Chapter 6
Dane picked up on the dead–serious chill in Raven’s tone, and his heart skipped a beat.
But then he let out a harsh, bitter laugh.
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“You want to kill me? If I go down, the mess’ll be way more than you can deal with!” he taunted, like she was some clueless kid.
Raven’s smirk got sharper,
“Oh, yeah? I’d love to see who’s too big for me to touch,” she shot back, cool as a cucumber.
With that, she tossed another huge blood bag in front of Dane, then flicked her eyes at the two guys holding him down.
“Keep it going. Bleed him out,” she said, her voice hard as nails.
“Yes, ma’am,” one of them answered, short and sharp,
He snatched the bag, popped the needle cap, and jammed it back into Dane’s vein without a second’s pause.
Meanwhile, Madeline–now with Brynjar’s needle in her arm–was scared out of her mind.
She screamed without thinking, “Help me! Dane, get me out of this! I don’t want to die yet!”
The flirty, delicate act? Long gone.
Staring down death, she was a complete wreck.
“Who the hell are you people?” a voice sliced through the madness.
Right then, a slick guy in his mid–thirties stormed into the blood–draw room, moving quick.
Behind him came a swarm of Grayson Group bodyguards.
The good–looking stranger saw Dane and Madeline looking pathetic, his sharp face turning cold and deadly.
In a flash, a vibe even heavier than Dane’s hit the room, pouring off this guy.
Dane heard the voice and twisted his neck toward the door.
“Jax?” he called, a flicker of relief breaking through his usual icy stare.
This was Jax Grayson–the man in charge of the Grayson family and the guy pulling strings in Bastion’s underworld.
He and Dane were like two peas in a pod: one owned the city’s legit business scene, the other ran its shady backstreets.
Over by the wall, Madeline spotted Jax and started yelling like he was her last hope.
“Jax, save me! They’re pumping Dane’s blood into me–our types don’t match! I’m gonna die if this keeps going!” she cried, her fear spilling everywhere.
Jax threw Madeline a frosty look before snapping at Raven.
“Let them go!” he ordered, his voice hit like a gavel.
One glance at Raven kicking back in her chair, and he knew she was the one running the show.
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Chapter 6
Raven locked eyes with Jax, tilting her head like she had all the time in the world.
“What if I say no?” she asked, her voice smooth and totally chill.
P
Jax’s face turned stormy real fast.
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He charged at her, taking big, determined steps.
The closer he got, the thicker the air felt, heavy with a creepy, dark edge.
If Raven were just some normal guy, that vibe might’ve had her shaking and begging already.
But Raven? She just sat there, her face blank as a calm lake.
When he was about ten feet away, her hand flicked up, fast and easy.
“Zip!” A quiet little sound zipped through the air.
A silver needle shot out like a bullet.
Jax tried to dodge on instinct.
Too slow. By the time he reacted, the needle was already stuck in somewhere on his chest.
His heart ached, and all his strength leaked out.
If he weren’t so damn bullheaded, he’d have faceplanted right there.
Raven gave him a cold, unbothered look.
“I just want Dane and Madeline gone. Leave now, and I’ll let it go. But if you freak out my brother, I’ll bury you and the whole Grayson crew with them,” she said, her voice flat but sharp as a blade.
Jax’s eyes burned with rage as her cool, in–charge tone hit him harder than his own.
“Taking on the Grayson family in Bastion? Bad call,” he growled, low and mean.
Raven’s lips twitched into a tiny smirk. “Guess I’ll see what a ‘bad call‘ feels like.”
“Jax, Jax, save me!” Madeline’s wobbly voice cut in, loud and frantic.
She was trembling like an autumn leaf.
Half the blood bag was already in her, and she could tell–her head was pounding, her chest squeezed tight.
She was dead sure she could kick the bucket any
second.
Jax stared Raven down for a long moment, then glanced at Madeline before landing on Dane.
Dane’s face was pale as a ghost now, blood loss draining him dry.
Jax checked out the Grayson bodyguards sprawled across the floor and got the picture: his guys didn’t have a shot against
Raven’s crew.
After a rough mental back–and–forth, he took a deep breath.
“Let them go. We can work something out–whatever you want,” he said, swallowing his pride a bit.
Raven didn’t even flinch. “If you’d come in talking like that, I might’ve listened. Too late now.”
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Chapter 6
“You don’t want to test me!” Jax barked.
His temper finally snapped, voice dropping to an angry growl.
Raven’s faint smile vanished as she looked at him.
Then, with a quick flick of her wrist-
“Zip! Zip!” Two soft whistles broke the quiet.
A pair of silver needles tore through the air, hitting Jax square in the knees.
“Thud!” The heavy sound bounced around.
His legs buckled, and he crashed down, kneeling right in front of Raven.
