Ride Hard (Raven Riders 1)

Maverick held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I hear ya. I get it. Just wanted to make sure . . .”

Dare glared at his cousin. Like he wouldn’t have thought about it. “All right. Lemme call Doc before it gets much later. I want him to hear the bulk of this from me.” Because his grandfather wouldn’t be happy about the way this was all going to go down. One way or the other, the Ravens were going to have to cross some lines.

But sometimes, that’s just what you had to do.

HAVEN HADN’T EVEN tried to sleep. She knew there wasn’t any chance of that happening, not when every little sound had her jumping with the possibility that it might be her father—there to take her prisoner again, there to force her back to a life she’d rather die than have to lead. Especially now that she’d had a taste of something more, of something free, of something that was even beautiful.

She couldn’t go back.

Instead, Haven baked. Because that’s what she did when her brain was too loud to let her rest. And it felt better to be useful than to be a burden. Which was exactly how she felt.

“Let’s go to bed,” Cora said, scooping fresh cookies off a baking sheet and laying them out to cool. Her eyes were bleary, her face pale. Unlike Haven, Cora was not a night owl, and it was nearly one in the morning.

Laying out balls of dough on a sheet of her own, Haven shook her head. “You go ahead.”

Cora had been trying to talk her into taking a break for the past two hours, but Haven had promised Bunny she’d get some things done before the morning. And going upstairs was pointless anyway. Yawning loudly, Cora finished what she was doing and joined Haven at the counter. “It’s gonna be okay, you know?”

“I hope so,” Haven said. But did she know it? No. Because she knew her father too well. He was a man who didn’t like to lose, to be disrespected, to be made to look the fool. And she’d done all three to him when she’d run away. He wouldn’t stop until he had her.

“Haven—”

“You should go up,” Haven said, dropping her spoon into the bowl of dough and forcing a smile. Cora had been trying to cheer her up since they’d overheard Dare’s phone call. But Haven was so angry at the unfairness of the entire situation that she was afraid she’d take her friend’s head off simply because she’d be a convenient target. Being alone to seethe would be best all the way around. “I’m not going to sleep feeling like this, and it makes me feel worse to know you’re staying awake just to keep me company.”

“That’s what best friends do,” Cora said, giving her a small smile.

“Which is why I’m telling you to go to sleep. Because you’re my best friend, too. So let me take care of you, because unlike me, you don’t do well without sleep. Staying busy makes me feel better. You know that. I’ll be okay. Really.”

Cora yawned again and her eyes watered. “Ugh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Haven said. “We got a lot done today. We made a good team. The two of us and Bunny.”

“We did,” Cora said. “Okay. But if you need me, wake me up. Any time. Promise?”

“I promise.”

Holding out her arms, Cora said, “Come here.”

Haven returned the hug. “I’m sorry I’m so moody.”

“Oh my God, Haven,” Cora said, pulling away. “You’re entitled to be freaking pissed at this whole situation. You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m pissed for you.”

Tears pricked at the backs of Haven’s eyes, and she blinked quickly to hold them back. “Thank you.”

Cora nodded. “See you in the morning.”

“Yeah.”

Alone in the kitchen, Haven threw herself back into her work with more banging and slamming than was strictly necessary. Cookies. This is so unfair. Cinnamon rolls. I hate my father so much. Muffins. I can’t believe this is happening. A couple of pans of brownies. I am so freaking angry I could scream.

When she was done, she stared at the rolling pin for a long time, imagining the damage she could do with it if she ever got within swinging range of her father. Sick and twisted? Maybe. She didn’t feel bad about it, though.

Finally, Haven loaded the dishwasher and washed what wouldn’t fit until her fingers pruned. She was just loading a bunch of cooled cookies into a big plastic container when the door to the kitchen swung open behind her.

She turned on a gasp. “Dare. Hey,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as startled as she felt.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. Tall, dark, and brooding, he was rough sex on legs, even if he seemed to have darker-than-usual circles under his eyes.