Page 29 of The Fighter
Mason threw a nod in Raven’s direction. “I can take her.”
Raven objected, “You took me by surprise, Mason. That was all.”
“Have you ever fought a real fighter, though?” My question to Mason made Raven spin in my direction.
“Hey, wait a minute. Are you saying that I’m not arealfighter? Who are you anyway?”
Solomon was quick to answer her, “Sorry, Raven, let me introduce my friend, Leo. He’s a police officer.”
“Police Inspector,” I corrected him and squared my shoulders. I wanted all the leverage I could get with this beautiful woman.
“Right. Sorry, I always forget about your promotion.”
Raven’s face glowed with excitement. “I plan to join the police force too.”
She had to be joking, so I gave her a smile. “Women can’t be in the police force here. It’s too dangerous. Maybe if you go back to the Motherlands…”
Raven’s left hand landed on her hip, which she pushed out to the side. “The Motherlands don’t have a police force. They have mediators and it’s not the same thing. For the record, I’m not going anywhere. This is my home and has been for ten years. Just because there are no women in the police force yet doesn’t mean there never will be. Times are changing, or haven’t you noticed?”
I didn’t believe she was serious for one second. Even her tank top had a joke on the front saying: Support bacteria – they're the only culture some people have. It was unexpected and refreshing to see a woman with a sense of humor so I grinned. “You’re a funny one, aren’t you?” Shaking my head, I placed my hands in my pockets. “Female police officers, now that would be a sight.”
Mason, Mila’s younger brother, looked from me to Raven. “She’s a good fighter.” He bit his lip. “But not as good as me.”
A few minutes later, I watched her walk away with a group of people and it gave me a chance to question Solo about her. “Tell me about Raven.”
“Ahh, Raven.” He grinned. “I know she’s stunning, but trust me, that woman is a handful.”
“Is she with anyone?”
He chuckled. “My friend, I’ve watched some of the finest boys and men of this country be burned by her rejections. One of my classmates, Nero, had the biggest crush on her for a long time and she ripped his soul apart with cruel jokes. If Raven has a special talent, it’s to make men look stupid.”
“Maybe she hasn’t met the right man yet.”
“Maybe. But personally, I wouldn’t waste my time. I’m pretty sure Raven isn’t into men at all.”
“Is she a lesbian?”
“Or asexual.” Solo shrugged. “Either way, if I were you, I’d go for Mila. She’s the kindest and most amazing human being you’ll ever meet, and she’s going to have a tournament.”
“But isn’t she a Motlander? Why would she have a tournament?”
“She is, but Magni and Laura adopted her. I guess they influenced her to want to marry the traditional Northlander way.”
“Is Raven going to have a tournament, you think?”
Solo patted my shoulder. “I can see you’re taken with her, but no, Raven isn’t that kind of woman. I can’t imagine she’ll ever want to marry. At best, you might be her toy for a while, but I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. I know what loving and losing feels like. It will destroy a man.”
Refocusing my thoughts on the present, I tapped my fingers on my desk. Solo had known Raven for ten years and he had been right about her. The times I’d tried talking to her during our stay at the Gray Manor, she’d teased and provoked me. There had been no signs that my attraction to her was mutual. Eventually, I had redirected my hopes upon Mila, who would make any man a fine wife.
Still, the dream popped up when I was alone at night. Raven was always there when I fantasized about making love to a woman. What if I hadn’t been reading Raven right?
Looking around to make sure no one was close, I cleared my screen from the case I should be working on and brought up a blank slate to write on.
Clues that Raven doesn’t like me.
-She won’t put in a good word with Mila for me.
-She says I have no sense of humor.
