Page 5

H e’d never seen her this happy. This relieved and free.

The sight was beautiful enough to render him speechless.

And he would’ve said something about it. Truthfully wanted to pull her in an embrace and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe anymore, but Ray had been pointedly avoiding him ever since they’d got out of the room. Angel understood a part of his mind was having the same thoughts she was, but he couldn’t forget it.

He just couldn’t.

Maybe that’s why it annoyed him even more when she specifically took the seat furthest from him on the floor, squished between Myra and Neera, who were sitting on her sides. The only trump card he might have over them was the information he’d gained before the ceremony, but he might have to wait to reveal it. Because judging by the tentative look in all their eyes, they had far more secrets left to fill.

Starting with the young boy who was now sitting beside Sorin, his back iron rod straight as he eyed Ray suspiciously. He seemed Ira’s age and they might’ve been friends, but Angel might’ve ruined that plan of his. In his defense, the boy had been staring at Ira for a while before catching Angel’s eyes.

What was he to do?

Not glare at him for long enough to make him uncomfortable?

Ira was blissfully unaware beside him, munching on the chips Ray had dug out for her from one of the kitchen cabinets .

They were all sitting on the floor, thanks to him and the havoc he’d raised all across her living room.

And the sofa he’d somehow managed to destroy.

“You’re going to pay for it.”

Angel whirled to face Akash, who had followed his line of sight. He sat beside Myra, his arms crossed as he glared at him. It was weird. He’d spent years building a concrete relationship with each of them.

Starting with Noah and their time in Las Vegas.

Ending with the godforsaken rivalry with Akash Smith.

Now, however, Angel only arched a brow and dismissed Akash by turning to look at Ray instead, who was staring down at her hands.

“Are you going to start explaining?”

Ray shot him a dirty look in response but balled her hands into fists and inhaled deeply. Angel leaned back on his arms, his shoulder brushing Luke’s in the process. The four of them were sitting on both his sides, with Luke and Jack on one end and Christina and Mia on the other. All of them looked terribly constipated by this entire situation.

He couldn’t really blame them.

“Where do you want me to start?” Ray asked, a bit quietly as she lifted her chin to look directly at him. Angel straightened, catching the note of rare seriousness in her voice when she said the words. Everyone in the room remained silent, waiting for Angel’s response. Because in the end, this was a conversation that belonged to them.

“Start with how you know the people I’ve known for years now.”

Ray’s nod was nothing short of understanding, but she still shared a secret glance with Akash. The boy only matched her look with a soft dip of his chin .

“I’ve known most of them all my life.”

Angel blinked, but not before Cameron caught his surprise.

“We’ve known each other since before we met you.” He signed and Angel arched a brow, “You’ve been in this world longer than either of us.”

“Everyone except me of course,” Noah interjected expertly and shared a grin with Angel, “I’ve been a part of this world since the very beginning.”

“When did you and Ray–”

“It began as a business thing.” Sorin spoke up, “Noah was the face of the Hassans, and I handled his shadows. No one except the people in this room knows about us being twins.”

“It’s a great advantage.” Noah continued easily, “Ray came to us–” his gaze cut to Ray’s. She had her head tilted in his direction though, gauging his reaction. Angel turned to face her, waiting patiently.

“I’ve known Myra and Irene since middle school.” Ray began softly, not breaking their stare, “Akash found Cameron and Neera. I went after Noah and Sorin after I–”

Ray gulped and Angel watched as Neera slowly laced her fingers through hers in a show of support. It seemed to do the trick as Ray went erect and began,

“I’d been involved with this side of business long before the Lions recruited me,” she said, her voice low as she spoke, “And in doing so, I once made the mistake of making enemies I couldn’t handle back then. It resulted in…” a pause, a brief inhale, “Someone important to me died because of that mistake. And well,” she looked up at all of them. Till then Angel hadn’t noticed her head dropping. Was lost in the echo of her words. But those honey eyes, they seemed to jar him awake ,

“I haven’t forgotten or forgiven them since.”

Sudden chills erupted on Angel’s arm. This story, this tale, it was too familiar to his, something he could resonate with on a far deeper level than she would ever understand. But she must’ve seen something in his gaze because the conviction in her voice only strengthened. Her eyes turned sharp when she turned to the rest of his friends,

“All this information, all that we share, it cannot get out of this room.”

Luke straightened beside him, but it was Christina who laced her hands and leaned forward, her white bangs curving around her face as she returned her fierce gaze,

“What do we get in return?”

Angel arched a brow and turned to Ray with a light smirk. One that immediately dropped at her answer,

“Your lives.”

A blatant threat. A sign of dismissal that Angel had never faced before. Because no one had ever dared, had never crossed the line. Ray stepped over it and wiped it clean as if it never existed. He saw the murder shine bright in her eyes,

“It doesn’t matter to me who you are, or what you are to any of us here or one another,” her voice was brimming with dark undertone , “But if you cross me. If you endanger anyone sitting in this room here, there will not be a place on earth where you can hide from me.” A tip of the chin, a glance to look down upon them all, “I’ve bought this world now. I own it. I hope you can remember that.”

Angel couldn’t help the light smirk, not understanding the mix of emotions stirring in his chest. Not believing that the displeasure from hearing her words had turned into something new .

Something he couldn’t contain. Something that nearly resembled pride.

And he really couldn’t help poking the bear.

“Careful Ray,” he purred as though they were back to the beginning. Ray’s head turned to his slowly, something familiar lighting in her eyes, “We never did stand for blatant threatening.”

“And I don’t stand for blatant betrayal.”

Angel’s smirk was going to break his face.

God, he liked this girl. A lot.

“I hope you come to trust this world once again, Raylene,” Christina began softly from beside them, completely unfazed by their conversation, “Because we will not betray you.”

Ray opened her mouth, but Jack cut through,

“Not if you have a good enough reason.”

Ray’s eyes became cold. Unresponsive.

“I aim to destroy the very foundation of this side of the world,” Ray said, arching a brow as she confirmed his deepest fears, “I’m going rip the Lions into shreds.”

She looked at Jack, a small smile twisting her lips, “Is that a good enough reason?”

Angel put a hand on his face, covering his grin as he turned to look at Luke who matched his glance haughtily. So much. There was so much she didn’t know about them. About him. Luke’s bronze hair shifted as he shook his head subtly.

Not now.

When he turned his head back to Ray, his brow arched at the look of suspicion in her eyes .

He gave her a light smirk in response, agitating her further as Jack waved his hand and motioned for her to go on.

“Remind me,” came Noah’s light words from beside Ray. Angel turned to him, still unable to believe that Noah was alive while the other boy looked at them in distaste, “Why are we involving them?”

He frowned. This was starting to get annoying.

Ray sighed, “For starters, Akash got himself stabbed by a tracking device.” She said and Akash let out an outrageous sound, offended but unable to deny it, “And they ended up here.”

No one mentioned the shot he’d taken for Ray that day. She didn’t. Akash didn’t.

He could only assume it was because they hadn’t discussed them yet.

“And there’ve been other factors,” Ray added, albeit a bit painfully. Angel had to bite his lip from grinning as she looked at anywhere but him, “But now they’re here.” She rolled her eyes, “Might as well get it out.”

“Whatever.” Came Irene’s murmur before Ray rolled her uninjured shoulder and began once again,

“I got within the Lion’s line of sight. I got these people,” She pointed at all of them, “places where they could rise to become key figures. And by doing so I could secure their downfall in the future years. I had to get the Lions in a vulnerable position and not attract any attention to myself.”

She scratched the back of her neck, looking a bit uncomfortable as she continued, “The attack on the Ravens last year was my play,” Angel's brows furrowed, “It was a way to get Martin to propose the alliance.”

Something wasn’t adding up –

“You’re not looking at tearing down the Lions only, are you?” Angel deadpanned and Ray shrugged ,

“Two birds with one stone.” She murmured and Angel crossed his arms, pursuing his lips as she avoided his gaze and continued,

“And when you came after me, it was the perfect opportunity to make the alliance official. After that, it was just a matter of pushing a block to begin the domino effect.”

And it clicked.

Il Senza Nome.

Holy shit.

“But then the event digressed,” Sorin added tightly, and Angel turned to him, not speaking out loud just yet, “June’s death, the ambush, it all came from nowhere.”

Even Ray looked deep in thought at his words, “It didn’t harm our plans, but it was an unwanted surprise.” She spoke. Angel suddenly recalled June Kincaid, the way her lifeless body was sprawled on the ground. Ray’s show, Maya’s rage . But he didn’t offer his condolences. Not after she’d trusted him to keep her connection to their family a secret.

Ray turned to him then, matching his gaze to show a flicker of gratitude.

“I knew the Ravens would do everything in their power to secure the alliance after Martin acted like an idiot,” she said and Angel sighed, defeated by her words. She shot him a sympathetic smile, “So I planted Sorin. You could blame him and gain a higher favor with the Lions, making my job all the more easier.” A glance at Sorin, who shrugged, “I just had to make sure the moment was perfect for you to spill it.”

“And you got that moment after the ambush at the hotel.” Angel murmured and Ray’s shoulders bunched up,

“That’s the thing,” she said, “That ambush wasn’t planned by me. ”

His brow arched, “Really? And here I thought getting hurt was your way of proving your undying loyalty to the Larsens.”

She shot him an unamused look,

“June’s death, hell her coming there, the ambush, none of it was planned by me.” She said, and her gaze flickered to Ira, who straightened beside him, “It worked in our favor, but then Ira told me about them being the Nameless group, and–” she inhaled sharply and shook her head. Angel watched her, the pieces of the puzzle not fitting together in his mind.

“So, they’re still out there. The vigilante group who’s trying to tear everyone down?” Jack said, thoroughly confused as Ray shared an amused glance with Myra, “And if you were the one who was behind the attack last year–”

Angel saw Mia shoot Jack a withering glance,

“They are the Nameless, you moron.”

And confirmed. Angel blinked calmly as Jack’s head whipped to face them and Mia grumbled from beside Christina, “How’d you make it till now?”

“So, the people who were behind June’s death, the ones who hired Ira,” Jack turned to look at her. The younger girl had her mouth open in surprise, her chips forgotten as she stared at Ray’s face, “They’re not you?”

Ray opened her mouth to reply when Ira shot forward and started hastily in Italian, “You were…are you–” were the only words he seemed to understand as she streamlined and rambled.

Angel blinked his surprise, unable to understand the incoherent string of her Italian words. He shook his head when Ray shot her a rueful smile and she continued rambling quickly,

“Wait, wait,” he began, making Ira pause beside him as he turned to her, “Slow down. You’re going to give me a whiplash. ”

Ira’s face dropped into a deadpan. She pointed at Ray, “ Il Senza Nome ,” she said as if she were talking to a child and pointed at herself,

“Surprised.”

Angel narrowed his gaze, “I don’t like your attitude right now, kid,”

She clicked her tongue but turned away from him with a flick of her hair. Angel scoffed and crossed his arms, shifting away from her. Ray grinned a bit from up ahead, the action lighting up her face as she replied to Ira,

“Imagine my surprise when I got to know that someone was using our name to kill me,” she scoffed and turned to Neera, who sat with her shoulder tensed, staring steely at Luke, “A part of me thought one of my friends had gone rogue.”

Friends , Angel noted, not people. Not gang. Friends.

He breathed out. This friendship, these people, had all known each other for far too long, had been planning this for too long. Just as he had been. They’d just been stealthier. Better.

“So, what was their job?” Luke asked, pointing at the rest of them, “While you were cushioning up to Lions, what were they meant to do?”

“To this very minute,” Neera examined her nails as she spoke softly, “No one knows what’s actually happened on the island.” Her hard gaze flickered to Angel’s, those dark blue colors shifting as she clicked her tongue, “People only know something’s happened. They know Raylene’s in a coma. They know Maya Larsen is hurt. And Kyle Larsen is missing. Their people have disappeared, and their businesses have shut down.”

Angel shook at the simplicity of her words. They’d meant to erase the Lions from the chart, from the map. Simply gone. But that didn’t explain the withering glare everyone around Ray shot him .

He scowled, shifting back on his arms as he turned his confused eyes to Ray, who sighed.

“What?” he snapped finally when none of them said anything.

“Ray should’ve been dead to the world by now.” Neera said agonizingly, and Angel froze at her words. She should be what now? He breathed in as Ray put her face in her hands, opening his mouth and closing it in an attempt to understand what she was trying to say.

“If you hadn’t jumped in the way,” Akash drawled, as Cameron, even Cameron shook his head as if he were a meddlesome child, “Then the plan would’ve been foolproof. Kyle would be scrambling around instead of lying half dead in the hospital because he discovered you, and you,” he shot Ray a glare, “In a room together. Obviously. Fucking. Alive.”

Angel rubbed his brows as he tried to understand the situation, “So you’re blaming me for jumping in the bullet’s way when I thought she was going to actually die?” he asked, his tone thinning with impatience, “And now you expect me to do what? Apologize?”

“Enough.” Ray murmured, finally lifting her head but not quite meeting his eyes as she turned a scalding glare on Akash, “Kyle isn’t half dead. He’s on his way here with Vera right now.”

“Vera,” Sorin muttered softly as Noah leaned forward, looking at Ray as if they weren’t sitting right there.

“That’s the other thing.” He started, “How come that psychopath’s helping us?”

Ray shrugged as Christina interrupted their conversation, “Wait so, Verana isn’t with you?” she asked, and turned to Akash, “Isn’t she your cousin?”

Akash nodded, his handsome face going slack with understanding ,

“She is. But she was too crazy to join us.” he said indignantly.

Luke let loose an annoyed sound at his words but Akash only deadpanned in response, “She chose the Lions way before.”

His eyes cleared, something like clarity flickering through them as he turned to Ray, “But this, she just–”

Ray shook her head, “She shot Kyle without hesitation.” She murmured and lifted her gaze to Luke and then back to Akash, “Split second after he saw that I was alive.”

“When we could’ve killed you in the hospital itself.” Neera murmured.

“Okay, this is getting uncomfortable and dark very fast.” Jack said, looking exhausted by all the information they’d been bombarded by, “I get it now. You were behind the fires,” a nod from Ray and Neera, “And you staged that entire thing at the announcement party, but no information of Akash being the one behind it had gone out yet. You,” he pointed at Ray, “Are in a coma. While the entire world is now slowly believing that the Lions are becoming weak.”

He heaved a deep breath as Luke patted him on the back. Ray shrugged in acceptance and Angel was about to say something when Mia hummed from beside him and nudged her chin in the direction of the kid who was shifting away and away from Ray,

“Explain the boy.”

Ray turned over her shoulder, her eyes going wide in realization. Angel saw Sorin turn slightly and place a comforting hand on the young boy’s shoulder, angling his body so he was visible to everyone.

The boy only shrunk in the hoodie he was wearing, but not before Angel noticed the faint scars on the side of his face .

Two dents, one over his cheekbone and the other right where a dimple could be. He had skin a tint darker than Angel’s, shining brightly with the purple hue from the night sky as those wary grey eyes peered at them all.

“That’s Micah Diaz,” Ray stated and turned away from him as the boy flinched at the sound of his name. Angel felt a pang of remorse for the kid as Ray plowed forth, “He was also working for the people who used our names to stage that ambush.”

“With Ira then,” Angel mumbled at turned to look at Ira, who was staring at Micah with a guarded look in her eyes.

“According to Ira, he worked as an,” She turned to the kid, blinking at him to continue.

“Assassin.”

Angel blinked at the quiet word. His gaze narrowed, this situation getting dire by the second. Even Ray looked a bit pissed at his admission, her anger aimed at the people hiding in the shadows,

“They’re hiring children to do their job.” She snarled softly, the fire in her gaze flaring as she turned to Ira, obviously thinking of something that had her rearing back in a slight panic. Ray shook her head before him, “Who knows? Might be training them as well.”

“We need to get ahead of them,” Irene said, her voice iron as she stared to her side, looking at the window. At the shifting clouds outside, “Before they can get ahead of us.”

After we’ve been through so much, she didn’t have to continue.

“Where did we fit into all this?” Angel asked softly, showing his resolve as Ray turned to him, her gaze going soft as she played with her fingers in her lap, “Were you planning on making us invisible as well? ”

Ray breathed out, “It was the same plan. We picked out the Larsen’s people one by one. Over the years I was able to scout and remove some people without causing any suspicion. Anyone who worked for them remained unhappy, so that wasn’t all that difficult.”

She looked up at him, a set to her jaw, “But with you, with your people, they didn’t want to leave. So, I had to go for a different tactic.”

He clenched his teeth at the shift in her gaze,

“Hence the alliance. It would make it easier for me to remove you alongside the Lions.”

He kept his head up, wanting to question her further. But she must’ve seen it in his eyes, because out of nowhere she shook her head, getting up on her feet stealthily as she said in a dry voice,

“I think that’s about enough explanations for today,” she said, a rasp to her tone as the others got up as well. Angel didn’t notice Akash stretch, didn’t see Myra and Irene groan out loud. Hell, didn’t even notice his own friends as they got to their feet. Angel just followed their actions, his eyes hell-bent on Ray as she looked everywhere else,

“You all can stay here. I think I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

“Be careful.” Came Irene’s unhurried response as Ray turned on her heels and grabbed what looked like a ruined wig and a beige purse. He pursed his lips as he saw her nod in Ira’s direction once before she placed her hand on the doorknob.

“I will.” He heard her voice. Heard a slight tremor in her words as she pulled open the door with more force than necessary and walked right out. Angel’s lips parted, a sudden silence settling in his mind as he watched the door close, heard the soft click, and gone .

She was just gone.

Angel scrunched his brow. Hadn’t even noticed Jack’s words beside him before he wrenched himself out of his reverie and stalked right toward the door to pull it open.

“ Oh-kay,” he heard Jack’s voice somewhere in the roar of his mind but ripped the door open and strode right out, slamming it behind him with force. He barely blinked as he saw the elevator go down and grit his teeth, his hands clenching at his side as he waited for it to come for him.

They’d been running for a while now. In circles. In a path. Across one another.

No more.

Not anymore.

* *

So, what changed?

She’d seen those words shine in his eyes. He might as well have been screaming them at her. The thought unnerved her, made her jittery and jumpy. Maybe that’s why she’d run out the doors without any more explanations.

And maybe that’s why she was still fucking running.

This was such a bad idea considering how half the world knew she was in a coma and thought she was already dead. And the fact that she was running at night, with nothing but a knife taped to her thigh.

And the fact that she’d thrown her wig in the trash the minute she’d stepped out of the building.

Ray groaned out, throwing her head back before letting out a wail. Another bad idea. But today was filled with bad ideas .

And maybe by following those she could stop feeling a certain someone’s hands on her waist, twisted in her hair, pulling her closer until her entire body was flush with his. Until he covered her lips with his own and–

Tap, tap, tap.

Ray blinked out of her daze, her pace slowing as she heard footsteps near her at a deathly speed.

She risked a soft glance over her shoulder and almost froze on the spot. Because right under the night dark sky, Angel De Santos was running towards her with the most serious expression on his face.

“Holy shit,” she whispered and increased her pace, turning over her shoulder to confirm– and yep, that was him. Ray scrunched her brows, and yelled out,

“ You can’t run after a girl at night like that!”

“Stop running then.” Came his unfazed, loud response.

Ray tsked and turned on her heels, running backward now as she saw him near her. His eyes widened from the distance, his pace increasing as a worry set over his brows,

“Hey!” he called out, “Quit doing that!”

She rolled her eyes in response but continued running backward, wanting him to get near her faster. To get to her quicker. And Angel. The boy she’d known for a few days, ran like hell .

That amber sheen darkened with the night sky, the dark locks of his hair falling atop his forehead as he ran faster. Ray couldn’t help the small bubble of laughter, couldn’t help the unbelievable grin that spread across her lips at the sight of him. Her heart was racing now, probably from having run this far.

Probably at the way he was looking so damned serious .

Maybe that’s why she stopped paying attention to the way she was running. And maybe that was why she didn’t notice her laces tear open. The world tilted for her out of nowhere, a surprised breath leaving her lips as she stepped on the laces and fell back. Her arms flailed back, a small yelp on her tongue as she braced herself for the impact.

Except it didn’t come.

Because warm, large hands suddenly caught at her waist and her hand, and suddenly, Angel was breathing down on her, his eyes wide in concern as he looked at her, “Are you okay–” he began but only cut off as her hands twisted in the fabric of his t-shirt and they went stumbling down on the concrete ground.

Apparently, gravity waited for no one.

Fucking gravity.

Ray’s mind spun, a curse leaving her lips as she shut her eyes and felt a large hand cover the back of her head before she slammed upon the concrete ground. The impact came with a hot slap of pain. It rushed down her spine, making her back arch as a groan left her lips. Angel hovered atop her, grunting in surprise but still holding the back of her head.

“You idiot,” he huffed and shifted so he was face-to-face with her. Ray’s eyes shot open, going wide at their proximity as he looked around for any other injuries, murmuring in Spanish under his breath.

Did she say fucking gravity?

She’d probably meant I. Fucking. Love. Gravity.

Cause god, he looked beautiful this close.

And looking at him like this, she couldn’t really help the amused chuckle that left her lips .

Those amber eyes shot up to hers, narrowing in a familiar glare as his fingers twisted in her hair,

“This is funny?” he drawled in a low voice, a hint of accent betraying his words. Ray chuckled again, her entire body shuddering with the movement as he shook his head. Rose to his elbow and glared down at her.

“I can’t believe this is how we went down,” she spluttered and lolled her head on the ground as another jerk of laughter left her lips, “Good catch.”

“Dios,” he murmured and got off her, not making a sound as he got to his feet. But when she stared back at him, she could see his face was averted from hers, trying and failing to hide a small grin. Ray’s smile extended.

“Are you smiling?” she sang quietly as she sat up beside him. Angel’s shoulders shook as she placed a hand against the back of his neck.

It was warm and cold at the same time, the brush of his soft against her fingers as she teased,

“Come on Santos, stop trying to kid yourself–”

His head turned, a subtle but sleek smile on his face as he timed their proximity perfectly. Ray’s breath staggered, her heart stopping for a second before speeding up again.

Her stomach felt as though it were in knots, a terrible sense of paranoia and something utterly different seizing her bones as Angel leaned in closer. His eyes remained terribly focused on hers as his hand wrapped around the back of her neck.

As his thumb grazed her jaw and he pulled her closer.

The world seemed to silence when he closed that distance.

And seemed to scream when he kissed her. Ray’s breath left her, her strength failing as she fell back and Angel leaned closer. He silenced her breathless gasps and held her close as his lips just moved and slid .

Had anyone ever felt such gravity towards one another? Had anyone felt this much breathless relief in such a gesture?

She did.

Her body arched upwards, and Ray opened her mouth into the kiss, unable to help herself as she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. Twisted it in the knots of his hair.

Angel held her now, both his hands around her waist as he pulled her to sit atop him, her body flush against his. She felt his groan rumble through his chest and heard it leave his lips as she returned the gesture.

“Thought you’d avoid me forever.” Angel murmured against her lips when she pulled back slightly, trying to catch her breath.

“It was a few minutes.” She whispered.

“Seemed like decades.”

Ray couldn’t help the soft breathless laugh that left her lips.

He watched her as if noting her every expression, her every moment. And filled that silence with words she didn’t want to hear yet,

“We need to talk, Storm.” He said and tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear, his touch soft. Ray almost melted into it but relented by the conviction in his eyes.

“You want to talk on the empty road, Santos?” she whispered and leaned forward. Angel held her weight like it was nothing, a dark look entering his eyes as he tilted his chin to gaze up at her,

“Don’t get smart with me, Walker.”

A chuckle left her lips, but she nodded, moving to get off him. Angel didn’t let go of her hand though, held it tightly as she carefully got to her feet and stared down at him .

“Well?” she asked with an arch of her brow, “Come on. I have a place we can go to.”

Angel raced his free hand through his hair but nodded.

And didn’t let go of her hand once.