23. Christian
“Are you sure you’re feeling better now?”
“Yes, I am. And before you ask, yes, I did take the bet that Michael and Kyle offered. And trust me when I say that it’s going to happen this year.”
I watch the twinkle in her eyes, relieved that she’s now in a better state. The food poisoning wreaked havoc on her during the whole weekend, but she fought through it like a champ, insisting on joining last night’s campfire while still pale.
She’s still a bit pale now, too, but her enthusiasm is contagious and I can’t help but grin.
“It’s not. You just wasted your money on those asses.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s fun to be part of the bet and I don’t regret it one bit. If nothing happens at your Christmas party, then we’re holding out for the next bootcamp. It’s impossible that nothing happens between Jack and Stacy, especially after how they got comfortable with each other last night.”
My heart jumps, oddly loving the idea of Raven attending both events. But my mind buzzes through the excitement, reminding me that she probably won’t be my client anymore when that time comes. That’s another odd punch to the stomach, turning it hollow whenever I’m faced with the reality that our setup is temporary.
But I don’t want to dwell on it, so I chuckle at her words.
“The next time you see Michael and Kyle, they’ll just up the bet and squeeze more money out of you.”
“Care to bet on that?”
I groan and complain that my agents are a bad influence on her, but I am secretly pleased that everything went smoothly—minus her being sick—and they all got along well. I miss them already, some of whom I spent some assignments with in the military before I hired them, but it’s just one of those things I have to get used to, considering I’ll probably be more present in Nashville while I deal with my expansion.
When we arrive in Sweet Haven, Raven sighs in relief and stretches her arms in the air. I give her an amused look.
“Home sweet home?”
“Yeah. Surprisingly. I didn’t realize I missed this place until we got to Nashville. This town creeps up on you.”
“A lot of people say that.”
“And I miss Honey Lee. And Aaron. And this is crazy, but I also miss Mary Anne and Betty.”
“Not crazy at all. You guys spent a lot of time together, so I’m glad that Aimee didn’t taint that friendship.”
“They’re nice. And Aimee isn’t so bad. She just went about it the wrong way.”
“Hmm.” I clear my throat. “We can stay at Clara’s and Nick’s place for a while if you want. It’s also secure and…”
“No.” Her voice is firm. “I had my time to recuperate, and I don’t want to run away from him this time.”
I want to hug her hard, proud of the steel that’s coming out of her. But I stay quiet. When we arrive at my house, I brace myself for Raven to change her mind, but she doesn’t.
“What’s the plan now?”
Before I can answer, my phone rings. “Maybe we can go out for dinner. But hold that thought.”
When I read the name, I excuse myself and take it to my bedroom. Jason Wallis, one of my close friends and a former Navy SEAL like me, greets me and asks me how I’m doing. He talks about his business for a bit, one of the reasons why I wasn’t able to recruit him into my agency.
Then he gets to the point.
“I got word from one of the local cops last night about the name you mentioned. Sam Thornton, right?”
My muscles tense up. “What about Sam?”
“He got arrested in Nashville.”
“Nashville? Aren’t you in Atlanta?”
“Yeah, but word gets around. The cop’s my friend and his brother’s also a cop in Nashville. His brother talked about this guy they arrested there, who was caught stealing and harassing a woman. I heard there’s more involved in the story, but I haven’t checked yet. I wanted to tell you first the moment I found out the name.”
“Thanks, Jason.”
“Do you want me to check?”
“No, there’s no need. I’ll check it myself.”
I thank him again, then hang up. It’s crazy because I can just call someone in Nashville, but my mind refuses the idea and I’m already planning the trip in my head. I leave my bedroom in that confused state and find Raven on the couch scrolling through her phone.
When she looks up, she examines my face.
“Let me guess. You got an emergency call and it needs your attention?”
“Yeah.”
“Then go.”
Her easy answer surprises me. “But…”
She holds up a hand and stands up to hug me. I hug her back, then look down when she speaks in a firm tone.
“You wouldn’t look that bothered if it wasn’t important. I know you. You want justice to prevail, and if it’s something as fucked up as a possible sex trafficking group, then you won’t let it go. Is it like that again?”
“Not sex trafficking, but it’s important, too.”
She smiles. “Then I’m either going with you or I’m staying with Honey Lee. I’m not going to be alone this time. You choose.”
I hesitate. I want to tell her so badly that her ex just got arrested, but I need to be sure—and I need to go there and look the bastard in the eye, not just hear the news from someone. I need to know the details of his arrest and how long it’s going to last—every single information that will not disappoint Raven when I finally have my answers.
And the only way I can do all that is if I go to Nashville myself.
Leaving Raven behind again feels like the scariest thing in the world, especially since the last time I left her and found her still plagues my mind from time to time. But she’s being brave now, and I can’t take that away from her.
So I nod.
“Okay. You’re staying with Honey Lee. Just a night or two. And days. And you can’t ever leave her sight.”
She smiles again, blissfully unaware. “Are you kidding me? It’ll be like a slumber party. She’s been begging me to spend the night there and this is the perfect opportunity.”
I can’t help but chuckle at her words, then can’t help but kiss her. She kisses me back, already excited to tell Honey Lee. I’ll be sure to call her later and talk to Honey Lee and Aaron about always keeping an eye on her.
If it’s bad news, then Raven won’t know a thing and won’t get her hopes dashed. But if it’s good news?
I get to investigate it first-hand before I deliver that sweet piece of justice into her hands.
* * *
I’m driving there at night. Getting sleep first would have been the logical step since we had a long travel day, but I’m too wired up to sleep, and Honey Lee and Aaron don’t mind when I drop Raven off on the way. During my drive, my thoughts are swirling, leaving me no reprieve until I finally get to Nashville and head straight to the police station.
When I get there, it takes some time to navigate identification and get their sheriff to come to talk to me, as he’s new and I haven’t built a relationship with him yet. There’s a lot of grumbling about how I interrupted his time off, but I explain the situation when he takes me aside, appealing to his good side. To my relief, that fares well as he finally takes me to where the cells are.
And that’s where I find Sam, locked behind bars and sleeping soundly on the bed.
I don’t disturb his sleep. I watch him instead, my anger bubbling up automatically as the memories of the assault are still fresh in my mind. Then I step back and talk to the sheriff in private while he divulges exactly what Sam has done.
“He escorted a woman out of the bar and started manhandling her, but two other women witnessed it and tried to help. He messed them up, then ran right into some trouble with a local gang near the bar. Ended up fighting with two of them.”
“Drunk?”
“Not just drunk. High as a kite, too.” The sheriff grimaces. “We found him carrying an illegal firearm and the knife he used when fighting the two men. He was also in possession of drugs.”
I shake my head, but I can’t say I’m in disbelief over the trouble he got himself into.
“Have the charges been filed?
“Yeah, from all three women. With all the evidence stacked up against him, including the illegal firearm, knife, and drugs, he should’ve been in for years, decades even, but they bungled up the evidence and he only got two years on a technicality.”
I admit that hearing that pisses me off. It should be more than that. Two years is nothing. I tell the sheriff about the situation with Raven, which gets him even more riled up.
“What a bastard. I’ll be glad to cooperate with you if you want to file charges, too.”
We discuss it some more, with him promising to let me know if anything else comes up. With nothing else to do, I head to my Nashville place, already deciding to stay here to ensure Sam remains in jail and doesn’t get bailed out. Again, I keep the information to myself for now, wanting to tell Raven the truth when everything’s already ironed out.
But it’s good news. It’s the kind of news that I know will finally ease her worries, assured that Sam can’t physically get to her again.
And it’s the kind of news that I know will finally change our working relationship.