Cameron It wasn't hard to find where she was. Raven was a creature of comfort and luxury. Only the most extravagant hotel in the city would do. After I handled the mess that dipshit Andrew had made, I phoned Ben for a favor to find out if Raven was staying at his family's hotel. She was. As soon as this shit was over, I was taking the Lockhart brothers out for good grub. As it turned out, the front desk at the Miranda Inn was already expecting me. Raven knew I would come and had given them instructions. The manager escorted me to a private elevator, eyeing my work attire. "Sorry, I'm not dressed for the occasion," I said. "Suits make me break out in hives." She smiled. "You look just fine, Mr. Saint Laurent. Here we are." The elevator doors opened. "It's the only suite on the floor. The door is at the end of the hall. Have a good night, sir." I gave her a nod. My blood turned cold as the elevator doors closed behind me. It felt like I was heading to an execution as my boots sunk into plush carpeting. The diamond lights from the chandeliers bounced off against the deep green of the walls. The only sound I heard was the muted classical music from the hidden speakers. My surroundings spoke of indulgence and opulence. It reminded me of my childhood when Raven would sometimes drag me around with her in hotels. She'd hire a nanny who would feed me at least, while she partied somewhere with her wealthy friends. My heart slammed against my chest as I neared the door. Behind it was my mother who either loved me too much or too little. Even now I couldn't decide which was true. It didn't matter. I gritted my teeth as I felt anger coursed through me at what Raven tried to do to the only woman I cared for deeply. Easy, motherfucker. Calm the hell down. Before I could reach the double doors, they opened with a flourish. And there was Raven. She wore a long flowy gown in black silk—her favorite color. "The only man I will open the door for," she greeted, giving me a wide grin. The rubies in her ears glimmered as she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. "Welcome home, my Cameron. Come in, baby." "What the fuck are you doing, Raven?" She let out a dramatic sigh. "Straight to the point, aren't we, my love? Close the door, will you?" She strolled over to a bar, poured amber liquid in two glasses. "Have a drink with me." I left the doors open. When she handed the drink to me, the matching ruby bracelet on her wrist clinked against the glass. "I'm not here for a drink." "Of course, you are, darling. I missed you so much." She pushed the drink to my chest, spilling a little on my shirt. I had no choice but to get it. She took a sip, watching me over her glass. "Mommy's only here for a visit." She gestured toward her packed bags at the corner. "I was hoping you'd drop by before I left." "You're leaving." Relief poured through me like warmth from a fire after a day out in the cold. She was leaving. Kara was safe. Shrewd dark eyes assessed me from the top of my hair down to my worn-out boots. "Are you really going to wear that shirt?" Disapproval made her pout her crimson blood painted lips. "I like the other one at the party last summer. It shows off your muscles." I rubbed the back of my neck, praying for patience. I wanted to get this over with so we could both get back to our lives. Her presence made the hair on my neck rise. It was like having a cobra in the same room with me. I had no idea when she'd strike. "You're my son and you'll always be my son. You're never going to be someone else's, but mine. Don't you forget it." She winked. I knew how she operated. She wouldn't give me the answers I was looking for until she was good and ready, until she was satisfied that I'd played her game. So I played. "Did you know that my father is in the hospital?" She liked to chat with me, liked to know what I'd been up to. I guessed it made her feel that there was a bond between us. A bond that had not existed since I was a child. Raven flung her empty glass on the counter, and it slid from one end to the other. It would've fallen to the floor and broken in tiny pieces if I hadn't caught it. She gave me an impressed smile. "I knew you'd catch it for me." She plucked the drink she made for me from my hand, sashayed to the living room where she let herself tumble on the sofa. Spreading her free arm on the back of it, she crossed her legs, drink in hand, and stared at me. "Now why would I care about that useless man? Guess what?" Suddenly she sounded excited. "I've finally found the greatest conquest of them all. And I'm going to make him convince me to marry him." She took a slow slip, placed the glass beside her on the sofa, reached for a gold case on the coffee table, pulled out a cigarette, lit it up. The drag she took was long, deep, and made her sigh like the pampered woman she was. "They all want to marry you. What do you want that for?" Her eyes turned soft. "I love how you think all men fall at your mommy's feet. Because it's true," she added. A soft laugh came out of her throat and it made me almost smile because she sounded so carefree. For a moment she looked just like any woman. A woman who laughed like any woman you'd meet on the street. A woman who laughed for simple fun. A woman who laughed, I thought with an ache in my chest, like someone's mother. But she wasn't. "This one is different. There's more meat I could sink my teeth into. He...challenges me. A bit." She had always been with men—wealthy, powerful men, but not once did she want to marry any of them. I heard a prince even proposed to her, an oil tycoon, and a prime minister. She'd turned them all down. "Don't tell me you've finally fallen in love." "Love?" Her mouth curled in an amused, disgusted smirk. "Love is for suckers." Suddenly I remembered who she was. Who she really was. "Men can try to steal my heart, but that's impossible. I don't have one. Because it's all yours, my love. You," she said, gesturing to me with her cigarette, "are a part of me. You're not going to be like any of them. You're going to be ruthless, you're going to be like me. Destroy all that bullshit feelings like love." She scoffed at the word like it was a lame joke she'd heard somewhere. "And you take what's yours, Cameron. Forget about your old daddy. I'll give you a new one. The old one is useless and probably on his way to jail soon." My heart fell into my stomach. "What do you mean?" She flicked her fingers in dismissal. "Who cares? I'm already bored talking about him."