Page 205 of Midnights
Rachel stares at me like I’ve grown another head. “He casually left out that he’s a literal duke or something?” She throws her hands up. “And you’re just telling me this now? Jesus, Raven.”
“It’s not that important, I’m not doing men remember. So who cares.”
She laughs, grabbing her stomach. “Well for starters, clearly you. Girl, that’s need-to-know information. No wonder you’re acting weird about asking him for help.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not acting weird.”
Rachel crosses her arms, clearly unconvinced. “Mhm. Sure.” Then her expression softens. “Real talk here for a second. What are you going to do?”
I exhale, letting my shoulders fall. “I don’t know,” I admit. “I was pissed at first. But after everything else that’s happened, it feels… small in comparison.”
I rub my temples and the weight of it all presses in again.
She watches me for a second before shaking her head. “Okay, well, you’re not dragging him into this. Cam, on the other hand, is a different story.” She wiggles her phone again.
“Besides, we’re running out of time. We’re supposed to be going home and we have nothing. No leads, no records, no family history. We can’t keep hitting dead ends.”
A knot tightens in my chest. The thought of leaving this unfinished and walking away feels wrong.
I sigh, running a hand over my face. “Fine,” I relent. “We can ask Cam. But if he starts acting all cocky about it, I'm blaming you.”
She beams, practically vibrating with satisfaction. “Deal.”
Chapter 34
Delicate
Kane
The days pass in a restless blur of work and sleepless nights. Not hearing from Raven has been driving me insane. I’ve told myself I’d give her space and let her come to me. But every instinct in me screams to pull her back in.
I’ve sent her a few texts, but the silence on her end has been deafening. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, I know she’s on vacation, enjoying time with her friend. She owes me nothing.
Work has been the only thing keeping me from losing my mind, but even that hasn’t been enough to stop my thoughts from drifting back to her. I know she’s safe because my security team is supposed to let me know when she leaves and returns to her house.
When the fuck did I become that guy?
The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. It’s not like I’m the one watching. I just get updated when something does happen.
Knowing she’s okay is the only thing that keeps me sane.
I walk into the office, keeping my head down and trying to stay focused. Carrie’s laugh cuts through the silence as I pass her desk, but the amused look on her face is impossible to miss.
“I don’t want to hear it, Carrie,” I mutter, heading straight for my office and slamming the door shut behind me.
I barely have time to sit before my phone buzzes.
Ren: You might want to take a look at the surveillance footage from the ball.
In the gardens.
Tension coils in my chest as I set my phone down, pulling up the footage on my computer. The screen flickers to life, and at first, nothing unusual happens. Guests are mingling about, sipping their drinks, and thinking they’re unseen in the hedges.
My eyes cut to the screen, tracking a group of men drifting toward the edge of the gardens with some girls. They linger where the lantern light fades, hiding in the dark. I don't need to guess what that means.
My jaw tightens.
There's always the idiots who think no one’s watching.
