“Yeah…I explained everything,” I tell her.

Raven looks from me to Millie.

“You knew?”

“He asked for my help. My friend Nita…that’s his aunt. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that boy and his family.”

She’s right. Nita and Millie have been best friends forever. She’s practically a member of the family.

“Raven, give us a minute, will you?” I ask.

She nods and closes the door behind her.

“She all right?”

“Yeah, she’s good.”

“Still gonna tell me there’s nothing going on?”

“No, but I swear I haven’t touched her.”

“I know, son.”

She pats my cheek and sits behind her desk.

“What about our little arrangement?” She asks.

I reach into my pocket and give her enough money to cover Raven’s pay for the next two weeks. After that, we don’t have to sneak around, so I can take care of her directly.

“Might not be much longer. She mentioned something about art school.”

“I see. Good for her.”

“Don’t say anything to Nita. I need to talk to her myself.”

“Got it, baby boy.”

“Okay, see ya. And thanks for calling me.”

“No problem.”

Before I walk through the door, she calls after me.

“She’ll be good for you, Gage.”

Yeah. I think so, too. I scan the diner but don’t see her. I remember the last time she wanted to get away, she ran out the back door. Sure enough, I find her outside on her phone. Her back is to me, so she doesn’t see me. She doesn’t hear me either because she doesn’t turn around.

“Thanks, Chris…I promise you did the right thing…I can’t talk now, but I’ll explain everything…Okay…I’ll call you later…’bye.”

“The fuck you need to talk to him for?”

She drops her phone and almost jumps a mile. She turns angrily and starts going off on me in Spanish. I smile and let her rant. She’s so cute when she’s mad. I pick up her phone and just watch her.

“Ugh!”

“You done?” I ask.

“Stop sneaking up on me.”

“What’s going on?”

“The sheriff…he spoke to Chris after he left here.”

“And?”

“Chris told him he followed us outside but he found me alone and we left together,” she explains.

“Huh…didn’t expect that.”

“Despite what you think, he does care about me.”

“He can care all he wants to as long as he knows you’re mine.”

“Stop. Look…I want to tell him about Janet. It would ease his mind.”

“Fine. I’ll forward you the picture if you want.”

I hand her the phone and she slides it into her back pocket. She looks around carefully then wraps her arms around my waist. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Her touch is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. No matter my mood, it affects me in just the perfect way.

“Thank you.”

I lift her face toward me and kiss her forehead. “Ron will take you home later. I’ll pick you up at your place.”

“’Kay.”

She buries her face in my chest, inhales deeply, then moans and releases her breath slowly.

“Me encanta tu aroma.”

I don’t need to speak Spanish to understand what she said. She’s always smelling me. She smiles and saunters off back into the diner.

Two weeks. Let the countdown begin.

CHAPTER 10

***Raven***

Ed Sheeran’s voice sounds from my phone just as I’m going through the door. A text from Lonnie…huh. That’s new.

L: Forgot to give Mr. Glenn the rent check and it’s due today. Could you just run it next door? It’s on the kitchen table.

Sure, I have nothing better to do. She’s lucky he just lives next door. I grab the envelope on the table and send a quick reply.

R: Ok.

As I approach the Bimmer, the passenger door opens and I stick my head inside. Baby Jesus in the manger. I swear this man gets sexier every time I see him. I realize I’m staring when he smirks and motions for me to get in.

“Uh…gotta run next door for a sec and see the landlord.”

“Okay.”

I close the door and he drives alongside me, stopping in front of Mr. Glenn’s house. I have to knock three times before he answers.

“Yes?”

Ugh…the man reeks of beer and B.O. His tank top is struggling to cover his belly, and his boxer shorts look like they’re about to rip at any minute. He looks me up and down as he scratches the bald area at the top of his head.

“Hi. Lonnie asked me to drop this off.”

He takes the envelope and gives me a creepy smile. A chill runs through my body and everything in me is screaming “RUN”.

“You’re the sister. I’ve seen you around.”

“Yes.”

“Come on in. Let me get you the receipt.”

“I’ll just wait here, thanks.”

He smiles at me like I said exactly what he wanted to hear. Weird. He’s weird and he seriously creeps me out.

“Nonsense. Come in.” He waves me inside.

I look back at the car, knowing Gage is right there if I need him. I step inside carefully and push the door but don’t close it.

“Come on. It’s right in here.”

Why won’t he just go get it? I don’t need to follow him. Shit. He disappears and when he returns, he’s holding a piece of paper and the creepy smile has multiplied by a hundred. I swallow hard.

“Well, young lady. The rent’s coming up a bit short this month, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

What the hell? He sounds like some guy from a bad porno. “What? What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m willing to accept...other forms of payment.”

Gross. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I’m leaving.” He grabs my wrist as I’m walking away and pulls me toward him. “Let go of me!”

“Oh, wonderful! Lonnie told me you’d be good at this.”

Lonnie. Fucking Lonnie! This is why she wanted me to come over here – to be a part of some role-play sex game with this sick fucker. He pushes me against the wall and tries to secure my hands. I struggle against him, trying not to freak out. I’m failing miserably. All those self-defense lessons Daddy gave me seem like distant memories. I try to kick him in the balls, but he wedges his thigh between mine.

“I like it rough.”

His breath hits me like a punch to the face. Dear God, it smells like a dozen small animals crawled into his mouth and died. A week ago. He reaches for the button on my jeans and pops it open.

“Stop!”

I struggle harder, panic rising as he pulls on my zipper. I close my eyes but before I can scream, I feel him being pulled away from me. I open my eyes to see Gage throwing the man across the room. He hits the wall, staggers, and falls to the floor. Gage is huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf. He stalks over to Glenn, steps over him so Glenn is between his legs, and grabs the neck of his tank top.

“Motherfucker!” Gage shouts.

And then all hell breaks loose. Or should I say the straw house tumbles down? Gage pummels Glenn’s face with a single-minded purpose. This is Reaper in rare form. It’s like watching an accident happen – you don’t want to look, but you can’t not look. I watch his fist rise and fall until I see the blood. Glenn’s face is a bloody mess. He’s not even trying to block the punches. And that’s because he’s out cold.

“Gage! Stop…that’s enough!”

He doesn’t hear me. I watch with increasing fear as he pulls his Glock out of the back of his jeans. Holy shit. I run over and grab his shoulder. He turns to me like someone emerging from a trance.

“It’s over. He’s done.”

He looks down at the man beaten to a pulp, then back to me.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here before someone calls the cops.”

He gives Glenn’s leg a kick and wraps a bandana around his bloody knuckles. Once we’re in the car, he takes a deep breath and looks over at me.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t…get to do anything.”

He slams his palm down on the steering wheel and growls like an angry bear. “Fuck! I’m gonna kill the son-of-a-bitch!”