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I rolled Raven onto her back, pressing hair from her face. The light of the raging fire allowed me to bask in the shimmer of her eyes. “Baby. God. I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m… here. I’m… You saved us. I knew you would. Zoe told me not to lose faith,” she said in a dark whisper. “I love you. God, I’ve fallen madly, deeply in love with you.”
“You’re my entire world. I can’t live without you. I’m not a good person, but you make me want to become a better man.”
“Geez, Dad,” Zoe said, still coughing. “Can you save it for later?”
I laughed but there was nothing funny about the moment or the situation. To place the two women that meant the most to me in such significant danger was unforgivable. It was time to end the rampage. It was time to live my life as Sophia would have wanted.
It was time to take care of my family.
“Don’t ever lose faith in me, Raven. I will protect you both with all I have.” I captured her mouth, enjoying a few seconds of breathing easier now that I’d managed to save them with the help of two men I trusted more than anything. The moment lingered, my heart racing. I’d been given a second chance, something few men ever received, especially those who’d forsaken almost everyone else because of hate and rage.
No more.
However, this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. There was one more thing that needed to be done.
“Can you stand?” I asked, already pulling my sweet princess to her feet.
“Yes.”
“Daddy!” Zoe said, rushing toward me. I wrapped one arm around her, kissing the top of my daughter’s head. After glancing at the building, I gave both Maddox and Francois a nod. I’d find a better way of thanking them later.
“Let’s get you to safety.” As I started walking them to the car, we could all hear sirens in the background. The fire department and the police would be here shortly. “Maddox. Take them to the vehicle.”
“You got it, boss. Come on, ladies.”
Raven blew me a kiss as Maddox led her away. The looks on their faces were ones that would haunt me for some time to come. As I glanced at the fire, I knew at that moment that nothing good came out of the need for revenge.
As my brother moved beside me, he bent over, planting his hands on his thighs. “You know how to have a hell of a good time.”
Chuckling, I wiped my brow, finally able to breathe. “Yeah, well, rest up. We still have work to do.”
“I know.”
As I started to turn around, the sirens getting closer, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. I scanned the street, removing my weapon.
“What the hell is it?” Francois asked.
“Something. It’s…” Out of the corner of my eye, a tiny flash occurred. Or maybe it was my sixth sense. Whatever the case, my reaction was swift, but was it quick enough?
“Raven. Zoe. Down!”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
CHAPTER27
Arman
Business.
Dangerous business. It was a part of my life that would never change because of who and what I was. While I’d already spent time legitimizing the majority of our corporation, improving the family’s reputation, everyone in our world knew what we were.
Predators.
Maybe there continued to be a significant part of me that wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d been able to look myself in the mirror most days, realizing that for all the brutality and desire for bloodshed, there was a light, the one that Sophia had seen and grasped onto, refusing to allow me to fall further into the darkness.
Having a daughter had perpetuated that need, but not enough to break the ugliness of guilt and the suffering I’d done in silence, not allowing my daughter to know more about her incredible mother. I watched her actions with Raven and realized that my little girl was poised to grow up and shift further out of my life. I was proud of her, eager to see the building relationship she’d developed with the only other woman who’d seen the same light.
