The trip to the club felt long and hard.
Hanson pulled into the parking lot, and she saw all the new faces of the club whores. She had overheard some of the men referring to them as cum buckets, porn stars, and a lot of other names. None of them went near her. She didn’t mind that.
Slamming the door closed, she nodded at the men and made her way inside. She saw Hunter coming out of the office, and he held the door for her as she entered.
Smokey was at his desk, looking over some paperwork.
Closing the door behind her, she watched him for a few moments. He hadn’t realized she entered.
“You’re cleaning shop,” she said.
He lifted his head.
“And you’re sending Raven away.”
Smokey leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “I had no idea you were coming over. I thought you were visiting Abriana.”
“Answer me,” she said.
“Ava, you don’t want to know about club business.”
“Yeah, but I think it’s important that I know about the woman who nearly died for me.”
“We are not going to have this discussion. How I handle club business is not your concern. Raven is better suited by Carlos’s side.”
“So you and Carlos get to decide what is better for her now?” Ava asked.
Smokey got to his feet and rounded his desk. He unfolded his arms and stared at her. “I made a big mistake that day, Ava. I looked at that photo and I instantly thought the worst.”
“And you ordered Raven to do what she did. Those women that you got rid of, they followed your orders. You are king here, and don’t even pretend you’re not. We both know you are. We both know that everyone here does as you tell them to.”
“And you got hurt because of it,” Smokey said. “Carlos is obsessed with Raven. They will make one hell of a couple.”
Ava shook her head. “You can’t send Raven away. This is her home.”
“She’ll make a new home. I will not allow you to fear—”
“I don’t fear Raven!” She started to yell. “I want to get to know Raven. I want to put this fucking past behind us. She fucked up, I get that. I was the one to pay the price, but guess what, she is the one who saved me. Who helped me. I watched her. I watched her get hurt for me, and even though she was already broken, she stood up and told them they were all pussies, and that she could take more.” Tears filled her eyes, and this time, she didn’t hold them back. She let them fall.
“You’ve been having nightmares.”
“Not about Raven, about the fact that I wasn’t able to save her when she needed it. I … I want to be friends with Raven. She is one hell of a friend to have, but I feel that … she is … she is trying to give me space, and I didn’t see it until now. She is still trying to protect me. You cannot get rid of a member like that.” She licked her dry lips. “And if you do, then you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Ava.”
“You’re manipulating her. You and Carlos.”
Smokey stared at her, and she knew she had hurt him, but it didn’t matter. Ava couldn’t take a beating for Raven, but she sure could fucking fight for her, to bring her back home in a different way.
“Raven’s place is here! At home.”
Smokey went to open his mouth, but he stopped as his cell phone rang.
He grabbed it from the desk and looked down at it. “It’s Raven.”
“Bring her home,” Ava said. “Make this right.”
Smokey clicked on the call, and as soon as he put it on speakerphone, she heard Raven’s scream.
****
Raven came to gasping after freezing cold water was splashed over her face. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision and stared into the cold eyes of Paolo Fiore.
“Surprise,” he said. “You’re awake.”
She tried to remember everything that had happened, but her head was pounding. A masculine groan alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. Her back was pressed against another.
“Ah, I see our very own Boss has decided to wake up.” Paolo moved, and she knew Carlos was right behind her.
His back was propping her up.
She couldn’t see what Paolo was doing, but Carlos jerked. They were tied together.
“Fiore,” Carlos said.
“Surprise. I bet you never even saw this coming,” Paolo said and laughed.
They were attacked going from his nightclub toward his car.
Carlos’s soldiers hadn’t been anywhere in sight. Glancing down at herself, she saw that she still wore Carlos’s jacket that he’d placed over her shoulders.
She had been able to call Smokey and placed her cell phone in her pocket. She didn’t even know if the call was still active and with her hands bound in front of her, her arms locked against Carlos’s, there was no way for her to check. She didn’t even know if Fiore had patted her down, but he’d been the one to hire a sloppy amateur. She doubted he’d had the foresight to pat her down.