Page 156 of Raven

Suddenly, someone grabs me with an arm around my neck, pressing me closer to a hard body.

“Arms in the air!” Skiba barks right next to my ear. “Higher! You were stupid enough to bring a weapon and other men.”

“I didn’t. It was Archer’s order.” The voice makes my knees buckle—Raven, so calm.

A bag is suddenly yanked off my head, and I see him, forty or so feet away, my Rave, arms raised in the air, his eyes on me, then on Skiba.

“Let her go,” Raven says calmly.

Suddenly, there is a shout at a distance from behind him, radios beeping.

“Hold still! Hold still!” Multiple Ayana guards with rifles on us step out of the bushes behind Raven.

Skiba’s arm around my neck tightens. “Someone shoots, I shoot her.” He presses his gun to my head.

Raven’s jaw clenches as he turns his head behind him. “Stay back,” he orders the guards, though I know the guards won’t venture this far out of their territory.

But Raven does. His hands still raised, he steps toward us.

Skiba’s men behind us instantly shift their guns on Raven.

But Raven keeps approaching.

“You don’t need her, Skiba,” he says coldly. “You need me. She was your bait. Well done. Let her go.”

Skiba’s arm tightens around my neck even more, making me bend backward. “We have a bomb at Ayana. One stupid move and a certain house is going to blow up.”

But Raven is still approaching, just more carefully.

Skiba motions to one of his men, and he slowly steps toward Raven, almost crouches, though he has a gun. When he is only a foot or so away, Raven suddenly ducks under his arm, twists the gun out of the guy’s hand, and, holding him like a human shield, points the gun at his head.

“Let her go,” he orders Skiba.

Skiba yanks me backward, making me stand on my tiptoes. “Not a fucking chance. You owe me.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

“Oh, yes, you do. My best friend.”

“And who would that be?”

“Cunningham.”

I heard all about it from Kat. I know that Cunningham killed O’Shea and ran away. Turns out, Skiba’s been friends with a traitor all along.

“Let’s trade,” Raven says. “You let her go, and I will let your guy go and stay here with you.”

“Oh?” Skiba chuckles. “You want this pretty thing?” He turns to face me and drags his tongue along my cheek, making me thrash in his arms.

“Let her go!” Raven says louder, his murderous stare on Skiba.

“I asked for one thing,” Skiba says. “That girl, Siena. You know what she told me? I have nothing on you. Bitch made me mad. I asked you to lay off since you had this one.” He kisses my cheek, making Raven’s gaze grow vicious. “But noooo, you just think you can have it all. And Tsariuk’s reward, huh?”

“Let her go, Skiba. What do you want? I’ll give you whatever you want. Just not her.”

“Just not her. She is the most expensive thing on the island.”

“And she can cost you your life if you do something stupid,” Raven says.

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