Raven

by Heather Atkinson

  He leaned on the bar and cocked an adorable smile. “Surely you have your ear to the ground?”

  “Maybe,” she said, taking a sip of wine.

  “I’ve always been curious about how much you know of what goes on in this city.”

  “Is that why you invited me out tonight?”

  “No, I invited you because I’ve liked you for ages.”

  Her smile was playful. “You have?”

  “Yep. Truth be told, a lot of the lads at the station are jealous of me tonight. That’ll teach them to bet against me.”

  “Bet?” she frowned. “You asked me out for a bet?”

  “I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I said I was going to do it and they said I wouldn’t have the guts to ask out the sexy bounty hunter. I was happy to prove them wrong.”

  “I see,” she said, relaxing.

  He leaned closer to her. “And you evaded my question very neatly there.”

  She took another sip of wine, a smile playing on her lips. “Am I being officially interrogated?”

  “No, although I bet you do have your secrets.”

  “Don’t we all?”

  “I suppose.”

  “And you avoided my question.”

  “And unlike you, I’ll give you an answer. There’s a power struggle going on at the moment. Marcus Moore - have you heard of him?”

  “Who hasn’t? He’s a bit of a legend around here.”

  “He’s after pushing further into south Yorkshire but there’s some pretty heavy duty gangs in that area. But Marcus cornered the market on bringing reactivated firearms into the country and whoever controls the guns has the power.”

  Raven wondered if all the trouble with her rival was something to do with Marcus and his guns? She would need to think on that later.

  “Anyway, that’s enough about work,” he said. “I’ve had a gutful of it today. Right now, I just want to have fun.” He held out his hand. “Want to dance?”

  She knew Aidan wouldn’t like it but she had to play along. Who knew what information she could get out of him? He’d already given her so much. Besides, it had been so long since she’d danced. “Okay,” she smiled, taking his hand.

  He led her to the middle of the dance floor and slid an arm around her waist. They gently swayed together amid the other dancers. As they moved, her balero jacket slipped back, revealing the tattoos on her left shoulder.

  “Are those feathers?” he said.

  She nodded. “Raven feathers.”

  “I see. On both sides?”

  “Yes, down both arms and all down my back.” She smiled, unable to help herself, “all the way down to my, well, you know.”

  He blushed. “You’re a very intriguing woman.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled up at him.

  He leaned towards her, intent on kissing her.

  “Sorry, not yet,” she said. “We’ve only just got here and I’m tougher to crack than one white wine and soda.”

  “Sorry,” he said, deciding to retreat for now. “Another drink then? Not because I want to kiss you,” he added when she laughed. “Although I do but if I’m pressed up against you for much longer I might not be able to control myself.”

  “Okay then,” she grinned.

  Taking her hand, he led her back to the bar, Raven a little ashamed of herself when her gaze settled on his very nice backside. She could like this man and she felt guilty about using him like this. He wasn’t aware she was even married, never mind that her husband was waiting outside for her.

  As Tom ordered her another wine, finally she spotted Jeremy standing at the opposite end of the bar. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, which made sense as Tom had already said his colleagues were aware he’d invited her.

  On the surface, Jeremy appeared very respectable, attractive even in a clean-cut sort of way, although he was nothing compared to Aidan or even Tom. He wore a blue shirt and black trousers and looked like the boy next door.

  He sidled up to Tom, that smirk she knew so well on his face and eyes on her.

  “Alright Jeremy?” said Tom. “Drink?”

  “Yeah, pint please,” he replied. “Hello Raven.”

  “Constable,” she nodded, idly wondering what would happen if she announced to the room that here was the Needle Killer they were all searching for. Probably nothing, to him anyway.

  “This is Jeremy,” said Tom, handing her a glass of wine. “Hero copper. Oh, but I’ve already told you.”

  “Yes, you’ve already sung his praises,” she said with a smile. Her eyes slipped back to Jeremy. “Are you having a good evening?” she asked him.

  “Not bad,” he said. “But then again, I do enjoy a night on the town. I usually stay until they’re turning the lights out,” he added with a sly smile before taking a sip of his pint.

  “Do you like clubs and pubs Raven?” said Tom.

  “No, not really. I prefer a quiet night in.”

  “Curled up at home in your jammies?”

  “Yes, preceded by a long, hot bath.”

  She knew he was picturing her naked and soapy when he coloured and his eyes slipped down her body. Remembering he was a gentleman, he forced them back to her face. “Sounds nice but lonely.”

  “It is.”

  “Maybe there’s a way we could rectify that? I…Jesus, Jeremy, what are you doing?” he exclaimed when his pint was tipped all down his shirt.

  “Oh, sorry mate,” said Jeremy. “I was trying to reach the nuts on the bar.”

  “You daft sod. You could have just said excuse me.”

  “Excuse me. Or is it too late?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Here,” said Raven, taking a tissue out of her clutch bag and dabbing at his shirt, trying not to think about how firm his body was.

  “Thanks,” he said with a sheepish smile. “I’ll nip to the toilets to try and dry off. Don’t go anywhere.”

  “I don’t intend to,” she smiled back.

  “And you,” he told Jeremy. “Don’t be so clumsy again or I’ll ensure you’re fetching the Chief Constable coffee for the rest of your career.”

  He held up his hands. “Won’t happen again Sarge.”

  “Good.”

  With a smile at Raven, Tom meandered through the crowd towards the toilets.

  “You did that on purpose,” she told Jeremy.

  “I did,” he said, occupying the spot beside her Tom had vacated. “He’s a good bloke and I don’t want to see you get your hooks into him.”

  “So you do have a heart then?”

  “Not really. I know you’re not here for him. You’re here for me.”

  “Someone’s up his own arse.”

  “It’s true. Does he know you’re married?”

  “That’s nothing to do with you.”

  “That’s a no then. I wonder what he’d say if I told him?”

  “Good idea. Tell him you met Aidan Gallagher in Russia, while he was training you to become a killer. Makes no difference to me.”

  “I think it does because I think you like him back.”

  “You wanting him all to yourself?”

  “You’re using him to get close to me. What other reason would a murderess like you be doing here?”

  “I could ask the same of you. I wonder what all your colleagues would say if they found out you’re the Needle Killer they’re hunting?”

  “They wouldn’t believe you and I can give them several alibis to prove I wasn’t there. Besides, I could easily tell them you’re the one who scattered Dexter Aleksandrov all around the city.”

  “They wouldn’t believe you either.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. You’ve never heard them talking about you, wondering what other pies you’ve got your fingers in. They’ve come up with some pretty wild theories, some of which are near the truth. It wouldn’t take a lot to convince them, which would lead to a search warrant being issued on your home. What goodies would they find there?”

 
“Nothing.”

  “Yes, you’re too careful for that.”

  “You’re not going to dob me in. How would you get your revenge if I’m in prison?”

  “Of course you’re right. I’m not going to spoil my big moment.”

  “And what then?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What will you do once you’ve had your revenge, not that I’m going to let you but hypothetically speaking?”

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “You’ve been planning this for years, building up to it. It’s been your big goal in life. If you are successful in killing me, which you won’t be, your life will be left dull and empty. I’m your reason for living Jeremy.” When his eyes blazed she smiled. “I’m right? Oh dear, that’s really sad.”

  “Listen you fucking bitch…”

  “Your sergeant’s coming back. Better put your mask back on.”

  Jeremy took in a deep breath, jaw gritted, chest heaving, the pleasantness returning to his eyes, disguising what really dwelt there as Tom returned to Raven’s side.

  “You got some of it out,” she said, indicating his shirt.

  “It was the best I could do with cold water and a hand dryer,” he replied, scowling at Jeremy.

  “Sorry Sarge.”

  When Tom continued to stare at him, Jeremy said, “well, I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Thank you Constable.”

  “Raven,” nodded Jeremy, taking one last glance at her before melding into the crowd.

  “I hope he wasn’t bothering you,” said Tom.

  “It takes a lot more than him to bother me.”

  “I can well believe it,” he smiled.

  “Are you really going to get him to serve the Chief Constable coffee?” she said playfully, hoping to wheedle some information out of him about her rival.

  “Tempting but no.”

  “Is he a friend of yours?”

  “The Chief Constable?”

  “No,” she laughed. “Jeremy.”

  “Oh, him. Not really. We get on at work and I know he’s got my back but we don’t meet up outside work.”

  “He seemed a bit lonely to me, like he was after someone to talk to.”

  “Probably. He doesn’t have any family or a girlfriend.”

  “Is he liked at the station?”

  “Yeah, he’s good at his job and he’s friendly enough but outside of work he keeps himself to himself, he rarely comes to the pub for a drink after work or on any outings. I was quite surprised to see him here tonight actually, I didn’t think it would be his scene. Why, would you prefer to be accompanying him tonight?” He ended this statement with a nervous laugh.

  “God no,” she replied. “I’m just nosy.”

  “You’d make a good copper,” he said, sliding his arm around her waist.

  “I couldn’t deal with the uniform, running about with all that equipment. And I like working for myself.”

  “It pays well?”

  She nodded. “I get by. Why, you thinking of doing the same thing?”

  “It would be nice to work for myself, choose my own hours. No more bloody night shifts. You after a partner?”

  “Sorry, I work alone.”

  “Shame,” he said, his fingers brushing hers.

  She was quite certain he was going to try and kiss her again but fortunately she was saved by her mobile phone ringing. Taking it out of her bag, she saw it was Aidan.

  “Sorry, I’ve got to take this,” she said.

  “We just keep getting interrupted,” he sighed.

  “Sorry,” she said, retreating to a quieter part of the room to answer the call. “What are you doing?” she said into the handset.

  “I saw him holding your hand.”

  “You saw him? Where are you?”

  “Look to your left.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Raven scanned the room, sighing when she saw Aidan standing close to the DJ stand.

  “What are you doing?” she said. “Jeremy’s here. If he sees you, you’ll give away our one advantage. How the hell did you get in here anyway? It’s invitation only.”

  “Through the kitchens. It wasn’t an issue. For a police do, security is very lax.”

  “And where did that suit come from?”

  “I put it in the car when I was at the barn.”

  “You planned this?”

  “Did you think I was going to let my wife go on a date with another man?”

  “You don’t trust me.”

  “Course I do. As I said, it’s him I don’t trust. He’s already tried to kiss you and you’ve been here less than an hour.”

  “Go back to the car right now.”

  “No.”

  “You promised to do this my way.”

  “That was before I knew your way involved you going out with other men. You were careful to keep that one from me.”

  “I am not arguing with you Aidan. Just go back to the car and I will meet you there.”

  “When?”

  “Give me half an hour. I got Tom talking about Jeremy, he might be able to tell me something else.”

  “He’s not interested in talking to you Raven,” he said as though she were simple.

  “I can look after myself.”

  “I can’t believe you still went ahead with this, after what I did for you today.”

  Aidan was violent but she knew he wouldn’t have enjoyed dismembering Dexter and scattering him about the city. “And I appreciate it, really I do.”

  “Heads up, your date’s approaching, three o’clock.”

  She looked to her right and saw Tom making his way towards her.

  “Be careful. Jeremy’s impulsive. He might decide to strike you here.”

  “He wouldn’t dare.”

  “He’s reckless enough.”

  “Just wait outside for me. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Sorry, what’s that? You’re breaking up.”

  “Dammit Aidan.”

  The line went dead. Raven glared at her phone.

  “Trouble?” said Tom, finally reaching her.

  “It’s just my…brother.”

  “Older or younger?”

  “Younger,” she replied, deciding to use Damon as a template. “He’s always getting himself into scrapes then running to me to help him out.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Not really. It’s to do with a woman. He always has two or three on the go then, when they inevitably find out about each other, a whole load of crap falls on his head and he asks me to help soothe troubled waters.”

  “Do you have to go?”

  “No way, bugger him. He can sort out his own mess for once, he’s a big boy now.”

  “Good because I got you another drink,” he said, holding a fresh glass of white wine and soda out to her.

  “If I were a suspicious woman I’d say you were trying to get me drunk.”

  “Me? Never. I’m always a perfect gentleman.”

  “I’m beginning to realise that,” she said, taking a sip.

  His smile was charming. “Do you want to dance again? I promise to keep my hands where you can see them. Well, I can try.”

  Raven could imagine Aidan’s reaction to that. “Better not, these heels are starting to hurt. I don’t wear them very often.”

  “Oh sorry, I’ve been so thoughtless, I’ve made you stand since we got here.”

  “That’s okay,” she said.

  “Let’s get you a seat,” he said, scanning the room. His eyes settled on a table and he took her hand and led her over to it. Raven took the opportunity to glance Aidan’s way but he’d vanished from his spot by the DJ stand. Her husband was up to something and it made her nervous.

  They approached a table occupied by two men and a woman, all looking well on their way to being pissed, even though it was still quite early in the evening.

  “Oy you lot,” said Tom. “Shift.”

  “Look,” said the woman.
“The sarge has got a date. I thought you were past that Sarge.”

  “I’m not over the hill yet Constable.”

  “Constable is it? Being all official for your lady friend?”

  “No but I’ll officially have you three cleaning the spew out of the cells tomorrow morning, hangovers or not, if you don’t shift.”

  “I can’t wait to be a sergeant,” said one of the men, getting to his feet. “Then I can boss people about.”

  “God help us all if you ever get any sort of power,” said Tom good-humouredly.

  Raven couldn’t help but admire him. It was clear he was respected by his team and that he was very fond of them.

  “We’re taking this,” said the woman, snatching the bottle of house wine off the table.

  “You can keep that nasty plonk,” said Tom. “They’ve given us plebs the shite. If you want the good stuff, go to the Chief Constable’s table.”

  “Stuart’s staying well away from him since he pissed on his shoes last year,” sniggered the woman.

  “Keep it that way Stuart,” said Tom, taking the seat he’d vacated, Raven sitting beside him.

  “I intend to.” He glanced at Raven. “If you need any assistance Sarge…”

  “I’ll manage.”

  Stuart grinned before following his friends to the bar.

  “You all seem to get on well,” said Raven.

  “We have our moments but I don’t want to talk about that shower, I get enough of them at work.”

  “So what do you want to talk about then?” She was ashamed to realise she was enjoying herself. Here was a man she could happily see more of, if she hadn’t already been married. But, at the same time, it also went to confirm that Aidan was the only one for her. Tom was sweet, handsome and good company but gazing into his eyes didn’t make her heart pound or her palms sweat, she didn’t ache to touch him or to feel his bare skin against hers. Tom couldn’t melt the ice princess like he could.

  “You,” said Tom.

  “There’s not much to tell.”

  “You certainly are mysterious. I must admit, I find it attractive but I would like to know more about you.”

  “As I said, there’s not much to tell.”

  “Or do you not want to tell me?”

  She had to give him something or he’d start getting suspicious. “Well, I love curling up in a chair with a cup of green tea to watch the sun rise. I also enjoy hiking and being out in nature.”