Chapter 22
Raven
"Wait... you? Raven?" Zack gave an incredulous laugh that echoed through the hospital room. "We're talking about Street Racing, not Mario Kart! Are you out of your mind?"
"Raven, no," Cole started, but I could see the calculation in his eyes—the desperate need for someone to step up.
"Look, I get you want to help your brother," he continued, his voice rising with each word, "but this isn't a joke. This is Jax fucking Crowe we're talking about! The guy who put three people in the hospital last month! Cole, say something! You can't seriously let your little sister—"
"I wasn't asking for your permission," I interrupted, my voice dropping to that deadly pitch I'd used countless times before. "I was notifying you."
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Leo and Maya exchanged glances, clearly unsettled by my tone. Cole, however, studied my face with new awareness.
"Let her race," he said finally.
"WHAT?" Zack exploded, whirling on Cole. "Dude! Your sister looks like she weighs a hundred pounds! Jax's car has five hundred horsepower! She'll get fucking killed out there! And not just lose—I mean literally dead! Wrapped around a tree! Burned alive! Is that what you want?"
A small, cold smile touched my lips. If he only knew how many men had underestimated me right before their deaths.
"Where's your car?" I asked Cole.
"Impound lot," he answered. "Zack can take you. I've got the ticket in my wallet."
Zack threw up his hands, his face turning red. "This is INSANE! Complete fucking INSANITY! You know what? Fine! FINE! When she crashes and burns, that's on YOU, Cole!"
I ignored him, keeping my eyes on Cole. Something passed between us—a recognition, perhaps, that we were more alike than either of us had initially realized.
"Raven..." Cole's voice softened. "Listen to me. You take my car. But I don't care about the $10,0000 or the rep. You come back in one piece. Even if you come in dead last, I don't care. Just be safe. Do you hear me?"
Something warm and unfamiliar bloomed in my chest. Concern. Genuine concern, not manipulation or ulterior motives. When was the last time anyone had cared if I came back in one piece?
"I will," I said, my own voice softening slightly. "Don't worry."
"I need to talk to my sister alone," Cole told the others. "Give us a minute."
After they'd filed out, Cole leaned forward, wincing slightly.
"There's something different about you, Raven. This past week..."
My breath caught. Shit. Had he figured it out? Did he somehow realize I wasn't his real sister? That the Raven he knew had died and been replaced by a professional killer?
But then his expression softened into something like wonder. "This past week, you've given me so many surprises. You stood up to those debt collectors. You changed overnight. You became... stronger." He shook his head with a rueful laugh. "So today, I lost my mind and let you race for me..."
The tension in my shoulders eased. He didn't suspect anything—he just thought his sister had finally grown a spine.
"I can do this, Cole," I assured him. "I've had... experience."
"With street racing?" His eyebrows shot up.
I thought of the Lamborghini Veneno I'd driven through the mountains of Switzerland, pursued by three Interpol agents who never made it back down. I thought of the motorcycle chase through Bangkok that had left seven dead. I thought of my reputation in certain circles as The Grim Reaper—not for the lives I took, but for the way I drove like I had nothing to lose.
"More than you'd believe," I said simply. "Trust me."
Cole searched my face for a long moment, then nodded. "I do. That's the craziest part." He reached for his jacket at the foot of the bed, pulling out a set of keys. "Here. She's temperamental, but she'll respond if you know what you're doing."
I took the keys, the weight familiar and comforting in my palm. "I'll bring her back without a scratch."
"I don't care about the car," he repeated firmly. "I care about you."
Those words hit me harder than any bullet ever had.
"I'll be careful," I promised, meaning it. "What time's the race?"
"Midnight. Mulholland lookout. Ask for Razor—he's running things." Cole hesitated. "Raven... what happened to you? Where did all this confidence come from?"
I smiled enigmatically. "Let's just say I woke up."
---
The door had barely closed behind me when Zack cornered me in the hallway.
"You can't be serious about this," he hissed. "You have no idea what you're getting into."
I leveled my gaze at him, allowing just a hint of Phantom to surface. "Take me to the impound lot. Now."
He blinked, momentarily taken aback by whatever he saw in my eyes. "Your funeral," he muttered, turning toward the elevator.
Maya touched my arm. "Raven, are you sure about this? Street racing is dangerous. People die."
"I won't." The certainty in my voice wasn't bravado. It was experience.
Leo stepped closer, lowering his voice. "What Cole doesn't know won't hurt him. We can tell him you raced, lost honorably, and just... I don't know, my dad could loan you the money."
I shook my head. "This isn't about money. Not anymore."
And it wasn't. My brother's blood was on that track. His dream. His reputation. Tonight, I wasn't just racing for Cole—I was becoming Cole.
Tonight, The Grim Reaper would ride again. And God help anyone who got in my way.