Cameron She was devastated. The look on Kara's face was stamped in my head as I jumped in my truck and followed Andrew in his car. Where the hell was this fucker going? I drove down the street when he took a right. If I followed him too close, he might catch on that I was on his tail. Though with someone as stupid like him, I doubted it. First thought I had was to beat him into a pulp, but he seemed like the type to squeal. And going to jail wasn't part of my plans. Besides, he was still Mike's brother. I planned on offering Andrew a greater sum for his shares, make it more palatable for the son of a bitch. And maybe Kara's mother too. Even though I remembered Kara warning me not to interfere about this, I didn't think the same rules applied anymore since shit hit the fan. I tapped my brakes when I spotted his red Mercedes stop in front of a two-story house. I knew this house. I delivered soil here several times one summer when they were doing their landscaping. It belonged to one of the girls who worked at the office. The chatty, flirty brunette. Pretty sure she already quit. Asshole, I thought as I parked behind another truck and watched as Andrew pressed on his horn without a pause several times. A woman in her early forties came out, wearing a tight purple dress that barely covered her ass. She got in his car, and I had to turn away when I saw him kiss her, felt grossed out when they went at each other. It went on for several minutes. Son of a bitch was cheating on his wife. Kara was very fond of his wife Charity, had even shown me pictures. This was definitely not his wife, I realized with disgust. I heard the slam of a car door and looked up, found the woman throwing up her hands in the air, shouting at Andrew who was still in the car. He slid out and followed her. I grabbed my phone, dialled Caleb's number. "She forgive you yet?" was Caleb's greeting. "Working on it." "All the best of luck." "Listen. You know the chatty brunette who worked with Deb at the office? She quit recently." "Uh..." "Didn't you go out with her?" "Once. I think." "You still have her number?" "Bruh. What the hell. You're giving up on Kara already?" I let out a loud sigh. "No. This is business." "Okay. Not sure if I still have it. Hold on." It took him a minute. He was probably scrolling on his long contact list of girls. "I'll send it to you. What's going on?" "Nothing important." Now he was the one who let out a sigh. "I don't know why I put up with you," he said, laughing. "You never talk. Makes me feel used." I froze. "You still there, man?" "Yeah, thanks," I said. "Yep." He hung up. I raised my fist to my mouth, biting into my knuckle. Frustrated and angry at myself. Makes me feel used Caleb said. I knew he meant it as a joke, but... Was that what Kara felt? Fuck, fuck, fuck. Stop thinking. You got shit to do, motherfucker. I dialled the phone number Caleb sent me. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was high, happy and very girly. "Can I speak with"—What the hell was her name again—"Dora?" "New phone, who dis?" "It's Cameron. From The Yard." There was a second pause, then a gasp. "Omigod, yes! Hey, Cameron, how's it going? I can't believe you're phoning me. Is everything all right?" "Yeah. I was just—" "Omigod, they're at it again!" I heard yelling on the other line. "My mom hooked up with this dude Andrew like last year and now he won't like leave her alone! He says he's like a pilot and everything and he wants to take away my mom and me for like a vacation soon. Omigod, how have you been? How's Rick? How's Caleb? And Deb? I miss everybody. I hope everyone is doing great! Will you tell them I said hi?" "I will. Thanks, Dora. Have a great day." "I will. You too. But wait! Why did you call me?" "I was trying to contact a different Dora, the one from Accounting. Sorry about that." "Oh, it's all good, its all good. I'm glad I have your number now though. Say hi to me now and again, okay? Thanks for calling, Cameron. It was really nice to hear your voice. You barely spoke to me when I worked at The Yard!" "Have a good night." "You too!" I felt tired after I hung up. Why was everyone on my case today about how much I don't talk? It wasn't a requirement to exist in this damn world, was it? I could sleep, eat, and shit without uttering a single word. Yeah, but Kara needs it. I raked my fingers in my hair, leaned back against the seat, closed my eyes. And waited. * It took the son of a bitch almost two hours before he left the house. I felt sick as I watched him tuck his shirt in his pants, whistling cheerfully as he walked down the driveway and jumped into his car. You're dead, you sick fuck. I followed him. When his car stopped at the sign, I stepped on my gas, tapping the back end of his vehicle. Not too hard that I scuffed it, but enough to joggle him a little. He came out of his car, spitting mad. "What the fuck? What is all this shit?" he yelled, gesturing at the undamaged rear of his car with both hands. I smirked, jumped out of my truck, and walked to him. When he saw me, his eyes widened in recognition. I gave him a friendly smile, leaned casually against my truck. "So. How was the flight?" I asked. "W-what flight?" "I heard you're a pilot." His eyes bugged out of his head and he made a choking sound at the back of his throat. It was a lie. Kara mentioned he worked as a bank manager and was now retired. "Flying pretty low these days, aren't you?" "I... I don't know what you're talking about." "Tell me something you know then," I said. "Does your wife know where you were tonight?" He shook his head from side to side. His Adam's Apple bobbed up and down nervously on a scrawny neck. It was comical. "I was just, just, just," he sputtered. I pointed a finger in the air, circling it round and round in time with his words. "Just?" "Just driving around. I can't even remember where I went. All over the city. I drove all over the city." I nodded agreeably, fished my phone out of my pocket. "Maybe this will juggle your memory." Handed it to him. His mouth gaped open like a fish out of water and his eyes filled with horror. "Who the hell are you? What the fuck do you want?" I straightened from my stance, looked him straight in the eye. Just looked. I said nothing. Sweat popped on his brow and he pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Are you the new mechanic at the shop?" he demanded. He straightened his shoulders, putting a fake frown on his face and pretending he was still in control. "Does it matter?" "I'll give you money. How much do you want?" "I don't want your money." He narrowed his eyes. "You're not going to tell anyone. You don't have the guts." I raised my brows for a second, stared at him for two, then shrugged nonchalantly. "All right," I said, sighing. I reached for the truck door. "I'll see you later." It took him two seconds before he started whining. "Wait! Wait!" I stopped, turned to him. "You can't. You can't tell my wife about this." "That depends on you." "What do you want?" The smile on my face was all satisfaction. "Drop the sale. Keep your word and sell it to Kara. Or Mike. For the price you agreed on. Then I won't tell your wife." His face crumpled in pain. "I can't! It's such a good price! Almost double what Kara offered me! It will be more than enough for me and my wife to retire." "I doubt you were thinking about retiring with your wife a couple of hours ago, were you?" When he didn't answer, I shifted. "We're done here." "No! Please." "You know, I was going to match the offer, maybe even give you a couple thousand more. But I think I like this better." "What kind of sadistic fuck are you?" "The kind that you understand." I was done talking to this asshole. "Mess with Kara again, or any member of her family, and you'll see just what kind of sadistic fuck I am. Tell me you understand." He nodded stiffly. Maybe my father was right. I did sound like Raven. There it was. That darkness. "Just so you know," I said, before opening my truck door. "I think you're a piece of shit. You don't deserve your wife or your kids." Then my phone lit up in my hand. Kara's name appeared on my screen. And there, I thought, was my light. My shoulders relaxed. I opened the door, but before I got in, I turned to look at Andrew. He was in the same spot, staring at the ground. "By the way," I called out. "Who gave you the offer?" He glanced up, eyes filled with hate. "You wouldn't even know even if I tell you." "Tell me anyway." He snarled. "Raven," he said. And my whole world turned into ice. "Her name is Raven."