Thirty-three
Raven
The room is still. Pain radiates from my arms, seeping into my shoulders. People are yelling, but it sounds as if I’ve got cotton balls in my ears. Muffled and incoherent. White noise rings in my head, along with my hammering heartbeat.
I push myself up. The weight of the gun drops from my hand. Dominick is down. His body still. His chest void of the rise and fall of breath.
Dead. I killed him.
Someone pulls at my arm. They want my attention, but I can’t look away from the morbid scene before me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jonah. He’s sitting up. Blake is shouting in his face, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
Jonah’s gaze swings to mine. The red blood splattered on his face is a gory contrast to his pallid skin. His eyebrows are low and his face pinched. I watch his mouth move, able to make out the single word. Baby.
My breath hitches. It’s over. I’m free.
As if summoned by my thoughts, he rushes to me and I’m in the safety of his arms. The gentle sway of his body rocks me, and I clutch his blood-soaked shirt. He cups my cheek with his good arm, holding me to him. I feel the pressure of his mouth against the top of my head. His lips move against my scalp, but his words are vibrations. I pull away and watch his lips.
I love you.
A smile tiptoes across my face.
I love you too. My lips move, the cadence of my voice hums in my throat, but I can barely hear it. He pulls me back to his chest.
I can’t force myself to look away from Dominick, his expensive-suited corpse lying in a pool of his own blood, a grim reminder of what I’ve done. What I had to do to save Jonah and my mom. And myself.
I search the recesses of my heart for regret, guilt, horror. Nothing. I’ve just killed my dad, the man responsible for my life. And all I feel is . . . relief.
~*~
Jonah
“You guys okay?” Blake walks up from my truck to the steps of the cabin where Raven and I sit.
As soon as I could, I dragged Raven out of there. It was the only way to get her to stop staring at Dominick’s dead body.
I haven’t left her side, except to run in and clean Dominick’s filthy blood off my face. The makeshift tourniquet I pulled together with a ripped sheet has my head clearing.
“Better. We’re starting to get our hearing back.” I run my lips along the top of Raven’s head, breathing in deep. “You make the call?”
“Yeah. Made it on my way to the truck. They should be here soon.” Standing on the lower step, Blake leans against the banister. “Need anything?”
I give Raven a squeeze. “Baby?”
She shakes her head.
Milena is sitting on a rock nearby, but she keeps her distance, probably not sure how Raven feels about her. What she did tonight redeems her in my book. I owe my entire life to Milena. But ultimately, forgiveness is Raven’s to give.
Minutes tick by before sirens and bright lights descend on us. An ambulance, fire truck, and a handful of police cars pull up to the cabin. Paramedics and cops unload in a hurry until we’re surrounded by uniforms.
“Mr. Slade, I’m Kevin.” One EMT that rushed out from the back of the ambulance meets us on the steps. He pulls back the fabric of my shirt to examine my shoulder. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah. Take care of her head. I’ll wait.” I motion to Raven who is slumped against my good side.
Kevin sidesteps and pulls back Raven’s hair to check out her forehead. “Ma’am, are you injured anywhere else?”
She glares at me, but doesn’t argue. “No. Just the cut on my head.”
A smile pulls at my lips. I look forward to a lifetime of dirty looks from her.
“All right. Mr. Slade, let’s get you into the ambulance and get some IV fluids started. I’ll have Roger come and take care of . . .”
“My wife.” I glare at Kevin. “Make sure Roger knows.”
The sound of Raven’s giggle is better than any pain medication.
“Yes, sir, ‘Assassin’. By the way, great fight tonight.” The eager EMT is a fan. Good to know.
“Yes, it was.” I lock eyes with Raven. “Best fight of my life.”
Kevin puts his hand out to help me up. I’m tired and dizzy from blood loss, but this guy looks like a noodle in scrubs. I shake him off and push to standing. Oh, shit. Gripping the handrail, I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the vertigo away. Raven presses into my side, using her body as support until my head stops spinning.
She walks me down the few steps to the dirt. I pull her in for a hug before we’re dealt with by our assigned EMTs.
The angry mark above her head is no longer bleeding. I run my knuckles down her cheek, grateful that a cut is all they got on her. “Get your head taken care of.” I kiss her longer than I should for the audience we have, but fuck ’em.
A team of EMTs rush into the cabin. Roger scurries up with some kind of a field medical kit and gets to work on Raven’s head.
I drag my body to the ambulance where Kevin asks me to climb inside.
“Mind if you treat me out here?” There’s no way I’m letting Raven out of my sight. It should be comforting being surrounded by cops, but with Dominick’s far reach, I need to stay alert.
“Oh, I don’t—”
I spear Kevin with a glare that has him nodding.
“Yeah, sure thing, ‘Assassin.’ I’ll just pop a stretcher up here.”
“Thanks.”
Kevin moves some equipment to just outside the ambulances back doors. He moves around my shoulder doing some shit. I don’t pay attention, but instead keep my focus on my girl. I pull my eyes away from her to watch them wheel Dominick’s sheet-covered corpse from the cabin. Vince is next. It looks like they’ve got him awake and talking. I should have aimed higher.
A cop with a note pad asks me questions. I answer them until he’s satisfied and walks away. He moves to questioning Raven next. Milena jumps to her side.
“Hey, man. How’s the shoulder?” Blake plops down next to me at the back end of the ambulance.
“It’s all right.” I’m not concerned about my fucking shoulder.
Both Milena and Raven talk and nod as they most likely retell the night’s events. I wish I could hear what they’re saying.
“She’s going to be okay, ya know.”
I don’t take my eyes off my girl. “How do you know that? She just killed someone.”
Blake shrugs. “Cops said they’d been looking for something on Morretti for years. The guy’s operation was locked up tighter than a Royce Gracie shoulder hold. This little situation was the Golden Goose taking a big fat dump right in their laps.”
I don’t say anything, but God, I hope he’s right.
“Guess ole Vinnie started singing like a canary the second they got him conscious. Fucker gave away everything. Even told them he roughed up Guy and stole his cell phone.”
“He roughed up Guy? Is he okay? Wait, does Raven know?” I watch Raven. Her body language is relaxed. They must be finishing up.
“Yeah, he’s good. A few bruises and a gnarly concussion. That’s how they got Raven out of the arena. They sent her a text from Guy’s phone. Fucking assholes. Threatened to kill him if she didn’t cooperate with Candy.”
The name grates on my nerves. “And what about her? They gonna arrest her?”
He leans back, crosses his arms over his chest. “Yup. She’ll go down for kidnapping and whatever else the prosecutor can scrape up.”
I exhale a long breath. Guess keeping Vince alive was a good thing.
“Don’t you let her cry one tear for that dick.” Blake looks to the ambulance that holds Dominick’s body then back to Raven. “She’s a sweet girl, and sweet girls feel shit for shitty people. Don’t let it eat her up inside. She saved your life.”
I turn a glare on my friend. “Yeah, she did. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about your broken promise, ass.”
“Dude, she forced me. I got her out, but she threatened to tell the women of Vegas that I’ve got a needle dick.” He throws his hands up in mock surrender. “I can’t let that happen. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”
“How hard is it to keep a fucking promise?”
He shrugs, but has the decency to look embarrassed. “Your girl can be persuasive.”
“Ass.” I chuckle and turn back to Milena and Raven, making a mental note to take it out on him in the octagon once my shoulder heals.
“Milena’s fucking hot as hell.” There’s a smile in his voice.
I glare at him, but can’t help the curl in my lips. “Are you seriously talking about my girl’s mom? Sick fuck.”
“What? I know hot when I see it, and Milena’s smokin’.” He stands and holds out his hand. “Keys. I’ll follow Milena home in the truck and bring it by in the morning. I’m assuming you’ll be riding down the hill in this.” He motions to the ambulance. “I’d offer to take Raven home, but knowing you, you ain’t letting your girl out of your sight for . . . well, ever.”
I toss him my keys. “Thanks, man.”
He looks away and nods. Guy code for, no problem, you’d do it for me. Fuck yeah, I would.
Blake turns on his heel.
“Hey, B. You keep your dick to yourself around Milena, ya hear?”
He stops, looks to the ground, and shakes his head. He continues walking and turns over his shoulder. “I don’t do chicks with kids, remember?”
I laugh to myself and watch as Raven finishes up. She turns away from the group of police who frantically fill their note pads and heads in my direction. She has a blanket from the EMT wrapped around her shoulders. Her head wound is clean and covered with a butterfly bandage.
Standing, I pull her into my arms. “Hey.” I push the blanket down to kiss her neck at my spot. “You okay?” She curls in tight, just like she always does, as if she was carved from my own form.
“Yeah. I’m great.” The smile in her voice is unmistakable.
“Mr. Slade, it’s about time we get going,” Kevin says from inside the ambulance.
“Come on. Let’s get this over with so we can go home.” I move to help her inside the vehicle.
“Oh, no, she can’t come.” Kevin wags his finger as I one-arm lift Raven into the ambulance. “But if she wants to, she can meet . . . you . . . um . . .”
Raven and I are inside, settled on a stretcher, completely ignoring his rant.
“Well, okay. I guess she can come.” He must finally realize that he’ll be riding in another vehicle before she does. Smart kid.
“Thanks, Kevin.” I pull Raven into my arms and kiss her head. “I appreciate your flexibility.”
Raven’s body jumps with silent laughter as she hides her smile in my chest. I wrap her up tighter, thinking about how close I was to losing this. Losing her.
The ambulance fires up and we head back to Vegas. Raven’s breathing slows to the rhythm of sleep. Even with my shoulder on fire, tired as hell, and minus a shitload of blood, I don’t sleep. Instead, my mind conjures plans—plans for the future we now have sealed. And I’m not wasting a single second.
“Kevin, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure thing, ‘Assassin.’”
“I need to make a phone call.”
~*~
Raven
Beep-Beep-Beep.
The gentle sound brings me back to consciousness. I blink several times into the dark before lifting my head from my warm pillow. I observe my surroundings, thankful to see the lights of medical equipment rather than log walls. I’m not in the cabin, but in the hospital with Jonah.
My head swirls with the events from this morning. The cops told me that Guy was safe. They even gave me a phone so I could call him. He apologized for not being at the fight to protect me. I reassured him that Dominick was out to get his way, no matter what.
Katherine showed up and sat with my mom while Jonah was poked and x-rayed. The doctor said that that the bullet went straight through without injuring anything vital, but they had to do surgery. Three hours later, we were put in a private room. I assured Katherine and my mom that I was okay. There was no way I was leaving Jonah’s side. I traded my bloody clothes for a pair of clean scrubs, crawled in bed with Jonah, and fell asleep.
A yawn crawls up my throat and I lie back down in the crook of Jonah’s uninjured shoulder.
“Good morning.” His sexy, sleepy voice does delicious things to my body. Even laid-up and hospitalized, he’s irresistible.
“Good night, you mean.” I walk my fingers to his abdomen, pulling his hospital gown up to slide my hand against his rippled muscles.
He reaches for my face but drops his hand with a groan. “Shit, that hurts.”
I tilt my face to his and smile. “Looks like you’re going to have to keep that hand to yourself.”
“Not a fucking chance. Come here.” His demand is firm and sexy.
I brush my lips against his chin. “Thank you, Jonah. Thank you for finding me.”
“And thank you for saving me.”
My cheeks heat and I bury deeper into his chest.
“How’re you holding up? You know, with everything?” His hand traces soothing patterns on my back.
“Um . . . I’m good. I feel like I should feel something, ya know? Guilt or . . . remorse. I just don’t.” I huff out a breath. “The cops said this morning that no charges are being filed. Justifiable homicide and all that.”
“You want to talk about what happened with Vince?” His muscles tense against my body.
“Not much to tell. He tried to—”
A deep growl rumbles in Jonah’s chest.
Yeah, probably best to skip to the end. “You told me to break his arm. So I did.” I hear the words, and even I think they sound crazy. But it’s the truth.
“I told you?”
I circle his belly button with my finger. “Yeah. In my head. You told me to fight. You said arm bar.” I shrug. “You weren’t even there yet, and you were protecting me.”
“I’ll always protect you.” He hugs me to him. “Not that you need it. My girl’s tough as nails. I’m proud of you.”
Inwardly, I smile. I’m proud of myself.
“Fuck, I wish I’d killed that son of a bitch.”
“Nah. He deserves to live the rest of his life behind bars. Death is too easy.”
He laughs in a quick burst then groans. “Ugh, remind me not to do that again.”
Starting at his neck, I trail soft kisses to his jaw. “Poor baby.” I push up to meet his eyes. “I love you.”
His hand slides up my back into my hair. “I love you too. So much.”
He takes my lips in a brutal kiss that I feel in my toes. I moan into his mouth as our tongues glide against each other. Desire floods my veins as I explore his mouth. His strong lips dominate mine, molding them to his will. I roll his nipple between my thumb and forefinger. He groans and his hips flex off the bed.
Pushing up, I press my breasts into his chest, tilting my head and delving deeper into the kiss.
He breaks away with a hiss. “Fuck.”
The whispered curse sends me back and sitting up. “Shoot, did I hurt you?” I touch him and jerk my hand away, afraid of hurting him again.
“No, but if we don’t take this home, I’m afraid I’ll be forced to give the good doctor and his unsuspecting nurses a visual aid in sex education.” He shifts and adjusts the blankets to camouflage his arousal. It doesn’t work.
A giggle bubbles up from my chest, and my hand covers my mouth. Something rough on my finger rubs against my lips. What the heck?
My mood sobers as I examine my hand, palm down, fingers splayed. It’s on my ring finger. A gold band composed of tiny diamonds with one large round diamond in the center. The setting is old-fashioned, understated, and absolutely perfect. I stare in awe.
The cool air burns my eyes. I’m unable to blink. I force my eyes to Jonah who’s smiling his thousand-watt smile: all teeth, two dimples, and shining eyes.
“Jonah?” I whisper, my eyes asking the question my words can’t form.
“The ring was my mom’s. My dad gave it to her when they got engaged, and she wore it every day, until this morning. She brought it by when you were sleeping.” He pulls my hand to his chest and nimbly spins the ring on my finger.
“Raven, I fell in love with you the second I saw you. I thought I had my life mapped out, thought I had it together. Then you came along and flipped my world on its head. You make me want things I never knew I needed. This ring is more than a symbol of my love. It represents family. Our family. The one we’ll build together. You said you didn’t want to talk about our future until you knew we had a future to talk about. Well, now we do. So? Will you marry me?”
Our family. Our future. Now that we have one.
He stares at me, his eyebrows raised. I taste the salty tears as my lips curl at the edges. A slow smile creeps across his face.
I study the perfect ring then lock eyes with him. “Okay.”
His face splits into a smile. “Okay.” He kisses me deep and hard, possessive.
My insides turn to liquid. I explore every curve of his rippled stomach, and his muscles flex beneath my touch. My nails dig into his skin and drag down lower, until they’re under the blankets that lie across his hips. He flexes into my touch, showing me what he wants. Me.
“Oh, one more thing.” He breaks the kiss enough to speak, but his words are said against my lips.
An embarrassing whimper escapes at the loss of his mouth. “Yeah?” I lean into him.
He rubs his thumb across my aching lower lip. “Happy birthday, baby.”
The words are barely out before I’m on him again. Desperation takes over my rational mind and I pull at his gown. Too many clothes.
A voice clears from the end of the bed, popping the love-driven sex bubble we’d created. I curl into Jonah’s body, hoping to disappear from whoever caught me making out with my injured boyfriend. Fiancé.
“Well, well, well. Looks like someone’s feeling better,” Blake says from the foot of the bed, motioning to the pile of thin hospital blankets at Jonah’s crotch.
I say a quick prayer of thanks that it’s Blake and not Katherine. “Hey, Blake.”
“What’s up?” Jonah acts unaffected as he twirls a strand of my hair.
“Just came back from the police station. Dominick’s operation is under intense investigation. Thought you two would like to know Vince and Candy are going to be looking at the inside of a jail cell for the foreseeable future.”
Jonah and I take a collective breath.
Blake grimaces. “Vinnie should be the most popular guy in his cell block. They couldn’t save his dick so they gave him a pussy. Boys in prison should love that.”
“Blake!” I attempt to sound offended, my hysterical laughter ruining any chance I have of being taken seriously. Besides, that’s the least he deserves for what he did to Eve, me, and probably loads of other women who weren’t lucky enough to get away.
“I see you got a decent piece of ice there on your finger, baby girl.”
I hold up my hand and admire the ring again. “Yeah.” Jonah kisses my head at my breathy reply.
“Right on. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” He holds up his hand. “Word of caution, the doc is on his way in to check on your shoulder. You might want to keep Mr. Moby on the down-low.” He looks at the bed then back at us. “Looks like it’s too late for down-low, so . . . under wraps.”
“Dude, you mind keeping your eyes off my dick?”
He flashes his cocky smile. And even in the arms of the man of my dreams, his smile makes me giggle like a teenage girl. He winks then turns on his heel and heads through the draped dividers.
“Catch you two later. Got a hot little nurse who’s waiting to give my dick an oral exam.”
I laugh hard, trying to keep my body from shaking at its intensity. “He’s so funny.”
“Yes, so you’ve said.” Jonah’s deadpan tone makes me grin.
“Ooh, are you jealous?” I touch the end of his nose with my fingertip.
“Hmph. No.”
I slide my lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. “Oh. That’s too bad. I was going to prove my feelings for you . . . physically.” I kiss the sensitive skin below his ear.
“Is that right?” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Mm-hm. I like you jealous.”
“Get used to it, baby.” He groans when I pull his earlobe between my teeth. “You know you’re mine now? To have and to hold ’til death do us part.”
“I do.”