Page 101 of Pretty Monsters

I double check Shane's security cameras. "There's nothing on the recordings either. Ford did a good job burying the deed to this property."

"Should we go get everyone and bring them back here?" Lucien asks.

"Ted already texted. He can bring them in his car."

"There are too many of them. I'll go and grab my sister and a few others so everyone has a seat. I can't imagine you want my sister sitting on Ford's lap to get here."

I reach for the keys I set on the desk. Already I'm anxious to be with Raven again. "I'll go."

He exhales. "No, you need to stay here and monitor the security systems and watch the trackers. Eventually you and I are going to have to talk about why you've been holding out on me. For now, it seems you're better qualified to maintain the security."

Reluctantly, I nod. Lucien is more than qualified to protect his sister. I toss him the keys and go back to watching the cams. The industrial park is as deserted as it was the first time Ford brought us here.

I'd have to ask him how he managed to hide his ownership of this location this well. It was a smart move. Even if an abusive spouse manages to learn Ford's name, they won't be able to track the location where he hides their wives.

The distance of the motel and the heaviness of the traffic leaves me enough time to run through every bad scenario that could happen to them. I'm not used to this constant fear. My entire life, up to now, I've been apathetic to my fate. When you have nothing to lose, it also means you have nothing to live for.

I can't say I could classify a single moment of my past as living, until I met Raven. The ground shook under my feet that night I saw her standing in the moonlight. Her angelic beauty pissed me off, because it was yet another thing I couldn't have.

The garage door in the back of the building creaks and groans as the aging mechanism pulls the door up. The two cars pull into the bay and car doors open and close. I force myself to remain seated.

It's only been a couple of hours since I was with her, but I'm feeling anxious to have her in my arms again. She'd really think I'm insane if I rush straight towards her with the intensity I'm feeling. I've been so back and forth, at least in how I've treated her, I'd surely only confuse her more.

What she doesn't realize is that I've been under her spell from the moment I first saw her. All of the fighting I've done to avoid her has been to protect her from me. Even still I can't help but believe she'd be so much better off with someone else. Someone who's past isn't bathed in blood. The thing is though, when a starving man is given what he needs to survive, he'll fight to hold on to it.

Raven is everything to me. I keep telling her this, but she isn't picking up on what that means to me. I don't know why I'm being stubborn about saying the actual word ‘love’ but it doesn't feel right to me. I'll say it if that's what she needs to hear, when I can give her more than a life on the run.

I don't have to wait long for her once she's out of the car. The sound of footsteps moving quickly sounds through the cavernous space. Almost as soon as I step away from the desk, Raven runs through the door and leaps into my arms.

Her hold on me is tight, and I can feel the desperation rolling off of her in waves. They crest over me, threatening to pull me under the weight of whatever is pressing on her.

"Are you okay?" I ask. Did something happen while I was gone? I never should have left her alone.

Ted strolls in the door, followed by Lucien. Once we are all in the office, he closes the door, shutting everyone else out.

"She's fine. We met with that agent I mentioned."

Lucien and I share a look before he steps forward. "You went behind our backs to speak to a federal agent about us?"

There's no remorse in Ted's expression. "The goal here is to protect Raven, right?"

Neither of us respond, so he continues. "How do you think she's going to fare if either of you, let alone both of you, turn yourselves in to protect her. Neither of you thought to ask her what she wanted when you decided this all alone. If you can make moves on your own, so can she."

"Well, did it work?" I ask. Something strange bubbles up inside of me. I imagine this foreign sensation is hope.

"We have to wait," Raven answers.

Ted nods. "Agent Holbrook needs to go up the chain to get approval for what we discussed. I'm expecting his call. If he gets the green light I'll tell him to come here."

It doesn't take long for him to call. Apparently, the chance to bring down one of the largest crime lords in the United States is too enticing for the FBI to pass up. Ted gives the agent our location and we wait some more for him to arrive.

We order a pizza and wait some more. There's a malaise amongst the group. The usual playful banter is muted. After a while everyone is lost in their heads. The life they've all put on hold, for their safety and ours, is weighing on them.

Guilt. It's another foreign emotion, and one I'm not equipped for. Ford could lose his scholarship, Jen will fail her nursing program, and Shane's family is going to wonder where he is. Amber's too, for that matter.

If this doesn't work, I'm going to have to follow through with turning myself in. They shouldn't lose the lives they've built to protect me. I know they'll all protect Raven. If I have to be apart from her to keep her safe so be it. This is what I mean when I say she's my everything.

One of the alarms Shane set up signals a vehicle pulled into the industrial park. He's set them up all over the block to give us time to evacuate if we need to. I pull up the camera, and Ted identifies the driver as the agent we're expecting.

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