Chapter Thirteen
Raven
Now that I’m safe in Remy’s apartment, I calm down, certain I overreacted to seeing Lance at the coffee shop.
After all, I was safe, surrounded by people, and he couldn’t have hurt me even if he wanted to.
But the moment I saw him for the first time, my gaze meeting eyes that are so similar to Caleb’s but lack the warmth and humanity of the brother I love, I panicked.
As Remy said, I fed his need to scare me. But I’m safe. At least for a while.
“Raven, I need you to pack your things.” Remy enters the room, a large suitcase in hand. “We’re leaving town.”
I blink, stunned. “What? No. I have work. You have work.”
“I’ve got that covered. I put Stevie in charge of the bar and we have Pamela for the restaurant,” he says of the sub-manager under me.
I blow out a breath and do my best not to engage Remy in an argument when he obviously has a plan I’m not aware of.
So I’ll talk rationally, then I’ll engage.
Didn’t I say I don’t want to run but live my life?
But I can’t deny I’m scared of Lance, worried he’s escalating or plans to.
Remy might be a detective but I’ve watched enough television shows and real true crime documentaries to know he’s right.
“Where are we going?” I ask, as he lifts the empty but large piece of luggage, placing it on the bed.
“My family has a compound on Cape Cod.”
“Of course they do,” I mutter. The Kanes have money and are wealthy in their world but the Sterling financial situation is beyond my wildest imaginings.
Maybe when I lived in Cassandra and my father’s home in Chappaqua I might have felt a little more comfortable at the idea of going to a compound, but now?
I’ve been supporting myself on my salary and pinching pennies like the average New Yorker for so long, Remy’s type of money intimidates me.
Still… “I really want to argue with you. A part of me says I should stay and make a stand but the part of me that panicked when I saw Lance tells me to pack up and go. No more questions asked.”
He strides over and cups my cheek in his hand. “I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you. So if you’re waffling on your decision, can you do this for me?”
I swallow hard. Put that way, how can I resist? I’ve never had anyone worry or care about me the way Remy does except Caleb and Cara. But Caleb is my brother with a child to be concerned about, and Cara is still, for most purposes, a teenager who focuses only on herself.
Except, my sister called this morning because she heard about our mother’s visit and public spectacle.
She was worried and wanted me to know she’s Team Raven.
I smile at the thought of my caring siblings.
They’re the two reasons being adopted by the Kanes was a good thing.
Three when I count my little nephew. They’d want me to go with Remy and keep myself safe.
“Raven? Where did you go?” Remy asks, his deep voice bringing me back to the here and now.
“Just thinking,” I murmur. “Okay, we’ll leave town.”
His eyes light up and that sexy mouth lifts in a grin. “You’ll love the Cape.”
“Even in the winter?” I ask.
“Especially in the winter. Now pack.”
* * *
Raven
While I pack, I call my sister and Caleb to let them know I’m leaving town. Both agree it’s a good idea and appreciate that I have Remy to look out for me. As an independent woman, normally I would argue that I can take care of myself. Just not when it comes to Lance.
A little while later, we’re on our way in Remy’s large SUV. He’s alert and diligent, often looking in the rearview mirror, and yes, even taking a circuitous route around the city before leaving town. No doubt to lose any potential tail.
The adrenaline rush of seeing Lance in person has worn off and exhaustion claims me. I doze as we drive in the dark of night to Cape Cod. I wake up to the feel of the truck coming to a stop, and Remy opening his window to press a series of numbers into a keypad to open the gate.
Despite the outdoor light fixtures lining the driveway, it’s difficult to see my surroundings and I have a feeling I’ll be blown away in the morning.
A Porsche SUV is parked in the driveway.
“Shit,” Remy mutters.
I glance at his profile. “What’s wrong?”
He cuts the engine. “Looks like we have company. That’s Dex’s car.”
Despite having been around the Sterling family the times they’ve come to the bar, I don’t know any of them well. Dex, the ex-pro-football player, always seems like a fun guy. Always upbeat and friendly.
“Well, I look forward to getting to know him a little.” I open my car door and slide out, meeting Remy around the back. Out of nowhere, a large black dog comes bounding toward us, the exuberance in the animal easy to see.
“Pogo!” Remy says in a deep voice, and the dog comes to a skidding stop in front of us, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and snow on his nose.
“Pogo?” Laughing, I pet his head.
“He belongs to the groundskeeper who lives in a house on the property. To hear him tell it, this guy loved to hop when he was a puppy.”
“Like a pogo stick,” I say, understanding.
“You’re not afraid of him,” an unfamiliar voice says.
I turn to see Dex has walked out of the house, joining us. I prefer Remy’s looks but Dex is a handsome man. From what the press says, women love him and being a playboy jock, Dex loves them right back.
“Raven, right?”
I nod. “Hi, Dex.”
“What are you doing here?” Remy asks, pulling a suitcase out of the truck.
“Nice way to greet me, asshole. Good to see you too,” Dex says with a grin on his face.
Remy rolls his eyes.
“I have big meetings next week and I decided to take a couple of days to unwind.” Dex unconsciously puts a hand on the dog’s big head as he speaks.
Remy takes another, smaller suitcase out of the SUV, hits a button and the back door lowers and latches. “Do you think you’ll take the job?” He turns to me. “Dex has been offered a major network broadcasting gig for Sunday Night Football.”
“That’s amazing.”
Dex merely shrugs, humble. “I need to decide how I feel about the travel before I accept or not.”
“That makes sense,” I murmur.
“Find an apartment?” Remy asks.
He laughs. “I need to decide where I want to live. Uptown, downtown, midtown.”
“Jesus. I don’t get why you let your place in the city go. At least you’d have had a home base.”
“I have Dad’s house and he’s happy to let me live there. Besides, this way if I hook up with someone, it has to be at their place. It’s easier for me to get out the next morning instead of having to make them leave. It’s not always easy to be me.”
I grin.
“This guy,” Remy says with a shake of his head. “Now, can we go inside? It’s freezing.”
We trudge up to the house, the dog following close behind.
Dex stops. “Go home,” he says to the big, black dog.
After giving him a soulful look, the dog bounds off, for home, I assume. “He’s well trained.”
“Brian takes in dogs and trains them, too. The grounds are big enough. Let’s get going. Remy’s got thin blood,” Dex says.
Remy smacks him lightly on the head and we all head inside.
I glance around, taking in the rustic feel of the cabin-like house that features modern accessories and amenities. Despite the huge property and the idea of so many surrounding homes, I feel at home here.
I pull off my jacket and lay it over the tallest piece of luggage. The guys do the same, stripping off their jackets. Remy wears a sweatshirt and a pair of faded jeans that I’ve already noticed cling lovingly to his ass. An ass I like to squeeze when he’s on top of me and thrusting deep.
I clear my throat. “Is it okay if I wander and check out the house?” I ask, eager to get away.
“Make yourself at home,” the man who stars in my dirty dreams says. “I’ll hang out with Dex for a while.”
Relieved he doesn’t notice the heavy flush on my cheeks, I nod and take off to check out the massive house, leaving the men alone.
* * *
Remy
Dex and I end up in the family room. The house has a slight chill and I immediately decide I’ll be making a fire so I can sit in here and have Raven snuggled close.
“I said I’d wait and decide if you need a lecture. You do. So… another damsel in distress?” Dex asks.
I stiffen. There’s no equating Raven with any woman in my past. “It’s not like that.”
Dex raises an eyebrow. “Then what is it like because as I recall, every woman you’ve been with since Mom died was someone who needed you in some way. You need to save them.”
Frowning, I glare at my brother. “I don’t have a savior complex and Raven is different.”
“Oh, so she’s not here because you’re protecting her from her psychotic brother?”
Without answering, I walk over to the French doors and look out onto the rolling lawn behind, covered in light snow. Knowing Dex will give me this time to think, I take advantage.
As much as I resent my brother’s words, I know Dex means well.
The truth is, our mother’s death was the catalyst for me going into police work and joining up with Zach when that job became stale.
True, I met my ex-wife when she was the victim of a mugging and stabbing.
She needed me and I liked being needed. Liked knowing I could help her where I couldn’t with my mother. We were married after six months.
What can I say? I was young, out of the academy only three years, and eager to settle down.
I came home one night after being grazed by a bullet and bandaged at the hospital.
The sight awakened Sadie from her fog, as I now see it.
She left me a short time afterward, unable to handle the danger inherent in my job.
Why she couldn’t have realized that before we got married is beyond me, but all victims handle the aftermath differently.
I think about the women I dated afterward and turn to meet my patient brother’s gaze.
“Fine. So maybe I do have a complex,” I mutter.
“And you and Fallon talk too much,” I say, knowing my siblings have likely discussed the situation since they’re the only two people in the family who know about Raven’s stalker issue.
“Fallon loves you and is worried about you. And frankly, so am I. When you told me you were into Raven…” He tilts his head toward the main part of the house where Raven is wandering. “I figured it’d be short term and fizzle out. But you brought her to the family compound?”
“Because I need to keep her safe and with me. And before you give me that look, the situation is different from Sadie or anyone else. Raven is different.” I knew it from the moment we met. Maybe she needs my help now but that wasn’t the reason I fell for her.
“So she’s not just another one of your mysteries you like to solve?”
I shake my head. “Dammit, Dex. Stop trying to psychoanalyze me.”
My brother merely grins.
“Fine. Raven was a mystery, too.” But not any longer. I’m drawn to everything about her.
Her beauty is one thing and isn’t just surface deep. The more I get to know her, the more I like what’s inside. Her bond with the family she loves, Cara, Caleb, and Owen, resembles my relationship with my family. She likes to help people like Angel; we have that in common.
“Dex, if you can’t trust me when I say Raven is unlike any other woman I’ve met or been with, then I’m done talking.”
“Relax,” Dex says. “I was just making sure you were in deep for the right reasons. From the little I’ve seen, I like her for you.”
My shoulders lower, my guard coming down. I hadn’t realized how angry Dex’s questions made me but I realize now why my brother pushed so hard. “I get it. When you fall, I’ll be right there making sure she’s the right woman for you, too.”
Dex’s eyes open comically wide. “That won’t be happening. I’m happy with my life the way it is.”
I let out a loud laugh. “If you say so.” Dex has a traumatic past. Between losing his parents and later his second mother, it’s caused him to keep women at arm’s length. But I have no doubt the right female will knock the playboy right out of him and make Dex Sterling a one-woman man.
“I need to bring the suitcases upstairs,” I say.
“And I need to get going. It’s late. Say goodbye to Raven for me,” Dex says.
“I will… but why don’t you wait until morning to make the long trip?” I ask. “It’s dark and the roads are empty.”
“Aww, are you worried about me?” Dex strides over and pulls me into a brotherly hug.
“I’m always worried about you, asshole.”
Stepping back, Dex yawns, mouth wide open. “That actually sounds like a good idea. But I’ll probably be gone by the time you and your guest make it out of bed in the morning.” His words, like his wagging eyebrows, are deliberately suggestive.
“Go away.”
Then, laughing, Dex does just that.