Page 3 of Special Agent Raven

“Honey, my name is Raven.”

At first Ami stiffened but once she heard Raven speak, she let her body relax. “Like the bird?” Amelia’s lowered voice sounded timid.

“Yep. Like that big black bird who can be a total nuisance sometimes. My grandmother used to take care of a raven that was injured, and the feathered tease drove her crazy. Fool liked to steal food and would mimic her when Grandmother gave him a talking to.”

Amelia sniffed, her tears fading. In a broken voice, she admitted, “I-I like birds.”

“Me too.” Raven brushed the sticky, muddy mess back from Amelia’s face. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry you’re upset about yourmom and dad. I don’t blame you for being worried and scared. What you and Josh survived was terrifying.”

Ami pointed at Cane. “He saved us. But his hands hurt me bad.” She motioned to Cane now struggling to stand. With the help of the rock nearby, he was able to pull himself up.

“He didn’t mean to. Let me see.” She watched as the child lifted her t-shirt and showed her the bruises on her tummy and chest. “He had no choice. You do understand, right?”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Ami began to cry again, this time loud wails that Raven understood to be her way of releasing her panic… besides her fear of the unknown.

Raven shushed her, cradling the child while rocking back and forth like she remembered her grandmother doing for her. Wanting to remove the child’s distress over the man who’d saved her life, she spoke clearly. “Honey, the river fought hard to take you from him, remember? He had to keep you safe and there wasn’t time to be gentle.” Amelia nodded but she still kept her face turned away from the man under discussion.

With intentions to ask him to deal with Ami’s anxiety, Raven’s eyes became focused on the man’s muscles as he used his strength to get upright. What a glorious specimen of a giant. His tough physique showed a body that obviously worked out a lot.

Leaning against the rock, he’d removed his T-shirt, wrung it out, shook it good, and laid it aside. Hands shaking, he released the shoulder-length brown hair held back by a band. The dirty, wet strands settled around his tanned face.

Her eyes widened when she saw the play of golden skin rippling from his exertion. His nakedness revealed the darkening bruises, bleeding cuts, and multitude of abrasions he’d suffered from the flood. Still ignoring them, he replaced his wet T-shirt and rebound his hair, his side glances making her think he did all this on purpose to give her time to settle the children.

If she hadn’t witnessed his bravery and gentleness with her own eyes, he might have intimidated her. Or at the very least, made her question his selfless acts to save the children. Safety for himself hadn’t seemed to matter to this protector. Didn’t he care about his own survival?

Suddenly the insanity of that question hit her hard. Did she care about her own? She’d jumped in without hesitation. But then, it was her training. Being an FBI agent qualified her to be selfless in such emergencies. Curiosity about him flared but had to be put aside for now.

First, she needed to get the kids out of their wet, muddy clothes and into something dry. Setting the children aside, she rummaged in the back of her jeep. Pulling down her backpack, she found clean t-shirts and gym pants that she’d bought for her nephews as gifts for their birthdays. Passing out the new clothes, ignoring that they were big on Amelia, she made them change inside the jeep, out of the rain, and then quickly she turned her back and whipped off her own shirt, replacing it with a tight gym top that would work as a bra. Then she covered herself with a blue button-down jean shirt and tied the ends at her waist. Ignoring her soaking shorts, she rummaged for the blanket she always carried in the back and put it in the back seat for the kids.

Finishing her ministrations just in time before he walked slowly towards them, shuffling carefully with a stiffening body, she gestured for him to come closer, welcoming him to her side.

“Amelia, honey, this man is Cane Masters. He saved your life. Yours and Josh’s.”

The child stole a peek at Cane. Her bottom lip quivered as a mutinous look settled on her face. “You hurt me, but I forgive you cause Raven said so.”

“Darlin’, I’m sorry. I promise never to do that again. Will you forgive me?” He crouched next to their open door, his hand caressing Ami’s arm with gentle strokes.

As his words flowed, Raven felt his voice’s deep vibration filter through her body, compelling every inch of skin to wake up and take notice. Christ in the woods, this charmer was a vision of pure sex… a very large vision.

When she watched his way with Ami, she had to admit he knew how to use that charm, that is until he looked her way. That’s when she saw his smile fade, and his eyes empty out… or rather, become distant. Like he acknowledged her presence, hers and the children, but had no more of a reaction to them than one might have for any strangers who meant nothing.

Familiar with this type of behavior in her job, she put it down to an event in his past. If she were a betting woman, she’d lay down every cent she owned that this man’s heart had suffered a harsh blow, leaving behind an empty vessel, living and breathing but not alive.

Chapter Three

Cane gave Raven time to settle the kids, but he knew instinctively that they should move. While he carried on with his personal ministrations, he’d used that time to gauge their safety. Reviewing the rising river, heavy rain, and wind speeds rising at times to hurricane levels, he knew that the road below had not only been washed out, but the water had torn through many structures as well.

That meant they would need to travel over land that any normal vehicle couldn’t withstand. Thank God Raven drove a jeep, and from what he’d seen, she could handle it like a pro.

He’d bet every dollar of the millions in investments he had in the bank that she’d know a way to safety. But they’d better move now. No telling how soon they might get cut off. Scanning the ridge nearby, he supposed they could travel around the outcropping and hope the view on the other side wasn’t one of total destruction.

Glancing back from where they came, he saw a terrifying mass of broken homes, swamped vehicles, and many large trees bobbing and traveling with the water at speeds one wouldn’t imagine any river could move. If he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes, he’d have trouble believing the devastation. Hell, if they’d have been caught now, he quickly realized they wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Figuring Raven had enough time to settle the young ones, he forced his way to their side, only to be confronted with large brown eyes scowling toward him. Unwilling to let the small girl destroy the composure he’d kept enclosed in ice for the last few years, he tried gentling his voice and pretending she mattered. Strangely, the pretense became real.

Thanks to Raven, once Ami accepted that he hadn’t hurt her on purpose, he figured enough stalling. They had to move. “The rain’s let up. I think we need to hightail it outta here, get to the nearest town before night closes in.” When he saw Raven stiffen, he added, “What do you think?”

Her sigh of relief let him know there were prickles under her mask. This woman played to no man’s tune but her own.