Chapter 31
Raven
As we pull up to the gates at the safe-house, I roll the window down, and Ramone, the usual guard on duty, walks up to the truck.
“Hey, you just missed your guys,” he says and opens the gates to let us through.
“Oh yeah?” is my only reply as he backs away from the truck.
I drive through and wonder, What the fuck were they doing here?
And why so late? That’s a phone call and problem for a later time, when I don’t have a van full of scared kids behind me.
We need to get everyone set up for the night and comfortable.
That way they can take a proper shower and finally have a decent meal.
We pull up to the new section Eddie’s added on, and Chad parks as close to the doors as he can.
The three of us open the doors, and some of the older girls jump out of the back of the van, but the same little girl from earlier jumps down and grabs my hand, pulling me with her towards the house.
Her matted brown hair is sticking to the sides of her face.
“What’s your name?” I whisper as we walk inside. She just looks up at me with sad eyes and gives me a soft smile.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me, sweet girl. How about some food and a warm bath?” I ask, and she nods. As we walk towards the kitchen, she pulls on my hand.
“B-bath first,” she mumbles softly, and I smile in return, redirecting her to the bathroom.
Turning on the warm water, I put the plug in and turn on some cold so that way it’s not scalding when she gets in.
After the tub fills up, I step out, so she has time to undress and get in.
I'm sure they aren't used to privacy, so when we bring in new girls, we try to give them as much as they need, including the little ones who still may need our help. Just because we saved them from that place doesn’t mean the demons didn’t follow or linger in their minds.
It takes a while for some of that to fade, if it ever does.
The older girls normally are the ones who need more help; they don’t forget as easily.
Leaving her to it, I walk towards the supply closet and grab her some fresh clothes and towel, then knock on the door.
“Is it okay if I come in and help you?” I ask, peeking in the door.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” She smiles, and I walk in and shut the door behind me. There’s multiple duplex style homes here, with most of them being full teenagers. We will just have to try to find someone who can come in and help on this side of things.
“So what’s your name?” I ask again, hoping this time she will tell me as I kneel next to the tub to wash her hair.
“Maddie,” she replies, turning her head to look back at me and smiles. Her head is full of white soap suds, and I can’t help but giggle.
“That’s a pretty name. I’m Raven,” I say back and pour water over her head to rinse her hair out and move on to the rest of her bath.
I hand her a washcloth to bathe herself.
I’ve done this too many times. It's like second nature helping these kids. It’s sad.
I wish I could do more, but killing those that harm them and taking down the ring is all I can do for now.
Once she’s finished, I grab the towel, hold it up as she stands, and wrap the soft cotton around her small body.
Pulling the plug, I stare at the brown water draining, then spin and grab the brush sitting on the vanity.
Running the bristles through her wet locks, I look at her in the mirror, and her brown eyes are more noticeable now that her hair is out of the way.
They are more like a light honey color. A knock on the door takes me out of my trance, and I turn and see Lilly standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Lilly, this is Maddie. Maddie, this is one of my really good friends, Lilly,” I say introducing them, and Lilly walks up to us with the biggest smile on her lips.
This is how Lilly became Blakelyn’s mom.
Blakelyn didn’t want anyone but me, but I was in no position to take on a kid.
Then Lilly walked in and it was like an instant connection.
They have been so happy together ever since, and it’s the best when we can pair kids up like that with someone who’s willing to be a parent.
“Hi,” Maddie says softly, and Lilly kneels down to her level.
“Want some help with these? I have a daughter a little bit younger than you, but I bet I could find you an extra little something to help you sleep better tonight.” Lilly helps her get dressed, and Maddie’s eyes light up at the thought of a surprise.
“Speaking of, where is my little bestie?” I ask, and she snaps her head in my direction, giving me a pointed stare. What the fuck is that look?
“Still out with your guys,” she huffs out in an irritated breath.
“Ummm, excuse me. What?” I snap back. “Why is she with them?” I can feel my heart-rate pick up and my jaw tighten, because I know what Damien said earlier about using her, and so help me God, I’ll reign hell down on him.
“You act like you don’t know,” she replies, standing once Maddie is dressed, and I just raise an eyebrow in question, because obviously I missed something.
“Come on, Maddie, let’s take you to the kitchen and get you some food.” Lilly ushers her out of the bathroom, and I put all of her things in the laundry basket. They wouldn’t do this. No way would they go behind my back like this!
Walking into the kitchen, we get her seated at the table with some warm beef and veggie soup and a grilled cheese some of the other ladies cooked up before we got here. Once Maddie starts to eat, Lilly pulls me to the side, out of earshot from everyone else.
“What the fuck is going on?” I whisper-shout, Lilly rubs her temples and shakes her head back and forth.
“None of the guys told you their plan. Not your guys, Eddie, none of them?” she asks, and I shake my head, still fucking confused. My hands start to sweat at the thought of what she’s about to say.
“Don’t hate me, because I was totally against it. Damien and Reyes came and got her. Said they needed her to get Luis back. The plan seems solid, but fuck, Raven, that’s my baby and I don’t know what I’ll do if something ever happens to her,” Lilly chokes out as she's trying to hold back the tears.
“Wait. What the fuck did you just say?” I don’t even care that she’s about to cry right now, because I know I didn’t hear what I thought I just did.
“That they are using Blakelyn as bait? Or what part?” she repeats, and immediately, I’m fuming, I’m surprised there’s no smoke coming from my ears. My vision turns red and all I can think about is murdering them all. Fuck all these men and thinking they can just do what they want.
“What car were they in? I’m going to get her!” I seethe and start walking for the front door.
“Damien’s red car,” she replies, and that’s all I need to know.
“I’ll be back okay. You can trust Lilly, if you need me tell her to call me alright?
” I inform Maddie as I walk back up to the table before I leave.
She nods her head and stands, coming up and wrapping her hands around my waist to hug me.
My heart is in a puddle on the floor. She lets go, and I turn to walk away and I can hear her softly whisper ‘bye’ so I turn and wave before opening the front door and leaving.
I run to Reyes’ truck and hop in. Starting it, I floor it out of there, squealing tires and all. I give no fucks. Ain’t no way they are about to really use her as bait for Bret. He has been playing this game way too long, and I’ll be damned if she gets dragged back into this shit.
Taking out my phone, I try to pull up the locator app on Damien’s car.
I get a ping, but within seconds it’s jumping somewhere new.
What in God's name is happening right now? I head into town, breaking all the traffic laws I’m sure, and pushing this truck to its limits.
When I get another ping, yet again within seconds, it’s telling me they are somewhere else.
Either someone has fucked with the tracker signal or they are on a wild goose chase.
Either way, I’ll be murdering them all when I get my hands on them.
ALL OF THEM! I sit in an old alleyway, one of the last pings it hit, and wait. And wait. And wait.
Twenty minutes goes by, and finally, I get a ping, what looks like an actual live location. It looks to only be a few streets over, pulling out of the alley, I haul ass in the direction they are headed, hoping I can come out right behind them.
I’m looking between my phone and the road, trying to weave in and out of what little traffic is out and about this late, when the damn thing tells me to turn. Making a sharp right, it feels like I have this truck on two wheels.
When I round the corner I see a red Challenger ahead of me a few car links.
What I notice next is the black van driving close beside them.
That has me nervous, more than nervous. I start tapping my nails on the steering wheel, trying to speed up to them.
I’m at least three car links away now, gaining on them, when I start to feel the ground shaking and the BOOM from the initial blast. I sling my arm over my face, the impact from the explosion causing the glass in the truck to shatter and fly everywhere.
Damien’s car and the black van beside him blow up.
I slam on the brakes, everyone around me doing the same.
You can hear tires squealing and horns honking as people start running and screaming.
I look up and see the red Challenger, the one that holds pieces of my heart in it, and my stomach drops.
Slamming the shifter into park, I go to get out, but just as I do the car flies off the ground from the explosion, sending me flying back onto the concrete.
I groan but get up quickly as the car crashes back down and immediately is engulfed in flames.
Getting up, I run over to the flaming car, the heat from the flames lick up the side of my face, making me wince.
Just as I get close to it, I hear someone scream,
“Watch out, the gas tank is leaking.”
I snap my neck and watch the flames chase the line of gas from the van all the way to Damien’s car.
Everything happens so fast but yet in slow motion.
No, God, please nooooo! My mind is screaming, I just want to get them out.
I need to save them, they are all I have left in this shitty life of mine.
Without them, I have nothing. I am nothing.
I fall to my knees and scream out into the dark sky as something whirls in front me and lands beside my knees.
I pick it up and see it’s a picture of me and Naomi when we were little.
I hold it to my chest as tears pour down my face then I scream again because I wasn’t quick enough.
I couldn’t save them. Now, not only are two of the men I love dead, but my little bestie.
The little girl whose blonde hair I’ll never get to see flying in the wind from the swings.
Blue eyes will never look at me with love again.
She didn’t deserve this. None of them did.
As tears pour down my face, I watch the car burn right in front of me.
The heat warms my cheeks, drying my tears as my heart rips into a million pieces.
I failed them. I failed everyone, and in the midst of it all the ones I loved the most got caught in the crossfire and there’s no one to blame but me.
This is all my fault and I don’t know how I will survive this, or maybe I should step into the flames and let the burn incinerate what's left of me because without them. I am Nothing.
To be continued in the final installment coming 2026: Raven's Revenge.