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“That sounds horrible,” the blond admitted. “I’m sorry that happened.”
Ridge handed her a beer. “It’s OK. The docs out there are just thebestin theworld, and here I am.” They all clinked bottles to celebrate the fact.
The brunette had begun, none too shyly, to take a fancy to Mark, so Ridge judged this the best moment to excuse himself and give Raven the ‘dime tour.’ “Thanks for coming over,” he said. “I hope there aren’t too many new people.” He showed her the layout, taking pride in the renovations he had done, and then gave her a quick tour of the photos that lined one wall of the living room. “These are mostly from my Navy days,” he explained. “That’s my graduating class at the end of Hell Week.”
“Sounds tough. Is that basic training?”
“Sort of. It really weeds out those who shouldn’t have applied. Only about 60% of this group actually made it to be SEALs.”And eight of them are dead, he didn’t say. “There’s my buddy Corbett,” he said, pointing out a stocky guy with the same military-grade haircut as the others. “He’s DEA now. A lot of them are still in the service, but the ones who leave are mostly security people, consultants, or cops. It’s almost a tradition. Corbett’s probably doing more good for the world now than he was as a SEAL,” Ridge added wryly, hiding the true depths of his disenchantment.
Raven glanced to her right to find two of the groupies glaring at her from the corner. Ridge noticed and simply steered away as if they weren’t there. “How about one more beer?” he offered. “Or are you driving?”
“I am, I guess,” Raven replied. “And I have a 5:30 a.m. shift at Cheryl’s tomorrow. Would you forgive me if I hit the road?”
The moment to which she had been looking forward finally arrived, as Ridge held out his arms and invited her in for a hug.Oh God, the whole freakin’ room is watching, her mind yelled as the warm strength of his arms gathered her to his torso. She didn’t hesitate, pressing her breasts against Ridge’s body, letting him feel them, albeit clothed, while her arms wrapped around him. It took only a few seconds, but it left her nearly breathless, her nipples instantly hard, her stomach fluttering, the need within her body awakened and, yet again, unquenched. As she made to pull away, she felt a slight kiss on her left cheek and made sure her lips brushed his skin as they began to separate. An inch from his mouth. Their eyes met for a second, smiling and unmistakably lustful.
Her mouth dry, Raven bid him goodnight and found Maggie, which was easier because she had been watching Raven’s every move. “You go ahead, hon. We’re going to hit a bar in town with a few people. Don’t wait up.”
Raven made it to her car on jellied legs and took five deep breaths before starting the engine.All those women, with their big boobs and their pierced navels showing and their toxic perfume, and it’s me who gets the goodbye hug.Her focus switched alarmingly between her driving and the limitless possibilities of them having been alone in his house, the certainty that their hug would have developed into a kiss, which would have meant clothes hitting the floor, tongues exploring each other, hands sliding down into jeans that hid delicious hardness.
There wasa car in her parking place, she found to her annoyance. Then she saw that someone was standing on the stoop outside of Maggie’s place. With a stab of fear in her gut, she recognized immediately the profile of her brother. He was smiling slightly, squinting at her headlights as she parked.You have got to be fucking kidding me.
“Hey, sis,” he said with entirely inappropriate brightness in his voice. “Told you it was time for a visit. How are you?” Raven slammed her car door as hard as she could and simply stood there. “I really was hoping you’d be pleased to see your own brother,” he added optimistically.
“I know why you’re here,” she said angrily. “What I want to know is, how did you know where I was staying?”
Hank walked the few steps to the garden gate and opened it, ostensibly for Raven, although she still didn’t move. “Maggie’s father was very helpful,” he confessed. “I had to, Raven, I really had no choice but to come here.”
Anger boiled in her gut like bad chili. “You need to get back in your car and drive away,” she said steadily, somehow hoping her clarity might convince him. “I can’t help you.”
“I think that you can, and I think that you should,” Hank replied matter-of-factly.
“You need money, right?” He nodded slightly. “I work in abakery, part time. Most of my savings went on gas for this piece of junk,” she tapped the Pontiac, “which was my only way to get away from all thecrapyou created in Chicago. I don’t have two dimes to rub together.”
Hank stepped forward again, leaning now on the garden gate. “But you know people who do.”
“Leave my friendsoutof this,” she warned. “If you come near them...”
“What? You’ll have me arrested?” he sniggered. “Great, go ahead. Jail would be the safest place for me, at least until one of Vincent’s men finds me on the inside and sticks a shank in my back.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was supposed to deliver something,” he explained. “I was shaken down and I lost the package.” His delicate choice of words did nothing to soothe Raven’s exploding temper. “Vincent says I’m responsible for the package, and for the money I was meant to collect.”
“So, you’re responsible,” she said dispassionately. “Get a job.”
“It’sthousands, Raven. More than a construction worker makes in six months.” He fell to his knees. “Do you want me to beg? I’ll beg.”
“Get the hell out of my life!” she yelled at the top of her voice. “You’re a fuckingparasite. Ineverwant to see you again.”
Hank rose with a sudden swiftness, turned slightly, and then landed a hard, driven punch across Raven’s left cheek. “You call methat, you bitch, when you’re sponging off your friends! When you’re drivingmycar!” He spat on the ground by her feet. “Iknewyou didn’t really care. Iknewyou’d rather I were dead in some ditch with a bullet in my brain. You’d doanythingto get rid of me, just like the others.”
Raven’s world was vibrating with a sickening pulse, back and forth. She tasted blood. Her arm had caught under her as she awkwardly landed on the sidewalk, and the other arm refused to push at the ground with enough force to lift her. She was certain he would kick her to death right there. Readying herself for the blows, she squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her stomach, bringing her knees up in a reflexive gesture of self-protection.
There was nothing. She heard only an engine starting, and then Hank roared away, tires squealing, out of the neighborhood and into the night.
God, I need help…She stumbled down the sidewalk.
Most of hislights were off now, she saw. There was only his Mercedes parked outside; the others must already have left. She tried turning on her cellphone again, but it only managed to bring up the menu page before the battery gave out. She still would not have called the cops, she knew. Hank might have joked about being safer in jail, but really, when was that ever true? Having the cops looking for him, as well as some crazed drug lords, might just push him over the edge. Ravenknewshe would not be able to live with that. This wasn’t the first time her brother had struck her.When will I ever learn?
