Page 65 of Perfect Sin
“The list of people who could have taken her is long.” I rub my temples. “I should have called Holbrook before now, but I was too preoccupied to get my head out of my ass.”
I dial his number on my phone and put it on speaker. He answers after a couple of rings. “I’ve been waiting for you to call,” he says in lieu of greeting.
“Raven is missing,” I tell him, but I sense he already knows.
“She’s not missing. She’s been with me for the past couple of days. Took you long enough to search for her.”
“I need to see her,” I practically beg.
“That’s up to her. I’ll let her know you want to speak to her, and if she is ready to talk she’ll get in touch.”
“Not good enough,” I growl.
“It’s okay, Grant,” I hear her voice in the background.
“Raven, please come home. Talk to me,” I beg. I’m not ashamed either. I need to figure out some way to make it up to her, and if that needs to start with me on my knees, then so be it.
“I’ll meet you at home,” she says quietly. The line goes dead before I can say anything else to her. She’s not going to forgive me easily this time.
“This is going to be fun,” I mutter to myself. “Are we okay?” I ask Ford.
He nods. “I can’t say I wouldn’t have reacted the same if our roles were reversed. Just stop being a dumbass and we’ll be good.”
In a hurry to see Raven for the first time in days, I break several traffic laws on my way back to the house. Lucien is out spending time with Amber and Ted, which means he’ll be occupied at least until the early hours of the morning. For the first time since we moved into the house, Raven and I will have it to ourselves.
I use the time I have before they arrive to try and straighten up the house. Usually the three of us are all pretty obsessive about keeping things in a specific place. For me, keeping things in order provides peace in the chaos of my life. Not that I had many things of my own growing up to put away, but what I did have I treasured.
By the time I hear Holbrook’s car pull in the driveway I’ve moved on to scrubbing the countertops. My nerves are strung tight. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to her when she walks through the door, but I’m prepared for lots of groveling.
She opens the door, and Holbrook follows her through. I frown seeing him hover in the doorway.
“Sin,” he says flatly. He turns to Raven. “Are you going to be okay here?”
“I’m not going to hurt her,” I snap.
He looks at me, his blue eyes cold and hard. “Are you sure about that? She’s physically safe with you, sure, but can you really say you won’t hurt her?”
I hang my head. “I love her.”
“But you don’t trust me,” she whispers.
The sound of her voice is soaked with pain. I did this. Time after time I’ve failed to protect her. In fact, I’m the one who’s hurt her the most.
Raven looks over her shoulder at Holbrook. “Grant, I’ll be fine. I know you’ve got work to do.”
“If you’re sure,” he replies. He stops in the doorway. “I’m only a phone call away if you need me to come back.”
“I appreciate it. I’ll call you later,” she promises. I grind my molars, feeling jealousy rising. The same feeling that got me in this mess in the first place.
When the door closes I toss the rag I was using in the sink. “Grant, huh?”
She crosses her arms defensively. “Really? Are you going to accuse me of having an affair with him now too?”
I shove my hands into my hair, yanking on it. The slight sting helps me focus. “I told you I wasn’t going to be good at this.”
“No, you don’t get to do this. Neither of us have had experience being in a relationship, but I’m not accusing you of screwing around. Which one of us has a history of running into the arms of another person when things get too real?”
I sneer. “You trust me, huh?”