Page 61 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)
Chapter Sixty-One
RAVEN
I t’s been two weeks since I was kidnapped.
Things have changed but they’ve also stayed the same.
I moved back in with Dad not being able to use the excuse of staying with James anymore.
I think after what we both went through we needed each other, to heal, and to try and get back to some kind of normal. It’s been hard, but baby steps.
“I’m still fucking amazed that it was Emma all along, like what the actual fuck,” Mia exclaims, stirring her coffee.
I hum in response but don’t really know what to say. What can you say? Someone who I thought was like a mother to me tried to kill me for her own jealous reasons. I’m going to be in therapy for so many years trying to figure out where it all went wrong.
I’ve been back to see my old counsellor, working through the trauma, and slowly but surely I’ve been able to start figuring out that Emma’s actions were her own.
Logically, I know it’s not my fault; her own delusions of grandeur are what caused this, but for someone who’s never trusted easily, this is just another thing to add to the list of why ‘Raven’s not good enough. ’
I’ll never forgive her for what she did, but that’s okay. I need to do what works for me to live a happy and healthy life. I suffer from PTSD flashbacks, which my therapist said was normal after facing a traumatic event, but with time and therapy, it’ll settle down.
Emma’s facing trial and life imprisonment, but I hadn’t wanted to know any more details when Dad tried explaining.
As soon as he said I’ll have to testify against her in court, I shut down—some things can be dealt with another day.
I have no idea what’s going to happen to the charity.
Last I heard, the board of directors have taken over and are stripping Emma of her title and anything to do with it.
Mia’s been staying with us at the weekends and calls multiple times throughout the day while she’s at school.
She can be a little bossy at times, but she seems to be really helping Dad—her foul mouth and teasing manner usually make him laugh at least once a day.
I’ve really noticed him coming out of his shell more with her around.
I sip my coffee as I reply, “Beats me. I’m trying not to dwell on it, because if I do, I’ll go mad with the ‘what ifs’ and ‘why me.’”
Mia nods in understanding. She gets a serious look on her face as she says, “Erm, so I think I’m gonna go away for the summer.”
“That’s great. Where are you thinking?” I ask.
“Not sure yet.” She shrugs. “I just need to get away for a while. I feel claustrophobic. I start working for your dad in a few weeks, and all my freedom will be gone once I start adult life. I wanna go out with a bang.”
Gently placing my hand on her arm, I say, “That’s okay, Mia. You’re not supposed to have everything figured out yet. Go. Have fun. Find a hot man to fall in love with.” I wink at her with a smile. “Just make sure you call me every day with the dirty details. ”
Mia scoffs. “I think you’ll be getting more than me.”
“A lady never tells.” I smirk.
“So, what are your plans?” I glance at her, confused. “For summer? After college? James?”
I sigh, bracing my hands in front of me. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think I want to be a physio anymore, though.” The relief from finally saying the words out loud feels incredible. “I’ve got some money left over from when Mom died, it’ll give me time to think about what I want to do.”
“I’m proud of you, babe,” she says, picking up her coffee. “Not everyone has the guts to do what you’re doing. But no matter what life throws at you, I know you’ll smash it.”
Dad strolls into the kitchen, heading to the fridge, and grabs a soda. “Where have you guys been?”
“Erm, sitting drinking coffee, Daddy Drew.” Mia gives him a ‘duh’ look. “Why, where have you been?”
Dad pinches the bridge of his nose, groaning, “Whose stupid idea was this?”
“Whose stupid idea, what?” I ask, confused, my eyes darting between the two of them.
“Me, working with blondie over there,” he exclaims. “She’s driving me nuts.” Dad turns to Mia, waving a finger in her direction. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did.”
“First off, I’m brunette, not blonde,” Mia chastises as she points back. “Second, it’s not my fault you wanted to rearrange your whole calendar for when I start work.”
“Mia,” Dad chides, propping himself about the counter and folding his arms. “I didn’t say my whole calendar, just the days you’re in, so I can make sure to work from home. ”
“Exactly, Daddy Drew. Why would you want to work from home when you have the delight of me working with you?”
Dad laughs heartily, firing back, “And that’s exactly my point, Mia. I’d be working with you all day. There aren’t enough pain pills in the world to deal with your brattiness.”
“Bite me, Daddy Drew,” Mia retorts, clearly eye fucking my dad, and I have to hold back the urge to vomit.
“Ew, stop that,” I admonish her, laughing. “Dad’s got a point, though, honey. You are a bit of a live wire.”
“But that’s half the fun, isn’t it?” Mia pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.
Walking over to my dad, I kiss him on the cheek, shouting back to Mia as I head out of the kitchen, “Behave.”
The chuckle I get from her isn’t very reassuring, but she’s not my problem today.
After taking a break from work and school, today marks my first shift back at the Honey Pot.
I’m feeling a little anxious about how it’ll go, but knowing Leo’s keeping an eye on me helps ease the nerves.
I didn’t love the idea of leaving Dad on his own for too long, but James insisted someone would be with him the entire time.
I’ve honestly seen more of Caleb, Noah, and Theo in the past few days than I ever expected.
James didn’t take me going back to work so well, though. Our nightly FaceTime call consisted of him telling me I should take more time off, but—much to his dismay—I didn’t agree.
“James, I’m a twenty-year-old woman, for goodness' sake. I may have been kidnapped, but I have a perfectly good security guard who can take care of me. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”
“Your safety is my main priority, Raven. You’ve been kidnapped and someone tried to kill you. ”
I soften at his tone, smiling. “I’ll be safe, I promise.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” he mumbles into the phone, sounding like a toddler who just had his favorite toy taken away from him.
“I ran off last time, pretty boy. I was in a vulnerable position. I won’t do it again.”
Leo greets me at the door. He’s been glued to my side, and I’m not sure if that’s because of what happened and he feels guilty in some way or if James has upped my protection without my knowledge.
“You ready?” he asks, leaning against the doorframe.
“Yup, just gotta grab my bag.”
We settle in the car and head off down the highway before he speaks again. “How are you feeling about going back to work?”
“Good,” I reply. “I need to get back to some kind of normalcy.”
“I feel like it’s my fault, if I was there?—”
I cut him off, knowing exactly where he’s going with this. “Leo, no. You couldn’t have known that was going to happen. None of us did, and I don’t blame you in the slightest.”
He clenches his jaw but doesn’t say anything else, choosing to concentrate on the road.
We finally arrive, and I get back into the routine of making drinks for students and teachers alike.
It’s soothing in a way, being back, but also nerve-racking.
When I was asked to take the trash out into the alleyway, I froze.
Leo could somehow sense my distress from across the room because he got up, no questions asked and came to my aid.
He didn’t utter a word as he walked with me to the alley and stayed next to me the whole time.
“ It’ll get easier each time you do it ,” he’d said, a soft smile on his face.
After the last customer of the night leaves, I start cleaning and tidying things away when a knock on the door has my head snapping up from behind the counter .
James .
I squeal and run to the door, throwing myself into his arms. He tugs me closer, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he picks me up. He puts his head into the crook of my neck and breathes me in.
“Hi, baby,” he whispers before planting a gentle kiss on my lips.
I groan and swipe my tongue across his bottom lip, deepening the kiss. I feel like it’s been years since I last saw him, but it’s only been a couple of weeks.
Breaking the kiss, I mumble against his lips, “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” he chuckles, gently placing me back down on my feet.
“What are you doing here? I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you,” I ramble, “it’s just with getting away from my dad, work, and school, and—” James places a finger to my mouth. I purse my lips and tilt my head.
“Theo’s with your dad tonight,” he says with a wicked grin and a look full of promise that goes straight to my clit.
A wide smile of my own spreads across my face. “Is that so?” I purr.
“Hmm, Daddy needs some attention.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we, Daddy?” My breathing speeds up at the thought.
“Finish up, and I’ll take you home.” He kisses me, mumbling against my lips in a low growl, “I need my face shoved in your cunt till you're screaming my name.”
Sir, yes, sir.