With her heart bashing against her chest, Raven yelled, “Put your hands up where I can see them.” She didn’t see his hands, but the barrel of a shotgun as Gregor slid out of the truck. “Put the gun down or I’ll shoot.” God, she didn’t want to shoot him. She wanted him to spend the rest of his rotten life in a prison where everyone knew he was a child molester.
Everything slowed. The barrel of the shotgun rose up, aimed right at her. She shouted one more time for him to put the gun down, watched as he pumped the forearm and then she fired, milliseconds before she saw the flash from the shotgun. She ducked down behind the door waiting for the shot to rain down on the Charger, but it blew into the bush to her right.
Mick popped up from behind the back door looking like her eyes were about to explode out of their sockets. “Oh, shit. Are you shot?”
“No.” Raven had to hold back a laugh. She finally found out what it took to get a curse word out of Mick. She peeked out from behind the door. Gregor was on the ground, his bloody hands clasped to his chest. The shotgun lay on the ground a few feet in front of him. Raven kept her gun trained on him as she closed the distance between them. As she got closer, she realized it wasn’t his chest that was bleeding. She’d shot him in the right hand. The wooden stock of the shotgun was splintered. Her shot was probably the reason his blast missed its target.
Raven placed her boot on Gregor’s shoulder and shoved him onto his belly as he squealed like a pig as she holstered her weapon then pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed him.
“My hand. What the fuck’s wrong with you? I’m shot for Christ’s sake.”
“Sorry, Gregor.” She smiled when he looked into her face and recognition lit his eyes. “I’m not feeling a hell of a lot of sympathy for you.”
* * *
The bright lights of video cameras and camera flashes accosted Raven as she stepped out of the emergency room doors. Her left hand was bandaged with stitches spanning her palm where the glass shard in the window had cut into her. The needles she’d had to freeze her hand for the stitches had made her sick to her stomach and she was glad that Riley hadn’t been there to see it, or anyone else she knew for that matter.
Reporters shouted out questions from every direction. It all jumbled together so that she couldn’t understand what anyone was asking. How they’d gotten her name or knew who she was baffled her. She was relieved when LaCroix stepped in beside her although she had no idea where he came from.
“One question at a time please,” he shouted to be heard over the din.
“Harrison MacNamara, CTV News. How did you track down the man who abducted Sabrina O’Connor and was he the same man responsible for the deaths of Emily McMurtrie, Sandra Kelway, and Charlene Brock?”
“Detective Constable Bowen and Constable Warren have been working this case since the discovery of Emily McMurtrie’s body several days ago. I can’t give you any details as this is an ongoing case, but their investigation led them to the perpetrator in time to save Sabrina O’Connor who was abducted after leaving her workplace in Penatanguishene last night.”
Raven watched LaCroix as he answered several questions. He handled the media like he did it everyday. When he had to think about his answer, he rubbed the scruff on his face with his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
LaCroix told the reporters he’d take one more question and pointed to a woman with her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail who elbowed her way to the front.
“Kelsey St. Germaine, National News. I have a question for Detective Constable Bowen.”
LaCroix turned his head to look at Raven and she nodded her assent.
“Gregor Paigo was a member of your mother’s Wiccan coven and lived with your mother for over two years just over a decade ago. Did you know back then that he was a sex offender? Did he molest you, Detective Constable Bowen? Is that the reason you left home at the age of fifteen?”
Raven literally felt the blood drain from her head. Her face tingled and the edges of her vision darkened.
“That’s enough.” Kiran Hayes pushed his way through the horde of reporters, took hold of Raven’s elbow, and steered her away from the mob, back into the hospital. LaCroix followed them as reporters shouted out questions in a frenzy.
Raven’s chest tightened up, making it impossible to draw in a breath. As Kiran rushed her through the halls, she pulled at the neck of her sweater as if that would help her to breathe. They burst through the doors at the side of the hospital just as Riley pulled to the curb in Ena’s SUV. Kiran opened the back door and Raven folded herself into the car. Instead of getting in the front, Kiran rounded the car and got in the back beside Raven. Once they were in, LaCroix gave the roof of the car two quick slaps with his palm.
“Go,” Kiran shouted as soon as he closed the door.
Riley burned rubber as she pulled away from the curb and kept glancing back at Raven who was bent over, clutching her chest and sucking short, wheezing breaths in through her mouth.
“Can’t breathe.”
“Slow breaths, now,” Kiran said. “Breathe in through your nose. That’s it, love.”
Raven didn’t have the energy to tell him not to call her that. If she could catch her damn breath, she’d tell him to shut the hell up. Let him try sucking air in through his damn nose when his lungs refused to expand. Yet, she did what he was telling her. Her head spun and little bright spots danced in front of her eyes. Oh, damn. She was going to pass out. She glanced up at Riley while the darkness crept in from her peripheral vision. “Can’t breathe.” She barely heard her words as the darkness took her under.
When she came to, her head was in Kiran’s lap and his hand circled her back. Mortified, she pushed herself up then pressed her hands to her throbbing temples.
“Welcome back, love.”
At least she was breathing normally now. She glanced over at Kiran and he smiled. Raven groaned and massaged her temples.
“Headache?”
Duh. What was his first clue? “Yeah. I need a couple of Advil, a hot shower, pizza, and a beer.”
Kiran laughed and it sounded as beautiful as his thick Scottish accent, low and rumbling, almost musical in its cadence. “In that order?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” She just wanted to be home and disinfect herself after being in Gregor’s filthy cabin. Thinking of Gregor brought back the memory of the reporter’s question and she groaned. It was probably already being broadcast on the National News Network and they’d keep replaying it until the whole country was sick of it or the next hot news item broke. How the hell did they dig up that information so fast?
Riley pulled into Raven’s driveway and as soon as the locks clicked open, Raven opened her door and jumped out of the car before Kiran tried to help her. She got to the front door and patted her pockets for her keys before she realized Mick had them again. She should have been waiting for her with the Charger in the hospital parking lot. She took out her phone to call Mick and had to wait for it to power on as she’d turned it off when she was in the ER. Twenty-three missed calls, mostly from Adara, but a few from Mick and Jaxon, waited for her. One from LaCroix after they left the hospital. She put the phone on silence so she could ignore any incoming calls and texts then called Mick.
“Hey, Raven. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” How often was she going to hear that question over the next few days? “Riley and Kiran drove me home.”
“Yeah, Riley let me know. I’m just at the detachment finishing up the reports then I’ll change and bring your car over.”
“You didn’t have to do the reports. I could have done them from home.”
There was silence for a moment. Riley used her key to open the door and Raven walked in, closely followed by both Riley and Kiran. “Mick? Are you still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. Ummm. When I bring your car over, do you think we could talk? There’s, um, something I need to say to you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Yea
h. It’s just … well, I’d rather talk to you face to face.”
The kid sounded so serious and nervous and Raven couldn’t figure out what the heck she would want to discuss. Now it was going to bug her until Mick came over and said what she needed to say. “I guess I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“Yeah. Okay. See you in a bit.”
When she got off the phone, Riley and Kiran were sitting on the couch in the living room. Kiran had the TV remote in his hand and he pointed it at the TV, turned it on, and tuned it to the National News Network.
“Must you?” Watching that crap was the last thing Raven needed.
Kiran clicked off the TV and set the remote on the coffee table. “Sorry, love. I thought it might be wise to do some damage control.”
“Damage control?”
“Aye. See what they’re saying so we can figure out what to do about it.”
Raven crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “We are not going to do anything about it. They’ll move on to something else soon enough.”
“That’s your strategy then? Ignore it and hope it all goes away?”
Who the hell did he think he was? She just met him yesterday and he thought he could come to her rescue then decide what she was to do about something that was none of his damn business?
“We’re just trying to help, Rave,” Riley said. “I don’t understand why you didn’t file charges against that bastard a long time ago.”
Because he would have gotten out on bail while he waited for his trial and he would have used that time to kill Ena and maybe her as well. Raven had no doubt he would have done it. She got up and went to the window to look out at the moon’s shimmering reflection on the lake, but it was overcast and there was no glow, no light. Just pitch black beyond the light shining out from her living room. Another two days and it would be a full moon. And the coven gathering. With Gregor in custody, she could focus on Ena’s murder.
“You look a fright, darling,” Kiran said.
“Gee, thanks.” Raven looked down at the blood stains on her shirt and pants, the scrapes on her right hand, and her bandaged left hand. She couldn’t really argue with him and that was not even taking into consideration what her face must look like. She knew she had fresh scrapes from the branches and twigs grabbing and whipping at them when they were running through the woods and the scrapes on her jaw had been ripped open. They’d disinfected the wounds at the hospital, but she still felt filthy and gross.
“I’m going to take a shower and change.”
“I’ll order that pizza.”
Well, look at that. Her father was proving to be useful. As soon as that thought passed through her mind, Raven berated herself. It wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t even known she existed. Why the hell hadn’t Ena told them about each other? And why had she gone silent?
Raven went into her bedroom, closed the door and stripped down, placing her clothes into a plastic bag so she could throw them out. Or burn them. That would be satisfying. She cranked on the shower as hot as she could stand it and scrubbed her skin where it wasn’t scraped or cut then thoroughly soaped the areas that were, ignoring the sting.
She fluffed her hair and patted herself dry with a towel. Her jaw was still bleeding, so she dabbed it with a tissue and then spread a good coating of Polysporin over it. She’d tried to keep her throbbing hand dry, but the gauze wrapped around it was soaked. Riley would fix that for her. She dressed in a warm sweat suit, retrieved the first aid kit from the bathroom cabinet and walked out to the living room. As soon as she did, Kiran and Riley’s conversation stopped and they stared at her.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Riley said. “Feel better?”
“A bit.” She passed the first aid kit to Riley. “Could you re-dress my hand?”
Riley patted the couch next to her and opened the first aid kit on the coffee table. She took Raven’s hand in hers so gently Raven was shocked by the jolt that ran up her arm and soared straight down to her core. She inhaled sharply and Riley’s eyes shot up from her hand to meet Raven’s. Raven held her breath. Oh, this was a bad idea.
“Does it hurt?”
“Ha. Yep.” If Riley thought her reaction was pain, she’d let her think it instead of embarrassing herself. Damn Ena for passing down her voracious sexual appetite. She wanted to scoop Riley up in her arms, carry her into the bedroom, and –. Her eyes met Kiran’s and her arousal vanished, replaced by a burning heat searing up her throat and spreading over her face.
Kiran smiled. “Alright, pet?”
“I’m not a damn pet.”
“Och, sorry, love. It’s a term of endearment at home. Doesn’t have the same meaning here, I suppose?”
Riley cut through the gauze and peeled it off of Raven’s hand. “Oh, Rave. You should probably ice this.”
She’d known it was swollen, but it appeared more so now and felt tight and uncomfortable. The colour of the skin surrounding the cut was an angry red. It had been red when she got the stitches, but not that red. “Do you think it’s infected?” God knew what filth was on that window. “Ew, eew, eeewww.” She shuddered, a full body, grossed out kind of shudder. “Maybe they didn’t clean it out well enough in the ER.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. It’s too early for an infection to have set in. A little ice and some antiseptic ointment and I’ll re-wrap it for you.”
Riley massaged Raven’s hand around the cut, barely putting any pressure on it. It sent tingles up Raven’s arm. She glanced over at Kiran and he was smirking at her. Smirking! Was he psychic, too? Raven pushed to her feet. Despite the hot shower, her whole body ached. “I’ll get the ice.”
She got a handful of ice from the freezer and put it in a Ziploc baggie then wrapped a tea towel around it and placed it in her left palm. The heat and throbbing calmed instantly. She was heading back into the living room when the doorbell rang and she changed directions.
“I’ll get it.” Kiran rose and Raven watched his long strides carry him down the hall, graceful yet strong. He returned moments later carrying two large pizzas.
Raven wasn’t going to snub her nose at the amount of pizza, but did they really need that much? “Who are you planning on feeding?”
“Oh, well. You can never have enough pizza. What doesn’t get eaten can go in your fridge for tomorrow, yeah?” He set the boxes down on the counter and helped Raven gather plates, napkins, and three bottles of beer.
Kiran carried everything out to the living room, serving Riley and Raven before placing three slices on his own plate. Once settled in his chair, he picked up the bottle of Coors Lite and examined the label. “Well, it’s not Guinness, but it will wet the throat, aye?”
“Aye. It will do that.” Raven held a slice of pizza in her right hand while her left hand was fisted loosely around the ice filled tea towel. Like an expert, she folded it a tiny bit to keep it from buckling when she took a big bite out of the tip. Oh, yeah. She needed that. She couldn’t quite remember the last time she ate.
“I came over to see you this afternoon,” Kiran said. He took a bite of pizza, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. “Ena’s lawyer is expecting us in her office at ten tomorrow morning.”
“Ena’s lawyer?”
“Aye. She’ll be reading her will, I suppose.”
The house. She left her that damn house. “I don’t want the house, Kiran. It’s your home, you keep it.”
“Oh, no. She’s always been very clear on that point. That house gets passed down from daughter to daughter in the Bowen line.”
Raven dropped her slice of pizza on top of the other one on her plate then tossed the plate onto the coffee table. Way to ruin her appetite. “Being in that house makes me sick, aye? I don’t want her damn house.”
Kiran’s eyes flared, his jaw muscles rippled and then his expression relaxed for a second before he pursed his lips. It was like she could see his whole thought process on his face. He was pissed that she mocked his accent and then it dawned on him wh
y she didn’t want to be in that house. All of her nightmares lived within those walls. The three times she’d been in it over the past few days had brought back both good and bad memories, but the thought of living there, of passing that bedroom every day, just made her skin crawl.
“Och, I’m sorry, Raven.” He set his slice of pizza on his plate and left it sitting in his lap while he wiped his hands on a napkin. “I’m not good at this, d’ye ken? I don’t know how to be a father or deal with the trauma you’ve suffered. But, I look at you and there’s no mistaking you’re mine.” He placed his right hand over his heart. “The moment I saw you, my heart grew in size. I went from the despairs of grief to the joy of knowing you’re my daughter. No matter what the lawyer says tomorrow, Ena’s already left me the greatest gift I could have dreamed of. Why the bloody hell she didn’t tell me about you, I can’t imagine.”
He was right about there being no mistake she was his, but Raven had no idea how to respond to the rest of what he said.
“I want to help, love. I can’t stand to see you carrying around so much pain.”
“You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m carrying around.” Was he some sort of psychologist with ESP? Or… she turned her head to study Riley. Riley averted her eyes and stared down at the floor as Kiran stabbed his fingers through his hair. “Did you two sit around all afternoon talking about me?”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to get pissed off when people are just expressing their concern for you? We care about you, Rave. We’re worried about you. Don’t condemn us for that.”
“Where were all of you when I actually needed the help?” Raven shot to her feet, her fists in tight balls at her sides. The ice pack in her hand sprung a leak and the water seeped through the tea towel. “When I was a little girl trying to fight off a man twice my size who told me if I woke my mother up, if she found out what he was doing, he would kill her. Where were you then?” A sob tore free from her throat and she fled to her room, slamming the door behind her. She knew she was being irrational, but the fact that Riley told Kiran infuriated her. How could she? Now she had an inkling of what Riley had felt at her betrayal.
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