Page 71 of A Raven Repents

He hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Yes, boss.”

“Does that mean he won’t be punished?” Christina asked when the door closed behind him.

“I don’t see any reason he should be.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“What else is weighing so heavily on you right now, Christina?”

She huffed a cynical laugh. What wasn’t weighing heavily on her? “Other than the fact that Giles lost his eye last night, because of me?” She met Ash’s gaze, and he sighed heavily. She wasn’t supposed to know about his eye. “My father. I don’t want you to kill him. I know he’s done some terrible things, but he’s the only family I have.”

“What makes you think I’d kill him?”

“Well, maybe not you personally. But I know that you are protective of the people in your circle.” She looked him in the eye, but he said nothing. “I’m not naive enough to think there won’t be consequences for this. Apparently, his thumbs were already broken, so I assume, after this….”

Ash sighed. “I’m going to speak plainly with you. Perhaps more than I ought to, but this is a difficult situation, and I want you to understand.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“You’re part of this family now, Christina. With that comes some chaos.” He gestured around them. “But also, unflinching protection. Every one of us here takes your safety seriously, and personally.”

Why did her father have to make these people angry?

“That being said, your welfare also includes your happiness, and losing your father would hurt you.”

She nodded. “It would.”

“Because of that, I will do everything I can to prevent it. However, there will be consequences for what he’s done to you and Giles.”

“An eye for an eye,” she said, rolling her own. Her father was a bloody fool.

“Possibly,” Ash said with a shrug. “And if his threat to you continues, I will do whatever is necessary to keep my family safe. But none of that is your fault, Christina. You can’t force your father to make better choices.”

“Are you going to tell Giles it was my father?”

“Yes. We don’t keep secrets around here.”

“Except when you sent me that money?”

His mouth turned up slowly and he chuckled. “I believe I’ve just been called a liar.”

Chapter

Seventeen

Giles groaned as he came awake. His head throbbed and there was something on his face. He reached for it, but his arm jerked to a halt. He was tethered to something. What was happening? He finally forced his eyes open, or at least the right one. The left one was covered.

He wasn’t lying flat. He was propped up on several pillows, in a bed that wasn’t his, and Ash stood looking down at him. That couldn’t be good.

He held up his left hand as high as it would go. “Why?”

“I’m sorry about that. We had to restrain you so you wouldn’t rub your face in your sleep.”

He tried to reach up with his other hand, but Ash stopped him. “You have bandages on your face right now.”

Bandages. He was injured. The man with a knife. “Christina!” He tried to sit up, but Ash pushed him back.

“She’s safe, Giles. Relax.”