Page 23 of Total Carnage
I craved him with a ferocity that was all-consuming. The outlaw with eyes that had seen too much, whose laugh was laced with darkness, and whose love was the only thing that ever made me feel alive. And as I clung to the remnants of the dream, I swore to myself that I'd taste that freedom again, no matter what it took. Because Vin Reed was more than a memory; he was my rebellion made flesh, my silent vow to never be caged again.
The dream shattered like glass under a boot heel, my heart slumping against my ribs as I jolted awake. The lush heat of Lake Powell evaporated, leaving me shivering in the sterile air of my guarded room. My eyes snapped open, struggling to make sense of the dim shapes looming in the shadows. For a disorienting second, I could still feel Vin's phantom caress tracing fire along my skin before the cold truth sank its teeth into me. I was alone, caged, a bird with clipped wings.
"Sleep well, Raven?"
That voice, slick as oil on water, cut through the silence, and instinctively, every muscle in my body coiled tight. I didn't need to see his face to know who it was—my jailer wrapped in a father's guise. His silhouette loomed at the foot of my bed, the scant light from the hallway casting him in sinister relief.
"Shouldn't you be off somewhere, kissing babies and screwing the country?" My words were a blade, honed by hatred and sleep-fuzzed thoughts. I sat up, pushing back a tangle of darkhair, and met the chilling void where his eyes hid in the darkness.
"Language, Raven. Is that any way to speak to your father?"
"Depends on the father, doesn't it?" I retorted, my pulse still thrumming erratically. There was no warmth here, no tender paternal check-in. This was a power move, plain and simple—the ex-president asserting his dominance at an hour when the world was supposed to be asleep.
I could feel his gaze, calculating and frigid, crawling over me like spiders on bare skin. We were two predators circling each other; one caged but feral, the other free but fearing the bite of the trapped. And oh, how I longed to sink my teeth into his polished veneer and taste the hypocrisy beneath.
"Still dreaming of that biker trash?" The sneer in his voice made me want to punch him in the face. Had an ex-president ever been struck by his own child? Maybe I could begin a new trend.
I moved up against the headboard, my heart a heavy drumbeat in my chest. "Better than the nightmares you call reality," I shot back, my voice a steady hum of defiance. Vin's touch still lingered on my skin, a ghostly caress that fueled my courage.
"Your infatuation is pathetic. He's nothing more than a criminal, Raven. And you…"
"I'm what? Your property? A pawn in your political games?" I cut him off before he could spin his web of control tighter around me. My words were a shield, battered but unbroken. There was no room for fear, not when every inch of my being revolted against his oppressive presence.
"Watch your tongue." He stepped closer, the threat in his tone wrapping around us like smoke. "You'd do well to remember where your loyalties lie."
"Trust me, they're miles away from here." My gaze locked onto his shadowed form, a silent challenge. "And certainly not with you."
"Be careful, Raven. You're playing with fire."
"Maybe," I conceded, a reckless spark igniting within me. "But sometimes, fire is exactly what you need to burn down a prison." I paused for a moment, but long enough to put a stop to the momentum I had. "You think you can control me?" I spat out, the words tasting like venom on my tongue. His silhouette loomed closer, a dark cloud threatening to smother my defiance.
"Control is not a matter of thought, Raven. It's a matter of fact," he retorted, his voice cold and calculated. "You are under my roof, my rules. As far as the world knows, you’re dead. remember."
"Your rules are nothing but chains," I fired back, clenching my fists so tight my nails bit into my palms. Hatred for this man surged through me, hot and fierce. "You can lock me up, but you don't own me. You never will."
"Such delusions of grandeur," he sneered. "I know what's best for you. For your future. I’ve always tried to lead you in a proper direction."
"Best for me?" I laughed, hollow and mirthless. "Or best for your damned political career? Listen to yourself. Trying to control my life the way you tried to control, and failed the entire country!"
"Watch it, girl. " His warning was a deep, destructive growl, but I was past caring.
"Girl? Is that all I am to you? A little girl lost without her daddy's guidance?" Anger bubbled inside me like a witch's brew, ready to spill over. "You're wrong about everything. You’re wrong about me just like you were wrong about Vin. Finally, a man who promised to love and protect me, but because he rodea bike and didn’t drive a Mercedes, he wasn’t good enough for you."
"Am I?" There was an edge to his voice now, serrated and dangerous.
"Damn right." I found strength in my rage, standing up despite the tremble in my legs. "Because while you've been busy playing politics, I fell in love with someone who sees me for who I am. Not as a tool, not as a Stansfield, but as Raven."
"Love?" He scoffed, the sound slicing through the tense air. "With that thug?"
"Vin is more of a man than you'll ever be!" I declared, feeling the raw emotion pour from my soul like a torrent. "He respects me. Listens to me. With him, I'm free—not caged by some tyrant's whims."
"Love won't save you from reality." His disdain was a tangible thing, wrapping around us both. He was afraid of whoever this Hell’s Justice member was. Afraid that the man would come looking for him.
"Maybe not," I conceded, my heart thundering in my chest. "But at least with Vin, I know what real love feels like. And I'd rather die fighting for that freedom than live under your thumb."
"Is that a threat?"
"No," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos raging within. "It's a promise."
