Chapter 22
Right then, Eddie took a quick breath and turned to Raven.
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He frowned and said, “The Grayson family’s just a small–time crew in Bastion, aren’t they? A family like that… One Mid–Class Warrior is pushing it–how’d they manage to snag three?”
Brynjar gave him a sideways look, dripping with disdain, and said coolly, “Yup, three, but still not a big deal.”
Eddie saw the group across from them getting closer, and he spun around, panic kicking in.
“We can’t take them!” he snapped. “Move! We’ve gotta get out of here!”
Brynjar sized up Eddie’s jittery energy and shook his head, not impressed.
“Run where?” he asked flatly. “If they’ve really got us beat, you think legging it will do any good?”
Eddie’s face froze at Brynjar’s words, his eyes going empty.
A second later, his hands fell slack by his sides, and he just stood there, stuck.
Brynjar was right.
There were too many of them. There was no way to escape now.
Over to the side, Vivian picked up on Brynjar’s calm words and grinned at him.
“Well, look at that,” she mocked, “seems like you know when to throw in the towel.”
Then she turned her eyes on Raven Valor, glaring with pure hate, her jaw tight.
Time was tight–her family couldn’t send any warriors to help her deal with Raven right now.
But she’d tapped her clan’s connections to get the scoop on the Grayson family’s plans for this face–off.
She was here to see this nobody grovel at Jax Grayson’s shiny shoes like a beat–down pup, begging for mercy.
After that, she’d drop her name to Jax, maybe toss in a marriage deal to seal it, and get him to hand Raven over.
Once she had her hands on Raven, she’d make sure Raven regretted ever crossing her!
Before long, the Grayson crew stopped about thirty feet from Raven and her group.
Jax spotted Raven Valor standing there, steady as a rock, and a quick flash of surprise hit his eyes.
Raven’s gaze drifted over Dane in his wheelchair. Then she skimmed the rest of the Grayson pack, before settling on Jax.
“You don’t need a whole squad just to drop off an apology gift, do you?” she said, keeping it cool.
Jax heard her and let a small, crooked smirk break his stone–cold face.
“An apology gift?” he chuckled. “Sure, I’ve got one for you–but first, let’s see if you’ve got the guts to take it!”
He’d figured maybe Raven had some ice–in–her–veins cool. Turns out, she was just clueless.
Raven sighed and looked down at the ground..
“I gave you a whole day to get an apology ready,” she said slow and steady, “and you spent it scheming against me. Mr. Grayson, going back on your word
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16:17 Mon, 14 Apr
Chapter 22
has a cost.”
Jax’s eyes tightened, his expression going dark.
“I’m done with your garbage,” he shot back. “Either break your own legs and say sorry to Dane now, or you’re finished!”
Raven’s lips curved into a slow, laid–back smile as she looked up and met his stare.
“Get on your knees and apologize to me,” she said, no rush in her voice. “I’m feeling nice today–I might let it go this time.”
She paused, then added, “If not, I’ll show you what regret really means.”
A wave of gasps rolled through the crowd as they stared at Raven, stunned.
The moment her words hit, Jax’s crew started whispering in shock behind him.
They’d seen plenty of people who didn’t scare easy–but someone this bold with death staring her down? That was a first!
Jax narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping low and thick. “Guess we’ve got nothing left to say
then…”
Just then, a loud ringtone sliced through the standoff like a blade.
“Ring–a–ling–ling…”
Jax frowned, pulling his phone from his pocket and checking the screen.
Nobody used this number unless something huge was going down.
He paused, then picked up the call right there in front of everyone.
Whatever came through the line slammed into him like a bolt.
He stood there, blank, like his mind had crashed. His grip on the phone loosened, and he went still.
“Thud!”
The phone dropped to the ground, the sound echoing sharp in everyone’s ears…
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