Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose
Chapter Twenty-Eight
SLOAN
Today has been a clusterfuck. Nothing is going right, and we’re all tearing our hair out at the fact the accountants found some discrepancies. As in, they think someone is stealing money, and not just pocket change either.
My father is livid, Maverick is ready to punch someone, and the accountants are scrambling to figure out who our thief is. Me? I want to fire the whole damn department for missing this. How the hell do you miss someone stealing over a million dollars? Probably why everyone is avoiding me like the plague today. Perfectly fine by me.
My desk phone buzzes. “Yes, Mabel?” I say into the speaker.
“There is a Ms. Liscumb here to speak with you from CPS,” Mabel announces briskly. “Are you free?”
She knows I am, but I appreciate the heads up. Especially since this bitch is the last thing I want to deal with today. “Send her in,” I answer Mabel. “Please see we’re not disturbed.”
“Yes, sir,” she replies.
Within moments, Ms. Liscumb is striding in, nose in the air and a gleam in her eyes that immediately has me on edge. I stand, careful to keep my expression neutral as I say, “Ms. Liscumb, have a seat.” She sits primly in the chair across from me, legs crossed, and expression cool. I level my stare at her. “How can I help you, Ms. Liscumb? Seeing as you’ve interrupted my very busy day,” I add, because let’s be honest, I’m still an asshole.
Especially to a woman that is trying to rip Falcon away from Raven.
Ms. Liscumb ignores that and says simply, “I’ve just come from speaking with Falcon at school.”
I resist the urge to snap at her. What the fuck was she doing questioning Falcon at school without one of us with him? “And did you inform his sister of this little chat?” I ask calmly.
She purses her lips, apparently unhappy that her statement doesn’t garner the reaction she’s hoping for. “I do not need to speak with Ms. Dixon regarding visits with her brother,” she answers primly. “All meetings I have with him can be done without her knowledge as I have concerns about him being with her. She could influence his response in some way.”
A bunch of bullshit but I don’t push it. I’ll be checking with my lawyer on that easily enough. “Then I’m sure you have a point in telling me you spoke with him,” I say abruptly. “Perhaps you can tell me what that is so we can both get back to our busy days.”
Ms. Liscumb obviously thinks her being a government employee entitles her to some power over me from the way her eyes narrow, but I don’t give a shit. She snaps, “I would be very careful, Mr. Lincoln. Your behaviour with me could have dire consequences for Falcon.”
“Is that a threat, Ms. Liscumb?” I ask coldly.
“A fact, Mr. Lincoln,” she returns in the same tone. “Now, as you say, we’re both busy, so I’m going to get to the point. I have serious concerns about Ms. Dixon’s ability to parent and care for her brother. She has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, along with behavior that makes me feel she is not putting Falcon’s interests ahead of her own.”
Fury races through me at her words. This woman knows nothing, and the fact she’s trying to make Raven out to be some kind of drug addict who is only using Falcon, makes me see red. “Raven,” I inform her coldly, “is not a drug addict or an alcoholic, Ms. Liscumb. I can say that as a fact.”
“Can you?” she sneers. “Can you honestly say that she couldn’t hide that from you? I don’t care how much money you have, Mr. Lincoln, but she does. She’s using you for the money you can give her. She’s covered in tattoos, her language is atrocious, and her place of employment is less than desirable. People are very good at hiding their habits, but I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and I know the signs.”
“You mean the tattoo shop that my brother-in-law owns?” I ask calmly. Apparently this bitch didn’t do her homework. “The one that does all the ink for my family? The very one my other brother-in-law, who is the father of my nephew, works at?”
She stops, and I see uncertainty flash in her eyes, but she quickly banks it and says, “Who runs it is not the issue, Mr. Lincoln. The fact that Falcon goes there every day after school and stays there until she’s finished is the problem. It is unsuitable. Lord only knows what the poor boy has seen.”
“So you would prefer him to go home to an empty apartment by himself?” I ask mildly. “Or he can go to a safe place where people can watch out for him, and he works on his homework in the front lobby. Each station has its own door, so there is no way Falcon can see anything being done.”
“The people that come in and out of that place are not the types that should be around a young boy.”
“So are you including myself in that group?”
“No,” she snaps, obviously frustrated at my logical responses. “I’m talking about those thugs with tattoos and motorcycles. The ones that are probably funding your girlfriend’s habits.”
I chuckle darkly at that. “You certainly have idea, don’t you, Ms. Liscumb?” I taunt. “I happen to know those MC guys, and they have been nothing but good to Raven and Falcon. They’re not a gang, they’re a club, for one, and they are some of the best men out there. Did you know they were the ones to help save a local war hero from a psycho who was trying to fry his brain and then torture him to death? Or that one of their members was the one to save my pregnant sister from a burning building? As far as I’m concerned, Ms. Liscumb, you’re looking for a problem when there isn’t one. They don’t sell or use drugs, and they are invited over to my home quite frequently. Would you like to try again?” I pour every ounce of condemnation into my voice as possible.
Ms. Liscumb’s face flushes and I can see temper lighting her eyes. “They are still not suitable influences on a thirteen year old boy,” she hisses.
“Just like I’m not, then?” I snap. “Is that what you’re insinuating, Ms. Liscumb?”
“I’m saying you don’t know everything, Mr. Lincoln. If you did, then you wouldn’t be within five feet of that woman, and you would be all but shoving Falcon out the door and into a proper home.”
“Enlighten me then, Ms. Liscumb.Tell me how a woman who does everything to make sure her brother is safe, warm, and well fed is not a good choice for her brother. Tell me why you and your organization, who failed on numerous occasions to protect both of them, should have any kind of right to dictate what happens to that boy. It was CPS that put them with abusive parents and guardians time and time again,” my voice raising higher with each statement, so angry it’s taking all my control not to jump from my seat and eject her from my office. The nerve of this woman to sit here and say this kind of shit to my face is appalling. “It was you who let that boy get beaten for being deaf. For being starved.”
“I don’t know what lies that woman has told you,” Ms. Liscumb starts.
“No,” I snarl, leaning forward aggressively. Her eyes widen and she immediately leans away from me, nerves clear on her face. Good. “Raven never told me shit. Falcon did. The child your department is supposed to be protecting,” I roar, not caring that anyone can hear. “The very same department that failed his sister years earlier. The ones that told her she was a liar and treated her like she was nothing. She was just one more file on a desk. When she begged your department for help, she was turned away. If anyone shouldn’t be allowed to have that boy in their custody, Ms. Liscumb, it’s you and your department.”
Ms. Liscumb stands, shoulders back and eyes icy. “I see I’m wasting my time here, Mr. Lincoln. I had hoped you would be reasonable, but I was apparently mistaken. That child deserves someone better than a woman who would lie about being abused. Let me ask you this though. Do you know that you’re in a relationship with a baby killer? That the woman who you’re so fiercely protecting killed her own child?” She pulls out a file from her bag and tosses it at me. “Read it, and then you’ll see exactly why that woman doesn’t deserve to be within feet of a child. I’m putting the paperwork through, Mr. Lincoln, and Falcon will be removed. I suggest you remove yourself as well before that comes to light and your association with her pulls you down too.”
I stand, my entire body shaking with rage. “I will fight you with everything I have, Ms. Liscumb. And I will win.”
“We’ll see,” she says with a cool smile. “Have a good day, Mr. Lincoln. I’ll see you in court.”
Then she’s gone, leaving the door open behind her. I stare after her for a moment and I slowly lower myself back into my seat. The folder sits there, glaring up at me. I can only focus on the name written in big, black, permanent marker. Raven Birdie Dixon. Christ, Raven hadn’t been kidding about her mother being obsessed with birds. But that thought is quickly gone as Ms. Liscumb’s words echo in my head.
Baby killer. She killed her own baby.
No. No, I refuse to believe that. That is not Raven. She might be crazy, but she’s not murder crazy. She’s the kind of crazy that makes my heart pound and my dick get hard when I see it. If she had a baby and it died, there has to be an explanation.
I want so badly to open the file. To read it and see what’s in it, but I stop myself. This is something I need to talk about with Raven. I promised her I would not dig into her past, and I meant it. First though, I need to get to Falcon, and I need to let my lawyers know what the hell is going on. No fucking way is that bitch taking him away. I’ll foster him myself if it comes to it.
Resolutely, I grab the file and stick it in my bag so I’m not tempted to look at it. I pick up the phone and call my father and brothers, then I call our lawyers. This bitch is messing with the wrong people.
When my family walks in the door, they see my face and I see their concern. “The social worker was just here,” I say bluntly. “She’s going to try and have Falcon removed from Raven’s care.”
“What the fuck?” Maverick demands. “On what fucking grounds?”
“Things that have come up from Raven’s past,” I answer gravely. I hold up my hand before they can ask and say, “I won’t tell you. That’s Raven’s business, and I won’t break her trust. I will say it’s utter bullshit, and that social worker has a hard on for Raven something fierce. I don’t know why, but I aim to find out.”
“What do you need us to do?” Dad asks. “I assume you’ve already called the lawyers.”
“Just hung up with them. They’re on it,” I say with a relieved sigh. “But that bitch cornered Falcon at school without Raven or I there. I need to leave and get him, and then I need to get Raven.”
“Go,” Dad orders briskly. “We’ll handle the shit storm here. Do you want me to call your mother or sister to be with you?”
“No,” I say firmly. “Raven would be pissed. I’m only telling you this because if that woman decides to drag Raven through the mud, she’ll be dragging us with her.”
“She can try,” Asa says coldly, eyes flinty. “She’ll regret it if she does.”
Dad nods his agreement. “I like Raven, son,” he tells me, looking me in the eyes with such conviction that I feel my heart pound a little harder in my chest. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that she’s had a hard life. Whatever her reasons, they’re her own, but you let her know we’re behind her. No matter what.”
I nod. I don’t think I’ve realized how much I needed to hear those words. To know that my parents support my choice in my partner. Raven might not realize it, but she has a lot of people who are ready to fight for her. I just hope she remembers that when I talk to her. “Thanks,” I say gruffly. “I’m leaving now and going to get Falcon. I’m listed as an approved contact, so I shouldn’t have any problem. I’ll let you know if I need you, but can you keep mom and the girls back tonight, please?”
Dad nods. “Consider it done. Now go, and call if you need us.”
I grab my stuff and head out the door as quickly as I can. I feel my father and brothers at my back as I tell Mabel I have to run out on an emergency, and she just nods and gets to work.
By the time I get to the school, I’m both furious and terrified about what I’m going to see when Falcon emerges. When I finally lay eyes on him, my fury amps up another notch. Falcon looks sick, terrified, and ready to run. When he sees me, I see the relief, and the valiant effort to hold back tears.
If I ever see that bitch again, I don’t know that I’ll be able to hold myself back from strangling her. To do this to a child, it’s despicable.
I immediately reach out and pull him into me, holding him tight. The grip he has on me is enough to bruise, and I can feel him trembling. I pull him back and sign slowly that we’re going home. He nods, not saying anything. I nod briskly at the secretary, who looks on in concern but says nothing.
Probably for the best. I don’t know that I can hold myself back from letting my anger fly. How the fuck could they let him meet with the social worker alone? And not call us afterwards?
I lead Falcon out to my car and we climb in. Falcon turns to me and grabs his cellphone and hurriedly texts me.
Falcon: She said she was going to take me away. I don’t want to go, Sloan. I won’t go. You can’t make me.
I put a calming hand on his shoulder, hearing his breathing pick up with his panic. I text back as quickly as I can.
Me: You are not going anywhere, Falcon. I will not let them take you. You have my word.
Falcon: She said that Raven killed her baby. That she’ll probably kill me too because she’s on drugs. I tried to tell her she was wrong, but she wouldn’t listen. And she showed me the file. I told her she was wrong. Raven wouldn’t kill her baby. Not on purpose. It had to be an accident.
Everything in me goes rigid. That fucking bitch showed him the file on Raven? The one that she gave to me?
Me: Whatever she showed you doesn’t matter. Your sister needs you to be calm about this, okay? We need to talk to her and put a plan together. I know you’re scared, but I’m here. My family is here, and if we need to, we’ll call in the MC boys. Okay?
Falcon slowly nods, and his breathing evens out. He looks up at me, eyes wide and tear-filled, and my heart breaks. Then he starts texting again.
Falcon: Are we going to get Raven now?
Me: I’m going to text her and tell her to meet us at the apartment. This isn’t something to talk about in front of people, okay?
He nods.
Falcon: Thanks for coming to get me, Sloan. I’m sorry you had to leave work.
I shake my head firmly before I text back.
Me: No, don’t worry about that. This is the only thing that’s important to me right now. You are more important than work. Just like your sister is. Now buckle up and we’ll go to the apartment and wait.
Falcon nods and does as he’s told. I take a deep breath and text Raven.
Me: Wildcat, I need you to meet us back at the apartment. I just picked Falcon up from school and we need to talk. It’s very important.
Raven: Is he alright? What happened? I’m leaving now.
Me: He’s alright. We’ll talk when we see you. I’m heading to your apartment with him now.
Raven: On my way.
I put my phone down and start the car. As I drive to the apartment, my gut churns. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know one thing. Raven is going to lose her shit, and our perfect little world might come crashing down. I just have to make sure I’m ready to help her build it back up.