Chapter 28 Raven
TWENTY-EIGHT
RAVEN
Weeks had passed, and just when I was starting to convince myself that my husband had likely decided to leave me for dead, I spotted the Callahan twins at the Red Dog.
I hadn’t seen them in years, but as soon as our eyes met, I felt a jolt of recognition. However, to my surprise, there was none in theirs. They looked right past me, their faces betraying no hint of acknowledgment.
And for a moment, I wondered if it was all just a coincidence.
After all, the Red Dog wasn’t one of our usual hangouts.
It was a seedy bar, made even seedier by its patrons, who engaged in frequent brawls.
Our regular spot had been closed—a local sushi restaurant—for the day.
This seemed the viable option just for this one time, and this place was just a few blocks from our apartment.
Maybe it was a fluke, a brief overlap of worlds, but the feeling that something was off gnawed at me. Neither twin struck me as someone who forgot a face.
We were crammed into a peeling vinyl booth, the bartender shooting us glares every time we ordered another round of hideously expensive margaritas.
I was relaxing with each sip.
“I can’t believe Dante brought you here, of all places,” Isla muttered, glancing around. “I mean, it’s fine for a friends’ hangout or to watch a game, but not for a date.”
Isla, who was now happily married to Enrico Marchetti and thought him to be the smoothest operator on earth, believed everyone deserved a Prince Charming.
Of course, she was choosing to ignore the fact that her Italian man had kidnapped her and forced her to marry him, all on account of the amazing orgasms the man apparently offered.
“Please, can we not talk about Dante Leone or my upcoming engagement? I don’t want to barf all over the table.” Reina wasn’t joking.
“Is Phoenix okay?” I blurted. I’d noticed ever since Reina announced her engagement, her sister had withdrawn. I didn’t know what was bothering her, but I was worried for her.
Reina’s delicate brow scrunched with the same worry I felt.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “She’s been avoiding me.”
“Have you asked her?” Isla wondered. She’d flown in for Reina’s upcoming engagement party, so she’d been pretty much out of the loop.
Reina nodded. “She just brushes me off.”
I reached across the table and squeezed her hand gently. “She’ll tell you when she’s ready. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Maybe an Italian mobster can kidnap her and give her mind-blowing orgasms too?” Isla joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
I rolled my eyes. “Honestly, I think these criminals should be a bit more inventive.”
“So darn picky,” Isla grumbled. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Athena’s birthday is coming up,” I declared, switching topics. It was better than admitting I knew exactly what I was missing. “We should do something crazy.”
Reina looked up from her drink and muttered sarcastically, “As opposed to us not being crazy?”
“Oh my gosh, maybe we can throw a disco party for her?” Isla exclaimed, her eyes glittering with hope. “Rhinestones, disco lights, and a cake in the shape of a huge alien dick!”
“What is it with you and alien dicks lately?” I grumbled, shaking my head.
“Yeah,” Reina agreed. “You’ve been kind of fixated on them.”
Isla shrugged. “Well, when you ladies get fucked by an enormous dick, let’s see if you can forget it. I swear to God that Italian daddy’s dick was out of this world. My vibrator no longer satisfies my urges.”
I groaned.
“God, Isla… please, spare us. We really don’t need details.”
That set off a round of laughter, loud enough to receive filthy looks from the table next to us.
Reina propped her elbows on the table, leaning in and tilting her head pensively. “Maybe that can be our theme. Smut and alien romance.”
I clapped my hands enthusiastically. “How about we go to a bookstore and stock it with her books? The one around the corner from our apartment.”
Isla winced. “That one rejected her books, remember?”
I smiled and made a clicking sound with my tongue. “But if we go in after hours, they wouldn’t be able to object.”
Smart friends would have rejected that idea flat out, but I had good friends instead.
“Well,” Isla said, knocking back the rest of her margarita. “Looks like we’re breaking into a bookstore.”
For the next thirty minutes, we ate greasy fries and downed watered-down drinks while devising a plan and shelf space for Athena’s books. It would probably get us arrested, but at least we’d be together.
We were just wrapping it all up, drunk on our plans and tequila, when the check landed at our table. I snatched it up without thinking.
“My treat,” I said before anyone could argue.
Two pairs of eyes locked on me with simultaneous suspicion and indignation.
“That’s not how we operate,” Reina said.
“It’s a special occasion. I sold two pieces earlier this week,” I said, shrugging even though my stomach did a little backflip every time I said that out loud.
The money I’d withdrawn from Aiden’s account the day of the explosion and the emergency stash my mom had in the P.O.
box had helped to kickstart my disappearance and a new life, but eventually I got a job at an art gallery while attending university.
It was a stroke of luck that the gallery owner had seen my work and was eager to display it in his gallery under the pseudonym Cuishle.
Slowly, buyers came, and so did my source of income.
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming proudly. “Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful!”
“And so not surprising,” Isla added. “Your art is amazing, Raven.”
I grinned, warmth blooming in my chest. For a brief, perfect moment, everything was as it should be. We were just normal girls, enjoying fries, low-level scheming, and our youth.
But I couldn’t ignore the eyes I felt searing a hole into the back of my skull.
I reached for the check as Reina and Isla rose, slipping on their jackets.
“You two go ahead,” I said, nodding toward the line of people waiting to pay at the front. “I’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure?” Isla questioned. “We don’t mind waiting.”
“Positive. I’ll see you at home.”
They exchanged a glance before stumbling out into the frigid autumn air, their laughter fading as the door swung shut behind them.
I stepped into the line, check in hand, and immediately sensed the presence of two towering figures. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was the Callahan twins.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t our deceased sister-in-law,” one of them drawled.
“And here I thought Aiden had lost his mind,” the other retorted.
Fuck, I hoped they wouldn’t approach!
My breath tightened in my lungs. I should have known better than to think Aiden would stand down.
I slowly turned around, coming face-to-face with my brothers-in-law, still not able to recognize who was who.
“Kyran, at your service.” The twin bowed mockingly, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Tyran’s lips curved into a creepy half-smile. “How are you, Raven? Aside from being very much alive.”
The other one’s eyes locked on to mine with a grim expression. “You did him dirty.”
Their presence sucked the light out of the room. They had an unmistakable air about them that spoke of too many things they’d seen and done in their life.
“Don’t call me that.” I glanced around, considering bolting without paying, but the punishment if I got caught would be hefty. Plus, I’d never be able to show my face here again. “What do you want?”
“Now you’re hurting my feelings,” Tyran said slowly. “Not happy to see us?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You can tell?”
Kyran smiled coldly, his glacier eyes unwavering. “You should thank the gods, because you need us.”
I scoffed. “Like a bullet in my head.”
“Planning to break into a bookstore?” Kyran asked, ignoring my jab. “We can help with that.”
My brows knitted as I watched him suspiciously. How the heck had he heard us? “Why would I want your help?”
“We don’t need you getting locked up.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I replied, my voice too breezy. “Unless you’re willing to tell me honestly what you two and Aiden want with me.”
Tyran smirked. “What makes you think we want anything?”
“Unless you did something wrong and are worried about the repercussions of your actions,” Kyran piped in.
I decided that after Athena’s birthday, I’d have to disappear. The Callahans were definitely up to something, and I wasn’t going to stick around to find out what.
“Since you want to help, maybe you can make yourselves useful and figure out a way for us to enter a bookstore without attracting unwanted attention,” I said instead.
“When?” Tyran demanded.
“Next week.” I recited the date and address, and he nodded.
“Always a pleasure, Raven,” they announced just as it was my turn to pay. “Go after your friends, we got this.”
I didn’t have to be told twice, bolting out of there like the devil was at my heel.
When I got to the apartment, I didn’t say anything to the girls. Because really, how would I explain my secret marriage to Aiden Callahan? Or the fact that he’d thought me dead for the past five years?
No, I’d keep that to myself. They had enough on their plates.