Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“First of all, Raven, she’s not a woman. She’s a little girl. And I’m not going to marry her. I hate this as much as you do. But there’s one thing I know about this family that I’ve been so fortunate enough to be born into,” I say sarcastically. “He may be hurting her, but he’ll make sure she stays a virgin. That’s part of the deal.”
“Great, so he’s not fucking her. There are a lot of other things he could be doing to her.”
I pause a moment. “I know that. Did you see any bruises on her?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“What was she dressed in?”
“Some kind of party dress. The girl is eleven, but I swear he dresses her to look like she’s six.”
“Yeah, I know.” I run my hands through my hair. “It’s beyond disturbing. I wish we could help her. I really do. The fact that he’s hurting her makes me ache inside. But her life isn’t in danger, Raven. Her virginity isn’t in danger.”
“I can’t even believe you’re saying these things, Vinnie.” She starts crying. “How did I ever think I loved you?”
Those words cut into my heart like a knife.
But I can use them to my advantage. For Raven’s protection, she needs to stay away from me. And if she hates me? That will make it all the easier.
The idea of making her hate me breaks my heart. I love her so much. I know she loves me too. But if I let her see a side of me that she doesn’t like…
Perhaps she’ll at least stay away.
“Raven,” I say, “it’s not my problem.”
I hear her gasp, and then she ends the call abruptly.
I feel like a fucking heel. I ache for that little girl as much as she does. And I will find a way to help her, but I think it’s better if Raven thinks I won’t.
She’s seeing that I may not be the man she thinks I am. And although she’s wrong, letting her think that will work in my favor. At least for now.
I shove my phone in my pocket and go back to Austin.
“Is your mother okay?” he asks me.
Of course. He thought the call was about my mother. He has no idea it was his own daughter on the other end of the line.
“She’s not good,” I lie. “I should be getting back to her.”
“We have an understanding then?”
“Yes. No one will hear anything from me about Brick Latham.” The world is better off without one more rapist and money launderer. I’m just grateful that Raven didn’t end up in his clutches.
“Good. And you have something to tell me?”
I pause a moment.
Cobra.
I haven’t brought up the name on purpose. Now that I know that Bellamy was behind Latham’s demise, I know something else as well. He knows more than he’s letting on about what happened years ago.
And Diego Vega.
Only my father, my grandfather, and Vega knew about that nickname for me, and it’s not something Bellamy would have found on the dark web.
Which means…
“Later,” I say. “My mother takes precedence.”
35
RAVEN
I walk back to the waiting area and sit next to Falcon.
“What did he say?” he asks me.
“He… He says he knows what’s going on. But there’s nothing he can do about it.” I gulp. “He says it’s not his problem.”
Falcon’s jaw drops.
“I know. I can’t believe it either. Is he not the man I thought he was?” I bury my face in my hands.
Falcon tilts his head, and I wait for him to speak. When he doesn’t—
“Are you going to answer me?”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “There’s a lot we don’t know about him. He was gone for seventeen years. We don’t know what he did over there, other than what he told Savannah.”
“He mentioned that he spent some time in a Buddhist temple. Where he ate nothing but rice and lentils.”
“And that’s supposed to make him an upstanding human being?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about it much.” I shrug. “But seventeen years. That’s a long time.”
“More than twice the time I spent behind bars,” Falcon says. “I don’t know much about him, Raven. Only that Savannah loves him, which is really all I need to know. But without going into too much detail, the reason he left was because his grandfather did something really horrific to him.”
I wipe a tear from my cheek. “What?”
“I can’t say anything more than that. He told Savannah, and he probably didn’t want her to tell me, but she did.”
“You and Savannah are going to be married. You shouldn’t have any secrets.”
“We don’t. Not now, anyway.”
I nod. He’s talking about what happened eight years ago. Because my father was going to excavate on that part of the property, and Falcon needed Vinnie’s help, he had to level with Savannah and Vinnie. And me? I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to overhear them.