RAVEN
Mystic Beans was closed for the rest of the day. Noah thought it was fun being there when no one else was. I’ve probably earned a bad mom badge for feeding him baked goods and letting him have a screen all day. But some of them had fruit and cheese, so he was able to get a few of the food groups. And he watched a few educational shows.
It’s all about balance, right?
The rest of us were coming up with a game plan. It was like one of those Ocean’s movies, except I had two overprotective men who think I'm made of glass and a best friend who is all about feminism.
The sun had disappeared from the sky before we settled on what to do. Griffin and Knox weren’t happy with the result, Kat was ready for battle, and Camden was still a nervous wreck.
Griffin and Knox slept fitfully, but I slept like a baby, nestled between my two guard dogs.
In the morning, the general mood was grave. But I was ready to go. We took Noah to school, his first day back after he was drugged. We debated taking him to Kat’s parents. She insisted they’re desperate to be grandparents, but we decided on sendinghim to school. We recruited Benny to sit in the school parking lot to make sure no one tries to go after Noah again.
For the last twenty minutes, Griffin, Knox, and I have been sitting in the truck, idling outside the police station. Griffin sits in the driver seat with Knox in the passenger, and me nestled between them. Griffin lifted the center console earlier, turning it into another seat.
Griffin’s stare doesn’t leave the entrance. “Are you sure about this?”
“You asked me that a million times already.”
Griffin shakes his head at my teasing. “It wasn’t a million.”
“Close enough,” I mutter.
“Don’t be a brat,” Griffin returns.
I place my hand on his thigh, getting his attention. “I’m going to be fine. You’ll be right there with me.”
Knox bounces his leg in his seat. “Maybe we should go with plan B.”
“We don’t have a plan B,” I remind him. My phone buzzes in my lap.
Kat: In position.
Showing the screen to Griffin and Knox, I nod to the door. “Let’s do this.”
Begrudgingly, Griffin and Knox slide out. I follow Griffin out of the driver’s side. He places his hands on my hips, keeping me from crossing the street.
“You better come out of this in one piece.”
“I will.” Lifting up on my toes, I press my lips to his. With his hand in mine, Griffin shuts his door, and we cross the street with Knox, who grabs my other hand.
I’ve never been inside a police station before, and it looks nothing like I thought it would. Although my expectations are based on Hollywood movies.
The front desk is obnoxiously labeled with big bold letters and sits behind a window. There’s a small hole at the bottom of the window that allows for documents and other things to be passed back and forth. Thin hard carpet covers the floor of the lobby, and a single bench is situated along the left wall. On the opposite wall is a huge bulletin board with fliers, wanted posters, and town information. Other than that, this front area is bare.
“Can I help you?” A woman with bright orange lipstick and bold dangling earrings blinks at us impatiently. The silhouette of her walnut hair is massive and looks to be intentional. A gossip magazine sits on her desk, open to an article about some sex scandal between celebrities.
“Hi.” I step forward. “I’m here to see Sheriff Jackson.”
Her tongue runs along her teeth behind her lips. “Is he expecting you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I was hoping to get an update on the break-in at my house.”
She blinks at me like she’s inconvenienced that I’m even here. “Name?”
“Raven Henry.”
She types a few things into her computer and dismisses me. “Have a seat.”
