Page 9 of Raven

And now I was sure of two things:

Beatrice Jones was in trouble.

And whoever had followed her here… had just made a huge mistake.

5

Beatrice

I should have lefttown when I saw that symbol on that poor woman’s hand.

Instead, I went to the farmers market like I was just another local trying to live a normal life. And what happened? I met that nosy neighbor of mine. Okay, he’s hot, and I wouldn’t mind him picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, and doing anything he wanted to my body.

And now, he knew.

Raven Ledger. The guy I had the hots for.

He didn’t know about the symbol—at least not yet—but he knew something was wrong. I saw it in the way his eyes tracked every person who got too close to me. The way his hand brushed his hip, as if he expected a weapon to be there. The way he stood too still, too ready.

Raven was a protector. You didn’t have to know his background to see it. It was in his posture. In the way Mandy never left his side unless he told her to, in the quiet alertness of a man who’d seen too much and lived through all of it.

He was watching me now.

Not in a creepy way.

In adangerously observantway.

And the more he watched… the more he saw.

* * *

Later that evening,I was out back rinsing off Mike, who had rolled in something dead, naturally, when I heard the soft crunch of footsteps on sand.

I turned. Raven was leaning against my fence, arms crossed over his chest, and there was a lazy expression on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Are you always this good with evasive maneuvers?” he asked.

I blinked. “Is that a military term, or are you just nosy again?”

He cracked a grin. “Both.”

I turned back to the hose. “Is there a reason you’re here, or just checking on me?

“Thought you might want to walk the beach,” he said. “Clear your head. Or… for once in your life let someone watch your back.”

I hesitated, just for a breath.

Then I shut off the hose, gave Mike a pat, and walked toward the gate. Just so you know, I don’t need anyone to watch my back.

* * *

We didn’t saymuch at first.

The waves crashed softly, and the wind carried the scent of salt and someone's dinner. Raven walked beside me, not crowding, not pushing. Just there.

Steady.

Silent.

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