Page 4 of Raven

And I realized that maybe I had a chance at a different life.

So, when the Elites couldn’t reconcile their differences, twenty of us left for the Eastside.

Two years of camping out on the beach and trying to figure out this new life in the wild.

Two years of hiding.

Two years of not seeing my dad and hoping he thought I was dead.

Two years of people mourning for those who died during the nuclear attacks while I felt disgusted with myself because I was thankful for this chance, a chance to escape my father and his omni-reachable power. Despite how much I missed him.

Two years of mourning Maddy, the actual Maddy, who was missing, her entire family killed during the bombings. Flinching at the mention of my real name on the lips of Archer and Marlow during their talks about “Tsariuk business.” I was playing dead, yet I was still a business.

The fateful night when the Westside, led by Archer Crone, attacked us and shot Bo was the night I had to come to the Westside to take care of him. I knew things would change.

And then came three months at Ayana, hearing my father’s name everywhere and realizing he was looking for me. On Zion, of all places.

Months of avoiding big parties and working twenty-four-seven at the medical center to stay under the radar.

Torturous weeks after finding out that Kat was sent by her Navy Seal father, hired by my dad, to Zion to locate Milena Tsariuk. Me.

Sleepless nights and drinking on my own, waiting for the helicopters or planes with my father’s insignia to come pick me up. Realizing I probably didn’t run far enough.

Shock at learning that every mafia syndicate in the world was looking for me, either to please my father or to blackmail him, many of them sending spies to Port Mrei.

Waiting to be confronted.

Tired of being afraid.

Knowing that soon, Archer, Kat, or Marlow would eventually figure it all out.

And reveling in the sound of my mother tongue when Marlow and Kat joked around in Russian. I couldn’t help but grin, trying to hide it and wishing I could speak up.

This celebration at the Thai restaurant is a reminder that even the wealthiest in this world are not safe. Let alone fugitives like me.

But I take a moment to celebrate, too.

Kat and Marlow come over with plates of Thai food and keep speaking Russian.

“Sorry, Maddy,” Marlow apologizes, thinking he’s rude for talking Russian with Kat.

“No worries,” I say. “I have to leave for work, anyway.” I signed up for the night shift again.

In hindsight, I should’ve known that the surprise would come from someone I least expected and barely knew.

Mathew “Raven” Levi… The dark “handler” of Ayana’s arms contracts, medical supplies, and security personnel. The second most important man in Zion, after Archer Crone.

Our first one-on-one weeks ago at the medical center felt like a clash but also a breath of fresh air. A person who felt like he saw right through me? Intriguing. A dangerous one? Maybe. That night, I let him know I wasn’t willing to cave in despite his reputation. I knew he’d get interested in me.

Oh, he felt like home, like the men I grew up with, the ones I ran from yet the ones I always gravitated to. Powerful. Quiet on the surface. Danger seeping out of his every pore. One who knew what he was capable of even if he never showed it.

I could sense it like a captive who managed to escape can sense a trap. And yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Not then. Not on Archer’s birthday. Not when Archer and Kat were kidnapped, and I spent hours with Raven and the IT crew.

Not now.

Across the crowded restaurant hall, I see him.

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