Page 15 of Daughters of Chaos

"Really. We'll talk about it when you get back."

With that, he excuses himself, mentioning he has a lot of work to catch up on. He lets us know that he'll send the guys to pick us up in the morning to settle everything in New Mexico. Before closing the door behind him, he turns to us once more.

His eyes find Rae as he confirms one of the details Mom gave us on her deathbed. "You know, my hometown was called Raven." There's a softness in his voice as he tries to extend an olive branch.

My heart clenches as my sister eyes him stoically. "Neat," she deadpans.

Dad's wince is well concealed, but I catch it anyway as he leaves without another word. All he wants is an opportunity to get to know us, but Rae isn't having it. She doesn't trust easily, and as much as she'd deny it, I know him leaving all those years ago is part of her reason why.

8

Raven

It's way too fucking early for this shit. The sun is barely out. What the hell!

I curse under my breath as I get ready for the long trip to Albuquerque. Why the fuck did Elias have to send the MC with us? We could have taken care of things on our own, but nooo, Daddy Dearest wants us to take an entourage.

This blows.

After gathering my things, I head downstairs to find Phoenix, Raptor, Jesse, and the prospects chatting in the kitchen. At least they didn't assign Reaper to this mission. If he were tagging along, I'd probably end up strangling him.

Jesse sees me and plasters a shit-eating grin on his face. He saunters up to me, reaching his arm around my shoulders. "Well, good morning, beautiful. Glad you decided to join the land of the living."

"You're lucky I like you, Jes. Otherwise, I'd kick you in the balls right now."

"Aww, come on, babe. Cheer up. You get to spend the whole day with me." He leans in close. "Besides, I know you'd never do anything to hurt me . . . or my balls," he adds suggestively with a wink.

I bite back a smirk. Jesse's a huge flirt and gorgeous to boot. With his dark hair, matching eyes, inked arms, and bad-boy aura—the definition of my type—I can't help that my mind takes a spicy turn. He's one of the few things about this place that makes it tolerable. I guess if I'm stuck with the gang regardless, I may as well enjoy some of the company.

"You sure about that, Jes?"

He grins widely. "Play nice, Raven, and maybe I'll let you take a ride later . . . " I watch as he wets his lips. "On my bike, I mean."

When I push him away, he laughs, sending me another wink. I can't help the smile that's forming on my lips. He points it out, and I flip him off, which only makes him laugh harder. I'd be lying if I said my smile didn't grow a little more.Damn him.

Maybe this trip won't be such a bust after all.

I greet my sister, Raptor, and the prospects, Archie and Bones, before everyone loads up to start our journey. Phoenix and I hop in the van with Raptor while Bones slides into the driver's seat of the MC's moving truck. Jesse and Archie flank our small caravan on their bikes as we ease onto the road toward New Mexico.

I settle in the backseat, hoping to get some more shut-eye, letting Nix play navigator. As I curl up against the window, I can't help but wonder how everything is about to change. It'sterrifying not knowing if we made the right decision. I hope this whole thing doesn't blow up in our faces.

I start to doze off, listening to Phoenix try to start a conversation with Raptor in the front seat. It's obvious my sister has a crush on the club treasurer. I can tell by the way she acts around him and the way she looks at him. I get it, the guy is hot, but he's hard to read. That worries me. Sometimes, I get the feeling he's into my sister, too, but I can't tell for sure.

My sister is hard not to like. She's the light in the darkness, the sunshine on a cloudy day. She's the pretty girl everyone can relate to—the good girl. Nix is a stark contrast to me—the dark, bad, bitchy twin. The rough around the edges one that no one wants to get close to.

It works for me. Pushing people away is the only way to ensure I won't get hurt; that's how I stay strong. Getting to know people and letting them in would make me weak, and the only weakness I can afford is Nix.

I crack my eyes open, focusing on our driver.He better not hurt her, or I'll make him regret it till the day he dies.

I hear the crunch of gravel under the tires as the van slows to a stop. "We're here," Phoenix says as I wipe the sleep from my eyes. I managed to get a little sleep on the drive, but not enough, in my opinion. It was only enough to make me slightly less homicidal.

Everyone piles out of their vehicles as Nix pulls out her house key. "I'll go talk to the landlord," I tell her.

"I'll come with you," Jesse says, meeting me on the sidewalk.

I shake my head, gesturing toward the house and the rest of the group. "I've got this. You go help Nix and the others."

Jesse hits me with a crooked smile. "No can do, babe. I'm with you."

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