Page 53 of The Fighter
“Why? At least if she married me, she would be with a strong warrior.”
Laura inhaled noisily. “There’s that.” Shaking her head, she chuckled. “I can’t believe you fooled me like that.”
“You know what the worst part is?”
“What?”
“I got my dark side from you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re my role model and you always give Magni crap.”
“That’s just because someone needs to keep his ego in check. That man is nothing but pride and confidence.”
“Just saying that I learned from the best.”
Laura and I exchanged a warm smile. “In that case, Raven, I’m honored!”
“You’re not going to tell Magni about today, are you? I really want a chance to solve this mystery on my own.”
“I won’t tell him unless he asks me, but if you find something, you’ll let him know, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” Laura looked out the window. “Maybe that will give him some peace.”
“Maybe.” I looked straight ahead too. “And then he’ll be all soft, relaxed, and sweet.”
We both burst into loud laughter.
CHAPTER 14
Apology
Leo
When I heard that Raven was sick and wouldn’t be coming to work, worst-case scenarios made me sick to my stomach. I was restless and short-tempered with my colleagues all day, and my eyes kept going to the door, worrying that any moment now Boulder and Magni would burst through it and accuse me of touching Raven.
I would be a dead man, and it made me angry with her. Raven had promised it would stay between us and if she claimed it hadn’t been consensual, she was lying. She had fucking clung to my hair and pressed my head against her when I gave her oral. She had wanted me. It couldn’t have been something I imagined because she had told me so – hadn’t she? Ever since she ran out my door on Friday night, I’d analyzed everything that had happened between us and I was going crazy.
Desperate for answers, I decided that I had no choice but to seek her out, even if it meant walking into the lion’s den or in other words, the Gray Manor.
I had been at the Ruler’s majestic residence before, but only at the park and in Magni’s office. Visiting Raven was risky because she might not want to see me, and I didn’t want the word of her rejection to get back to my men. That’s why I was relieved when I parked and saw Mila come walking toward me with a Great Dane on her right side, and what looked to be a golden retriever mix on her left, while a smaller dog was running toward me, yapping with aggression.
“Loki, come here.”
“You named your dog Loki?”
Mila smiled at me. “Yes. Haven’t you noticed the theme of people named after Norse Gods in my family? We have Magni, Freya, and Thor, so I figured this little guy should be named Loki. He fits the role as unpredictable and opportunistic.”
I kneeled down to let the little dog sniff my hand.
“He talks a big game, but he would be the first to run if there was danger.”
“And those two?” I nodded to the two bigger dogs by her side. “Would they protect you?”
Mila nuzzled the Great Dane behind its ear. “It’s okay, you two, go say hi.” As if they understood her both dogs came over to sniff me too.
