“This was really good news,” Christina’s tone was sincere, and Angel heard Kyle chuckle. When he turned to face them, he saw Kyle’s hands in Christina’s as he nudged his chin in Ray’s direction.
“It’s all because of her.” He said, and Angel’s gaze strayed to her. But she wasn’t paying attention to any of them. Her eyes were looking at the waves crashing against the sand, wide as her hair swayed violently with the wind.
“Ah yes,” Christina said and tilted her head, trying to get her attention, “Raylene Walker.”
Ray didn’t respond to her though. Her honey eyes were wide, and her long skirt was moving with the wind when they all heard her breathless murmur,
“Holy shit.”
Angel had somehow sidled closest to her. So when Ray suddenly bent and removed her heels, she didn’t even turn as she pushed her shoes in his hands and took off. Angel blinked in surprise, suddenly holding her white heels as Raylene Walker ran towards the water.
A breath of silence descended upon them.
Until Christina cleared her throat awkwardly and Jack spoke behind them,
“Is she insane?” he muttered but Angel was frozen in place. What in hell just happened, he was thinking when he saw what she’d run towards. A sudden realization dawned upon him. He turned to Kyle, who was looking at Ray’s back with an amused gleam in his eyes,
“She didn’t know about it being a bioluminescent beach, did she?” he asked, still holding her heels in his hands as a rare smile turned Kyle’s lips.
“Nope.”
Angel huffed out a laugh and turned back to face Ray’s faraway figure.What was this girl?He wondered as he felt Luke’s hand thump on his back. When Angel turned to face him, his blue eyes shone in the darkness with an odd emotion. And the atmosphere was almost breathable. Was almost lovely before a rough voice spoke from behind them.
“New recruit?”
It was a sort of voice that brought back all the alertness they’d all built. Even Kyle’s eyes were wary as he turned to face the man standing behind them.
Jack and Luke moved almost instantaneously, coming to Angel’s sides as Christina carefully sidled between Kyle and Angel. All previous pretense of friendliness had faded on her face as they all faced the most vexing businessman in their world. Nathan Kraft was a tall man, with growing stubble in place of a beard and deadly eyes. Their colors seemed to remind Angel of someone, but he couldn’t quite place it. Not when Kyle spoke from beside him,
“Yes,” he started, the same steel they all used evident in his tone, “She’s our newest member. And a valuable one.”
No one missed the warning in his tone.
Not even as a polite smile graced his lips.
Nathan didn’t seem bothered at all though, as he rubbed his stubble and looked at Angel, an amused glint in his eyes,
“So I guess this is where she ran off to.” He said softly, but loud enough and laced with enough mockery for all of them to hear.
Angel wanted to frown but kept his face emotionless as he kept his gaze on the other man, “So you’ve come to the Lions then.” He started, his voice cold as he turned to Kyle with a knowing look in his eyes, “Careful. This one’s a bit slippery.”
Nathan’s eyes flashed, but Angel smirked as Kyle blinked, having received the message. But before they could send him away, he started speaking, his eyes lighting in a way Angel didn’t like as he peeked a look in Ray’s direction,
“So, what’s the story behind that one?” he started, and Angel’s shoulder tensed, not knowing what was coming, “Did you take pity on her after she begged at your doorsteps?”
Kyle opened his mouth to respond but Nathan waved a dismissive hand in the air, a dirty grin twitching on his lips, making his entire face turn into this devious version of an expression. Angel didn’t like that look one bit.
“I’m sure you’ll toss her in the wind after you’re done with her. I mean,” he levelled a look on Kyle, as if the other boy were on the same page as him, “She’ll be destroyed and all.”
“But I guess some people get used to being abandoned.”
A roar started in Angel’s ears, sudden and abrupt.What the fuck?Who the hell was this man to Raylene Walker? Angel didn’t know what he was doing when he took an angry step forward but was stopped immediately by a cold voice speaking from behind him.
“Is that what you told yourself when the Ravens tossed you out on the streets?”
Ray’s voice was pure ice, fuelled by a blazing fire that had been burning for far too long now. Angel didn’t turn, not when Ray was already stepping in between him and Nathan. He saw the older man’s eyes flash, and he opened his mouth to continue, but Ray held up a hand, her shoulders erect and tense.
“Don’t mistake your stay here as an invitation to weasel your way through our ranks.” Her voice was low, dangerously so. Enough to send an array of shivers down his spine. He saw the emotionless look in Kyle’s eyes as he listened to their conversation, not interrupting once.
