Chapter 19
Half an hour later, the Bastion military base was buzzing with a quiet, serious vibe.
Jonah gave a salute to the Bastion higher–ups who’d shown up to meet him.
Then an old guy, straight from the bigwig meeting room at Vyrdenia’s central command, climbed down from the fighter jet.
The old man had that heavy, been–in–charge–forever feel–sharp, distant, like you’d think twice before looking him in the
eye.
This was Lorne Drakon, the head honcho of Vyrdenia’s three generals.
Jonah stepped up.
He gaving a respectful nod and reported, “Sir, that whole mess with Lieutenant General Valor and Dane Grayson? It’s taken care of.”
Lorne tipped his head slightly, but he didn’t seem eager to jet off just yet.
He let out a little sigh. “I’ve asked Lieutenant General Valor twice to take that fourth General spot in Vyrdenia. She shot me down both times. I thought this summit might change her mind–let the big shots talk her into it.
“But then the Grayson Group mess blew up. I’m gonna give her one last chance. If she says no again, I’ll be too embarrassed to even show up around here.”
Jonah didn’t have much to say to that.
He’d had this small, nagging worry about what Margaret mentioned–something about the Jennings family stirring up trouble for Raven.
Now? He figured he’d been worrying it way too much.
A weird mix of thoughts crossed his face as he glanced at Lorne.
Every soldier dreamed of landing that General spot. He’d dangled it in front of her twice, and she didn’t bite. Now he was going back for a third try.
Jonah smirked to himself, thinking, “She’s not into it–how about tossing it my way instead?‘
A word from the three generals, and he’d fly himself there to take the spot–Just kidding, of course.
This whole thing was making Jonah a bit jealous–Raven got handed stuff she didn’t even want, repeatedly, while others couldn’t catch a break.
“What made her so special and I’m not?” Jonah muttered, keeping it to himself.
“I heard the Grayson family’s taking on Raven tomorrow at five?” Lorne said. “Grab some guys. We’re heading over to see what’s up.”
Jonah kept his mouth shut, but inside, he was smirking.
They called it a “surprise,” but everyone knew it was a face–off with Raven.
Still, the General was ready to have Raven’s back against some minor Bastion family. That showed how much he thought of her.
He really wanted her in that dream gig everyone else was chasing.
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Then it clicked–Margaret had just tried throwing the Jennings family’s lieutenant general at Raven to rattle her.
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Jonah couldn’t help wondering, if she found out Lorne had practically begged Raven three times to take the General spot, how would she deal with it?
Oh, and if he remembered right, Dane’s dad–Brigadier General Rex Grayson–took leave yesterday to head home.
If Rex decided to poke his nose into tomorrow’s mess…
Jonah didn’t even want to picture it. He just sent the guy a quick, silent prayer.
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Meanwhile, Raven and Ruth rolled up to Grayson Memorial Hospital.
Raven hopped out of the car, and her phone buzzed. It was Hugmuinn.
“Boss, I got what you asked for,” Hugmuinn said on the line. “Only one Starcard in Vyrdenia’s history ever got unsealed.”
“That Starcard? It was unsealed in the capital, Regalhold.”
“It’s old stuff, though, and might be tied to some hush–hush details. I’ll need more time to nail down the exact spot.”
Raven’s eyes sharpened a bit. She kept her voice quiet. “Track that location down quick.”
“On it. Oh, and Boss,” Hugmuinn added, “while I was poking around about the Starcard, I caught a lead on that guy you told me to look into.”
Her heart skipped a beat, just for a split second, hardly noticeable.
Her grip on the phone tightened, knuckles going white.
She’d spent the last five years on the border wars, hopping between countries, all to chase him down.
Five years, and not a single hint about the guy.
Her past life came rushing back. That man–drop–dead gorgeous, cold and ruthless like a king–melted every sharp edge just for her.
He’d grumble, all cocky and sulky, saying he didn’t like her, then secretly figure out how to flirt just to see her smile.
He’d cling to her every chance he got, but then pull back, giving her room, worried she’d get tired of him.
Memories of her “sweetheart” before the reborn hit her hard.
Raven’s steady stare softened, a little warmth slipping into her eyes.
She took a breath and looked more seriously than ever, asking, “What did you get?”
“That guy’s somewhere in Vyrdenia, Hugmuinn said over the phone. “Our people picked up a trace of him at Regalhold Academy.”
Raven’s face barely twitched, just a quick flicker in her eyes.
Regalhold Academy… Guess she’d have to swing by Regalhold herself.
As she locked that plan in, Hugmuinn’s voice cut through again.
“Boss,” he said, “Jax and Dane are pulling together every bit of muscle they can scrape up. They’re gunning for you tomorrow
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Chapter 19
afternoon at Cloudridge.”
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“Also, I found out Dane’s dad is Brigadier General Rex Grayson from the military, Hugmuinn added, “Looks like he’s got no clue who you are. He’s heading to the Grayson family as we speak.”
Raven didn’t blink, cool as ever.
“Got it,” she said, voice steady.
If Rex kept his nose out of it, she’d leave him alone.
But if he decided to step in, that Brigadier General rank wouldn’t stick around much longer.
Raven took the call while she and Ruth walked into Zack’s hospital room.
Ruth’s heart skipped a beat the moment she saw Zack lying there, lips still pale as a ghost.
She darted over in a couple of quick steps, her shaky hand hovering over his small face. She wanted to touch him but held back, scared she’d wake him up.
“Zack, what happened to him?” Ruth whipped around to Raven, her voice all over the place.
Her words quivered, eyes pooling with panic.
Raven gave her the quick rundown of what went down.
Ruth took it in, then turned stiffly, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Zack’s little face.
Her voice came out rough. “Margaret was okay with Dane draining all of Zack’s blood?”
She didn’t think Margaret could be that cold.
“He’s her own grandson!” Ruth’s voice shook even more.
Raven watched her, then put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Zack’s fine now,” she said quietly. “A little rest,and he’ll be good as new.”
It took a full minute, but Ruth finally nodded, showing she’d pulled herself together a bit.
Then she muttered something about the bathroom and slipped out.
A second later, she dug her old, scratched–up phone out of her pocket. A fierce, determined look sparked in her eyes.
Raven and Zack were her whole world. If Margaret and Dane wanted to take that away, she’d make them pay–even if it was the last thing she did.
She dialed a number she’d kept buried deep in her memory for years.
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Chapter 20
