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Raven
I’m trying notto freak out over the fact that I have a group of mafia dudes coming after me. It helps a bit that I have some of my own mafia friends. Still, it’s a little unnerving that all these people seem to be coming after me.
I know Jax and Hunter blame Zay, but I honestly understand why he did what he did. And at least we know now that Porter wasn’t part of the group that threw me off the bridge, so we can check him off the list. Of course, I have another target on my back, so …
“I think we might have to split up,” I tell Jax after he reminds me that he’s going to go to the club with me. “I mean, with everything going on … it just seems like it might have to happen.”
He shakes his head then, sliding his arm behind me, he leans in and whispers in my ear, “I know I told you I wouldn’t tell you what to do, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone. We’ll figure out a way to get everything done, okay? Just let me go with you.”
I sigh, but ultimately say, “Okay.”
“We should also go pick up your stuff from your aunt and uncle's house,” Hunter adds, fiddling with a ring on his finger.
I glance at him with my head angled to the side. “They still need to give me permission to move out.”
“We already talked about that, remember?” Hunter says with a devious grin. “We’re gonna use that video of her cheating on her husband. Although, I’ve been thinking about that, and I don’t think we should use footage itself because that’d bust us for spying on them. But I’m sure we can use the knowledge to our benefit. We just need to come up with a game plan. Plus, with how young that guy looked on the video, I actually wonder if he could be a minor. We might be able to find out if I can clean up the footage a bit and get a better view of his face.”
“Wait… What’s going on?” Zay says in confusion.
“Whoops, I guess we forgot to mention that,” Hunter says, giving him a dirty look. “Guess you can call us even now since you didn’t tell us about Benton.”
Zay rolls his eyes, but doesn’t remark.
While everything they’ve said sounds like it could work, I worry that somehow it won’t work. And that still leaves the issue… “That just adds another thing to the really long to-do list,” I point out. “It’s kind of crazy how long it’s getting.”
“She does have a point,” Zay says. “On top of all this other stuff, we apparently have to throw a party for my brother.” He gives Hunter a dirty look.
“You know, normally, I’d say your annoyance was justified,” Hunter replies as he reclines back in the sofa and props his boot-clad foot up onto his knee, snow falling off the bottom of it. “But, after the little stunt you pulled, I think we can all just agree to let our irritation with each other drop so we can focus on creating a plan on how to get some answers, protect Raven, and plan a party that we’re going to spy on, because I really want to know why in the hell Porter is keeping stuff from the boss.”
“I do, too,” Zay mutters while thrumming his fingers against the armrest of the sofa. “Something’s definitely up with that.”
We all sink into silence. I have no idea what they’re thinking about. I do know what I’m thinking about. That bird. The blood. How it reminded me of something …
I’ve seen something similar before. In a forest. And I wasn’t alone. Three boys were with me.
The memory is pressing on my mind.
“Who do you think killed it?” the boy with blond hair asks as we stand around the dead bird.
I shrug. “Probably an animal.”
“It’s sad,” the boy with black hair says, a tear falling from his eyes.
The boy with short brown hair crouches down and touches the bird. “We should bury it so it can rest in peace when it goes to the afterlife.”
We all nod then start toward the house to get some shovels. My heart hurts, though. That poor bird just died, and the animal didn’t even eat it. It hurts my heart that it died so pointlessly.
Why wouldn’t the animal eat it?
As we reach the edge of the woods, I glance back at it. For a moment, I swear I see someone else standing by it, but when I blink, they’re gone—
Ping. Ping. Ping.
I’m jerked from the memory as the guys’ phones all beep simultaneously.
Confusion flickers across all their faces as they dig their phones from their pockets.
“What’s up?” I wonder as they all read a text they received.
