Page 67 of Sins of Seduction
Greyson looked up and something passed in his gaze too quickly for Raven to catch. Whatever it was had Raven reaching out to Jax to keep her world from completely falling apart.
“Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to check on something.” Greyson didn’t wait for anyone to respond. He grabbed his papers and the note and hauled ass out of the room like his body wanted to expel the shit coffee he was drinking.
The slimy feeling of being watched had returned, except it felt closer this time than it had before. Her skin crawled as if she could feel someone’s fingers against her skin. The pain in her head intensified, causing her to feel nauseous. She brought her fist to her mouth, swallowing a few times, hoping she didn’t puke the protein shake she had this morning all over the interrogation room. She could hear Jax and Diane talking, but their voices sounded like nails on the chalkboard. She felt dizzy and a cold sweat broke out across her body.
Raven felt Jax’s hands on her, could hear his voice, but it sounded muddled over the pounding in her chest. Her hands flew to her heart, feeling the organ beat against her palms in an angry manner. She couldn’t breathe, and the pain in her head made her feel like it was about to explode.
She heard shouting. There was a commotion somewhere, but she didn’t have the energy to pick her head up and check what was happening. She tried to control her breathing, control her rapid heartbeat, but every trick she had learned from an employee who’d been asthmatic hadn’t worked. She couldn’t get enough oxygen into her body. She clawed at her throat. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t get her mouth to work to tell whoever was in the room with her.
Everything around her seemed like a whirlwind, and all at once, everything in her body began to slow down. Her heart pumping in her chest felt lethargic, as if it didn’t have the energy to keep going. Her eyes felt heavy. She could no longer keep them open. As darkness descended around her, Lea had walked into her line of vision, but something was different about her. She was all wrong. Her eyes were no longer sweet but filled with a rage that looked like it didn’t belong on her face. The knife she held in her hand hadn’t been pressed against her wrists. It had been pressed against Raven’s throat as she hovered over her.
Raven struggled to turn her lips up into a smile as she realized how poetic this all was. Raven’s love had killed Lea, and here she was brought back from the dead like some vengeful angel to kill Raven.
Can you see me now, Raven?
Cruz pulled up to the station. Sex still clung to his skin—Raven still clung to his skin. Last night had been….He couldn’t put it into words how he felt watching Raven climax again and again by his and Jax’s hands. That was the first time he’d done anything like that—his first taste—and he feared that Raven and Jax had opened up a world to him he hadn’t known could exist.
He’d fled the party last night after all three of them had come off of the high they had collectively rode together. His thoughts crept in like a cold shower, waking him up from the dream he’d been in. He felt torn—his body split in two with his desire to embrace what happened versus his need to remember this wasn’t him and he didn’t like Raven.
So he ran and ran right into a woman who had been leaving the party as well. He’d taken one look at her and asked her back to his place. The words were out of his mouth before he could fully understand what he’d been asking her, but on a deeper level, Cruz knew he was using her to erase Raven off of his pallet. All it did was bury Raven further underneath his skin.
“What are you doing, Cruz?” He let out a breath, gripping the steering wheel. Images of the night flashed in his mind and he shook his head. He didn’t need to get stuck remembering how Raven felt wrapped around him or how good it felt to work with Jax to give her what she craved and needed.
Cruz turned his car off and grabbed his phone. He had powered it off—a mistake giving the case—but he couldn’t deal with everyone with where his mind was at. A loud shout caught his attention, and he looked up to see Jax carrying an unconscious Raven in his arms to a car. Raven’s lawyer was hot on their heels as she jumped in the driver’s seat and sped off.
Cruz was out of his car, his body moving on autopilot. He saw Greyson standing outside with a worried expression on his face. “What happened?” Cruz barked, he could hear the worry in his tone and he cursed.
One fuck does not mean you give a shit.
Greyson turned toward Cruz. A weariness in his gaze as he sized Cruz up. “She passed out when I got into the room. They’re rushing her to Hillcrest. I need to ask you something.” Greyson gestured toward a little seating area that was away from the crowd that had grown in front of the station.
“Out with it,” Cruz grumbled too tired to attempt to figure out what this was about.
A heavy silence fell between them as Greyson stared at Cruz. The air had a bite to it—winter was coming early this year, but the weather had nothing to do with the chill that seeped into Cruz’s body as Greyson continued to stare at him like a suspect instead of a partner.
“I know where you were last night. I need to know how long you stayed and what time you left. I’m assuming you haven’t turned your phone on yet.”
Greyson’s tone was clipped, and Cruz mentally cursed. He hadn’t wanted anyone to know where he was last night and what he was doing. “Why do you know where I…?” Cruz trailed off as it hit him. Raven and Jax had been here either because there was a crack in the case or something worse happened that pointed to her. “Fuck, how bad is it?” Cruz questioned, hating that he was now roped up in to whatever was going on.
“I think we should head inside, Cruz. The captain wants to see you too.” Greyson shook his head, “If I’m honest, it doesn’t look good.”
Jax paced outside of Raven’s hospital room, wearing a hole in the floor. The doctors were in with her now that she was awake. He’d never felt fear like that before. He felt helpless watching Raven’s eyes roll in the back of her head and feeling her pulse slow to the point that he had trouble finding it. He thought he was losing her, and he selfishly regretted all that time he’d spent apart from her.
“Any news yet?” Diane was leaning up against the wall. She’d been a steady presence for him, and he’d clung to her ability to keep her shit together long enough for her to break every speed law in Ivywood to get here in record time.
“She’s up, but they kicked me out to talk to her and check her over. She’s been getting headaches, but that’s the worst I’ve ever seen it. When we were here last time they said it was dehydration and to follow up with her primary if the headaches persist.” Jax stopped his pacing and stood next to Diane. “You’ve been around her for a while now, right?” Diane nodded. “Are these headaches new?”
Diane shook her head. “She’s never complained and Danny—Danielle hasn’t mentioned it. If she’s been having headaches, they’ve never been this bad.”
The door to Raven’s room opened, and Jax jumped up to face the doctor. “How is she?” The question fell out of his mouth before the door was fully open. The doctor didn’t answer him, just ushered him into the room, asking Diane to wait outside for a moment.
Jax’s legs almost gave out at the site of Raven hooked up to machines looking pale and sickly. “Rave,” Jax’s voice broke as he rushed to her side. He hesitated, not sure if he could touch her without causing her pain. He gripped her bed railing and leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead. He stayed there, letting the relief wash over him that she was okay for now.
The doctor cleared his throat and Jax turned to face him. “Ms. Wright asked that you be in here when I told her what we found, and you’re okay to hold her hand and touch her.” The older doctor smiled briefly. “She’s not in physical pain aside from her headaches right now.”
Jax took Raven’s hand in his and held his breath as the doctor spoke. “So, initially, we couldn’t find anything.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t find anything?” Jax snapped. This was the second time she was in here for these headaches, and if they were going to tell him she’s just dehydrated again, he would pull her out of here and take her to the next town over to get some damn answers.
