entire body wracked with sobs. “P-please no! I’ll tell you! Anything. Just—” Another sob. “Not that. Not that!”
Jackson pats the man’s cheek with a condescending smirk. “Good man. Let’s hear it then.”
“235 West Fillmore Avenue,” he sputters as blood, snot, and tears hang from his face and lips. “That’s the next drop off location. The burner phone they contact me with is there, on my desk. W-will you let me go now? I have nothing else. I swear it!”
Jackson stands back and nods. “I believe you.”
Kellan steps up in front of the man to draw his attention. “You won’t speak any of this to anyone. If I hear so much as a whisper that you opened your mouth, I will personally hunt you down. And believe me, there’s nowhere you could go—”
I can’t believe they’re going to let this man go just like that. They’ve broken three bones and he’s seen their faces. I learned the hard way, more than once, that leaving someone alive gives them the opportunity to go after you or rat you out. It’s also how GE came to find out I was still alive and is now looking for me. I came this close to being killed because of that mistake.
I won’t make it again.
Kellan’s speech is the perfect distraction for me, so while he’s reading him the riot act of how exactly he’s going to get all of us in trouble, I take my dagger and drive it up and through the back of his neck and out his eye.
It takes strength to get it in there, but as long as you hit the spot right, it slides right through.
The man is dead in an instant, which is nice, considering the circumstances. I could have used my gift just as Jackson explained, but I don’t know the full extent of his involvement in the organization. Being involved gets him dead. But only certain involvement deserves my gift as punishment.
There’s a roar, and when I look up after tugging my knife out, a body slams me to the ground. Pain blooms into my side at the same time the wind is knocked out of me, and all I can focus on is trying to breathe.
