Page 95 of The Collector

"Of course, Diana. What can I do for you? I'm juggling a lot today." Raven's voice was clipped, professional. It was the kind of tone he reserved for strangers who didn't know better than to interrupt him.

He was familiar with Marina Del Rey Hospital. Too well.

He made donations there every year, quiet ones. No press, no plaques. Just envelopes and wire transfers, always in his mother's name.

It had been her cause—helping the uninsured, the forgotten, the ones who slipped through cracks no one bothered to seal.

She used to say the hospital was where dignity went to fight for its last breath. That fact was the only reason Raven was still on the line.

"We have a private matter we need to discuss with you regarding a family member. Is there any way I can get you to come to the hospital and visit with me?"

"Which family member?" Raven asked in a harsh tone; he didn't have time for this shit; he already had too much going on. He was ready to hang up the phone. The call had to be a donation call or something the Stallions had initiated. No, it was too early for that.

“Stoker Cordoba."

Raven stopped walking. She had his attention now. He'd just left Stoker only fifteen minutes ago, sent him to see to Mynx. There was no way something would have happened to land him in the hospital in that amount of time.

"I'll be there within the hour." Raven hung up the phone and texted Stoker.

7:52 A.M. Raven- Stoker, where are you?

7:53 A.M. Stoker - I decided Mynx's security was too precious to be left in anyone else's hands and left the mansion five minutes ago, en route to her place. I'll stay with her as long as I can to ensure her safety. My second will take over when you're ready for me.

Raven sat still, the weight of the nurse's words pressing against his chest. The hospital wanted to speak to him about Stoker—but Stoker wasn't there. He'd just texted, saying he was en route to Mynx's place, where he was overseeing her security himself. That wasn't a man lying in a hospital bed. That was a man in motion.

So, what the hell did Marina Del Rey want to talk to me about? Stoker was fine.

7:55 A. M. Raven- Thank you— I can't tell you how much that means to me. I'll check in soon.

The reply from Stoker lingered on Raven's screen like a contradiction.

He stared at the message, rereading it twice.

Left the mansion five minutes ago… staying with her as long as I can…

It didn't add up. Was someone else using Stoker's name? Or did the hospital have something to tell him they weren't comfortable saying over the phone?

Raven leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. This could be it. The thread he'd been waiting to pull. The one that unraveled the truth about his father's death might reveal the killer.

He tapped the mic clipped to his collar.

"I need a car ready out front now. "The voice on the other end confirmed, no questions asked.

He stood and slipped his phone into his coat pocket. "We've just hit a snag in my plans, Uncle San. Come with me, there's something we need to check out. It's something we need to handle in person."

The hallway outside his office felt colder than it had earlier. Quieter.

Like the building itself, it was holding its breath, waiting for what was to come.

As he stepped into the elevator, he rechecked his phone. No new messages. No missed calls. He expected to hear from Lazlo, Raul's second, at any moment.

Just the silence of a morning that had turned sideways greeted him.

He didn't trust hospitals. Didn't trust timing like this. But he trusted Stoker.

And if someone were using his cousin's name to bait him, they'd learn quickly that Raven Cordoba didn't walk into traps—he dismantled them.

The elevator doors slid shut.