Page 237 of Midnights
A slow smirk curves my lips as I cross my arms, leaning against the wall. “Didn’t exactly have time to grab a robe, now did I? Besides—” I let my voice drop lower, winking. “You didn’t seem to mind.”
Her cheeks flush, and she bites her lip, shaking her head. The sight sends a rush of heat straight through me, and I can feel my cock twitch in response. I don't miss the way her eyes drop, and I’m seconds away from pinning her to the couch when her giggle fades, swallowed up by the weight in the room.
I push off the wall, and move closer. Her smile slips into something more fragile, and her eyes drop back to the papers still clutched in her hands. I can see the battle playing out behind her eyes, and the war she’s fighting with herself.
“Are you okay?” I need to know where her mind is going so I can pull her back if she starts to spiral.
She lifts her eyes to mine, wide and uncertain. Her lips part like she wants to say something, but nothing comes out. The silence stretches, until she takes a shaky breath.
“I… I don’t know how to explain it,” she whispers, looking out the window. “But I think… I think that was me.”
A flicker of something dark stirs in my chest, and I close the distance between us, narrowing my eyes as I study her face. “What do you mean? What was you?”
She swallows hard, looking down at her hands. She’s fidgeting with the edge of the blanket, like she thinks the answers might be written somewhere in the fabric. “The lights…” Her voice trembles. “I think I… I might’ve done that.”
Her confession hangs between us, fragile and raw. For a second, I almost think I misheard her. I want to tell her that's not possible, that it doesn’t make sense, but the look in her eyes stops me cold. I’ve seen enough to know that not everything can be explained, but this can’t be something she caused. But the look in her eyes says she fully believes she's responsible.
“Raven,” I say softly, sitting beside her. “Look at me.”
She looks up at me, fear and confusion written all over her face. Fuck. This isn't something I deal with.
“I'll handle it,” I tell her. I don't know how yet, but I know one thing—it wasn't her. I'll find out what happened.
Her lip trembles, and for a second, I think she might pull away, locking everything down tight. But then she nods.
“It’s late,” my hand cups her cheek. “I don’t think you should be alone right now. If you want to go home, I'll take you, but I think you should stay.”
I can see the war raging behind her eyes, but she whispers, “Okay.” The word is so small, it hits me harder than any goddamn punch. “I’ll stay.”
“Why don’t we go to my office and see what they’ve found,” I suggest. “Unless you’d rather go to your room.”
She hesitates, lifting her hand to necklace at her throat, a gesture I’ve seen her make a hundred times. “I’m for fucking sure coming with you.”
“Okay.” I nod, trying not to smile. “Let’s go.”
As she pulls herself together, I watch the way her chin lifts, as she squares her shoulders. And fuck, if that doesn’t make me want her even more.
When she’s dressed and ready to go, we leave the room. The hallway feels longer tonight, and shadows flicker and dance with the storm raging outside.
I reach for her hand, half-expecting her to pull away. But she doesn’t. Her fingers curl around mine, and it feels like a small victory.
When we step into my office, two of my men are already there, tension written in every line of their bodies. They stand as soon as we walk in, nodding at Raven before gesturing to the laptop on the table.
“You’ll want to see this.” One of them says.
I keep Raven close, her hand still locked in mine. Her eyes are already locked onto the screen, but her face is unreadable.
The footage plays, showing the estate’s exterior from multiple angles. At first, everything looks normal. The soft glow of lights, the crackle of the storm. Then a bolt of lightning streaks across the sky, lighting up the grounds in a blinding flash. The thunder that follows rips through the air, and every single light explodes in a burst of sparks and glass.
“They all shattered at the same time.” His disbelief echoes through the room. “No movement. No one was outside. No animals tripping the sensors. Just thunder, lightning… and then this.”
He gestures to the screen as the footage replays, I can feel the vein in my neck twitching. Raven’s hand tightens around mine, and I can feel her fingers digging in.
“I'm guessing it was some kind of electrical surge from the lightning,” one of my men offers, but the doubt in his voice is almost laughable.
Raven stiffens beside me, her tension radiating through our joined hands. I squeeze her fingers back, even as my mind turns with questions. She thinks this was her, but there’s no way that’s possible.
Why would she think that? What is she not telling me?
