Of course. How could I forget? She despised my father. Would probably spit in his grave if she could. Suddenly my phone buzzed in my pocket. Kara. "Enough," I said. "Tell me what you want a fucking garage for." She blew smoke in my direction. "Are we really back to this?" I didn't say anything. I just looked at her. "Well, I don't know," she uncrossed her legs, swung them up on the sofa, upsetting the glass and spilling it on the floor. She didn't even flinch or look at it. Instead she relaxed her head back on the sofa arm, crossed her ankles. Long, silky hair dangled on the carpeted floor. "Do some hiring, do some firing. I could make snow globes in there. Maybe I'll turn it into a beauty salon, but I was really thinking of converting it into a park to feed the birds." "Stop fucking around, Raven." "Oh, I'm not fucking around, darling. You're the one fucking around." She turned her head to look at me. "Aren't you?" I curled my hands into fists. "I want you to leave that family alone." "You mean leave Kara alone?" Her smile was sharp, heavy with danger as she flashed it to me. My heart stopped at the sound of Kara's name on her lips. No... They could never meet. I'd do everything in my power before Raven could touch a hair on Kara's head. "I don't care about that family. How did you know I wasn't going to buy that shop for you?" "Don't give me that bullshit." "Why would I want to do anything to that cute little country family? It seems to me they're the only ones around here that knows what family's all about. Unlike some other people who just tossed their only family away at any given moment." She sent me a patronizing smile. "You know, you can learn something from them. About how to treat me better. Maybe I'll keep in touch with them, just for the hell of it." My hands itched. It would snow in hell before I lay a finger on her, but goddamn, she made me furious. "I'm warning you, Raven." "Oh, Cameron, stop." She sat up. The ashtray was in front of her, but she crushed her cigarette on the coffee table instead, leaving a burned mark. "I'm going to leave that little family alone. For now. There's a trip I have to take, but I'll be back. And you better get your priorities in order, mister," she said, and the warning was clear in her tone. "Jumping around with little country bumpkins that could entirely hinder your future isn't the smartest thing." "What future?" With Raven in my life, I had no fucking future. "What is she? Number sixty-eight? Sixty-nine? I've lost count. You're not actually going to tell me you have feelings for that girl, are you? What you think are feelings is just an itch that needs to be scratched. And that's fine. Have all the fun you like. Just like you always do, but don't get sucked in." Now she rose. I braced myself as I watched her glide back to the bar, took the time to smell a gigantic bouquet of red roses there before she made herself another drink. "What are you going to do, Cameron? Fall in love and work for that little family? Start working on people's lawnmowers?" Her lip curled in disgust. "Come on, grow up. You really think I'm going to let my son clean lawnmowers for a living? You better give your head a shake. I'm going to be back, and things better be put right in order. Or." She walked toward me, stopped. Her dark eyes gleamed with danger as she stared at me, leaned close to my ear. "I will cut that grass for you. Son." She pulled back. The air crackled. And for a moment images bombarded me, made me feel dizzy so that I held on to the counter for support. Gripped it. Then her eyes shone with happiness. "Now, tell me something happy before I go. Come on, baby. Don't be stingy with Mommy." What the fuck was wrong with her? "I had a dream about you," I said quietly. Her dark eyes gleamed then softened. "A dream? My baby missed me that much?" "There was a...gun." Her eyes widened now. Then turned flat. "So you remember now?" It was always a good idea to be careful with Raven. The little information she had, the better. Or she'd use it as ammunition against me. "Did I ever forget?" Now she grinned. She always knew what I was doing. It was hard to outsmart her. Unexplainable fear shot up my spine like a bullet. "You would never see things the same way again if you remember, darling. Don't strain yourself too much. It's better not to dig. It's in the past. Leave it alone." She patted my cheek, leaned close to kiss it. I was frozen or else I would have stepped away from her touch. But before she could shift away, I grabbed her wrist. "What do you mean?" "You don't remember a thing, do you?" "What?" I was breathing fast. It felt like a vise was squeezing my throat. "What should I remember?" "Call me mom," she whispered achingly. Almost pleading. And for a moment she let me see the naked vulnerability in her eyes. "Just once. Call me mom and I'll tell you." But I couldn't. I kept silent. Suddenly the pain in her eyes disappeared. She pulled back, perfect smile in place. "That's my boy. I taught you well, didn't I?" She tossed her hair, opened the doors. "I love you, baby. Now get your butt out of here so I can finish getting ready." I walked out, headed to the elevator. "Oh, Cameron!" I looked back. She stood between the double doors, watching me. "I will see you soon, darling." She blew me a kiss then disappeared behind the closed doors. When I got back to my truck, I leaned my head back against the seat, closed my eyes. My head was pounding, but there was also relief. Raven would be gone. She'd usually disappear for months before she came calling back. She always came back. I'd give up anything, anything to keep Kara safe. We had a lot of time. I'd think of something. I had to. I grabbed my phone, saw she'd called me a few times, read her text messages. Then I dialled her number. "Kara."