Page 53 of Raven

Little grunts in annoyance but gets up.

“And pick up your wet shirt, please. Take it to the laundry basket.”

He disappears in the bathroom, and the first thing I do is get on the shopping app and order a tactical pen. It will arrive in two days. That’s something I should’ve done a while back. I have a feeling I am being spied on, and that’s not Raven. In case something happens, I should have a weapon on me. A tactical pen is perfect for a woman.

My phone dings with a notification that the takeout has been delivered and left at the door. I step out onto the brightly lit front porch to get the delivery bag left on the floor when I see the shadow emerging from the stone staircase that comes from the road.

For a second, my heart booms in panic.

But it’s Raven. His steps are slow as he approaches, his gaze swiftly swiping along my body and pausing on my bare feet.

Without a word, I nod for him to come into my studio and follow him.

I set the food on the kitchen island, open the unknown messages on my phone, and give my phone to Raven.

His eyes dart to the bathroom door and the sound of the shower, then return to me, his gaze hardening. He calls someone and asks them to look into the code board for my phone and track it.

“That picture of me has never been on the internet,” I explain, unpacking the food containers. “It’s from back home.”

The shower in the bathroom goes off, and I glance at Raven to see him staring me down, his cheekbones sharpening as he sucks in his cheeks.

The bathroom door opens.

Raven’s gaze turns almost murderous, but then the loud, “Raven!” echoes in the room as Little walks out.

I want to say I imagined it, but I’m pretty sure Raven releases a breath of relief when he sees the kid and not another guy.

“Can Raven stay for dinner?” Little asks as he goes straight for the couch, jumps on, and picks up his iPad.

I take a moment to reply, “Sure.”

I don’t look at Raven, though. If he agrees, it will be an awkward dinner, and the kid is the only one in the room who doesn’t understand it.

Raven’s voice is curt as he replies, “I’m all right, but thank you.”

Of course, he won’t stay. His phone rings, and he answers and puts the person on the other line on speaker.

“The number is routed through Port Mrei, Zion’s network,” the male voice says. “But that Port Mrei number was jailbroken from the outside. I can’t tell you more right now. Give me about an hour.”

Raven hangs up.

I study his concentrated expression as he types something else in his phone.

“What does it mean?” I ask.

He doesn’t look up from his phone. “It means that someone, I guess Butcher, has IT pros and hackers who managed to find a hole in Zion’s network security. Which means they use another private network strong enough to send a signal to Ayana from elsewhere. Butcher doesn’t have such resources. Which means someone else is paying for it.” He finally looks up from the phone at me. “Or is interested enough.”

My father? I want to ask, but that info is not for Little’s ears.

I’m trying to make sense of how Raven makes me feel right now, standing in the same spot he stood several days ago when he told me to undress. With other people around, he is an unreadable mask. That wasn’t the case the other night.

His ability to change his attitude depending on the situation is astounding. I thought I’d perfected my poker face, but Raven has mastered his.

His ambitions and determination, intentionally disguised, come across as him being born into business. This is the smartest of street talents. The most dangerous too. And it requires a certain history—I sure saw enough of it in the past, and he has it.

Raven has a strong personality, the power lurking on the surface. I want to see it on full display, though it terrifies me to think that he might hurt me. He is one of those people who don’t command others, yet his silence is intimidating, sending a quiet tangible shockwave. Most people want to be around power. But somehow, most try to avoid him. He doesn’t wear a chip on his shoulder, and for many, that’s unsettling and suspicious.

Except for Archer and Kat. Also, Kai. He told me before my first run-in with Raven about how they go to the jungle to shoot guns. He talked about Raven with respect, and from Kai, that’s no small thing. Kat’s father is intrigued with him, too. So is Kat.

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