35. Raven

35

RAVEN

I walk back to the waiting area and sit next to Falcon.

“What did he say?” he asks me.

“He… He says he knows what’s going on. But there’s nothing he can do about it.” I gulp. “He says it’s not his problem.”

Falcon’s jaw drops.

“I know. I can’t believe it either. Is he not the man I thought he was?” I bury my face in my hands.

Falcon tilts his head, and I wait for him to speak. When he doesn’t?—

“Are you going to answer me?”

He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “There’s a lot we don’t know about him. He was gone for seventeen years. We don’t know what he did over there, other than what he told Savannah.”

“He mentioned that he spent some time in a Buddhist temple. Where he ate nothing but rice and lentils.”

“And that’s supposed to make him an upstanding human being?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about it much.” I shrug. “But seventeen years. That’s a long time.”

“More than twice the time I spent behind bars,” Falcon says. “I don’t know much about him, Raven. Only that Savannah loves him, which is really all I need to know. But without going into too much detail, the reason he left was because his grandfather did something really horrific to him.”

I wipe a tear from my cheek. “What?”

“I can’t say anything more than that. He told Savannah, and he probably didn’t want her to tell me, but she did.”

“You and Savannah are going to be married. You shouldn’t have any secrets.”

“We don’t. Not now, anyway.”

I nod. He’s talking about what happened eight years ago. Because my father was going to excavate on that part of the property, and Falcon needed Vinnie’s help, he had to level with Savannah and Vinnie. And me? I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to overhear them.

I run my hand over my peach-fuzz head. “I just don’t know. I thought he would help that little girl.”

“Vinnie’s not a stupid man. If he says he can’t help her, he has a reason.”

“I’m beginning to rethink everything,” I say. “I love him more than I love my next breath of air, but maybe… Maybe sometimes you have to follow your head instead of your heart.”

Falcon nods. “Unfortunately, sometimes you do. I’ll be the first person to give you the advice to follow your heart, Ray. Especially after what you’ve been through. But I also value your life. You fought hard to have one. I don’t want to see you put in jeopardy.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” I rise and signal to Jared. “I think I want to go home, Falcon. I don’t think I’m needed here. Would you keep me advised of Caroline’s situation?”

“Yeah, of course.”

We both jerk as Mario Bianchi, Declan McAllister, and Belinda walk by, but we regain our composure quickly.

I smile at Belinda and wave.

She looks away from me.

Once they’re back out of earshot, I turn to my brother. “God, Falcon. She went to Vinnie for help. She came to me for help. And I had known her for all of fifteen seconds when she did. I can’t just turn away from her.”

Falcon takes a deep breath in. “I don’t think you have a choice.”

“I can call social services, tell them what I think is going on.”

“It wouldn’t do any good, and you know it. Declan McAllister’s way more powerful than anyone in social services. Belinda is probably trained like a seal in exactly what to say. Most likely they’ve been through it before.”

I sigh. My brother is no doubt right. The nanny knows and has been trying to help her for ages, I’m sure. Social services would have been her first call.

But it just pains me to think of what may be happening to that little girl.

Why does he dress her like that? She’s eleven. Not seven.

“Are you ready, Raven?” Jared asks.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

* * *

I don’t stop at my parents’ house on the way home. Instead, I instruct Jared to take me to my own home. It’s time I move in and get on with my life. I’m perfectly safe here with the state-of-the-art security and, of course, Jared.

Once I’m home, I tell Jared I’m going to my room to do some work on my foundation.

Brick got me started, but now it’s time for me to use my name and make some phone calls.

I need funding, and I want to begin with a big gala.

I’ll foot the bill myself from my own trust fund.

It’s time to let Vinnie go.

And concentrate on my own life, what’s important to me.

He has his job to do.

And so do I.