Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
REID
“W hy can’t I see her?” I bit out, glaring at the cop behind the front desk as she eyeballed me over the counter.
“She’s still being questioned. Take a seat, Mr. Barron.”
“She's a victim, and she needs a fucking hospital,” I growled out, frustrated when Riley snagged my elbow and tugged me back. “Don’t you?—”
“Shut the fuck up, Barron. Sit down before you get kicked out,” she said sharply, dragging me over to the chairs where Logan, Beckett, and Ander sat.
I felt better knowing Rory was in there with Raven and the fancy lawyer, but I still hated that it had been hours since Ander called to tell us Zavier and Raven had been attacked.
I was freaking out about Zavier, but I was just as freaked out about Raven. Considering Ander was covered in blood, despite him claiming none of it was Raven’s, I wouldn’t believe she was okay until I saw her with my own damn eyes.
They’d been attacked a little after nine this morning, and it was now almost five in the afternoon.
Logan instantly leaned on me, calming me slightly. I had to keep it together because if I didn't, who would?
Murder. Raven was hauled in here for fucking murder.
How the fuck could I keep my shit together with that?
“She’s fine,” Beckett said firmly when I became twitchy within seconds again, and I glared at her.
“How the fuck do you know? You got here when I did.”
“If she wasn’t, Mom would’ve made a scene or burned this shithole to the ground by now,” she said loudly, the officer at the desk gritting their teeth while trying to ignore her.
“Good plan, big sis. Get arrested again for threatening cops,” Riley muttered under her breath, patting my arm. “It’s true though. You’d know by now if it was going badly.”
“I just need to see her,” I ground out, eyeing Ander who’d been pretty quiet since our arrival. “Have you heard from Cruz?”
“Have I told you I have?” he said bluntly, not even looking at me.
He’d been questioned hours ago along with the Thieves, but their main focus was Raven. They’d even tried to blame her for the other bodies, but there was no gun lying around that matched the bullets in the men.
Which meant Zavier still had it.
The door opened and Rory stepped out with Raven behind her, and despite the fact I knew Ander had said Raven was fine, the sight of all the blood on her skin freaked me out.
They’d given her a fresh shirt, but her face, neck, and arms were still coated in dried blood.
I was on my feet in seconds, moving towards her and wrapping her tightly in my arms as her body sagged against me.
“You okay?” I whispered near her ear, and I hugged her a little harder when she silently shook her head. “You can come home?”
“Once she signs these,” the officer said with annoyance, making Raven jerk a little as she smacked a pen down on the counter, some forms under it.
“I’ll read over it to make sure it’s okay,” I said to Raven, dropping a kiss to the top of her head and handing her over to Logan to hold while I read it.
Rory gestured to Beckett to stay with us while she slipped outside, pointing at Ander to follow. I wanted to know what the fuck was being said, but I couldn’t rush the forms.
I wouldn’t put it past them to trick her into signing something she shouldn’t.
Once I’d read the whole thing, I gave Raven a break down of what it said before handing her the pen to sign.
They gave her back her phone and wallet, and I gave the woman a dirty look as she snatched the papers from Raven’s hand. I was going to get myself arrested if this bitch didn’t learn some manners.
Knowing my thoughts, Riley snagged my wrist and tugged me outside, Beckett and Logan flanking Raven as we all left.
We approached Rory and Ander, his eyes running over Raven as he replied to whatever Rory had said.
“They tried tracking them already. It’s all been wiped and the cars didn’t have plates.”
“You heard from Cruz?” Beckett asked, worry flickering behind her scowl.
“Knox,” Ander corrected. “He just called to say they haven’t had any luck yet. We won’t find Lopez unless Stefano wants us too.”
“What if he never wants us too?” Raven asked, her voice tight.
“Can’t think like that, Bluebird,” Ander murmured before looking at Logan. “Got your car towed too.”
“Why is it always my car?” Logan grumbled, kissing Raven’s shoulder from behind as she tried to pull away from him. “I’m not mad about it. It kept you safe, baby. I just think it’s the Challenger’s turn for some bullets or something.”
“We need to go home and reassess the situation. Raven needs a shower and some food too.”
“I’m not—” She wasn’t getting out of eating, she knew better.
“You might not feel hungry, but you haven’t eaten all day. You’re eating,” I ordered.
“All of you need to eat,” Rory said firmly, checking her phone. “I need to check in with some of the guys. Beckett, go with them. I’ll send Maddox over too. Riley, I need you to do me a favor and go help Angel with the bar at Devil’s Dungeon tonight. I need both Marco and Hunter.”
Riley saluted her and headed off to do as she was told, for once in her fucking life, and then we were all splitting up to leave. Both Ander and Logan climbed in the back of the Challenger to wedge Raven between them, leaving me to drive while Beckett followed in her Mustang, Rory zooming ahead in the direction of the Shed.
Logan
Raven had perked up a little once we got home and she was in the shower, and I eyed her from where I stood by the sink as she washed the blood from her skin. She winced a little as she lifted her arms to scrub her hair, and I instantly stripped off and climbed in to join her.
“I’ve got it,” I murmured, helping her wash her hair.
“They’re going to kill him, Logan,” she whispered, not hiding the strain in her voice.
“We’ll get him back,” I answered, pulling her to my chest and holding the back of her head to keep her close. Her arms banded around me and she sighed, leaning on me.
“Why does Stefano want him dead so bad? Zavier doesn’t even know anything.”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’ll find out,” I promised. “Finish showering. You need to eat.”
She tilted her head back so I could wet her hair, and I loved that I could be her peace as the tension bled out of her when I started massaging shampoo into her scalp.
I rinsed it out when I was done, taking my time since it was obvious she was enjoying it, then I conditioned it.
“Tell me a secret,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering open.
“You won’t be a teacher for more than a year before I knock you up again,” I said casually, reaching for the body wash to lather it all over her. “I won’t interfere with your studies, but the second you’re qualified, I’m going to be inside you all the time.”
“What if one of the others knock me up instead?”
“Same thing, if you ask me,” I said with a small smile, cupping her chin affectionately. “Any kid of yours is a kid of mine. End of story.”
“Won’t be Reid’s if he doesn’t get his leg looked at. I’m close to banning him from bedroom activities unless he’s on the bottom.”
“We’ll work on it. We have the funds to do it now,” I replied, giving her a quick kiss before motioning for her to turn so I could rinse the conditioner out.
As much as I wanted to keep her naked a little longer, her stomach growled with hunger, so I finished washing her and shut the water off.
We were quick to get dried and dressed, making sure to put cream on her tattoo, before wandering into the kitchen to find Reid dishing some soup and bread. I wanted her to eat more than that, but I also knew it was probably better not to push.
The soup was one of Zavier’s, so it was loaded with vegetables that would be good for her.
We all ate together, my eyes drifting to Beckett every two seconds as she typed constantly on her phone. She wasn’t eating, too busy talking to someone for that.
There was a knock at the door and she stood, holding a hand out when Raven went to stand.
“You need to sit and eat. I’ll get it, it’s just Maddox.”
Raven huffed her annoyance but continued eating, and I slid my hand onto her thigh so she knew I was still here. Just because she’d calmed down, didn’t mean she wasn’t still freaking out on the inside.
Killing a person would affect anyone, but violently slashing them to death and being soaked in their blood? Yeah, I was keeping an eye on her.
“We’ve got something,” Maddox murmured to Beckett, but he might as well have shouted it from the way we all jerked our heads in his direction.
“You’ve found him?” Raven blurted out, her shoulders dropping when he shook his head.
“No, we’re still looking. Cruz found a short video of the cars heading south though, so we have a direction. It’s a start.”
“South doesn’t really give us an idea though. They could stop in Briar Falls, or end up fifteen hours drive from fucking Saint Maple. It’s a lot of area to cover,” Reid grunted, pushing his empty soup bowl aside.
“Better than twenty hours in each direction,” Maddox threw back, sitting in a chair and crossing his arms. “They’re getting sloppy if there’s a trail.”
“Or they want us to see it,” Ander said bluntly, mimicking his pose.
“You know the tech guy, right? Is he likely to do that?”
“My gut says he’s doing it on purpose. Antonio wouldn’t turn on Dante,” he said firmly, but I knew he held a small amount of doubt over the guy.
“Do you have a way of reaching him?” Beckett asked, tapping her finger on the table as she got comfortable, eyeing Ander. “Are you on good terms with him?”
“I can’t risk it. Even if he isn’t betraying Dante, reaching out could get him caught. If by chance Antonio is on our side, we have to play it his way. If he’s involved with leaving bread crumbs for us, that means he has a plan,” Ander muttered, making Maddox scoff.
“He might be trying to keep Dante safe, but he’d use Lopez as a pawn instantly and you know it. Is this just to lure us all there to save your fucking brother? Will Lopez get used as collateral damage? If it comes down to Zavier or Dante, I’m choosing Zavier, man.”
“No surprise there, he’s your family,” Ander replied dryly, his muscles going tense at the thought. “There’s no need to choose. Both are getting out, and so is Blake.”
“You’re so sure of that.”
“They’re all going to be fine,” Ander gritted out, and I could tell this was going to end as a fight before long if it didn’t calm down.
“This isn’t helping,” I said sharply, keeping my hand on Raven’s thigh. “We can’t do shit until we have a better lead, and fighting about who’s going to be okay is pointless.”
“Logan’s right,” Beckett sighed, leaning forward to put her elbows on the table. “Fighting won’t change anything.”
“What do you suggest we fucking do then, Donovan? Sit here with our fingers up our asses until their heads get delivered to the house?” Ander snapped, and I wanted to throttle him when Raven pushed her half eaten food away. She went to get up, most likely to leave, and I slid an arm around her middle and pulled her onto my lap.
Thankfully, she didn’t fight me, melting into my hold and getting comfortable.
“We need to stick together, for starters,” I said as I glared at Ander, and he winced when he noticed he’d upset Raven. “And we also really need to find more information. Can we drive around or something since the cameras aren’t reliable?”
“No point. They would’ve switched cars by now,” Beckett answered, her eyes on Raven. “Hey, do you want to find Zavier?”
Raven sat up a little with a frown. “Of course I do.”
“Then stop freaking out, push your emotions down, and help. You won’t find him shivering on Logan’s lap like a lost dog,” she said flatly, and before I could tell her to leave Raven alone, Raven sat up more with a nod.
There was a weird understanding between Raven and Beckett. Beckett didn’t coddle her, and Raven respected Beckett’s word like law. Not in a weird fangirl kind of way, she just knew Beckett had the right intentions behind her assholeness.
“Do you think they’d come after me again? Could I sit on the side of the road looking lost or something to draw them out?” Raven asked, Maddox giving her a dirty look.
“We don’t play the bait game. Ask Beck how well that works.”
“Hey,” Beckett huffed, elbowing him. “It worked when I did it!”
“You got fucking kidnapped.”
“I wanted Kristoff’s attention. It obviously worked,” she said with a small smile, and I hated the thought of any of the girls using themselves as bait.
If someone like Beckett could get kidnapped from it, what the fuck could happen to Raven?
“The main goal was always Zavier,” Maddox pointed out, motioning to her food. “Finish it.”
“I don’t?—”
“Fucking finish it or I’ll tip what’s left down your throat until you choke on it,” he snapped.
I was glad to see Maddox cared about her enough to want her to eat, but he was lucky I didn’t punch him.
“C’mon, baby. Finish your food. Do I have to spoon feed you like Zav would?” I asked lightly.
“My stomach is twisting from the stress. I’m going to throw up if I keep eating,” she complained.
“If we find Zav and have to tell him you weren’t eating, he’d freak out,” Reid said as he stood and grabbed her bowl, sliding it closer to us. “We need to tell him we were fine while he was gone.”
“But we aren’t.”
“No, but you’ll only make him feel like shit if you don’t look after yourself. We can’t do much until we find another lead, so eat the soup and forget the toast if you want. We’re going to bring him home, baby. We’re going to need our strength to go get him.”
That seemed to work, and I kept a hold of her as she went back to eating her soup from her spot on my lap.
We ended up trying to come up with a plan over the next few hours, and I was glad when Raven fell asleep on my lap on the couch as I ran my fingers through her hair.
“Good news,” Beckett said quietly, not wanting to startle Raven awake. “Cruz found another bread crumb. The cars were abandoned in Acacia Creek.”
“How is that good news?” Reid asked with confusion, and Ander looked thoughtful as he answered.
“Narrows down the area to search again. That’s what? Two hours away?”
“Yep. It means they’ve at least gone that far. I might check in with Mom and see if we can get a group together to head down that way,” Beckett nodded, Raven stirring on my lap.
“What’s going on?” she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
“Another lead. The cars were dumped in Acacia Creek,” I replied, helping her sit up.
“We can’t find them if they’ve abandoned the cars,” she said in a panic, but Beckett waved off her concern.
“This is good. Something like that should’ve been covered up more, so Antonio has to be leaving us a trail. I’m going to go call Mom, I’ll be back in a second,” she said as she headed outside with Maddox right behind her.
They’d barely been gone a minute before Ander stood so abruptly that his chair fell over, startling all of us.
“Jesus, dude. What the fuck?” Reid growled, but Ander shushed him as he stared down at his phone, his eyes wide.
“Antonio texted me.”
“What?” Raven asked in a hopeful voice, already climbing off my lap to look. He turned the phone, relief filling me. He was definitely on our side.
Unknown: Don’t ask questions. Darwin Hills, abandoned warehouse.
There were a bunch of numbers in the message too, and Ander was already dialing Cruz’s number.
“What do the numbers mean?” Raven asked, voicing my question.
“Coordinates,” Ander said, his voice sharp as Cruz answered. “I’ve got something. We’re coming over right now.”
“I’m coming too,” Raven said quickly, and when Reid went to obviously argue, Beckett walked back in. “Of course you’re coming, that’s your man in trouble. We don’t leave that saving the world bullshit to the men. Mom’s texting Stone and she was told something’s happening. Was that you?”
“Antonio reached out. I couldn’t say it over the phone in case they’re listening in. I’ve got the location, so let’s go,” Ander said as he grabbed his keys, all of us heading out to the cars. I wanted to stay with Raven, but she looked torn between us and Ander as he practically dove into his Supra.
“Go, Rae. You’ll make him drive safer,” I said as she nodded and followed him. I hoped I was right and he didn’t kill the pair of them on the way there.
Reid and I climbed into Beckett’s Mustang as Maddox headed for his Charger, all of us taking off towards Rawson Grove.
“You think this is more bullshit like last time?” Reid asked, and Beckett shook her head as she followed the other two cars along the road, Ander surging ahead.
“I think Antonio’s given us a very small window to do something. I hope so anyway. If Stefano took Zav because of information, there’s no reason to keep him alive. This might be our only chance at bringing him back in one piece. We have to play this smart.”
That was what worried me.
What if they caught onto us and we were too late?
Was one of my best friends already fucking dead?