Chapter 35 Don’t Blame Me!
Don’t Blame Me!
Raven
“Icannot believe you said that.” I shake my head, laughing. “I hope he comes, and I hope he does wait in the car.”
Rachel grins, unbothered. “It’s no less than he deserves.”
The mental image alone of Kane sitting in his car, stewing, while Cam smugly delivers updates, brightens my mood. Probably more than it should. He doesn’t seem like the type to wait for anything, let alone sit on the sidelines.
Which is why I know he won’t stay in the car.
Rachel's going on about how Cam is going to work his magic, but my mind drifts elsewhere. Her comment about going home has been gnawing at me ever since she said it.
Home.
The word feels… wrong. Like a place I don’t belong anymore.
Rachel has a life waiting for her back in the States. Messy and chaotic, but hers. I don’t know what I have. Or where I’m supposed to be. The closer we get to answers, the more it feels like I’m standing at the edge of something impossible, something I’m not ready to name.
The good news is, my ribs ache a little less today, and my arm’s actually healing nicely. In another few days, I’ll be good as new. No one found out, which is its own blessing.
A low rumble of thunder rolls in the distance, rattling the windows. Fitting.
As freaky as everything’s been, I’m starting to expect it. The unease is still there, but beneath it, there's a sense of calmness. Like my body knows something my mind hasn’t caught up to yet. That alone should freak me out more than it does.
The doorbell rings, jolting me out of my thoughts and Cam doesn’t wait to be let in. I hear his voice carry down the hall, as I make my way to the living room. I don’t see Kane, and a laugh escapes me before I can stop it.
Cam smirks, looking at me like he already knows exactly what I’m thinking. “Aye, he’s waiting in the car. Probably for the best if we give him a minute.”
Oh, that’s rich.
Rachel snickers. “Coward.”
I roll my eyes, folding my arms as I look out the window. The storm's only getting worse. Sheets of rain slam against the glass. Good. Let him stay out there.
I turn back to Cam, smiling. “Aright, Sherlock. What’s the plan?”
“First? We find out what the hell is so impossible to track about your family. Second? We drink. Because we’re gonna need it."
Rachel sighs, walking into the kitchen. “Sounds about right.”
Cam moves toward the table, already setting up his laptop, but my focus drifts back outside. I know Kane’s not just sitting in that car. He’s too arrogant and far too stubborn.
And the fact that he hasn't come in yet is probably because this is a game to him. And I’m not playing.
After about thirty minutes of overthinking, I push off the couch, ignoring Rachel’s questioning look as I head to the front door. I yank it open, seeing the rain soaked path and the idiot leaning against his car.
He’s standing there like the storm doesn’t touch him. His arms are crossed and his expression is unreadable, but there’s something coiled beneath the surface. Something dangerous. For a split second, I almost shut the door and go back inside.
“You just gonna brood out here all night in the rain?”
He doesn’t move, in fact, he doesn’t even look at me. He lets the silence stretch long enough to make me shift on my feet.
His eyes slowly sweep over me in a way that makes heat crawl up my neck despite the cold. “Wasn’t sure I was invited,” he finally says, but there’s an edge to it.
I cross my arms, shifting my weight to one hip. “You weren’t.”
That earns me a glare. “And yet, here you are.”
My fingers curl against my arms, and I clench my mouth shut. Arrogant ass. I’m sure he loves that I came out here. That I even opened the door at all. But I refuse to give him the satisfaction.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I scoff. “Rachel said you could come in, and it’s her house. I just figured I’d spare you the embarrassment of sulking in the rain like a kicked puppy.”
I turn to go back inside, but his words cut through the rain. “You think I’d sit out here all night waiting on you, Princess?”
The way he says it, and the way his voice dips, sends a thrill racing through me. Which is so stupid. I don’t care what he does.
I turn, arching a brow. “Well, you’re the one standing in the rain, so you tell me.”
Kane pushes off his car and steps forward, just enough to make my pulse betray me. “Why are you out here, Raven?”
I roll my eyes, ignoring the way his voice wraps around my name. “Because some of us have the basic human decency not to leave guests standing in the rain.”
“Decency,” he repeats, like he’s testing me. His eyes slide down my body, then slowly back up again. “That’s what this is?”
I take a deep breath, trying not to let him get to me. The storm has already soaked through my hoodie, and my patience is thinning. “God, you’re insufferable.”
“And yet,” he murmurs, stepping past me. “Here you are.”
Before I can fire back, his jacket brushes against my arm as he steps inside, dragging the scent of rain and something darker with him. He doesn’t look at me as he passes, but I can just feel his arrogant smirk.
And it infuriates me.
Rachel and I are devouring our food like we haven’t eaten in days, while Kane and Cam’s plates sit mostly untouched. Cam’s laser-focused on his laptop, and the only thing I can hear are his fingers flying over the keys while he splits his attention between the screen and the conversation.
Kane, on the other hand, looks like the poster child for brooding intensity.
He hasn't said much, but right now, his gaze is fixed on some invisible point just beyond the table. The moody, dark thing he’s got going on is almost palpable, and despite everything, I find it a little funny in that probably-losing-my-mind kind of way.
Maybe it’s the whole situation getting to me. Or maybe autopilot has kicked in again, leaving my reactions muted and detached. Either way, I'm starting to wonder if this is what a midlife crisis feels like. Except I’m not even thirty yet, so that’s fantastic.
“All right, here’s the deal,” I say, breaking the silence and forcing a casual tone, even though the tension in the room feels like it could crush bone.
“I’m just trying to figure out who my family is.
Without diving into the full sob story, my grandparents are gone, and no, I don't have anyone else. At least, not that I know of. My grandfather left me some things before he passed, and now I’m trying to find out what they mean, who they belonged to, and all the usual soul-searching crap people do after a loss. "
I try to keep my tone light, but the room falls into an awkward silence.
Crickets.
“Okay, tough crowd. I get it. But I’m fine.” I force a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes, as I look around the table, trying to gauge their reactions.
Kane’s face is a fortress of unreadable intensity, with his tight jaw like he’s trying not to fly off the handle.
Meanwhile, Cam looks like he’s only half-listening. His focus bounces between me and whatever he’s digging up on his laptop. He looks up, and a small grin tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Never trust a fine.”
I roll my eyes but can’t stop the small smile that sneaks through. Rachel notices, and I catch her smirking behind her coffee.
“Seriously, though,” I say, straightening in my seat, trying to shake off the tension. “I just want to figure this out, and I don’t need everyone looking at me like I'm about to shatter into a million pieces. I’m not some fragile flower, okay?”
Cam chuckles, leaning back in his chair with that insufferable, easy confidence of his. “Fair enough,” he says, his grin softening just enough to be disarming. “But don’t expect us to just sit back and watch you stumble through this.”
Before I can say anything, Kane finally speaks up. “If you want us to help, we need the truth. All of it. No more I’m fine when you’re clearly not.”
The edge in his tone hits and I'm instantly ready to argue back. I breathe through it, because screaming in his face isn't exactly helpful right now.
There's so much I haven't told anyone. The near-constant chaos, the bruises, and the nights I still wake up choking on shadows—are secrets I'd rather not share.
I look at Rachel, but even she doesn't know everything. No one does. And right now, the last person I want prying is Kane.
“All right,” my voice is clipped. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
Kane doesn’t react, but his gaze stays locked on me. He’s reading me, dissecting my words before I’ve even said them and it pisses me off. But, I ignore it and continue.
“When my grandfather passed, he left me a box of things he wanted me to have. Things I think he wanted me to figure out.” I swallow, pushing through the sudden knot in my throat. “That’s why I came here. I need answers about my family, and my past. Who my parents really were.”
I hesitate, forcing my voice to stay even, while I take my damp hoodie off. “We were supposed to come here together, but he passed before we could.”
The words sit heavy in the air. I don’t look at Kane, but I can feel his stare, it's a weight all on its own.
“This trip isn’t just a vacation,” I continue, my tone turning dry. “Though I’m sure that’s what your research told you.”
Kane doesn’t flinch at the dig, but I can see him clench his jaw tighter. Good. Let him stew in it.
“I’ve just been trying to piece everything together, but the more I dig, the more questions I uncover. And honestly at this point it’s just getting annoying as hell.”
A muscle in Kane’s jaw ticks, but he stays silent.
Cam props his feet up on the coffee table, entirely too at ease. “Why do I feel like there’s more?”
I roll my eyes but keep going. “I did run into someone,” I admit, choosing my words carefully. “He seemed to know more about me than I knew about him.” My voice tightens, and a thread of unease creeps in. “Only, nothing he said made any sense.”