Chapter Three
Raven
I stood in the hot shower for far too long because every time I closed my eyes, I saw Katya.
Her lifeless eyes and the ugly red slash that split her throat open.
The way they left her exposed and naked to the world, cutting her down the middle for added insult.
She’d been tortured, probably for the flash drive that was still plugged into my laptop.
I called Macy after finding her, and she convinced me to call the cops.
Not involving them might have been even worse.
I still wasn’t happy about it though, because once I give a statement, my name was going to be on their computers.
It might not be the name that Viktor knew, but if he had anything to do with Katya’s murder then I was sure he’d be checking out anyone she was associated with.
The shower was hot and it warmed me physically but did nothing for the ice-cold chill inside.
Once I was dry and completely dressed, not to mention safe in my room at the clubhouse, my body still refused to calm the fuck down. I still trembled and my teeth chattered too, but it was shock. And fear. And most of all, it was reliving a time in my life I never wanted to live again.
A soft knock sounded before the door opened and Macy popped her head inside. “Can I come in? I brought food. And whiskey.”
“Yeah, sure.” I waved her inside, happy to see her even though I hadn’t asked her to come. “Thanks for getting there so quickly. I shouldn’t have called you to see that gruesome shit but I picked up my phone and just dialed.”
She flashed a soft smile that held not one fucking ounce of pity, which I was grateful for. “I’m glad. I never had a female friend before and I’m glad I could be there for you.” She set down the tray and wrapped her arms around me. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t fucking know, Mace. I feel bad I couldn’t keep Katya safe and I promised her I would.”
“You did what you could,” she insisted even though she couldn’t know that. “Did you hear anything?”
“That’s the fucked up part,” I said, shaking my head. “I couldn’t sleep for shit last night, like literally at all, and I didn’t hear a damn thing.” That was the part that pissed me off, I didn’t hear her or her killers.
“Shit, Raven. I’m sorry I even encouraged you to work at the SCCC. I thought it would be good for you.”
“It has been,” I insisted because that was the truth.
“Helping others has been surprisingly helpful just like you said it would be,” I paused.
I’d told her part of the story on the phone, but not everything.
“The thing is, Katya didn’t just go through what I went through.
She was taken by the same people who took me. ”
She pulled back and gasped, eyes wide and darkened by fear. “Shit, are you sure? How do you know?”
I inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly before I shared the next bit with her. “At the end of the meeting Katya asked to talk, and she gave me a flash drive. That’s part of why I couldn’t sleep, I looked at the drive, and it freaked me the fuck out.”
“You still have it?”
I nodded.
“We need to turn it over to the FBI. They’re best equipped to handle it. No offense to the Steel Demons but this is bigger than that.”
“Turn what over to the FBI?”
I jumped a foot off the bed, screaming like a terrified schoolgirl too. “Shit, Hades! You scared the fuck outta me.” With my hand on my chest, I glared at him while I got my breathing back to normal. “What are you doing eavesdropping?”
“Hardly,” he snorted. “I knocked and stood in the doorway for about two minutes before I spoke.” He crossed his arms over his chest, showing off thick biceps and forearms covered in tattoos. “Turn what over to the FBI?”
Danny, one of the prospects, popped his head in the room. “Is everything okay?”
Hades flashed an annoyed look and nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He took a step inside and closed the door on Danny. “Well?”
I looked away because I refused to share my past with him, or with anyone else for that matter.
It was a secret I kept because I didn’t like people looking at me like I was some fragile fucking flower.
But dammit, those clear gray eyes stared at me all the way down to my soul.
He made it hard to keep my secrets when he stood there all big and beautiful and protective. “You’re annoying, you know that?”
He grinned. “I have been told that a time or two. What I haven’t been told though, is what we’re turning over to the FBI and why.”
I exhaled through my nostrils, still glaring at him. “I went through some shit a few years back and didn’t tell anyone. But it looks like it’s back in my life…” I sighed, letting my words fade into a heavy sigh.
Macy pushed off the bed. “I’ll let you two talk alone. Eat something,” she urged, glancing at the bag in Hades’ hand. “Don’t push her too hard,” she whispered and then slipped from the room.
“Raven,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Does this dead girl have to do with you?”
“In a way.”
“You gonna tell me what happened?” he asked.
I just stared at the floor.
He stared me down, trying to use the silence to force me to talk. It didn’t work. “Okay, fine. Talk when you’re ready.” He handed me the bag. “Sandwich and a beer.”
“Why is everyone trying to feed me?” I asked, pointing to the plate on the desk. “Macy brought fried chicken and whiskey.”
“Because we know what you’re like when you’re stressed. You forget. But if you don’t want it, I’ll take some whiskey.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his weight shifting so much I lurched forward. “Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” That was a damn lie, I was starving because I didn’t eat anything but pastries after the meeting last night, but I couldn’t get the image of Katya’s body out of my head.
“You will be after the beer. And the whiskey.” He opened the bottle of whiskey and took a gulp before handing it to me.
I took a swig and handed it back, before attempting the sandwich, hoping that the whiskey might dial down the notch on my overactive thoughts.
Silence settled between us for a long minute, me eating my sandwich while he took another swig of whiskey. “I used to be in the Army,” he said finally.
“Really?”
He nodded but his gaze never moved from the ugly brown wall. “I thought I’d make a career out of it, that was the plan anyway.”
He carried himself like he was capable, but I just assumed that came from being a badass. “What happened?”
“I was dishonorably discharged.”
I gasped. “No fucking way!”
He let out a humorless laugh and nodded.
“Yeah. I was heading to drinks with a few friends, and I heard my CO attacking one of the new recruits. I beat the fuck out of him and the higher-ups took his side because of course they fucking did. I was out and he stayed in, moved up the ranks. And now here I am.”
“Holy shit. That’s… shit, Hades.”
He laughed. “It’s been a while now so it’s all right.”
“No the fuck it’s not,” I growled. “It’s not all right. It’s bullshit and we both know it.”
He finally looked at me, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement and surprise. “Yeah, it is bullshit, but it’s also the past and I can’t fucking change it, so I’m mad but only because I didn’t kill that bastard.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, it’s a good thing for the Steel Demons you didn’t.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You can trust me, Raven. I know you don’t trust anyone, not really, but I hope you know you can trust me. If you want to, but even if you don’t, I’ll still keep you safe.”
I knew that because that’s just who Hades was. I smiled, relaxing slightly. “Thanks.” I cracked open the beer once my sandwich was gone. “Can you stay for a bit and just sit with me?” I held my breath and waited for his excuses, but he nodded.
“Yeah, sure. I’m eating the fried chicken, though.”
I laughed. “That’s fine. The beer is mine, but I’ll still split the whiskey.”
He laughed, the sound was deep and rich, and for some reason, it relaxed me.
We sat together in silence, drinking and eating. He didn’t push, he was just there with me. Just being.
It was enough.