Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
RAVEN
I blinked against the bright lights, moving to sit up, but a hand on my chest stopped me.
“Whoa, baby. Take it easy,” Logan murmured, my eyes starting to focus. He was sitting on the floor beside me, a pillow under my head and one of his hands in mine.
“I passed out?” I asked as I tried to remember, peering around the room. I was lying on the floor in the office, the door shut to block out noise. Reid was behind his desk, his eyes on me as I spoke again. “Where’s Ander and Zav?”
“Crowd control. People obviously freaked when the car blew up, so Lavaro offered to help the crews get everyone inside,” Reid stated. “The Thieves have taken out two guys. One tried to use someone as a shield to escape, but they got him.”
“You just won’t die, will you? You’re like a cockroach,” Beckett said with amusement from out of my view, moving from behind my head to behind Logan so I could see her. “You’re every hitman’s worst nightmare.”
“They just suck at being hitmen,” I scoffed, wincing as I swatted Logan away so I could sit up. “Was anyone else hurt?”
Beckett shook her head, toying with her knife in thought. “Somehow, no. Two of the windows of the community center got blown out in the blast, but most people were on the other side of the building at that point. Only the one fatality and your injuries.”
“Cami sold me out,” I said quietly, remembering bits of our conversation. “Stefano threatened her. She’s the one that told him about how much the house meant to me.”
“She told you?” Beckett asked with narrowed eyes.
“Yeah. It’s what we were fighting about before I walked off. She was trying to get me in her car and take me to him to save herself.”
“He would’ve just blown the car up with you both in it,” Reid said tightly.
“I told her he’d still kill her, but she was stupidly drunk and panicking. She told him about Josh too.”
“Sounds like she deserved to be turned into a party popper then,” Beckett grumbled, putting her knife away and ignoring the dirty look I sent her. “Cops are everywhere outside. It’s not like we could hide an explosion at a public event with body parts scattered around the parking lot.”
“Have you shown them my phone? Stefano texted me,” I said as I patted my pockets to find it, coming up empty.
“Keep that bit to yourself,” Beckett said bluntly, perching her ass on Reid’s desk.
“Why?”
“Do you really want to bring the cops into this mess right now? If they start digging, they could find something connecting Lopez to the drug trade. They’d definitely connect Ander to it. It’s better that they deal with the body and treat it as a random attack while we deal with the mafia. Besides, just because we have a lot of cops in our pockets, doesn’t mean Stefano doesn’t have guys in the department too. He’s been around long enough now to pay someone to side with him. We’re powerful because of our money and the fact people fear us. Stefano also has that.”
“You think some of the cops could double cross you?” Logan asked slowly, and she shrugged.
“I think that money and fear talk. It’s not worth the risk.”
“Not even BG?”
She blew out a breath, shaking her head. “After he was investigated for corrupt shit with us last time, we try not to bring him into shit unless it's necessary. His whole department just about got overturned and replaced, and he almost got prison time. You know what happens to cops in prison, right?”
“So now what?” I asked, my gaze moving to the door as it opened and Rory appeared.
“Oh, good. You’re awake. BG wants to talk to you.”
I gave Beckett a quick glance and she raised an eyebrow. “Just tell them the truth. You were talking to a friend while smoking, walked off, then the car blew up and the blast knocked you down.”
“Just leave out half the story?” I asked dryly, making her grin.
“Exactly. They’ll mention you and Cami being at odds lately, so just be honest. She’s an alcoholic who was clean, then fell off the rails again and you were telling her you can’t be around her like that. Covers your ass if anyone claims they saw you arguing.”
Rory nodded in silent agreement, but she didn’t say anything.
I stood with a wince and stretched my arms and legs, trying to work out some of the aches and pains. Nothing was broken, but being thrown to the ground was always going to fucking hurt.
I reached up to touch the cut on my face, feeling a butterfly stitch near my eyebrow.
“You cracked your face on the ground. Re-split the spot that Stefano pistol whipped you,” Logan said, answering my silent question. “We’ll take you home once you talk to BG.”
Rory walked over and grabbed my chin, almost blinding me as she shone a light in my damn eyes with a frown.
“Keep an eye on her. It’s probably not a surprise, but she’s got a concussion. Beckett, go with them when they leave. We’ve stationed security around the house too.”
Beckett nodded without argument, and BG suddenly appeared to speak with me, ending the conversation we’d all been having.
I was careful with what I said, telling the truth but leaving things out like I’d been told, and he almost seemed relieved that we hadn’t asked him to cover anything up.
I was told I could leave, but Reid and Logan were obviously supposed to be here all day working, just like Zavier. Ander was busy helping clean up the glass and board the broken windows until they could be fixed, so I’d followed Beckett out to her Mustang as my only option to get a ride home.
Anxiety filled me the entire trip back to Ashburn Valley, waiting for something else to go wrong.
It didn’t, and once we were inside the house, I let out a breath. “When does this shit end?”
“When Stefano’s in the fucking ground,” Beckett said brightly, double checking that the door was locked before doing a sweep of the house, even though the security team of Thieves that had been assigned to us had already done it.
She reached into her pocket and handed me my phone, my eyebrows shooting up. “You had it?”
“Lavaro did. He didn’t want the cops getting it,” she replied, walking to the fridge and helping herself to a beer. “Stefano has to slip up at some point soon so we can find him. He’s a fucking ghost, Raven. If Cruz’s tech can’t find him, we’re screwed. Well, you are. They’ll likely leave us alone once they get what they want.”
“How comforting,” I deadpanned. “Why are they going to all this trouble? They just wanted Zavier silenced because they think he knows mafia business that he shouldn’t. They’re acting like he stole a hard drive with all their secrets and is going to hand it over to the enemy.”
“Probably just power tripping. It goes to their heads,” she replied, pointing to the couch. “Sit.”
I dropped down on the couch, running my fingers through my tangled hair. “How do we put him in the ground then if we can’t find him?”
“Taking up a new career path of being an assassin? That won’t blend well with your teaching career of helping people,” she teased, sitting beside me.
“I thought I’d only have to worry about the piece of shit who killed Josh, but the mafia? It’s too much.”
“That prick’s sitting in a prison cell right now and still has ten years left, so don’t worry about him until you have to. Focus on the facts,” she instructed, holding her hand up to count things with her fingers. “One, you know who Stefano is and what he does. It’s not like he’s a hidden face that can surprise you. Two, he’s escalating with every attack. We need to be prepared for that. Third, he’s obviously getting information from locals if he got stuff out of Cami, which means you need to assume every single part of your life is part of his knowledge. Don’t convince yourself that he doesn’t know something, or you might get caught off guard. Four, he could’ve killed all of you by now, so why is he dancing around it?”
“Um, where have you been? He had me and Zav run down with a car as his entrance into town,” I said flatly, pushing down the emotions from that day.
“I think it was meant as a warning more than anything since they wanted Zavier to go with them. They could’ve driven past and shot you both instead if they just wanted to kill you both.”
“Does he want us dead or not then?” I scowled, getting frustrated. “Who’s even his target?”
“All of you.”
“Cami—”
“Cami was a loose end. That’s why he targeted her. It wasn’t because she knew you,” she pointed out.
“Do you think it’s possible we’re just outsmarting him?”
“Honestly? Maybe. Now we know he’s brought a tech guy in though, we might be in trouble. We’ve stayed ahead because of Cruz, but if this guy’s tech is better, we can’t compete.”
There was a knock on the door, and we both looked over at it in silence for a second before we heard a voice. “It’s Will, open up.”
Beckett stood, seeming to relax. I knew he was a thief, Drake and Cruz had mentioned him to me thinking he could’ve been a good match for me, but that was it.
A man stepped into the house wearing all black with multiple guns and knives attached to his gear, his eyes running over me for two seconds before he nodded.
“Hey. I wanted to introduce myself.”
“This isn't a Tinder date, buddy,” Beckett grumbled, and he had the decency to look embarrassed.
“No, I just wanted her to know that if she saw me and was in trouble, that she could come to me.”
“Thank you,” I said dryly, giving Beckett a dirty look. “She has no manners.”
“She’s taken now, you lost your chance,” Beckett said as if not hearing what I’d just said, squinting at me. “You could make room for Will though, right?”
“Wrong,” I scowled, crossing my arms. “Four guys is already a fucking headache. No offense, Will.”
He chuckled, his posture relaxing at our banter. “None taken. No offense to you, but I’m not interested. I’ve seen Cruz and the guys fight over Penn’s attention, and I want no part in that kind of thing. I’m a needy guy.”
“You’re overseeing our security?” I asked curiously, earning a playful smile.
“No one will get near the house, I can promise you that. Everywhere you go, you’ll have eyes on you. We try not to make ourselves visible so you don’t feel like you’re being followed everywhere, but unfortunately, you will be until the threat is handled. Some are incognito, some aren’t. If you see a thief and recognize them, you can definitely approach them for help.”
“How will I know if it’s a good guy or a bad guy following me?” I asked skeptically.
“We won’t make it obvious. If you’re staring at us, we’ll probably wave or something. A bad guy would most likely try to sneak up on you,” he shrugged. “With Cruz running security from behind the computer, we should see most things coming anyway, but with how unreliable the tech side has been lately, eyes on the ground are important. I’ll give you my contact info, and you can always call or text for confirmation on someone if you’re worried.”
“Thieves say the damndest things to get a girl’s number,” Beckett grunted, pulling out her phone to text, but I ignored her and handed Will my phone, letting him put his information into it.
“Do you need my number?” I asked when he handed it back, the sly look in his eye giving me an answer before he even spoke.
“We’re hackers and thieves, Raven. I already have it.”
“Romantic,” Beckett muttered, and I was close to throwing something at her when she glanced up and gave me a teasing smirk, knowing she was pissing me off.
“If you hear gunshots or anything, stay in the house,” Will warned, his eyes on me. “You’ll know if we need you to haul ass out of here.”
“Thanks for doing this,” I answered as he started walking towards the door, looking over his shoulder and giving me a wink.
“I’d do almost anything for a pretty girl. Have a good afternoon.” Then he was gone.
“Told you he was flirting,” Beckett snorted, my face heating.
“He knows the guys, right?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t understand men,” I huffed, and she let out a laugh.
“No one does. Despite Will’s flirting, you’re in good hands with him on security. I’d suggest we watch TV, but you probably shouldn’t with your messed up brain right now. Want me to show you cool ways of taking someone down?”
That probably wasn’t good for my head either, but I found myself nodding. It would probably come in handy.
Logan
The community center was a mess. Thankfully, most of it was outside, other than the shattered glass from the windows.
I wanted to go home to Raven, but if I was going to be the face of this place with Reid, I couldn’t just bail. Especially since so many people came to me for answers when Reid was swarmed already.
“Hold her for me,” Marco said as he thrust Maggie at me, the squirming baby giggling at me as I took her. She was so small, looking more like a three month old than a baby who was closer to turning one, and the small scar on her face made my chest ache.
Who could hurt a baby?
I cradled her in one arm against my chest, tickling her under the chin with my finger and causing her to blow bubbles at me as she laughed.
“Found her a family yet?” I asked as Marco texted someone.
He glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “Possibly. There’s a couple in Kingslake who want to fill their home with kids, and they’re considering taking all of them. Why? Do you want her?”
“Who wouldn’t, she’s adorable,” I chuckled, my finger brushing her soft cheek.
The pain flickered inside me, and it must have shown on my face because Marco winced and reached for her. “Shit, sorry. I’ll take her back.”
I took a step back, bouncing her a little. “No, I’ve got her. What do you think? Do I look like I’d be a good girl dad?”
“I could see you having tea parties and wearing fairy outfits, yes,” Marco grinned, eyeing me. “From someone who’s had a bunch of kids, they’re expensive. Don’t get baby fever.”
“Maybe in a few years when Raven’s got her career sorted. I don’t want to mess up her plans. Well, I do, but that’s selfish of me.”
“We’re selfish creatures. Rory was a demon when she was pregnant, but if we could’ve kept knocking her up, we would’ve. You don’t know love until you watch your girl grow and birth your kid. Fuck, that’s insensitive of me to say, sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m looking forward to experiencing it one day when we’re ready. So, you like this Kingslake family?” I asked to change the subject, curious about how anyone would agree to take in a million kids all at once.
He nodded, reading a text before putting the phone in his pocket and giving me his attention.
“Couple in their late thirties. Both own a bunch of businesses but are mostly silent in them, so they’re basically sitting at home while the money rolls in. Both came from money, and their house is huge. The wife can’t have children, and they’ve spent a lot of time helping a few charities over the years. They seem genuine in their love for kids, and we did take the kids to the park for them to meet.”
“What does Gregory think of it all?”
That made him sigh, and he raked a hand through his hair. “He likes them and says he thinks they’d be a good fit.”
“I’m sensing a but.”
“But, he’s sticking to his guns about staying with us. I can see the guilt all over his face when he says it, but I honestly think he just wants to be a kid. If he goes with them, he’d still feel obligated to help with them. We’re setting up a day this week where all the kids can go to the couple’s house to check it out, and so Gregory can get a feel for it. They’ve told him he’s always welcome to visit, and if he changes his mind about wanting to live with them, they’ll organize it.”
“You guys are happy to take Gregory in permanently?”
“Yeah. He’ll be at school most of the time, and it’s not like he needs the same care as Maggie here. If he really wants to stay with us, then he can. He’s only got one year left of middle school next year, and he’s digging his heels in about wanting to stay in the public system in Ashburn with Frank.”
Maggie fussed and I lifted her so she was perched on my hip more, her fingers digging into my shirt as she babbled to herself.
Zavier appeared, not even hesitating to tickle Maggie under the chin and gave her a smile. “Stealing babies is a crime, bro.”
“I’m just holding her,” I grumbled, and as much as I didn’t really want to hand her back yet, I had to. “They might have found a couple to take all the kids in together.”
“All of them?” Zavier repeated as I handed Maggie back to Marco.
“Yeah, minus Greg. He still doesn’t want to go anywhere,” I answered, scanning the crowd.
The chaos had calmed a lot, but the cops were still everywhere.
“You guys have handled today well,” Marco said, changing the subject. “You’ve really proven that we chose the right people for the job.”
“We haven’t really done anything,” I said with a frown, and he shook his head.
“You don’t see it. People are turning to you and Reid for answers. They trust you, which is what we hoped for. Rory might have grown up here, but most people see her as the rich bitch from Ashburn. You guys are still one of these people, and they respect you more. Do you think you’ll want to move back here when things settle down?”
“We’ve always wanted to get out, it was just Raven clinging to the house,” Zavier stated, checking his phone as he continued. “She hasn’t mentioned coming back here, but we also haven’t asked.”
“We’re not coming back here,” Reid said as he joined us, and I frowned.
“Raven—”
“If I have to chain her to Ashburn Valley, I will. That house burning down was a blessing. The plan was always to leave the Heights, Josh wanted that for all of us. She needs to start healing and stop letting guilt get in the way. The Heights isn’t our home, it’s just the home to ghosts that she’s too afraid to leave behind.”
“Can you say that again but in a non-dickish way?” I deadpanned, and Marco sighed.
“I’m sorry I asked. Maybe settle into your jobs for a while before making any big decisions. Save up some cash.”
“That’s the plan,” Zavier said firmly, giving Reid the side-eye. “Let’s just deal with this mess first. We can move house later when we know it won’t get burned to the fucking ground.”
“Smart,” Marco said as he pointed at Zavier. “Beckett texted to say Raven wants pizza. Now you have big boy money, grab some on the way home.”
“You’re not my boss.”
“No, but Raven is,” he chuckled, turning and walking away as he talked to Maggie.
“That kid has to stop looking so cute before I go home and knock up Raven,” I grunted, earning a death glare from Reid. I walked away before he could scold me, pulling my phone out to text Beckett.
Logan: How is she?
Beckett: She’s fine. You guys really need to talk amongst yourselves. You’re all texting me and it’s annoying.
I snickered, pocketing my phone and almost tripping over Sia, who was standing randomly on her own.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” I asked as I bent down to scoop the little girl up.
“I’m hungry,” she said as if that answered my question, making me smirk.
“Hungry? I can fix that. Let’s go see what food’s left. Who was watching you?”
She just smiled at me, and I let out a huff as I carried her into the community center in search of food and Rory.
I grabbed some pieces of fruit and handed it to her, knowing I’d probably end up wearing half of it from the way she shoved it into her mouth and happily put her hands all over me with the juice.
I’d chosen a bad day to wear a white shirt.
I pointed random things out for Sia to tell me what they were, and I was surprised that her speech was already improving in the time she’d spent at Rory’s. None of the kids were that educated, and apart from Gregory and Frank, they probably hadn’t spoken to people much.
“Oh thank fuck, you found her,” Luna squeaked as she jogged over, making me fake a gasp.
“Luna Hendricks. Did you just curse?”
She never cursed unless she was super freaked out or angry.
Luna’s face turned pink and she winced. “I put her down for two seconds. Two. She just vanished. I think that’s a good reason to curse.”
“Kids are slippery,” I grinned. “I’ve got her. I’m the face of safety for children here, after all.”
“No, you’re the fun guy all the teenagers get to hang out with when they’re skipping school,” she said with a soft smile. “You wouldn’t mind watching her?”
“She’s easy. Go make out with Riley or something,” I teased, and she huffed under her breath before spinning around and almost running away from me.
“How about we check on people?” I asked Sia, making her nod.
“People are scared?”
“Yeah, kid. Let’s go make them feel better.”
We wandered for over an hour, checking in with people and making conversation. A lot had left, but some stayed for the gossip.
I somehow ended up collecting Paul and Joseph in my travels, both boys sticking to me like glue as I continued carrying their sister. Skeeter had been looking frustrated to be stuck babysitting, so he’d happily placed them in my care when I offered to let them wander with me.
Sia was surprisingly getting heavy despite her tiny body. My arms were going dead.
I spotted Ander pulling his phone out, and I gave him a small wave as he put the phone to his ear. I frowned though when he barely noticed me, a serious look on his face.
When he started pacing as he spoke to whoever it was, I knew something was wrong. Especially when he motioned to Riley to join him when he hung up.
“C’mon, I need to check on Ander for a second,” I said to the kids as I made sure they followed me, hearing the end of their conversation.
“A week and a half ago,” Riley said slowly, already pulling her phone out to call someone.
“What’s going on?” I asked carefully, hoping it wasn’t something that would traumatize the kids.
“I just had a call from Kate, Blake’s little sister,” Ander said as he held up his phone. “Blake never made it home.”
“Voice mail,” Riley muttered, hanging up and sending a text instead. “She might have just detoured, right?”
“For a week and a half without telling Kate? No,” Ander snorted, some of the panic slipping out. “Has she contacted you at all?”
“No, but we aren’t exactly texting buddies unless she’s in town. She wasn’t supposed to let me know when she got home or anything,” Riley sighed, fishing her keys from her pocket. “She was definitely going straight home?”
“You’re the one that she probably spoke to last. I haven’t talked to her since the track when I told her to leave.”
“What did Kate say?” I asked, wondering if Blake really had just detoured. The current circumstances told me something else had definitely happened, but Blake was also a bit of a free spirit and had spontaneous adventures at times.
He blew out a breath, texting on his phone as he replied. “Kate thought she was staying with me, obviously. Usually, that’s exactly where Blake is. She just figured she was staying longer and forgot to tell the people Kate is staying with. If she doesn’t get back home soon, they’ll start asking questions about where Blake is, and if they start digging and can’t reach her, Kate could go back into foster care.”
“Let’s all chill out for a second. Message Cruz to see if he can find her. We can panic after that. I’ll go find Rory and see if she wants to take the kids home,” I offered, and Riley nodded.
“She was talking to Stone and Knox by the parking lot about security stuff. We’ll see if Cruz can find Blake while you’re handling that.”
“Let’s go find Rory,” I said brightly to the kids, grateful when they skipped along beside me without complaint. Sia reached for Rory the second she saw her, and Rory took her without question, her eyes on mine.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think something happened to a player on the board that wasn’t even playing,” I muttered, not wanting to freak the kids out by bluntly saying I was pretty sure Blake had been taken and murdered by a psychopath. “Can you take the kids while we figure it out?”
“Call me,” she said sharply as Stone checked something on his phone, his eyes lifting to mine.
“We’re on it. Cruz is already looking.”
“Who’s missing?” Rory scowled, hating being kept in the dark. I glanced over my shoulder, finding Ander not waiting for me as Riley jogged after him towards where they parked their cars, Rory’s eyes following them too. “Logan. Who is it?”
“Kate called Ander. Blake never made it home.”
“I want updates,” Rory practically snapped at both Stone and I, but she tickled Sia’s tummy, making the little girl giggle. “I’d better get you kiddos home. Let’s go. Thanks for watching them, Logan.”
“Any time,” I nodded, letting her leave and turning to Stone. “What are the chances she’s just on a typical Blake adventure?”
He scoffed, turning his phone to face me as he spoke. “Considering Cruz just sent footage of her being shoved in a trunk at a gas station an hour out of town the night she left? It’s pretty slim, Donahue.”