Page 52 of Raven

Then a picture starts loading from that same number, and my breath catches in my throat.

It’s a picture of me back in Russia, seven or so years ago, when I was around fifteen. The worst thing about it is that it has never been on social media or the internet. It could only come from someone who has access to my old pictures in Russia.

I sober up in seconds.

“You all right, doll?” QiShan asks.

I get up slowly from the sunbed, still staring at the picture on my phone screen, then turn to look for Raven.

Sure, we are playing games, but of all people, he is the one who would probably find the most reasonable explanation or get his IT guys on it.

Except Raven is gone.

20

MADDY

It’s getting dark, and the pool party is booming while I’m progressively sobering up.

Sonny “Little” is all partied out. He comes over to the sunbed I sit on with Guff and Dani and falls face down on it right behind us, his little arm wrapping around my middle from behind.

“Tired?” I ask.

“Hungry,” he murmurs.

Callie gives me a sad pout as she sits on Kai’s lap. I know what that means. They want to party despite this responsibility over the kid.

“Wanna stay at my place tonight?” I ask him. “Get some takeout? Watch a movie?”

“Yes!” He jerks up to a sitting position and wiggles his way between me and Dani. “Movie! Movie!”

Callie lights up. Kai mouths, “Thank you,” to me.

I know there probably won’t be any movie because the little guy will fall asleep in seconds.

But he talks non-stop as we walk back home through the night. He shakes his wet hair like a dog, hops over stones, takes two steps at a time up the windy stone paths, points at the villas and bungalows, and tells me who lives there.

“Did you see Raven?” he asks.

“Yep.”

“He din’ stay long.”

“No, he didn’t.”

That Siena girl doesn’t sit right with me. Other girls? Not happening while we are in this deal together.

So, I text Raven.

Me: We need to talk. Urgent.

It’s the first text message I’ve ever sent him. I follow up with a screen shot from the unknown number. This is business. Since we have a deal, maybe he can figure out where these messages came from. If this reaches Archer, I’m sure our deal is off. And Raven is interested in keeping this hush-hush. Oh, he is.

Little and I get to my bungalow. The kid tosses his wet shirt onto the kitchen stool, then plops on the couch.

“Shower and change,” I tell him.

Callie brought some of his spare clothes here, so I have them as needed.

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