Page 33 of Erotic Behavior (Observant Behaviors)
“I don’t know Raven.Let me talk to her and we will find another time.Things are just really hard for her right now.”
“Leo, bring her here, please.”
“I can’t do that.Goodbye Raven.”
Fear and anger ran through me the second Leo hung up the phone.What did he mean, he couldn’t bring her here?She was a human being, for goodness’ sakes, that man couldn’t just keep her forever.I scrolled through my phone and did the one thing I never thought I’d do.I pressed the button and listened to it ring only once before he answered.
“I need you.”
Broken
Beckett
Thesoundofhervoice broke something deep inside of me.I had just gotten to the club for the staff meeting and the second she called, I looked over at Dane and told him to run it without me.Raven and I had grown close as weeks went by, but she always held a certain air about her.One where she didn’t want to fully give into her need for me.For her to call me and tell me she needed me, I knew something had to have gone wrong, and I had a feeling I knew exactly what it was.After calling Leo twice only to get his voicemail, I had no doubt whatever had upset Raven had to do with Talia.It was rare Leo avoided my calls, which meant he couldn’t step away, another bad sign.
I pulled into the parking garage and made my way up to the Penthouse.I hadn’t spent this much time in one place in years, but with Raven still getting used to our life together, I didn’t want to rock the boat.Now, as I waited for the elevator to make its way up to the top floor, I wondered if some time away was just what we needed.
The door opened, and I threw my keys down on the foyer table before I headed down the hallway that led to our bedroom.I undid my suit coat and loosened my tie as I walked toward the sound of my sweet girl’s cries.I opened the door to our room and found her huddled in a ball in the middle of our bed.Her body was shaking and the whimpering cries she let out broke my heart.She didn’t even turn to me when she heard me come in.I stripped down to nothing but my pants and white tank that I had under my dress shirt and crawled into bed behind her, pulling her body to mine.
“I’m here, baby girl.I’ve got you.”
She turned in my arms and wrapped her body around me as she shook and cried for her friend.I laid there holding her, running my hands through her hair, up and down her back and over her sweet face as I prayed that her friend Talia was still alive.Leo never called back, and she still hadn’t told me what happened, but as her breathing evened out, I knew it was time to ask.
“Tell me what happened.”
Raven moved so she could look at me as we spoke and I kissed her forehead softly, encouraging her to tell me how I could help.
“It’s Talia.Leo called earlier and let me talk to her.Something’s wrong, Beckett.She kept saying she was fine, but she’s not.Her voice sounded… off.Like she was drugged or something and then she just couldn’t talk to me anymore.She handed the phone back to Leo, and I could hear her crying in the background.I asked him to bring her here, bring her back to me and all he said was he couldn’t do that.Then he hung up and now I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk to her again.”
I looked at my sweet girl and I wanted nothing more than to fix all of this for her.But I knew Miles Carter by reputation and he was an evil son of a bitch.If Talia sounded like she was drugged, then she probably was, and if Leo told Raven he couldn’t bring her here, then he had a reason why.It killed me knowing I couldn’t do more than I already had.
“I’m so sorry, baby.I can only imagine how hard this must be for you.If Leo can’t bring Talia to you, then I’m sure there is a good reason for it.But we can be thankful he’s with her now.He’ll take care of her.I know he will.”
“She said Miles hired him as her security guard or something.Doesn’t that seem strange?”
“Miles Carter has a lot of secrets, Raven.Things he probably doesn’t even want Talia to know, so no, it doesn’t seem strange he has assigned someone to her for security.It isn’t for her security though, it would be for his.It’s a way he can control what she sees and hears while in his home.At least it’s Leo who’s with her and not a stranger.”
“I was so mad at him when he told me he can’t just take her from that place.”
“I will talk to him the next time he checks in with me and see what else I can find out.She’ll be okay, Raven, I know it’s hard to believe me right now, but she will be.”
“That’s not everything.”
“No?What else is it?”
She took a deep breath, and I prepared for the worst.Tears welled in her eyes again as she spoke.“I got my period.”
I smiled down at her and pulled her back against my body, “It’s okay, my little love.You stopped the pills and it will happen when the time is right.”
“I’m sorry.I know it’s something you were hoping for.”
“It was, but that doesn’t mean I’m upset.Disappointed, sure.But I know it will happen, and I can’t wait to see you grow with my child.”I lessened my hold just enough for her to look back up at me and I pressed my lips to hers.“You’re quickly becoming my entire world, Baby Girl.”
She smiled up at me just as my phone rang with the ringtone I had assigned to my sister’s number.I let out a deep breath as I let Raven go and rolled over to reach for it on the nightstand.“I’m sorry.I need to get this.”
“Hello.”
“Beckett, it’s bad.It’s really bad and I don’t know what to do.”The sound of desperation in Ashlee’s voice as she cried was almost as bad as Raven breaking apart in my arms.