Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RAVEN
I took advantage of Beckett’s fancy shower, turning the hot water up high since I wasn’t paying for it. She loaned me a shirt and sweats so we could have lunch while my clothes were in the washing machine, since they were drenched in sweat, and she tossed them in the dryer before we stepped outside to smoke.
The afternoon sun was nice on my arms, and I closed my eyes to enjoy its warmth.
“Where are the guys?” I asked after a moment of silence. I’d been prepared to have to see Logan, but he and Zavier must have gone elsewhere to hang out.
Were they at a party or something?
The thought soured my mood, and Beckett swatted the back of my head, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Stop thinking about them. There’s more to this world than dick. They’ve turned you into a fucking nympho,” she scolded.
“I was just wondering since it’s so quiet and Zavier left to hang out with Logan this morning. I assumed they were here, that’s all,” I threw back.
“Maddox is in Stoneleigh with some others on business, Jett is making himself useful and is helping out at Devil’s Dungeon, and Logan left to pick up Lopez so they could hang out at the Thieves’ compound today. Don’t stress that they’re gangbanging some skank, Logan doesn’t shut up about you, and Lopez is as loyal as they come.”
I hated that she saw right through me. I never wanted to be one of those insecure girls, but it was difficult.
“How do you trust someone who hurt you?” I asked, not meaning to say it out loud.
“Their actions speak louder than their apologies. Maddox hurt me, but I learned to trust him again,” she offered, making me wince.
It probably helped that the girl that kept getting between them was dead.
“I was so mad that you got us involved,” I mumbled, knowing she understood what I was talking about when she nodded.
“I know. Logan had her wrapped around his finger. It made sense to use him to lure her into a trap.”
“I always wonder if things from our past will come back to bite us. That night is one of them.”
“There are others?”
I sighed, looking towards the road. “The guys who killed Josh. I always expected them to come back and kill the rest of us. We witnessed them kill him, and they weren’t covering their faces or anything. What kind of shitty murderer leaves witnesses?”
“Hey, I let you live,” Beckett muttered, tilting her head as I glanced at her. “Do you know who the guys are that killed him? I can dig around to see where they’re at?”
“No idea. I was twelve. A bunch of guys shot the place to shit, kicked the door in, and murdered Josh. I was a little bit too traumatized to ask for their names,” I shrugged. “Half of them were teenage soldiers. Other desperate kids like my brother had been, just needing money.”
“No crew jackets or club branding?”
“No. I don’t think it was a huge organized crew like you guys. Just a handful of wannabe thugs who took advantage of scared kids,” I explained, hoping it wasn’t going to be a death sentence to say it out loud. Beckett wasn’t nice to a lot of people, so I had to hope that what I told her stayed within her crew.
“Would you recognize a photo of any of them?”
“I remember a few faces, particularly the one guy who killed Josh and threatened me to keep my mouth shut,” I confirmed, watching as she nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ll see if Mom can help me find anything out about gangs in the area back then. If we find the guy, I’ll take him out for you.”
Telling her she didn’t have to do that was pointless. It was just the type of friend she was.
She finished her cigarette and got to her feet, saying something about calling her mom as she went inside, giving me some time alone.
I checked my phone, finding a message from Zavier.
Zavier: Just checking in.
I smiled, loving how he randomly thought of me.
Raven: I’m with Beckett. What are you guys doing?
Zavier: Logan and Drake are gaming while being glared at by Knox, and I’m practicing in the shooting range with Cruz and Stone. You’re with Beckett?
Raven: Yeah. She’s been teaching me some fighting stuff.
It took a moment for him to reply, his response being exactly what I thought it would be.
Zavier: You know me and Ander won’t let anything happen to you.
I went to reply, but he texted again.
Zavier: It’s smart to be able to protect yourself though. Beckett knows what she’s doing, so having her teach you is good. Make sure you eat though, or she’ll run you ragged.
Raven: I’m exhausted. We’re going to just hang out for the afternoon I think. Do you know if anything’s happening at the Pit? She’s curious about what we do for fun, so I’m thinking about taking her.
Zavier: A few of the guys are having a pissing contest at three. Tell her to go and fight them, she’d have a blast destroying their egos. Call me if she gets you into trouble and you need bailing out.
I chuckled, knowing he was right. Beckett was highly likely to get me in trouble.
I told him I’d be careful before putting my phone away, just as Beckett stepped outside again.
“Mom said there were a few gangs in the Heights that tried to take off when we were kids, but failed. Most didn’t even have a name, just random people trying to be kingpins and act tough. Those who didn’t fuck it up and got arrested just ended up dead. There were a few that claimed to be leaders, so she said she’ll find some photos of them for you to look at and for you to stop by and visit her once she’s found them.”
“What are the chances of them walking around here still?”
“Slim to none. A lot of the kids got out, but the adults were dumb as dog shit and had no idea how to lead a gang. The crews either took them out or bad business did. Some might be walking free after a stint in lock up, but Mom said most that got out have since passed,” she said as she turned her phone around to show me something. “Did you know about Ander’s plans for Devon and Michael?”
It was a news article, confusion filling me as I read about the unfortunate accident in the early hours of this morning where Devon’s car had slammed head first into a tree in Stoneleigh, sending both him and Michael through the windshield.
The picture of the car was a mangled wreck.
“From the look on your face, I assume you didn’t know?” she asked, my eyes lifting to hers.
“They can’t have died this morning. They were definitely dead at that party,” I said slowly, wracking my brain for answers.
“Ander’s got a cleanup team, right? What kind of connections does he have?”
“I don’t know. Guys he trusts. I think they’re from his mafia connections.”
“You’re latest squeeze is an idiot. Mafia soldiers don’t just turn on their boss,” she scoffed, pointing at the phone like I hadn’t read it right. “This shit means big connections and a lot of hush money to get away with a cover-up like this.”
I eyed her for a second before sighing, getting to my feet. “Everyone’s already warned you that he’s a dangerous man, Beckett. He’s loaded, obviously has a lot of people on his side that he doesn’t tell us about, and he can kill someone without blinking. When will you believe that he’s not just some foolish kid trying to stake a claim?”
“If he was that bad, you wouldn’t be spending so much time with him,” she said flatly, narrowing her eyes. “Unless you’re hiding something?”
A dry laugh left me and I shook my head. “You’re that bad, and you fucking grew on me.”
“Does the asshole have a magic dick?”
“Jacob's ladder.”
“Figures,” she grumbled under her breath, side-eyeing me before moving towards the door. “Come on, we can do some poking around on the internet ourselves for the ghosts of your past while we wait for your clothes to dry. Then we can figure out what to do this afternoon.”
I followed, dropping onto the couch as she grabbed a laptop and sat beside me.
“I was just talking to Zav. He said a few guys are fighting at the Pit at three today if you want to go and laugh at them.”
She grinned, glancing at me. “I’d love to.”
“Perfect. Let’s internet stalk and pray my clothes hurry up,” I answered, nerves flitting through me at the thought of finding out who the asshole was that killed my brother all those years ago.
“This is what you guys do for fun?” Beckett chuckled as we locked her car and walked towards the hidden fence once our internet stalking led to a dead end. “Hang out at an empty pool?”
“This empty pool has seen a lot of shit,” I promised, finding the hole and stepping through, holding it open for her to follow. “Welcome to the Pit, Donovan.”
A few people did a double take when they noticed us walk past, some not seeming too happy that I’d brought a Donovan here.
The Donovans did more for this town than anyone, so they could get over it.
Then again, a year ago I wouldn’t have liked her showing up here either.
My fingers itched to paint, but I didn’t have any of my supplies, so I led Beckett towards the Pit. Two guys were already trash talking each other in there, and one of them had a black eye from a previous fight or a shitty parent.
“Hey, Raven. I heard you’re open for business,” a guy snickered as he moved to stand beside me, looking me up and down. “How much?”
“Not interested,” I scoffed, crossing my arms and turning my attention away from him to look back at the guys in the Pit.
“C’mon, you don’t need to be shy about it,” the guy continued, his hand brushing my waist.
It was obvious that Beckett was giving me time to deal with it myself, but she looked ready to gun the dude down. I didn’t have long before she stepped in and everyone saw her saving me.
I was sick of people having to save me.
Before I could think about it too much, I swung my fist at the prick and smacked him right on the nose, satisfaction filling me when he stumbled in surprise.
“What the fuck?” he bit out as he pressed his fingers to his nose with a wince, blood starting to trickle out.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I snapped, intending on punching the asshole again to make a point, but he stepped back.
“Jesus, no wonder Donahue and Barron cut you off. You’re being a psycho.”
“Psycho? I told you no and you ignored me. If we’re slapping labels on people, I think you’re the one that needs one. Nothing labels you like a fucking sex offender list,” I threatened, a little annoyed when Beckett laughed. I turned to glare at her, and she grinned.
“If you really want to label him, put him in a hole. Nothing is more permanent than a tombstone kind of label.”
The guy paled a little, and I didn’t want him being scared of her and not me. I was the one he’d been bothering.
I pulled my knife out, the blade glinting in the afternoon sun as I moved towards him.
I wasn’t really going to stab him, I just wanted him to think that I would.
“Crazy bitch,” he hissed before taking off to the other side of the Pit, leaving me alone.
“Good job, young grasshopper. We’ll make a strong, independent woman out of you yet,” Beckett joked, earning a dirty look from me as I pocketed my knife again.
“I’m not your weird little side-kick.”
“Protege,” she corrected, and I groaned.
“You need to stop hanging around some of the guys. Their bullshit is rubbing off on you.”
“Maybe when Logan’s not living in my house, the weirdness will wash away. Him and Jett are driving me insane, so it’s about time you suffered too. I could’ve dropped him off on your doorstep by now, but I’m being a good pal and letting you have the space you wanted.”
“You don’t know where I live.”
“You mean Ander’s little place? Aw, you don’t think we know where he is? Didn’t take you to be stupid, Raven,” she said seriously, my response dying in my throat when I spotted Cami. She was stumbling around with a beer in hand, frustration and hurt filling me.
She was supposed to have my back at that party, but she’d bailed on me without a word.
“Who’s that?” Beckett asked when she noticed me staring.
“I went to that party with her. The one Ander showed up at. She was supposed to watch out for me since I was drinking. She’s been in and out of rehab for alcohol addiction, so it was probably my own fault for assuming she’d stay sober, but she’d been partying without alcohol a lot lately so I thought she had a handle on things,” I said quietly. “She was banging your brother in rehab at one point last year when he first went in.”
“I really don’t get what girls see in him,” she huffed, giving Cami the stink eye. “Do we take her for a ride in the trunk to make a point?”
“It’s not worth it. Being friends with addicts means you always come second to their demons. You understand that.”
“I do,” she sighed, her attention catching on the guys as they finally started throwing hands.
I turned away from Cami to watch too, the crowd starting to grow as cheering broke out. It would be much busier later as more challengers were set.
I knew I’d relaxed too much when someone managed to walk up and yank me back by the hair.
I stumbled, thankful when Beckett seemed to be more aware of her surroundings as she grabbed my arm to stop me from landing on my ass and possibly getting stomped on.
“You think you can hit my fucking brother?” the girl sneered, trying to grab my hair again but I pulled back.
“If your brother’s the creep with the bloodied nose, he did it to himself. Didn’t you ever teach him to keep his hands to himself?” I demanded, people starting to gather around us, the guys’ fight forgotten.
“Oh no. Stop. Don’t fight,” Beckett said sarcastically, nudging my shoulder. “Tell the person running the fights to pencil you guys in. You didn’t want to fight in the cage, but this is your territory, right?”
The girl laughed, motioning to me. “You think this bitch would beat me?”
“Would you prefer to fight me then?” Beckett offered bluntly, the girl’s eyes widening. No one here was likely to try fighting Beckett. They all knew it was rare she lost against people who trained regularly. “No? That’s what I thought. If you’re scared of Raven though, just say so.”
“I’m not scared of her!”
“Prove it,” Beckett shrugged, glancing at me. “What do you say, Raven?”
I couldn’t exactly say my body hurt too much from orgasms from the guys and Beckett beating me up, so I lifted my shoulder in a half-shrug.
“I could throw hands.”
People were talking loudly amongst themselves, bets starting to be placed, and the guys in the Pit grumbled as they were helped out so we could fight instead.
I couldn’t lie, I was nervous.
Beckett dropped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer, talking in my ear. “Remember your stance, and take your time. I win because I have patience and look for weak points. Study her for scars and sore spots and use them to your advantage.”
I nodded, removing Ander’s hoodie and handing my things over to Beckett so I could drop down into the Pit for the first time in what felt like forever, trying to stretch my arms a little and ease the tender muscles.
Excitement flicked through me at the thought of being back here, hoping I didn’t make a fool out of myself. This could end badly and make me look stupid, but if I used some of the techniques that Beckett had shown me, I should have a damn good chance.
I’d seen these fights a thousand times over, so I knew unless Beckett jumped in to save my ass if I did get my ass handed to me, that I’d have no one to stop this bitch.
It was intimidating being down here with the crowd above me, but I shook it off and tried hard to focus on my target as she slid down too.
There was no warning before she dove at me, attempting to knock me down from the beginning, but I braced and let her slam into me, using the force to shove her back.
I tried assessing her for injuries but she was moving too fast, darting forward to land a blow to the side of my head.
Beckett held her hand out in front of her in a what the fuck are you doing? motion, and I blocked out some of the chaos around me to focus better.
I couldn’t lose this fight, not in front of fucking Beckett.
This time, when the girl came closer, I swung my fist at her ribs. She hunched slightly on impact, giving me an opening to slam my other fist into her face.
No one was saving me, this was my fight, and I’d be damned if I let this bitch beat me.
Zavier
“Are you sure she’s safe with Beckett?” Logan asked me for the millionth time, glancing at me from the other couch. Cruz and Drake had left to deal with Thieves' business, leaving us to hang around the compound until they got back, while Stone and Knox handled watching cameras in the office.
“The devil doesn’t want Beckett, so Raven should be safe by default,” I joked, not amusing him. “You really think Beckett would let her get hurt?”
“No, I think Beckett will get her in trouble. You know she plays by her own rules,” he grumbled.
“Uh, Lopez?” Stone said as he walked in. “You might want to check your phone.”
I frowned, pulling it from my pocket and unlocking it, not seeing anything.
“What am I looking for?” I asked, a chuckle leaving him.
“Your first mistake was leaving her with Beckett.”
A flicker of panic hit me, but I knew he wouldn’t find amusement in something bad. Logan had his phone out too, cursing when he obviously found it before me.
“She’s fighting again? Did you know?” he asked without looking up at me, and I moved to sit beside him so I could see his phone.
There was a live video on Facebook of Raven and some girl fighting at the Pit, and I had to admit, Raven was holding her own.
“We have to go and get her,” Logan said, making me wince.
“It will be over any minute.”
“She needs back up!”
“She has Donovan,” Stone called out as he made his way back to the office.
“Lopez, we can’t do nothing,” Logan said sharply, and I sighed.
“Yeah, man. That’s exactly what we do. No one will get away with foul play with Beckett there, and Raven obviously has a ride with her too. Of course I want to go and get her, but?—”
“She looks so happy,” he mumbled, cutting me off to keep watching the video.
I leaned in to look again, watching the grin on Raven’s face widen as she threw punch after punch at the girl, people screaming and cheering them on. The person filming kept moving, but they managed to put it back on the girls just in time to see Raven knock the girl out cold.
She was beaming with pride, a look I rarely saw from her anymore, and I noticed Logan stiffen slightly when Ander appeared in view to pull her out.
She was practically bouncing on her feet as she started talking a mile a minute to him, the excitement turning to heat as she grabbed his throat to drag him down for a kiss.
“Don’t watch, dude. They get pretty hot and heavy,” I said carefully when Logan kept staring. It was obviously hurting him, but the bastard kept watching to punish himself.
The camera cut just as Beckett joined them and tugged Raven back a step, making Logan sigh.
“It’s my fault.”
“I think he would’ve wriggled his way into her life anyway. I might get you to drop me off at home, if you don’t mind?”
He gave me the side-eye, annoyance flashing in his gaze. “Why? Want to cash in on her adrenaline rush?”
“No. She’s probably too sore from fighting and what we did to her last night,” I chuckled, crossing my arms. “I’d like to find out why she was fighting in the first place, and it’s almost dinner time. I can probably have dinner cooking for when they get home. Ander and Beckett will have to have their pissing contest first, so I have time,” I said dryly.
“She said she’d text me but hasn’t. Should I message her and say I saw her fight?” he asked, almost sounding confused. “I know girls, but not one’s like Raven. I don’t want her to feel like I’m smothering her or she’ll push back.”
“She’d probably like to know you saw her fight. Maybe tell her she kicked ass,” I offered, his fingers already flying over the screen as he started texting.
I went to say goodbye to Stone and Knox, and Raven had apparently already replied to Logan by the time I got back to the living room to leave.
He shoved the phone in my face, making me read it.
Logan: Hey, saw your fight on Facebook. You kicked ass, Rae.
Raven: Thanks. She wanted to fight me because I punched her brother for being a creep.
Logan: Bet she won’t do that again.
Raven: I’m glad you got to see it. I’m in my baddie era x
“She sent me a kiss at the end, do I send one back?” he asked, and if he was sitting down, he would’ve been swinging his legs with glee about it.
“Can’t hurt,” I said with amusement as he sent a response.
Logan: You’ve always been a baddie, Raven x
“I’ve never seen you so giddy over a girl texting you,” I teased as he pocketed his phone and grabbed his keys instead.
“I’ve never wanted a girl to text me back so badly in my life,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe don’t tell her I wanted to go and get her?”
“I won’t,” I promised, clapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t bother texting Cruz to let him and Drake know we were leaving, I didn’t want to distract them while they were working, so we headed out to the car and drove towards the Heights.
Logan was lost in thought as he drove, so I left him alone. I knew how badly he was missing Raven, but I was glad he was taking his time with her to repair the damage he’d caused.
Nothing would make her run faster than being cornered.