Griffin grunted his agreement, shrugging his brother off. “You didn’t tell me aboutMatt.”
Drago waved his hand. “You didn’t need to know.” He offered his elbow. “Come on, dear Amelia, let’s leave these love birds to it.”
Amelia inclined her head before taking hold of Drago and being steered out of the room.
Griffin followed them, slamming the door shut, and bolting it. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into the bed again with Raven at his side.
To repeat last night all over again. To have her in his arms, under his control, her hot mouth on his.
But by the look on her face, the annoyance and pressed lips as she regarded the masks they were to wear tonight, he doubted she would be in the mood.
He didn’t blame her.
But it reminded him of another woman who had looked at him exactly like that.
Over Ten Years Ago – Off the Coast of Violencia
Another few years passed, the revolution was building. His gang of griffins increasing everyday. But with it, so were the victims.
Griffin panted out of breath as he rowed the dinghy out towards the ship. This wasn’t the first time. It was the hundredth. Perhaps even more.
The moon was absent, and the waves were larger than usual. The weather was not cooperating with his endeavor.
“Where are you taking us?” The child whimpered on the boat across from him as she huddled against her mother.
They were both gaunt, it was clear neither had eaten well in a long time. But Griffin was accustomed to this. Even still, it did not hurt his heart any less. “Somewhere safe. Away from the evil. We’re almost there, I promise.”
“Momma?” the child whimpered, shivering against the woman.
The woman stared at Griffin with lifeless eyes. It had been easy enough to load the both of them up and whisk them away in the dead of night. Another rescue mission from the darkest parts of the Facilities. “There isn’t anywhere that evil doesn’t follow,” the woman said. She offered a placating kiss to the top of her child’s head.
A wave fell over their small boat, soaking them all in water. The woman didn’t even react but the child began to sob loudly.
“Hush,” the woman murmured, she cut her eyes up to Griffin. “I have two older daughters. But I don’t know where they were taken. It was years ago, before this one was even born.”
They had made it to the ship now, a large net falling over into the water. He used the oars to tug it to him. “What are their names?” he asked, flicking his attention up to the woman and gesturing for her to help him.
She assisted in putting the child in first and he tugged three times on the rope, long and hard. The net disappeared up into the dark sky above.
The woman watched it go, but didn't appear scared or worried. Simply resigned that this was the best she would get, and she wouldn’t dare fight it. “Sofia and Katarina.”
“I will search for them,” he promised, meeting her gaze for a single instance.
A spark of hope simmered in them now. “Thank you.” The net fell again, and the woman didn’t indicate she needed any help, making her way inside of it herself.
He tugged on it three times again.
When she began to rise, Griffin let out a breath of relief. While most parts of this mission had been easy, finding the intel hadn’t, but he had managed.
Without Viktor and Niko, he had been forced to delegate more tasks and it was causing him to realize how much he needed better help.
He went to push off from the ship, but then a ladder fell down next.
She wants to see me.
That was never good.
Heaving a sigh, he tied off to the ladder before climbing it. The waves caused him to rock against the ship a few times on his way up, but he held on tight.
