Chapter 7
“Mr. Grayson!” Jax’s bodyguards yelled, their voices shaking with panic.
A dozen of them bolted forward, tripping over each other to cover Jax.
Raven glanced at the mob and gave her hand a little shake.
“Zip, zip, zip…” A bunch of silver needles flew out all at once.
Every single one hit dead–on.
In a flash, all the bodyguards dropped like flies.
Jax and Dane, still flat on the ground, stared with their jaws practically on the floor.
Raven’s skills? They were on a whole other level–way more than they could even process.
Over by the wall, Madeline’s eyes shrank to tiny dots.
That was pure absurdity.
No way this young woman could be that badass.
She’d always figured Jax was tougher than Dane.
Actually, he was tougher than anybody, really.
But now? Dane got forced to his knees by some little punk.
And even Jax was down for the
count.
The shock in Madeline’s eyes faded slow, turning into a heavy, sinking dread.
Mixed in was this stubborn, bitter refusal to give up.
She was just twenty–four–her life was barely kicking off.
She wasn’t ready to check out. Not yet.
Yet now, she seemed to be trapped.
She had no idea what to do.
Then, like a light switching on, she jerked her head toward Raven.
Then, with a desperate wiggle, she dragged herself up to kneel in front of her.
Then she braced herself up.
“Please, let me go! I’m begging you, don’t kill me!” she cried, putting everything she had into it.
“It wasn’t my idea to take your brother’s blood–it was Dane! He’s the one who pushed for it!” she blurted out fast.
“I kept telling him to stop, over and over, but he wouldn’t hear it. Kept saying the transfusion would fix me up quick,” she
insisted.
Then she even added, “This isn’t on me–not even a little, I swear!”
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Chapter 7
“It’s Dane’s fault! He’s the one to blame!” she said, throwing him under the bus hard.
Dane’s body stiffened where he lay.
A second later, he turned to Madeline, total shock all over his face.
His ears had to be messing with him, he thought.
His sweet, perfect fiancée just backstabbed him.
Raven caught Madeline’s wild pleading and shot Dane a grin.
“You hear that, Dane?” she poked.
“Still think I was off calling her a bimbo?” she teased.
Dane didn’t say a peep.
He never imagined the fiancée he’d adored would sell him out like this.
He kept his mouth shut, but Madeline? She nodded like crazy.
“Yeah, I’m a bimbo! I’m totally what you called me–a BIMBO! Just let me go, please!” she rambled.
“So you’re owning it, huh?” Raven said, all calm and quiet.
Madeline’s heart jumped with a crazy burst of hope.
At the same time, a sneaky, hateful spark flashed in her eyes.
She promised herself if she made it out, Raven was gonna pay with a long, nasty death.
But Raven’s tone flipped mid–sentence.
“Then I definitely can’t let you go. I can’t stand bimbos like you–one less is a bonus,” she said, her voice turning cold.
Madeline’s face locked up.
Then realization struck her.
She got it–Raven had just been screwing with her like a toy.
Still, she grabbed at one last straw.
“Killing’s going to get you in trouble! If I die, you’re gonna pay the legal conse…” she said, her voice wobbly.
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Raven let out a short, dry laugh and shook her head. “Dane’s out here sucking my brother’s blood dry in the middle of the day. Law? You think I give a damn? Or do you?”
Right then, a sharp voice cut through from the doorway.
“You don’t even care about the law? That’s some bold crap!” it barked.
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