1. Raven

1

RAVEN

T he sun cascades through my window as I wake up. I rise, throw my legs over to the side of the bed, stretching my arms over my head.

Vinnie and I had sex last night.

Correction. We made love.

He said he loves me. And I told him I love him.

God, I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier.

I look around. He’s not here. Odd. I throw on a robe. Maybe he’s an early riser, got up to make a pot of coffee.

I saunter into the kitchen, yawning. “Vinnie?”

But he’s not here.

Maybe he had an early meeting with that grandfather of his. Certainly he’d have left me a note, though, right?

I’ll check my phone. Maybe he left me a text.

I turn on the screen. No texts at all since last night.

Including from Brick. I check to make sure the text I sent him canceling our date went through. It did.

He was probably pissed at me for flaking at the last minute. I can’t blame him. I sigh. I guess I’ll have to find another lawyer to help me out with the nonprofit.

But Vinnie didn’t text me, which is weird.

I put the phone down. I’m about to start a pot of coffee when it rings.

It’s my mom. Damn it. I didn’t text her last night to let her know I’d be spending the night at my place. She’ll be beside herself with worry.

“Hello?”

“Oh Raven, thank God.”

Mom’s voice is high-pitched and energetic. I can hear a lot of hustle and bustle in the background. The house seems very active for early in the morning.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I forgot to call you last night.”

“Are you at your place?”

“I am.”

“Thank God.” Mom’s voice is still pretty frantic.

My heart begins to race, but I’m not sure why. All I know is something isn’t right here.

“Is anything the matter?” I gasp. “Is something wrong with Dad?”

“No, sweetheart. Your father and I are fine. But we…” She lets out a hysteric sob.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

But she can’t seem to get herself together. Something is very wrong here.

“Can you put Dad on?”

Mom blubbers out some words I can’t make out, but then I hear my dad’s voice on the receiver. “Raven. Didn’t you have a date with that lawyer last night?”

“I did.” The guilt hits me again. “But I… I wasn’t feeling too great, so I canceled it.”

Dad’s tone is artificially even. “Did you cancel it at the very last minute?”

“I did.”

“I see.” Dad pauses. “Your mother and I went to a movie last night. We got back late and went straight to bed. This morning, she got up to check on you, and…”

“What, Dad? I wasn’t there? I’m sorry, I should have called to?—”

“No, it’s not that.” Dad clears his throat. “She found…someone else in your bed.”

My blood runs cold. “ What? ”

“Yes.” Dad pauses. “It was…a body.”

My heart is pounding out of my chest. “A body? Like…a dead body?”

“Yes.” Dad’s voice is shaking through the phone. “The lawyer. Mr. Latham. His throat slit wide open.”

Oh my God, oh my God…

“There was a note on your nightstand next to him. Handwriting I don’t recognize.”

A note? Oh God, did he kill himself? He seemed pretty level-headed. Surely a broken date wouldn’t be something that would drive him to…

There’s no way.

I draw in a shaky breath. “What did it say?” I whisper.

I can hear Dad shudder from the other end of the line before he finally speaks again.

“ Your move, Cobra. ”

Cobra? Fear surges through me. What does that mean? How did?—

“How… The house… How…”

“Somehow the security system was disarmed,” Dad says, his low voice a monotone. “It’s state of the art. I don’t know how it happened.”

My father’s voice sounds…unsure. Unsure and frightened. And my father never sounds unsure and frightened. Even when I was sick, he kept his strength. He never let me see his fear for me. He knew I needed him to be strong.

And now…

Everything comes back to me in a swarm of memories.

The Uber driver. The phone call to Vinnie. The burner phone with instructions—the phone I still have. Telling Vinnie about everything in my backyard. The dark drone flying above us. And then him leaving.

Fear envelops me. When Vinnie was here, I wasn’t feeling fear. I was feeling comfort, safety.

Love.

But now that he’s gone…

I’m ready to be back on my own. But not before I have a professional come to my house and make sure there’s absolutely no surveillance equipment here.

I have a state-of-the-art alarm system, too. If someone got through my father’s system, they could surely get through mine. I was right to ask Vinnie if we could speak freely. If someone is watching me—so they can be watching Vinnie—they’re the kind of people who can easily get around any alarm system.

I want to go home now.

I want to get out of this house until I know it’s safe.

But Mom and Dad’s house isn’t any safer. It’s less safe. Brick was killed there. Had his throat slit there. I shiver, trying to ease the chills by rubbing my arms.

Doesn’t work.

“All right,” I say, willing my voice not to shake. “I’m coming home, Dad. I’m coming home.”

“I don’t want you driving alone. I’m coming to get you.”

I swallow. “No, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“You stay put. I’ll be there in ten. Do not move, Raven. Do. Not. Move.” The line clicks off.

I crawl back on my bed, clutching my knees to my chest.

Poor Brick… If only he’d gotten my text in time.

If I’d remembered to text him earlier, he wouldn’t have shown up at my house at all.

But as horrible as I feel about Brick, I’m equally ecstatic that Mom and Dad were out for the evening. What if my father was the true target? What if…

And why did Vinnie leave in the middle of the night without waking me?

I grab my phone again and dial Vinnie.

Only to get his voicemail.

I open my mouth to say something, but no words emerge.

I can’t bring myself to tell him that Brick is dead in my bed.

I can’t…

No.

Not until I see it.

I have to see it.

My mom and dad wouldn’t lie to me, but still…I have to see it.

Why didn’t Vinnie answer?

I clutch my knees again, shaking.

And feeling completely and utterly alone.