Page 92 of White Raven (Nevermore Duet #2)

AFTERMATH

Boston was a whirlwind of salivating press, wild theories, news reports that couldn’t be farther from the truth, and a precinct full of downtrodden, and exhausted cops that were constantly fighting off the vultures plaguing the front of the building, demanding answers.

Foster had assured them all that she and her team had it under control, and that Foley’s body was being carefully prepared, and meticulously cared for.

She’d practically begged the band of misfits to take a few days and shut themselves up from the world…

take the time they needed to try and rest. To try and come to terms with the hardest reality… Malcolm Foley was dead.

Brent pulled a mystery casserole from his top-notch oven—an oven he rarely used, even though he knew how.

He’d diced up chicken breast, added a can of this, a pack of that, a block of cream cheese, and a bag of frozen vegetables.

Voila. Dinner for four. He opened his doors to Rhaena and Brandon and snatched Wren’s obese cat from her apartment.

That building had been nothing but a bloody reminder of what had happened, and it didn’t sit well that they’d be haunted by it all anyway…

but to try and live in it would be thousands more dollars in therapy.

It was unnecessary. He’d had the space. He fixed up the guest room downstairs that had never even been slept in before, stopped and picked up cat food, and beer, and tried his best to make sure they all felt at home.

Leigh took it upon herself to include her name in the lucky draw, and was laying on her side on his couch, staring at the TV, but not actually watching it.

It hadn’t taken much convincing from him to get any of them up here.

Rhaena had barely left the guest room in two days.

Brandon joined him for sports updates, clinking beers with him, and Wren…

Wren had been a pillar of strength, surprising all of them. It was like a switch was flipped, and she refused to cower back into the black hole of despair that she’d been in after the incident with his father. She wasn’t going to let any of them fall into it either.

“That smells good as fuck,” she clipped, rounding the bottom of the stairs, and peering over his shoulder as he closed the oven and set the dish on the stove. “Yeah, I’m not eating that without a slutty layer of cheese, Stratford.”

Brent snorted over his shoulder, nipping the tip of her nose. “Slutty?”

“You heard me. Thick, greasy…like a high dollar stripper.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “Where the fuck does that come from, Vintorri?”

She popped his ass as she made her way over to the living room to sit on Leigh’s outstretched legs. “Green’s an ugly color, Brent! Nobody likes peas, by the way.” Leigh oofed as Wren plopped down, unforgivingly onto her, and he chuckled through his nose.

“Peas aren’t bad,” Rhaena croaked sadly, rustling her damp hair as she trudged out of the spare bedroom. “Just…don’t buy canned peas.”

“I consider that sacrilege,” Brent smiled, offering her a bottle of water as he pulled a bag of shredded cheese from the fridge.

Rhaena took it and snapped it open. Brent started sprinkling cheese over the dish.

The redhead cleared her throat from the living room, and he looked over to see her making a shaking gesture with her hand.

He rolled his eyes and dumped the entire bag onto it, earning a thumbs up and a nod from his very happy ginger. “Where’s Jenkins?”

Rhaena swallowed down her water and pointed the bottle towards the bedroom. “Using the last of the hot water. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t run out in this building,” he grinned, glancing at Wren.

“Fancy, rich-boy privilege, Rhae!”

“Still pretending you don’t love it, I see.

” He barely dodged the remote as it flew straight for his face.

It got a smile out of Rhaena…one nobody thought they were gonna see for a while.

“We’re gonna make it, Northwood. Bet your ass,” Brent said, shoving the dish back into the oven to melt cheese that would absolutely wreck their stomachs.

Rhaena glanced around, her eyes stopping on the floor-to-ceiling windows across the living room.

“Cap was gonna buy this place?”

Brent followed her line of sight, and then leaned against the counter to face her. “I think so. He reminded me about it pretty often. Often enough that I decided not to list it. I was ready to make a private sale.”

“Still gonna sell it?” she asked, taking another long pull of her water.

Brent shrugged, “Maybe.” Wren tossed him a look.

“Still uh…mulling that over.” He tried to tread carefully, but it had already been forty-eight hours since the chaos at her apartment.

“No word from Sykes?” A fluff of pink hair ruffled over the arm of the couch, and Rhaena raised her eyes.

He shouldn’t have asked. Shouldn’t have, if for no other reason than what he’d seen her turn into twice.

“None. And I know that everybody wants to know, but…I’d appreciate it if you don’t ask.” She directed her statement at everyone. Pointedly at Leigh, who laid her head back down in shame.

The door buzzed, and every head turned. Brent excused himself to go answer it. He wasn’t prepared—none of them were—for who was on the other side of the door.

“Well…this is a strange turn of events,” Sarah smirked, crossing her arms as she stood next to Kane. “Playing house with everyone now, are we?” Kane cocked his head to the side and smiled.

“If whatever you’re in there cooking isn’t burnt to a husk, then I’ll actually murder you, Stratford.”

“Why? Because there might be one thing I’m better at than you?

” Brent grinned. A sharp gasp, and a clunk of plastic against the floor broke the soft greetings, and Brent turned to see Rhaena leaping over the kitchen island right before she pushed past him and tackled Kane.

A blur of red hair came next, and Wren checked him with a shoulder while she dove for Sarah. “Jesus…I feel so appreciated.”

“You stupid, reckless-ass whore!” Wren choked, fighting back emotion as she wrapped both arms around her best friend. Sarah rocked her from side-to-side, saying nothing as she squeezed her.

Kane’s usual repellent of affection was replaced with stunned silence as Rhaena clutched him and whispered tearfully into his ear.

Brent didn’t have to wonder what she was telling him.

The grief and shock nearly knocked the detective on his ass.

His stark blue eyes went over Brent’s shoulder, and Jenkins stood there, sharing a knowing look with his comrade.

Rhaena pulled away, and silence ensued. Tight and uncomfortable.

“Come inside,” Brent ushered softly. “Shitty situations run a lot smoother over casseroles.”

“Cringe,” Wren warned, holding up a finger as she and Rhaena led them inside. “First warning.” Brent’s face flushed as snickering sounded quietly behind them as he let them in and closed the door.

Rhaena couldn’t stop staring at her partner as bodies hovered over bowls of steaming casserole with ungodly amounts of cheese.

She sat across Brandon’s lap, occasionally feeding him globs of her dinner from her spoon.

Wren and Brent were sitting with their legs dangling off the kitchen island.

Sarah and Leigh had taken up the rest of the couch, and Kane…

Kane was his ever-broody self, leaning against the massive windows, and poking through Brent’s slightly impressive culinary feat.

“So…yeah,” Rhaena sighed, spooning another mouthful. “You’re caught up. We’re just waiting on Foster to give us the all-clear, and then…I guess we plan our captain one hell of a funeral.”

“He gets military honors,” Athan started, lowering his bowl. “Gun salute. Pipers. He gets everything.”

Brandon offered a solemn nod. “You’re damned right, man.”

“I can’t believe there were that many vampires scoping out one girl,” Sarah said. She shook her head in disgust. “Makes me wish I’d never hugged the fucking prick.”

“ I can’t believe he was the one that killed your mother,” Wren added. Brent only stared forward, chewing silently. “Had to feel good to go all Buffy the Vampire Slayer , once you figured that out. It felt good to me .”

It got quiet, and Rhaena continued to keep her eyes on Athan, who stared down at his feet.

“Are you alright, Kane?” He nodded once, but didn’t look up at her.

“Look, I don’t care what was on the line, or how deep she was in a boiling pot of shit, but…

she buried you alive. She’s the reason our captain is dead.

She’s gonna answer for her part in all this.

” Leigh glanced at her, but quickly changed her mind and averted her eyes to the muted television.

“When the smoke clears…if she’s still alive, she has to know I’m coming for her. ”

“It seems wrong. Even after all that was lost. Everything that happened. Sykes must have been fighting for her life for years. There was a time I’d do anything just to figure out who killed my mom…if it came down to protecting her? There’s no telling what I’d do. For any of you,” Sarah finished.

“Be that as it may,” Rhaena snapped. “For somebody that posed as a fucking cop , she knew where to draw the line. And there’s no way in hell I’d ever use one of you to get what I needed.

There’s always another way. Look at what it cost us.

Why would she care? We were all just disposable pawns. She’ll pay. They’ll all pay.”

“And your mother?” Athan asked, settling his eyes on hers. “You wanna ask Sarah how she’s feeling about settling the score with her dad?”

“I don’t have to know,” Rhaena said. “She offered me up to a deranged vampire who wanted to breed me like a bitch in heat. She shames our kind by calling herself a wolf.”