Rory smirked. “That girl has no idea she just stepped into a turf war.”
“No,” I said darkly. “But she will.”
Rory shifted in his seat. “So you’ve staked a claim? That makes her your problem, you know.”
I snorted. “Yeah. And what the fuck am I supposed to do with her?”
Rory grinned. “Underworld marriage proposal, brother. One bullet, one trauma bond. She’s halfway to a honeymoon.”
“The last thing I need is a goddamn wife.”
“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
“I don’t have time to babysit her. I’ll change her ID and ship her to some cold-as-fuck place where she has to keep her damn clothes on.”
“You’ll never get her to go along with that. She’s too young and idealistic.”
“I don’t need her to like it. I need her alive. And if I have to lie, steal, or lock her in my damn apartment to keep her out of Delgado’s hands, I’ll do it.”
The SUV pulled into our building’s garage. Rory swung it around like it was a drift car and parked in my spot by the elevator. Neither of us moved.
I looked out into the dark.
“She just became a pawn in a war she doesn’t even know exists. And I’ll burn this whole fucking city to the ground before I let the darkness claim her.”
Chapter ten
Isprinted for the bathroom, bile rising fast in my throat, and slammed the door shut. I ripped off the hoodie and sweatpants and shoved them into the corner, as if they were diseased.
The angel costume underneath stuck to me in the nastiest of ways.
The white spandex was stiff with drying blood, there were red smears across my ribs, and chunks of brownish gore clung to the wispy skirt.
I barely made it to the toilet before I dropped to my knees and threw up. My body folded in half, and I retched until there was nothing left—just dry heaves and a disgusting taste in my mouth.
“You good in there?” Jae asked gently, his voice muffled through the door.
I wiped my mouth. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“Liar,” came Nat’s voice, louder. “She sounds like she just exorcised a demon.”
I almost laughed.
Summoning the last of my strength, I staggered to my feet and turned the shower knob all the way to the hottest setting. After a minute or so, steam started clouding the bathroom. My hands trembled as I peeled the angel costume off piece by piece. There was a gluey resistance. I couldn’t think about it too long, or else I’d hurl again.
“Hand me everything. I’ll take care of the laundry,” Jae said.
“You sure?” My voice came out hoarse.
“Please. Like I haven’t seen worse working with all those little kids.”
I picked the mess up, gagged, and opened the door a few inches. Jae took the bundle from me with a reassuring smile.
“We got you, okay?” he said.
I nodded and shut the door again.
Then I stepped into the shower.
