Jonah’s in there with Candy.
And just like that, hope has dropped my sorry butt off a cliff.
Panic floods my veins. My breathing is labored, like I’m sucking air through a straw. I shake out my arms, trying to rid them of the numbness taking over, but movement only pushes the sensation into my torso. My heart beats fast—too fast. Terror spreads through my body. I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Oh please, God, not now.” I pray aloud with hopes of divine intercession.
An anxiety attack grips my body. Tears stream down my face, and I struggle against the lost feeling that threatens to overtake me. I push against my sternum, willing my heart to slow.
“Come on, Raven. Talk yourself down.” I take a breath. “I’m in control.”
My eyes fly open at my pitiful lie. Control? That’s the last thing I have. My hands grip either side of my head and I rock back and forth.
Of course, he’s there. Why would he want to be with me, the future hooker? I close my eyes tightly. The daughter of a pimp. My body shakes. The grease monkey, tomboy. My head pounds. The virgin.
I need to calm down. Stop acting like a helpless little girl. I breathe in deep through my nose and out my mouth, until my mind slows enough for me to think straight. I need to decide what to do now. Should I go confront him? Why? So he can tell me to my face, with Candy straddling his lap, that he doesn’t want me? I pull back into the street, almost hitting another car, and speed to Eve’s.
Throwing my car in park at the curb outside her house, I walk up the front path. I’m shaking, but still. Pained, but numb. Bleeding, but alive. Consumed with confusion and contradictions.
I reach her door and knock as hard as I can. After a few clicks of the lock, the door opens to expose a very skimpily dressed Eve. Through the small crack in the door, I can see lit candles in the background.
“Raven, what are you doing here?”
“I called. You didn’t answer.” It’s all I can manage without breaking out in a full-body sob.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I’ve been . . . busy.” She looks guilty and a little ashamed.
Her eyes seem sketchy as she looks over my shoulder to the street behind me. I look to see what’s stealing her attention. There, parked in the street, is a black H2. My eyebrows pull together.
I must have missed it when I pulled up. I guess seeing my boyfriend’s car at a strip club where his ex-hook up works when he told me he had a work meeting made me unobservant. My arms wrap protectively around my chest and my shoulders curl forward, holding myself together. I might dissolve completely at the slightest breeze of pain.
“Eve, who’s at the door?” a deep voice beckons from behind her. My wide eyes lock with hers in shock and silent apology.
“Oh, Eve, I’m so sorry. You have company. I’ll go.”
Wait, why does that voice sound familiar?
“No, Rave, wait. You look horrible. Have you been crying? What’s going on?”
She still hasn’t opened the door anymore, but her face shows concern. A large hand curls around her waist from behind, and a tall man comes into view over her shoulder.
Holy shit!
Jonah
It’s nine forty-five and the club is getting crowded. Even from my seat at the bar, it’s hard to see through the bodies filling the place. The girls finally got the hint that we aren’t here for entertainment. Their advances went beyond annoying to borderline hostile in the last hour. Blake and I finally had to tell them to back off and get the hell out of our way.
“Can I get you a drink, man?” the bartender asks for the third time, irritation lacing his voice.
This kid is pissing me the f**k off. My head swivels in his direction and I drill him with my stare. A beer would do wonders to calm my urge to kill, but there’s no way I’ll be anything less than one hundred percent coherent when I face Dominick.
He throws his hands up and takes a step back. “Whoa, I don’t want any trouble. But you can’t sit here all night and not buy a drink. I’m just following the rules.”
I pull a hundred dollar bill from my pocket and toss it his way.
“On second thought,” he nabs the cash, “enjoy your night.”
I go back to surveying my surroundings.
No sign of Dominick. Selena told Blake that he usually comes in around this time of night to work some of his girls. We’ve been here for an hour and he’s a no show.
“How long do you want to hang out?” Blake asks, his eyes scanning the room.
“As long as it takes. Raven’s with Eve so I have all night.”
I have fight-night focus. My senses are sharp. Every male voice draws my attention along with every opening door. Adrenaline runs high, as does my determination. I will not leave this place until I meet with Dominick.
I swallow a growl when I feel a small, feminine hand move up my shoulder. Can these girls not take no for an answer? Turning towards its owner, I cringe. I don’t need this shit.
“Hey, stranger,” Candy purrs, with her fake, over-affected seduction.
I jerk my head in acknowledgement.
Leaning forward, she brings her lips to my ear. “I told you, you’d be back.”
“Not in the mood for your games tonight, Candy.”
She gasps when I remove her from my shoulder and go back to scanning the room.
“Don’t tell me you’re still with that trashy little girl,” she scoffs.
What did she just say? My gaze swings toward her.
Her puffy lips lift into a satisfied smile. “You never gave me the chance to show you what I could do for you, lover.” She runs a sharp nail from my shoulder and down my arm, her eyes following its path. “I’d do things to you that would make you forget that dirty skank’s name.” She swings a leg over my knee, rubbing against me like some pathetic animal.
I stand and she stumbles back, my sudden movement throwing her off balance. She looks up at me and her eyes grow wide. I would never hit a girl, but this bitch is pushing my buttons. I’m already walking the fine line of my temper. She picked the wrong night to f**k with me.
“One night, Candy. That’s all we had and that’s all we’ll ever have. You need to squash these deluded fantasies you have about us. It ain’t gonna happen. Ever. Understand?”
She opens her mouth to speak, but I’m not finished.
“And if you ever speak about my girl like that again, I will ruin you. You won’t be able to move far enough away to escape the reputation I’ll give you. Only job you’ll be able to get is shit-pumping port-a-potties. We clear?”
Her eyes narrow and her mouth moves, but for the first time the bitch is speechless.
“Now, leave me the f**k alone.”
Face flushed, she spins and storms off.
I lean against the bar and go back to scanning the room. If that speech doesn’t get Candy off my back, nothing will. It’s then I notice a new group of men standing around a table. One of them has blond hair, but his back is to me, so I can’t see his face.
Blake grabs my arm and grins his cocky smile. “It’s go time.”
He jerks his head in the direction of the light-haired man. A slight shift in the man’s position and I see his face. Dominick Morretti.
A low hum of energy coils in the back of my head. My legs move me forward while my mind visualizes taking this prick-ass down. Pressing in through the crowd, I force back my protective instinct and wrestle with reason. I focus on my breathing and remind myself to stay calm. For Raven.
Don’t kick his ass. Not here. Not yet.
An aggressive presence prickles from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Blake, his jaw clenched and his fists tight at his sides. He’s ready to throw down, and I’m grateful that he has my back.
I approach Dominick while he’s chatting with a group of businessmen. I catch a second of the conversation that clearly involves selling a few of his women for the night. Imagining for a moment that it’s Raven he’s selling, the buzz in my head explodes. Fuck that. My arms burn to reach out and break this f**ker’s neck right here and now.
“Lock it down, man. For her.”
Blake’s words push me forward.
I take the last step, placing me a foot away. “Dominick Morretti. I need a word.”
He swivels around and meets my eyes. I’m taken aback by how much his look like Raven’s. There’s no doubt this is her father. My stomach roils. I don’t smile, and I can only imagine that my face looks about as friendly as a rabid pit bull.
“Why if it isn’t ‘The Assassin.’” He sneers. “Gentlemen, what a treat we have tonight.” A slow clap of his hands has the men at the table’s attention. “The undefeated contender.”
The men at the table acknowledge me, but my eyes burn into Dominick.
He must sense I’m not here for a meet and greet, and he leans in so no one can hear him but me. “I have a feeling I know what, or should I say whom, you want to have a word about.”
Blake steps close, placing his shoulder between me and Dominick and making him lean back.
“You want to go somewhere private or would you rather have it out right here? I’m cool either way,” I spit through my teeth.
His face turns to stone, his previous bravado gone. He nods to a man who takes his place and excuses himself from the group of patrons. I follow him toward the back of the club.
We’re in a dark hallway with doors running along its sides. I follow Dominick to the very last door and into an office. He doesn’t move to the desk chair, but instead stays in front of it, leaning against it. There’s shuffling behind me and I hear the door close. Two men stand on either side of Dominick against the wall. My senses go on high alert. They’re here to protect him against us. Smart.
“Have a seat Mr. Slade and . . .” he looks to Blake with raised eyebrows. “Mr. Daniels.”
“How the f**k do you know me?” Blake says from my side.
“I know everything, Mr. Daniels. Now, sit.”
“We’d rather stand,” I snap.
“Suit yourself.” He grins and I don’t miss his eyes darting to our fisted hands. “What can I help you with, boys? Looking to set up a date? I’ve got some beautiful girls who would love to spend some time with you, for the right price.” Locking eyes with me, his lips curl back from his teeth. “If you’d be willing to wait a few weeks, I can arrange for you to have a new girl. She’s never been used before. She’ll cost a little extra, the virgins always do—”
“Shut the f**k up,” I roar.
“You son of a bitch!” Blake yells at the same time.
Blood drums in my ears. He’s obviously provoking me, trying to get me to attack him so he can take me out, leaving Raven defenseless so he can pray on her like the scavenging f**k that he is. I fist my hands against the urge to destroy him. My hands flex so tight, I feel the bite of my nails breaking the skin. The buzzing in my brain is nuclear. I push through the fog and focus on Raven. My muscles twitch with unbridled fury.
“What do you want, Dominick? For Raven? I’ll give you whatever you want in return for her freedom.”