Page 43 of Erotic Behavior (Observant Behaviors)

I moved before I had even realized it.My hand went to her neck, and I pushed her up against the wall behind me.“Watch your mouth, you little fucking whore.I swear your days here are limited if you don’t learn your place.”

“Yes, sir,” she said with a smirk and I pressed harder until she reached for my hands grasping at them with a panicked look in her eyes.

“That’s Mr.fucking Haynes, not sir, not Beckett.Do you understand?”

I felt more than saw the nod of her head since I had a hold of her.When I let go, she fell to the ground, gasping for air.“Get the fuck out of my office.In fact, go home.I don’t need you.Report to the offices in Chicago on Monday.You’ll be working from there until further notice.”

Pamela stood and pulled her shoulders back, pretending as if nothing had happened.She walked her nosey ass out of my office without another word as I reached for her coffee and threw it at the door when it closed behind her.I was so fucking pissed.Not just at Pamela, at everything.I looked back at my computer and pressed the arrow key on my keyboard until the cameras at the house came up.Raven was in the guest bedroom.She had pulled her suitcases out for the trip.Instead of taking them to our room, she was curled up in a ball on the bed.Her body was shaking as she held her cell phone in her hand.My heart tore open at the sight of her.I sat down and turned the volume up so I could listen.Sobs wrecked her body as she gasped for air, in between screams of sadness and frustration.My club was important, but Raven was my life now.I shut down my computer and reached for my cell phone and keys.

By the time I made it down to the first floor of the building, my phone was ringing.

“Yeah?”

“Mr.Haynes, they are here with the warrant,” Dane said as soon as I answered.

“Let them in.I’ll send someone there soon.”

I called my attorneys and told them they were serving the warrants early.They would head there in my place.I couldn’t be seen in the middle of a search, anyway.I had planned to go to the club and meet with the staff beforehand, but I’d have to trust that Dane would take care of it all.It was why I paid him a ton of money.I got in the back of the SUV and Michael took off in the direction of the penthouse.

“All good sir?”

“Yes.We will need a ride to the airstrip tonight.I’m taking Raven out of town for a while.”

“Of course, sir, I’ll be ready whenever you are.”

After a quick call to my pilot, we were pulling up to my building.I nearly ran through the lobby to our private elevator and tore through the house until I got to her.The cries had quieted, and I opened the door slowly, finding her exactly where I had seen her on the camera.

I sat on the bed and pulled her into my arms.“I’m sorry, baby girl, I’m so sorry.”

She buried her head in my chest and held on to my suit coat.I rocked back and forth, trying to soothe her, but couldn’t help but wonder if this was something more than me getting upset with her.She was nearly inconsolable.

“Raven, talk to me.Please, baby, tell me what you’re thinking.”

“He found me, Beckett.He knows I’m here,” she choked out between sobs.

“Who baby?Who found you?”

“My father.”

An Evil Past

Raven

TheonlythingIknew about my father while growing up was that he was a ruthless, evil man.Those were my mother’s exact words when I was a young girl and kept pestering her for information.I had created this vision of a man who terrified me and haunted my dreams, even though I held out hope that it wasn’t true.

I pulled myself away from Beckett’s embrace.This was the worst time ever for me to be breaking down like this.I knew he had a lot to deal with and Cal could be a total dick sometimes, but I just couldn’t pull myself together, no matter how hard I tried.

“Baby girl, tell me what happened.”

“He called me.I don’t know how he found me or my number, but he did.My mother always told me he was evil, and I didn’t want to believe her.When I was eighteen, I tracked him down and learned for myself what a terrible human he was.”

The memories of the time I spent with him came flooding back and the tears started again.“I never told Talia or my Mom what I did.It was all so awful, I just couldn’t.Talia was convinced something happened to me and she was right.I met the devil himself, and I was humiliated that he was my father, so I tried my hardest to pretend that day never happened.”

“You haven’t spoken to him since?”

“No.”

“What did he say when he called you?”