“Raven,” Gage says sternly next to me.
I roll my eyes. I have a stranger trying to act like my mother and a boyfriend trying to scold me like a father. Laurelyn gives him a curious stare and he extends his hand to her.
“Gage Hunter.”
She takes his hand gingerly. Stuck-up bitch.
“Mr. Hunter. You are...?” She raises a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I snap before he can answer. He clears his throat awkwardly, and pulls his hand away. She gives him a weak smile then turns back to me. If she’s going to judge him, she can turn around and leave right now.
“I see. I’m glad you have someone. Your father told me you and your sister aren’t close.”
“How often did you two talk?”
I can’t believe Daddy had that much contact with her and never said anything to me. He could have at least let me know she was checking up on me. Then again, I know I would have wanted to talk to her, see her. That’s probably why he didn’t.
“Rarely. I wasn’t supposed to have any contact with him either, so we had to be very careful.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry… about what happened to him. I wanted to be there but…” she trails off, looking to the side.
I stare down at my hand in my lap and absentmindedly pick at the white sheet. I don’t really know what to say to her.
“Raven, I didn’t expect this to be easy. I know it will take time, but... I’m here. I want to be a part of your life. I need you to be a part of mine.”
“Why?”
Tears begin to stream down her cheeks and she blinks rapidly to try and chase them away. When Gage’s arm tightens around my shoulder, I realize I’m doing the same.
“I’ve loved you since the moment I found out I was pregnant. Giving you up was the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my entire life. Staying away from you was the second hardest.”
She reaches out to me again and this time, I let her touch me. She gently strokes my hair and then cups my cheek. I close my eyes, leaning into her touch as her sweet, floral scent fills my nostrils. I feel Gage slowly pull away and soft, delicate arms replace his.
“My baby girl,” she croons.
I don’t know how long she held me while we both cried our eyes out but when I pull away from her, I feel raw. My nose is stuffy and my eyes feel like they’re almost swollen shut. She’s all red and puffy and desperately trying to compose herself. I hope she doesn’t think that hug meant everything’s all good. We’re so far from good. But maybe, just maybe, I’m more willing to give her a chance.
“How do you feel?” she asks. “Drake told me what happened.”
“I don’t know. Okay, I guess.”
“I want you to know I’ll do anything I can to help. Whatever you need, you let me know. I’m heading to the sheriff’s office after this. We’re offering a reward for information.”
“We? Who’s ‘we’?”
“Me and Daniel... my husband.”
“You’re married?”
“Yes,” she replies. “We’ve been married eight years.”
“And he knows about me?”
“I told him about you on our first date. He’s here with me and wants to meet you.”
“He wants to meet me?” I can’t believe this. I not only get a mother but a shiny, new stepdad all in the same day.
“Yes. We have a six-year-old, Dani. She’s here, too. Excited to meet her big sister.”
Sister? I have a little sister? I take a deep breath, and as if he senses I’m about to overload, Gage takes my hand. I look to him for guidance and he kisses my forehead.
“One thing at a time, baby doll. You set the pace.”
He’s right. This is my show. I get to decide who, what, where, and when. I think I’ve had enough for one day.
“Not today. Please.”
“Of course. He’ll be here for a few days then he has to go back to work. Dani and I will be here... for a while.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll… uh... I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Her statement sounded more like a question, so I nod. She looks like she wants to hug me again but thinks better of it. Picking up her purse from the floor—I didn’t even realize she’d dropped it—she heads for the door. She stops in the doorway and turns back to me.
“Thank you, Raven.”
And then she’s gone. Mr. Santini nods to us and follows her out. Gage sits on the edge of the bed and stares at me intently.
“Well?”
“Well...” I shrug. “At least it’s taken my mind off everything else.”
“And?” he prods.
“And... maybe you were right. I’ll give her a chance, but she only gets one.”
“What I saw of the woman who walked in here... I’m pretty sure one is all she needs, Raven.”
“I hope so.”
God, I hope so.
CHAPTER 5
***Gage***
I watch her raise her good shoulder in a shrug for the millionth time. She’s done it in response to every question the rape counsellor has asked. The woman keeps trying to get her to express her feelings, but Raven seems unbothered. I know her. I know she’s not good at hiding her emotions, but I also know she doesn’t like talking about them. I thought she needed support, why she asked me to stay, but this exchange isn’t helping anybody.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, lady,” Raven snaps in frustration. “I told you I don’t remember anything. If I wasn’t feeling the effects of it, I wouldn’t know it happened at all.”
That’s the crux of it, isn’t it? She can’t process something she doesn’t remember. The whole conversation has only served to upset her.
“Look,” I address the counsellor. “Obviously, this is going nowhere. How about we just try another time?”
The counsellor takes a deep breath and nods in agreement. After handing me a business card, she turns to Raven.
“I’ll recommend your release, but call me if you want to talk. Anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“Mr. Hunter.” She dips her head at me and then she’s gone.
Raven breathes a sigh of relief. “I thought she’d never leave.”
“She’s only trying to help, babe.”
“I know.”
She turns her baby blues to me and I run my fingers through her hair. I can’t stand to see her in this hospital bed.
“When can I go home?”
“I don’t know. I’ll talk to the doctor.”
“Get me out of here, Gage. I can’t take being here another day.”
“I will. I just need to make sure you’re okay to leave.”
“I am. I feel—”
“I need the go-ahead from the doctors, babe. I don’t want to risk hurting you further.”
“Fine,” she grumbles.
I shift her position on the bed and climb in next to her. She snuggles up to me, inhaling deeply. I can’t wait to get her out of here, but I need to know it’s safe first.
“Have you heard anything?” she asks quietly.
I take a deep breath. I have to tell her we’ve got jack shit. We’ve talked to everyone, called in all my markers, and still nothing. It’s frustrating as fuck, and I’m only holding it in for her sake. I need to be as calm as possible around her because she needs that from me.
“Not yet.”
“Who is this guy? A ghost?”
“I don’t care who or what he is. There isn’t a hole in the ground I won’t dig up to find him.”
“Gage... I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“When you find him... promise me you’ll let the cops handle it.”
What the fuck? The cops? The moment I find that motherfucker, he ceases breathing. No way I’m leaving anything up to the cops. He’ll probably go to trial and get off on some bullshit technicality. No way. “Anything but that.”
“I don’t want yo
u getting into trouble for me.”
“I won’t. I know what I’m doing.”
“Gage—”
“Don’t,” I stop her. “Please, don’t ask me to do nothing. It’s my fault this happened to you. I can’t undo it, but I can make sure the fucker pays.”
“How is it your fault?”
“I just know it is.”
“It’s not. I know you’re angry, and I’ve seen a sample of what you can do when you’re angry. I don’t want this guy to drag you down to his level, Gage.”
“His level?” I ask with a mirthless chuckle. “I may not be a rapist, but you have no idea what I’m capable of, Raven. The things I’m planning to do to him will make even the Devil refuse me entrance to Hell.”
“Gage....”
There’s a plea in her voice. God knows I’d do anything for her, but I can’t leave this up to the fuck-ups known as the Stoney View Sheriff’s Department. I need to do this for her, but I need to do it for me, too. This motherfucker put his hands on my woman. A lesson needs to be learned and a clear message sent to anyone else who thinks they can fuck with me.
“Drop it, Raven.”
My words come out harsher than I wanted and I instantly regret them.
“Okay,” she whispers before I can apologize. “But promise me you’ll be careful. I need you here, not behind bars or... or worse.”
“I promise. You’re stuck with me, doll. Get used to it.”
She turns her face into my chest and takes a deep breath.
“Little puppy.”
I get a soft giggle from her. I already miss her laugh. You really don’t know the value of something until it’s gone. She was a bright light and instead of illuminating my world, I dragged her into the darkness. I need to make this right. I need my sun back.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll fix it.”
“I know,” she says in a soft voice. “I know you will.”
I kiss the top of her head and hold her close. I don’t know exactly how I’m going to fix it, though, and that’s my problem. How can I come up with a plan when I don’t even know what I’m dealing with?
There’s a knock at the door and I carefully leave the bed to answer it. When I open it, I see the boy—Chris. He’s holding a bunch of flowers with a balloon. His jaw twitches and he squares his shoulders. Good for him.
“I’m here to see Raven,” he states.
I simply nod and move aside so he can enter. He goes straight to the bed and takes her hand. I want to tell him to get his hands off her, but I bite my tongue. I don’t want to upset Raven.
“How are you doing, beautiful?”
I bite my tongue again.
“I’m okay,” she answers.
“You think we could talk without him hovering over my shoulder?”
Okay, this kid is seriously pushing my boundaries. He’s lucky I even let him see her. Raven shoots me a pleading look, so I take a deep breath and calm down. “I’ll go talk to the doctor about your release.”
“Thanks.”
I head out to find her doctor but spot her mother at the nurse’s station, so I head there instead. There’s a man with her who I assume is her husband, and a little girl clutching at her skirt.
“Mrs. Marchand?”
“Oh, Mr. Hunter.” She turns to me and offers her hand. “This is my husband, Daniel.”
Daniel gives me an appraising look as he shakes my hand. I’d love to see what he would have done if I was wearing my colors. He’d probably grab his wife and kid and run for the hills.
“You can call me Gage,” I tell him.
“Gage.”
I almost laugh at him trying to sound tough. I’ve never met a woman’s parents before, but I figure her father would have done the same thing.
“Is Raven awake?”
“Yes, she is.” I turn back to her mother. “A friend is with her now.”
“I was hoping she’d be up to meeting Daniel and Dani.”
I look down at the little girl and she hides her face behind her mom’s legs.
“Hi, there,” I say in a soft voice. She peeks out and I see her mom’s eyes. Raven’s eyes. I crouch to her level and extend my hand. “I’m Gage, Raven’s friend.”
At the mention of her sister’s name, she steps out from behind her mother and takes my hand.
“You know my sister?”
“Yeah, I do. You wanna go see her?”
“Yes, please.” She nods excitedly, and I chuckle at her enthusiasm.
“Tell you what. I’ll go tell her you’re here and then come back and get you, okay?”
“Okay.”
Her mother mouths a thank you as I stand, and I nod in acknowledgement. “I’ll be right back.”
“Mr. Gage?” Dani’s little voice stops me and I turn back to her. She waves me toward her, so I return to my crouching position. Placing her lips at my ear, she whispers, “Do you think she’ll like me?”
I stare into her eyes and all I can see is Raven looking back at me. She had the same apprehensive expression when she asked that very question about her mother. This is one meeting I know Raven will have no reservations about. “She’s going to love you.”
She gives me a wide smile I have to return when I see that two of her teeth are missing. Utter cuteness. Yeah, Raven’s going to fall in love with this little girl.
***Raven***
Gage re-enters the room and Chris immediately goes rigid. After he finished playing the blame game, we actually had a pretty nice visit. He told me the girls didn’t come with him because he asked for some alone time with me, but they’d come by later. Hopefully, Gage can get me out of here today so I can see them at home. Then again, where is home? I’m definitely not going back to Lonnie’s place. Gage said he’s taking me home with him. Does he mean the clubhouse, or his house? Doesn’t matter. I just need to get out of here.
I give Chris’ hand a gentle squeeze. Rising from where he’s perched on the edge of my bed, he shoves his hands in his pockets. He sneers at Gage, who, frankly, isn’t paying him any attention. His gaze is locked on me.
“You good?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“There are some people here to see you.”
“Laurelyn?”
“Yeah. You up for it?”
“I guess.” I nod. “Dani?”
I admit, I’m excited to meet her. I have a little sister. One I can be a better sibling to than Lonnie was to me. That is, if Laurelyn doesn’t disappear again.
“She’s here,” Gage replies.
“I’ll go,” Chris says. “Call me if you get out today. If not, I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thanks for coming.”
He kisses my forehead and leaves, giving Gage a wide berth. Gage approaches me with a raised brow. I think he’s going to give me shit about Chris, but he doesn’t.
“You ready?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “I am.”
“I’ll go get ’em.”
I chew on my thumbnail nervously as I wait for him to return. Will she like me? Will this be the only time I get to see her? Laurelyn is one thing, but this is different. Dani is an innocent bystander in all this. I don’t think I could handle having one more person ripped from my life.
He comes back in, holding a little girl’s hand. No, not just any little girl—my sister. She’s a miniature of Laurelyn, down to the way she’s dressed, like a proper young lady. She stares at me, wide-eyed, clutching tightly to a teddy bear. When they reach the side of the bed, Gage picks her up so she’s at eye level.
“Hi,” I choke out as tears gather in my eyes.
“Hi. Are you my big sister?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Mommy told me you were in an accident,” she says as she extends the teddy bear to me. “I brought this for you. His name is Teddy. He’s my favorite and always makes me feel better.”
I take the bear from her and hug it to my chest. “Thank you. I feel better already.”
�
�You’re welcome. May I give you a hug?”
Proper young lady. Whatever they’re teaching this little girl, she’s obviously learning.
“I’d like that.”
Gage places her on the bed carefully, and her gaze sweeps over me in an obvious attempt to see how she can hug me without hurting me. Finally, she wraps her little arms around my neck. I return her hug with my good arm, breathing in her scent.
“I’ve always wanted a big sister.”
“And I’ve always wanted a little sister. I’m glad it’s you.”
She pulls back from our embrace and gives me a hopeful stare. “Will you come and live with us?”
I glance at Gage, unsure what to say. I don’t want to hurt her feelings within the first five minutes of meeting her.
“I live here, sweetheart... but you can visit me anytime you like.”
Apparently content with my answer, she starts chattering away, telling me about her school, teachers, friends... everything about her little six-year-old world. I smile and nod, interjecting whenever I can. She’s so cute with her little toothless grin. Gage and I both laugh when she starts talking about a boy in her class who wants to be her boyfriend, but “he’s too immature.”
She leans forward, cupping her hand to hide her lips from Gage, and whispers, “Is Mr. Gage your boyfriend?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I like him,” she says with a wink. “He’s cute.” She sits upright, giggling as she casts shy glances his way.
Even six-year-old girls fall prey to the man. Unbelievable.
The door opens and Laurelyn sticks her head inside. “May we come in?”
“Mommy!” Dani squeals. “Raven says I can visit anytime I want.”
Laurelyn smiles at her. I can see she’s relieved, but there’s something else hidden behind that smile—uncertainty. It’s almost imperceptible, but I caught it. What does it mean? God, I hope she isn’t planning on not allowing me to see Dani again. I’m already smitten with the little girl.
“That’s great, honey.”
She introduces me to her husband. He shakes my hand and gives me an empathetic smile.
“I feel like I already know you, the way Laurelyn talks about you. I really hope you give her a chance. She puts on this front for everyone, but I know she’s not truly happy. She won’t be if she has to continue living a life without you in it.”
RAGE: President & First Lady Of The Death Dealers MC Page 31