Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ryan
I walked out of the Halloween store with more nonsense than I thought I would end up with.
Tonight was the night that I’d been looking forward to for weeks since Raven mentioned wanting to play on her favorite holiday.
As usual, I procrastinated until the last minute, but luckily I found what I needed.
Halloween was a day I’d never paid much attention to.
I ignored all the kids in my private school when I heard them talking about trick-or-treating for candy or dressing up in costumes.
When I went to college, the only thing I cared about were the Halloween parties that gave me an excuse to drink the night away.
Raven’s fascination with the spooky time of year was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
I wasn’t surprised, since it was her whole vibe, but it was adorable nonetheless.
I picked up a simple black Anubis mask, opting for something unique as opposed to the typical slasher villain masks.
She had mentioned she liked those, but I wanted to do something different.
Something she hadn’t come across before.
As I settled into my car and pulled out of the parking lot, my phone rang. Rick’s name was displayed on the screen, and I quickly tapped the answer button on the steering wheel.
“Hey, Rick,” I greeted. “Did you finally get the info?” I was beginning to think he had ghosted me.
Rick’s flustered voice boomed through the car speakers. “Ryan. Ryan, I found everything.” He sounded like he was trying to steady his rapid breathing. “There’s things you don’t know.”
I slowed to a stop in an intersection, my pulse kicking into overdrive. “Slow down, what do you mean? Of course there are things I don’t know about Raven. That’s why I hired you.”
After Raven told me briefly about her past, I assumed Rick would find that she had been assaulted, but I wanted to know more.
I wanted to know who was still out there and a threat to her.
I still felt guilty for hiring Rick at all.
I should have let Raven tell me when she was ready, but I couldn’t fathom something happening to her. Especially now.
Static came through the line like he was shifting the phone. “No, there are other things you don’t know, Ryan. Things that could land me in danger. Not only because I found them, but because I’m telling you.”
“What do you mean? Rick, what did you find?” Worry churned in my gut as I stared ahead at the red traffic light. Had Rick found her attacker? I picked my phone up from the cup holder and minimized the call to check the cameras while Rick continued.
“Your girl was attacked not long after she turned eighteen. Because of the severity of the case, they treated her as a minor, which is why I didn’t find it before.
The court records were sealed, but there's other reasons why there's no record of her before college that I don’t have time to get into right now.”
I released a breath as the light turned green. “I knew she was assaulted, but I didn’t know she was so young.”
My heart broke for her, yet I was astounded she had overcome the traumatic encounter at such a young age.
“That’s not the worst of it, Ryan.” Rick’s voice had slowed to normal, but it was still dripping with trepidation.
“I’m going to send you the court documents and everything else I found.
You’re going to see things in there that are going to change your life.
I’m disappearing. You won’t hear from me again, and neither will anyone else. ”
Confusion clouded my mind, as I sped toward my apartment, anxious to see what the files contained. “What do you mean? What could Raven have to do with you?”
“Nothing directly, but I have to protect myself. Once you see the file, I’m sure things are going to happen. I won’t have any tie to me whatsoever with this,” he pressed.
“Fine. I’ll wire the rest of the money to you as soon as I get home.” Frustration laced my words as anger overtook all other emotions. Anger at not getting the full story from Rick directly, anger that something was about to happen whether I wanted it to or not.
Rick’s voice cut into my thoughts. “Don’t worry about the money. I don’t want another link to me.”
“Whatever you want, dude.”
“Ryan, one more thing,” he added. “Be careful. Don’t do anything rash after you see the file. You have to understand that there are people in the world who are so powerful they can get away with anything. Even murder.”
The line went dead. What the actual fuck? Murder? What did murder have to do with this?
“Fuck!” I yelled into the car as I banged my fist on the steering wheel.
A thousand thoughts raced through my brain.
I tapped Raven’s name on my phone, hovering over the call button.
Hesitating, I decided I couldn’t let her know I was upset.
I had to be calm. Taking a few deep breaths, I steadied my voice and ringing filled the car speakers.
“This is a pleasant surprise.” Her sweet but authoritative voice immediately stilled my nerves. She was okay.
“Hey, baby. How’s work?”
“Hang on, let me shut my door.” I heard her heels click across the tile of her office and my thoughts strayed to her bent over her desk in only those heels. I would lie down and let her walk all over me with those fucking heels.
“All right.” I heard the door close and the squeak of leather as she sat down. “It’s going okay. I’ll admit, I’m a bit distracted.” Her voice turned seductive and my cock stirred even with the other things on my mind. Raven had been so busy this week that I hadn’t seen her since Sunday.
“Distracted? I wonder why?” I drawled.
She laughed. “You know exactly why. I would much rather be on my knees with you down my throat than analyzing stocks right now.”
“Fuck, Raven,” I said on a sigh. When that intelligent mouth turned feral I was instantly hard, not even thinking about what she could do with it.
I sighed. “Baby, I might not be able to wait until tonight if you keep talking like that. You’ll have to send the ladies home so I can fuck you on every surface of that office.”
Raven’s sensual tone flowed through the speakers. “Ah ah, I have work to do. You’re going to be a good boy and wait until tonight to claim your prize. I may be the hunted, but only when I say.”
I groaned. “You’re going to make me come in my pants in my fucking car. I’ve had blue balls all week, and now you’re whipping out the good boy? That’s so unfair, babe.”
“When did I ever say I play fair, Mr. Mitchell?” I could see the smirk on her face.
“Fine. I cave. You win. I’m almost to my apartment, and I have activities to prepare for.”
Her tone changed back to playful. “Victory! You really are the perfect man, letting me win all the time. I’m the luckiest lady in the world. I can’t wait for what’s in store tonight.”
I pulled the car into a parking spot. “You’re in for it, baby. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Ryan.”
“Raven, wait.” Apprehension was winding its way back into my chest after her distraction.
“Yeah?” she asked.
I sighed. “Please be careful, okay?”
“Always, babe. Bye.”
The phone beeped, and I gathered the shopping bags, bounding out of my car and to my apartment. Once inside, I threw everything on the counter and raced to my computer. While it was booting up, I tapped my fingers on the desk.
Unease swirled in my gut at what I was about to see.
Something wasn’t right. Rick’s call was so strange, and I wondered what I could see in these files that would change my life?
Did Rick know how far I had fallen for Raven?
Was there something that was going to change my mind about wanting to be with her?
I shook my head. No matter what was in the files, I was in this with her. I planned to tell her tonight that I wanted to be exclusive. I knew she wasn’t seeing anyone else, and I was going to make sure she knew this was more to me than sex.
My email inbox loaded on the computer screen and the first message was from an unknown address. The message was blank except for an unfamiliar attachment. After navigating the encryption, the files began to download.
All too quickly and too slowly at the same time, the download completed. The file explorer window jumped on the screen, listing a dozen folders. I clicked into the first one and the first document was a police report.
Pushing away from the desk, I paced the living room.
Once I saw this, there was no going back—no undoing once I read Raven’s legal documents.
Shame surged through me at the thought of the intrusion, but the part of me that was in love with her nagged that I had to do it. I had to see what was going on.
I stopped in my tracks. I loved her. I loved this powerful woman and I would do anything for her. I would stop at nothing to keep her safe. Fear slammed into me, and I knew, I just fucking knew that she was in danger.
I flew back to the computer and pulled up the police report.
My heart stopped as I read the words in the boxes and the narrative below.
Confusion clouded my brain and realization stabbed me right in the fucking heart.
Staring back at me from the screen wasn’t Raven’s name.
It was a name I didn’t recognize, Leah Williams, and to my horror, typed halfway down the page, was Uncle Jeff’s name in glaring letters.