Page 52 of Special Agent Raven

“No. It wasn’t until I saw the family photograph album at Winona’s place where she had a picture of Raven’s mom, Cissy. Turns out she was my mother too.”

Buried deep, Cane’s angst disintegrated slowly. This reveal couldn’t have happened at a better time. “Man, I can’t tell you how right this feels – you and her being related.” Because he felt upbeat with the happy news, his worry about being able to hide his fierce anger from Raven began to melt away. He understood tonight wasn’t about him. That he had to be there for her. Poor baby needed gentleness and understanding not a man filled with hate and violence.

Before he could tell Noah how he felt, the nurse came to lead them to Raven’s room.

Whether exhaustion caused her to sleep in or maybe some medication they gave her, she seemed peaceful in her rest. Cane slumped in the chair next to the bed, held her hand in his, and lowered his head beside her body. And letting his anxiety relax through the sigh he’d held in for so long, he closed his eyes.

***

Taking one of the seats at the back of her room, Noah watched the scene unfold between Cane and Raven. For the first time in many harsh, drawn-out months, he gave thanks in a sincere and heartfelt way to the universe he’d resented over the last couple of years.

When his childhood sweetheart, Louise, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, his world had turned into a living hell. Not only had she refused to rail against her sickness, and rather than spend the time she had left loving him, she’d chosen to expendall her energy in getting them to Carlton Place, and her children into a new environment.

He’d missed the closeness of holding a woman in his arms and making love. Sure… he’d filled up the emptiness with his kids and his job. And he’d tried to be the best friend he could during her time left, but deep inside, he felt a tiny bit of resentment that she hadn’t turned to him. That he hadn’t had a more important role in her end-of-life journey. Instead, she’d pulled away from all the overtures he’d tried to create for them to find intimacy in the time they had left.

While he sat and watched Raven open her eyes, he couldn’t help but see the undeniable adoration that flared instantly between her and Cane. Choking back the emotional result of their obvious love, he focused on his delight and fought off the jealousy he couldn’t allow to take up any space. One day he hoped he’d find what they’d found… that’s if the gods were good to him. Worried that might never happen again, he sighed away the growing tightness in his chest and closed his eyes.

That is until two people tiptoed into the room and disturbed him. Winona made her way toward the bed where Raven held out a hand for her to come close. And Val came toward him, reached for his hand and leaned against him to whisper in his ear. “We made it.” Because her sudden presence sparked so much joy inside, he had the strangest yearning to hold her closer and let her soothe his inner sadness.

Engrossed with these needs, he looked into her eyes and saw the shyness his attention started. She glanced down at their hands and squeezed as if to show that she liked his attention, but the time wasn’t quite right for them. He squeezed back, his way of agreeing.

Surprised, she lifted her eyes to stare into his… hers brimming with interest and a flame slightly flickering. And he’d swear it was a flirtatious kind of a spark that made a man feel hisovertures would be accepted one day. As if the tension had overwhelmed her, she forced herself to look away and instead, rested her head against his shoulder, a sigh of contentment breaking loose… a reflection of his own sentiments.

Lifting his arm to enclose her body, he accepted the undeniable fact that they had all the time in the world. Today was about Raven and celebrating her victory in overcoming one of the most dangerous criminals loose in their state. Their time would happen, and waiting was a good thing. For both of them. They each had baggage to deal with before starting a new adventure. And living together, making a home for their kids, they could take it slowly.

A smile settled on his face from those thoughts. He took a few seconds to send a silent message to his wife.Thanks, Louise. It was you who made us move here… like you knew it was where our future waited. I love you for that. They found your body yesterday, and we’ll hold a ceremony for you soon. And as you requested, we’ll plant your ashes under that tree you loved in the forest. The one that all the squirrels play in.

Lowered voices from the opposite side of the room brought back his attention to where Raven held hands with both Winona and Cane. Through this whole ordeal, not only had he gained a sister, but his world would be changed… it’ll be better, happier. Living with Val and her kids would be a godsend, and he found himself looking forward to the days ahead with an uplifted heart and an inner smile. A man who’d found himself with a chance of future happiness, how much better did life get?

Chapter Forty-two

The next morning, the doctor discharged Raven, and she was free to leave. While the others were having breakfast in the cafeteria giving her space for her final checkup, she got herself ready, called an Uber and split. By the time they figured out she’d left, they were in a panic. Therefore, when she answered Winona’s call, they all pooled around the phone to listen.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I can’t go to my place just yet, but I’m okay. I got myself a hotel room for now. Once they’re finished with the investigation, I’ll go back and clean out the rest of my stuff and come home. I promise. But right now, I need to be alone.”

Raven knew she was being selfish by staying away, but if she wanted to maintain her sanity, she had no choice. Yesterday, their love and worry suffocated her to where she couldn’t breathe. She’d refused to let anyone feel sorry for her, and in fact, she bristled when she saw their compassion and pushed away any kind of sympathy.

Not that she blamed them. Not at all. It was a human reaction for when a loved one suffered a trauma, and she knew it. But she couldn’t handle the pressure of making them all feel better by pretending she was okay. She wasn’t. The episode simmered over and over in her brain till she felt like it drew blood… making her revisit the excruciating events again and again.

In her mind, she’d done her duty. Period. And to compartmentalize the nightmare as part of her job meant she could survive the fact that she’d taken another’s life. To keep the personal bullshit as far away as possible had to be her goal. And though everyone tried to break through her thick wall of defense, she declined to let them by the simple act of refusing to talk to them.

Both Cane and Winona tried to get her to allow them inside her boundaries, but with a fierce stubbornness that instantly rose and took over, and in a voice filled with bitter determination, she said, “I’m fine. Stop it. Stop talking about it.” When they kept on trying, an icy resentment formed until they backed off.

She locked herself in her hotel room and stewed, ignoring all the calls that piled up until she saw the one from her boss. Knowing she’d skipped work for the last two days, she felt obligated to at least reach out to explain her reasons for ignoring her duty.

The call only lasted a few minutes. Once her boss gave her permission to return just to pick up her belongings, saying they understood her need to use her sick time rather than return for the few days she had left, she hung up with a sense of relief.

Being granted an early discharge from her job meant that she was free and able to go straight back to Carlton Place and that meant the world to her. Yet she refused to do so. Using the excuse that she still needed time to clear out her place inHouston, she’d called them back and basically forced them to go home and leave her alone for now.

Thinking back to how she’d handled their frantic call, she winced from the harsh way she’d dealt the blow. “Jesus, people. Give me some time. That’s all I ask. Don’t make a fuss, please. Can’t you all understand that I need to be alone for now? I promise I’ll be home soon. Now let me go.”

She watched the image on her phone of Winona and Cane with Noah and Val in the background. Close to tears, but solid in her determination, Winona nodded at her and taking Cane’s arm, she turned them toward the van. Her face settled into a resolution Raven remembered from her past. “Okay, baby. You got it.”

Once they disconnected, Raven’s shoulders sagged, and the tears poured from the well she’d sealed… flooding over like the river that had started this whole nightmare.

***

“She needs space. Let’s give it to her. My baby will come when she’s ready.” Winona closed her phone and urged the others to follow.