The Raven Four Books 1-3 - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,50

sort of things they’ve done, if they’re as bad as me.

“I am worried,” I tell him. “I just … I don’t know …” I shrug, not wanting to explain how messed up I am, how I hardly allow myself to feel much.

Zay’s dark eyes try to unravel me. “You just what?”

I shrug again. “I really don’t know. I mean, all of this—the mafia, your circle—I’ve never had to deal with anything like it before.”

Zay arches his brow. “You sure about that?”

“Yeah …?” Puzzlement webs through me. “Why?”

Zay shrugs then sneaks a glance at Jax. “Just wondering.”

My puzzlement deepens, but before I can ask more questions, Zay turns back to me.

“Look, I know you think you don’t want to be part of our circle, but we’re not screwing around when we say that you’re putting yourself at risk if you don’t join.” He crosses his arms. “This town, it’s full of unsaid rules and territories, and if you don’t know where not to go and what not to do, you’re gonna end up a hell of a lot worse than how you did today.”

“We want to help you, little raven.” Hunter threads his fingers through mine to capture my attention. “But you have to accept our help.”

I shake my head, the words overwhelming me and making me put my guard up. “Why, though? Because I jumped off some dumb bridge? Because it doesn’t make sense. Not really … I mean, people don’t just help other people out ’cause they’re crazy enough to jump into freezing cold rivers.” I nibble on my bottom lip. “I feel like there’s more to it. Like maybe this is a setup.”

Zay shakes his head and mumbles, “You have more trust issues than I do.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jax states, his gaze dissecting me. “But she definitely has trust issues.”

I resist the urge to squirm. “Let’s just say I’ve been stabbed in the back a lot.”

Jax stares at me so intently that I feel like he’s peeling back layers of my skin. “By who?”

I lift a shoulder. “A lot of people.”

He mulls over what I said with a blank expression. “You give us one name, and we’ll take care of it.”

Zay’s gaze snaps to him. “Are you being serious right now?”

Jax shrugs, his gaze relentlessly boring into me. “She needs to trust us. Let’s give her a reason.”

Hunter grins wildly from beside me as he rubs his hands together. “Oh, I’m liking the sound of this.”

“So who’s it going to be?” Jax stares at me with a challenge in his eyes, as if daring me to give him a name. Maybe I shouldn’t. I mean, I’ve seen what these guys are capable of. They warned me that they’re dangerous. And they’re in the mafia for hell’s sake. But then the scars on my side start to throb, pulsate, begging me to let out that pain, just utter one name.

Dixie May?

My aunt?

Almost everyone from my old school.

The cop who hauled me away from my house that day.

The doctor from the psychiatric hospital who studied me way too closely.

I could even tell them myself. Punish myself for putting those scars on my wrist.

The scars on my side throb harder, begging me to say one name.

“All right,” I say. “I want you to take care of my uncle.”

Jax gives a nod, not a drop of surprise evident in his eyes, like he expected me to say just that. “All right, consider it done.”

Thirteen

Raven

After my declaration, Jax gets up and leaves the room and Zay follows after him. So does Hunter, but he pulls me up with him and keeps ahold of my hand as he guides me out the door and into the hallway.

None of them exchange any words as Jax walks ahead with Zay right behind him and Hunter and I tagging along at the end. As the silence creeps up on me, unease stirs, and I instinctively reach into my pocket to grab my iPod and earbuds. Then I remember I left them in my locker, along with my stash of weed.

“Dammit,” I gripe unintentionally aloud.

Hunter glances at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I give a dismissive shrug.

“Oh, now, come on. I wanna know.” He pouts, batting his eyelashes at me.

“Dude, how many times a day do you pull that crap?” I gesture at his batting eyelashes.

“All the damn time,” he answers shamelessly. “And it almost always works. Just like it’s going to now.” He bats his eyelashes again.

I roll my eyes hard. “Whatever. It’s not even a big