Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
RAVEN
“ C an we have burgers every night?” Noah asks, but it’s muffled.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” I chide him.
“If you want,” Griffin answers Noah’s question, but that earns Griffin a punch in the arm from Knox.
I can’t lie, sitting around the table together is nice. It’s something I could easily get used to.
Knox said I’m not alone. I don’t want to get used to not being alone, but I can’t stop the warmth that spreads through my chest, easing the damage done by so many who came before.
After signing Noah out of school, Griffin steered us toward his truck.
My keys are in my purse, which is still in the library and probably burned to a crisp.
On our way to my house, Griffin pulled over and picked up dinner from Mystic River Grill.
He and Knox thought ahead and ordered online while I got Noah.
Noah has asked questions about what happened, but I have no idea what to tell him. I don’t want to lie, but I’m not sure if he needs the full truth right now. He’s young, and he’s already seen too much of the dark and ugly the world has to offer.
I don’t want to revisit what happened in the library, but controlling the thoughts in my brain is difficult with how tired I am. The adrenaline has worn off and left me fatigued.
Seth’s face flashes in my mind. Trying to push the image away brings about the start of a headache. His whistles ring in my ears along with the ominous rhyme.
Seth said, “The girl got hit by a rock.” But Seth didn’t have rocks. He had grenades. Is the rock supposed to be a symbol, or did he think he was throwing rocks at me?
Seth also said, “The madman threw the rock,” but then later, “The madman gave me the rock.” My first assumption is that Seth is the madman. But Seth didn’t give himself a rock. So does the madman change meaning at the end, or is the madman someone else the whole time?
I fucking suck at poetry.
Noah swallows his food. “Mom?”
“What? Oh. Umm.” I pretend to think through the question. “I don’t know if burgers and fries every night for dinner is a good idea.” I shake my head.
“Aww, man,” Noah complains, and takes another sip of his soda, passively. But when he sets his cup down, he places it on the side of his plate, something that makes my eye twitch.
Every time he does that, I swear on everything I own, he accidentally knocks his drink over.
Then it’s a whole fiasco, complete with pouting and sometimes crying.
So, to prevent the issue, I usually ask Noah to move his cup, or I just do it for him.
And today, I decide to move it for him. But it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Griffin and Knox watch me with puzzled looks on their faces.
“Knox, can you teach me how to drive my own motorcycle?” Noah blurts out.
Knox is thrown off guard. “Uhh…” And that is the way of kids.
“Noah…” I place my hand on his arm.
“Motorcycles aren’t just fun toys. They can be very dangerous. If you want to learn when you’re older, you’re going to have to talk to your mom about that.” Knox’s answer is perfect. He didn’t lie. He didn’t make promises that he might not be able to keep. And he didn’t brush off Noah.
They’re better with kids than they think.
“Mom?”
“Let me think that one over, little king.” I know my only experience on a motorcycle wasn’t pleasant. I might have enjoyed it if it weren’t for Jed being a total asshole.
“So, Noah, how’s school going?” Griffin asks. When Noah appears to shut down, Knox punches Griffin in the arm again.
“Fine,” he answers with his head down.
Griffin keeps going. “Do you have a best friend at school?”
Noah sinks further into himself. “No.”
Knox dishes out another punch, and Griffin acts like he’s going to punch Knox back. But Knox widens his eyes and tilts his head toward Noah. Griffin makes a frustrated noise.
He’s going to have a nasty bruise later.
Griffin keeps trying. “That’s okay, bud. I didn’t have a best friend either. Do you know why?”
Noah shakes his head.
“No one liked me.” Griffin shrugs a shoulder.
Noah’s eyes widen. “What? But you’re so cool!” His disbelief is adorable.
Griffin’s smile is small but full of affection. “Thanks. But my family was different. Knox and I were made fun of a lot.”
“You didn’t have a best friend either?”
Knox shakes his head.
“No way,” Noah says to himself. I can see the thoughts flying through his brain. “How was your family different?”
Griffin clears his throat. “Well, our mom wasn’t around. And?—”
“Like she worked a lot?” Noah interrupts.
Guilt wraps itself around my heart and squeezes. I feel bad that I can’t give him what every other child has. If it were possible, I wouldn’t work at all. I’ve already missed so much of his life. I don’t want to miss anymore. But life costs money, and money isn’t free.
“No. Our mom decided she didn’t want to be a mom anymore, and she left.”
Noah takes a minute to digest the new information. “My mom would never do that to me. But I’m sorry your mom left.”
Knox and Griffin both wear a sad smile. Noah’s innocence has them both charmed.
“Thank you, Noah. And you’re right.” Griffin’s eyes meet mine. “Your mom would never do that.”
His confidence in me bolsters my dwindling belief that I’m not messing this all up. He thinks I’m a good mom. He believes in me.
“So, because your family was different, kids were mean to you,” Noah deduces.
“That’s right,” Griffin confirms.
“I don’t like that,” Noah states.
Griffin nods his head. “I didn’t like it then either. I had to defend myself a lot. Bullies aren’t actually all that tough. They’ll leave you alone if you stand up to them.”
Noah sits back, staring at his mostly empty plate. “May I be excused?” Noah asks me.
I nod. “Clear your plate, then brush your teeth and head for bed, please.”
Pushing out his chair, Noah stands with his plate in hand. “Love you, Mom,” he says as he walks by and gives me a small kiss on the cheek.
It’s like I suddenly turned into a damn fountain because, for the millionth time today, tears gather in my eyes. “Thank you,” I whisper to Knox and Griffin.
Knox repeats his statement from earlier, “You’re not alone.”
There’s a knock at the door, and both men jump to their feet. Knox nods to Griffin and exits the kitchen, heading for the front door.
I stand to go with him, but Griffin keeps me back. “Let him answer the door, Sunshine.”
“But it’s my front door,” I argue.
“Don’t be a brat. You went through something traumatic today. I think it’s safest if—” Griffin cuts himself off when he hears the door open and Knox starts talking.
“Hello, Officer Langston. Come on in.”
The front door slams shut, and footsteps tread to the kitchen.
Langston removes his hat and greets me with a handshake. “Sorry for the late hour, Miss Henry.” He’s dressed in a denim shirt and denim jeans. The white in the scruff on his face and in his hair is an indication of his age. His tired eyes speak to the long hours he works.
“Not a problem, Officer. And, please, call me Raven.”
He nods and turns to the other two men in the room. “I didn’t catch your names earlier.”
“I’m Knox Montgomery, and this is my brother Griffin.”
“Nice to meet you. And how do you know Raven?”
“We’re her?—”
“Neighbors,” I interrupt forcefully. “They’re my neighbors.”
Griffin and Knox share a secret smirk.
“Please, have a seat.” I offer one of the wooden chairs to Langston. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you, ma’am,” he replies as he sits down.
The rest of us occupy the empty chairs and scoot in.
Langston pulls out a pen and a small notepad. “Could you tell me what happened today, Raven?”
“Yeah, sure,” I agree, but my stomach is rolling at the thought of having to relive it all over again.
Griffin drags his chair so there’s no space between us and places his arm around my shoulders.
Knox discreetly reaches for my hand under the table, tangling our fingers together and resting them on my thigh.
I’m not alone.
I recount Seth entering the library, his disheveled appearance, the pocket full of grenades, the creepy rhyme he recited, and the way he didn’t register when I was trying to talk to him. I recall every sound, every scent, and every word.
I keep my story factual. I know I’m distancing myself from what happened. My eyes don’t fill with tears, and my voice is monotone through the whole retelling.
However, the same can’t be said of Griffin and Knox. Griffin’s shoulders move up and down as his breaths get shallower and closer together. Knox tenses but is careful not to squeeze my hand. But neither interrupts me, nor do they lose control.
By the time I’m done, a cold sheen of sweat covers every inch of my skin.
“Thank you, Raven. I know that wasn’t easy,” Langston acknowledges.
“No problem.” The smile on my face is forced.
Langston positions his pen on his notepad again. “I have a few more questions if you’re up for it.”
I swallow. “Sure.”
“Did you know your attacker?”
“No.”
He flips a page. “According to a few witnesses, his name was Seth Beauregard. Does that name sound familiar?”
“Um. No. I can’t say that it is.” I shake my head.
“And this poem?—”
“Nursery rhyme,” I interrupt. My heart races as I try to remember what he said. “It was Hickory Dickory Dock, but he changed the words. He said something about a madman and rocks, but…he didn’t have rocks.”
Griffin strokes my upper arm, and Knox surrounds my hand in both of his. I lean into their touch as a pleasant glow softens my disquiet.
Langston looks at me intently. “Do you have any idea who this madman is that he referenced?”
“No,” I lie.
“Well, thank you for your time. I’ll get out of your hair.” Langston places his hat back on his head and stows the pen and notepad in his pocket.
Knox leads Langston back to the door, and I head upstairs to check on Noah. I peek in his room to find him out cold.
“Goodnight, little king,” I whisper as I shut the door quietly.
I almost jump out of my skin when I turn and find Griffin right behind me. My outraged whisper doesn’t properly convey my frustration. “What are you doing? You scared me half to death!” I slap his shoulder in the same spot Knox punched him earlier.
Griffin’s smirk is like gas on a flame. “We said you wouldn’t be alone.”
Waving my arms, I whisper-shout again, “We’re in my house, you dummy! You don’t need to attach yourself like a Siamese twin!”
“Agree to disagree.” Griffin snags my hand and leads me back down the stairs. We go all the way to the kitchen, where we find Knox cleaning up after dinner.
Scurrying over to help, I gather trash and dirty plates. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“It’s not a problem,” Knox says simply.
Griffin joins, and we have the kitchen clean in no time.
“Thank you for coming today.”
“You don’t need to thank us.”
Fidgeting with my hands, I contradict Griffin, “But I do. You rushed to my side and stayed with me. You fed Noah and me, you held me while I was interviewed, and…” A sob catches in my throat. “And you reached Noah in a way I haven’t been able to.”
Instead of giving me words, they give me what I’m starting to crave. Support. Griffin stands at my back and snakes his arms under mine and around my torso. Knox stands at my front and gently holds both of my hands in his, minding my stitches and bringing our hands to his chest.
When my body starts to sway, the day catching up with me, Knox releases my hands, and Griffin sweeps me into his arms. I’m too tired to argue like normal as I’m carried upstairs and to my room.
I don’t even argue when Knox digs through my drawers and finds a pair of sleep shorts and an oversized tee, handing both to me and leading me to my connecting bathroom.
They at least leave me alone to dress. And when I’m done, I walk out to find both of them dressed down to their boxers.
I’m so tired that I can’t even appreciate the beautifully sculpted bodies in front of me.
Fatigue makes my limbs and eyelids feel heavy. I can’t even take the few steps to fall into my bed.
Knox takes me by the hand and leads me to the bed and lifts the comforter. He urges me to slide to the middle, and I comply. Knox slides in after me while Griffin lies down on my other side.
Their hands move my practically lifeless body, positioning me on my side facing Knox.
Griffin wraps himself around me from behind while Knox plasters himself to my front.
Their warmth is irresistible, and effortlessly, I drift away into unconsciousness surrounded by a bouquet of vetiver mixed with sea salt and bergamot.