Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,55

broken only by the soft scratching of pen on paper as Isaac scribbles furiously in his notebook. None of what I just said is exactly the information we promised him in trade for his assistance, but he’s looking at me like this is all utterly fascinating, taking notes so fast that his pen is a blur.

The brothers are all staring at me, their expressions conveying various states of shock.

I feel sick. Fuck, I hope they aren’t too angry with me.

Beck looks at Ryland, then narrows his eyes as he notices the expression on his brother’s face. “You knew.”

“Of course I knew,” Ryland says dismissively. His gaze shifts to me, and for a second, I see a flash of something I can’t quite name burning in his eyes. Then he drags his focus back to Beck. “I guessed the first time I met her, and she admitted it.”

“So you fuckin’ lied to us,” Ford growls, starting forward like he’s about to drag Ryland off the ladder so he can beat the crap out of him, but Remi holds out an arm, stopping him.

“He didn’t lie. He just didn’t tell us what he knew.”

“Same damn thing.” Wrath’s blue eyes flash dangerously. His jaw clenches, and a lock of blond hair falls over his forehead as he shifts his weight.

“Not exactly.” Remi steps in front of Ford, then glances at the other men as well. “If Ry had told us back then what he’d guessed, would any of us have helped Trin with the portals? Would we have gotten to know her, would any of this have happened, or would we have walked away?”

I cringe a little. A lot of good things have happened since I met these men… but there’s been plenty of bad too. Plenty of moments where all of our lives were in danger. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but it’s hard to know if the sins will feel the same way, especially now that they know the whole truth.

Nix’s brows pull together thoughtfully. Even Ford seems to be considering his answer to Remi’s question, although his muscles are still bunched and tense.

“Personally, I’m glad things played out the way they did. I’m glad our paths crossed, no matter what the reason.” Remi’s gaze flicks to me, his features softening. Then he turns back to his brothers. “Trin’s never done anything viciously manipulative. She asked for our help with the portals, and we gave it willingly. She even offered some of us a favor in exchange, so we got something out of the bargain too. But she didn’t create those portals as a means to lure us in—and she would’ve taken on the task of trying to close them herself if she had to. She never did anything to hurt us.”

Ryland nods in agreement. The other brothers all look at each other, having one of those moments where they all silently communicate, as if I’m surrounded by seven Knights.

They each nod and look back at me, and I feel something my chest loosen.

“You were played, babycakes,” Nix says. “We were all played, we get it. You don’t have to worry about a thing from me.”

“Same,” Sawyer says, and Knight nods his agreement.

I let out the breath I’ve been holding for way longer than usual. Ryland starts moving up the ladder again, apparently considering the subject closed for now.

“We need to find a safe house,” he says. “Someplace we can lie low while we figure out what to do next.”

The safe place, it turns out, is an old cabin up in the mountains several hours to the west.

It was once a retreat for some famous movie star or other when he wanted to detox from his latest addiction. Ryland’s law firm represented him until Beckett won the cabin from the guy in a game of cards just to get back at Ryland in one of their petty battles over the years.

“I’ve never used it,” Beckett explains. “And it’s still technically in his name. I don’t think we ever switched the documentation over. But it doesn’t matter. He won’t be using it, and it’s in the middle of nowhere. We’ll be all right there, and it’s unlikely anyone will connect it to us. Without the demon-mark, it should be harder for supernaturals to track us down.”

The drive goes by fast. Or maybe it just seems that way because Beck drives like a bat out of hell.

Unlike Isaac, who had a small, cozy cabin just for himself, this cabin isn’t really so