Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose
Chapter Six
SLOAN
Why is it that the crazy ones are always the hottest?
I should not be getting a sick satisfaction at her threat, or feel my cock twitching in my pants. With a woman like Raven, and that glint in her dark eyes, I should be covering myself and getting her out of here as quick as I can.
I do none of those things.
Instead, I give her a cool smile and reply, “Honey, I didn’t realize how much you wanted to see my dick. All you had to do was say so, no need to threaten the goods.”
Yeah, I’m poking the bear, but I can’t seem to help myself. Raven might be tiny and look unthreatening, but the minute you take in those eyes, you know she’s got brass balls and a crazy streak a mile wide. She’s smaller than most of the women I know, coming in at five-five, with a waterfall of long black hair that she’s currently wearing up in a high pony-tail. Her arms are covered in ink, ranging in designs from flowers to Marvel and DC comic characters. Hell, I think she’s got the batman symbol on her right forearm.
The first time I saw her, I immediately got the impression of a sprite, but then she opened her pretty mouth and that thought immediately flew out the window.
She’s more like a cornered badger, snarling and spitting, ready to attack. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it hot as hell. I thought about approaching her, seeing if the interest is only one-sided, but the smarter head prevailed. The last thing I want to do is get involved with one of my sister’s friends.
Raven’s eyes narrow at me, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I’d probably need a magnifying glass to find Tiny Tim there,” she retorts, making me choke back a laugh. “Now, what is your angle, Lincoln? Why are you offering me this space?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shrug. “Who says I have an angle? Maybe I’m just trying to be nice and offer you a spot that will get that social worker off your back.”
I immediately realize I’ve screwed up when her eyes go flinty. “How the hell do you know about that?” she asks, voice low and cold. I open my mouth, quickly trying to think of a way to backtrack, but Raven beats me to it. “Ash, get your ass in here!” she hollers.
“I’m not cleaning up the blood if he pissed you off,” Ash hollers back, but I can hear her making her way down.
Shit. I might just end up in a puddle of blood when Ash hears how I outed her telling me Raven’s secret.
When Ash walks in, she stops and the smile slips off her face when she sees Raven’s murderous look. “What’s wrong?” she asks, uncertain.
“I just asked Sloan why he’s wanting to help me,” Raven says icily, and I see Ash flinch. Knox gives a small cry but settles when she shushes him softly. “Wanna know what he said?” He said that he’s just being nice and trying to help with my social worker issue. Seeing as I didn’t tell him that, I assume that means you did.”
The glare Ash shoots at me is deadly, and I have to force myself not to back away. Damn, she’s definitely going to murder me.
Ash looks back at Raven and says apologetically, “I only told him so he could help me pick a good place.”
“I don’t need or want your pity,” Raven says to me, turning to look back at me, gaze fierce.
“This isn’t pity. You need a place to live, I need a tenant. Win-win for both of us. You get the security of it being a secure building, your brother’s school is close by, and it’s not too far from the shop.”
“A tenant in a million dollar condo?” she says in disbelief. “Really? You want a tenant that you’re going to have to discount the rent for just so you can say you’re doing a nice thing? I call bullshit.”
“Call it whatever you want,” I snap at her, annoyed. “I’m offering you an apartment, and I’ll work with whatever budget you have. I own the building, I can decide what people pay, and if I say you can rent it for a dollar, then that’s what I’ll do. Do you seriously want to chance not finding a place and having your brother taken from you?” I demand, purposely striking for the weak spot in her armor.
I see the moment it hits, her eyes flashing with guilt and uncertainty, but then it’s gone, and the hardness is back. “I need a place, but not at the expense of my pride or self-worth,” she snaps back at me. “You know nothing, Sloan. You don’t know what it’s like to struggle. You don’t know how nothing is ever free, and how many people expect something from you for doing something nice.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” I holler back at her, furious that she would question me and my motivations. “Maybe I just want to know that you’re not living in some apartment that you can’t afford because you’re trying to keep your brother with you. Struggling and trying to scrape by when you don’t have to. I will do anything for my family, including swallowing my pride, and you need to do the same. I offered this place because I wanted to, not because I expected anything back. Stop being a pig-headed fool and agree.”
Ash is watching this exchange with wide eyes, but I ignore her.
Raven’s entire body is stiff. “What are you charging me for rent if I take this place?” she asks, not backing down even an inch. “And if you say a dollar or anything less than reasonable, I’m walking out of here right now.”
Damn stubborn woman. A place like this is definitely out of her budget, and I hadn’t figured on her putting up such a fight. I also don’t know what her actual budget is per month. I spout off a number off the top of my head, and I see her full lips pull down into a frown. Shit, was it too much?
Instead of worrying over it, I sigh and say, “The place is ready to move in, and you be an idiot to not take it. Besides, at least then you can say you’re friends with the landlord. That alone should be reason enough to take it,” I tease.
She looks me dead in the eye and says, “I thought you were trying to convince me to take it, not laugh and run the other way.”
Ash snickers. “My thoughts exactly,” she agrees. She ignores my glare and says, “Raven, Sloan is right about one thing. He wouldn’t offer this place if he didn’t want to. Don't be stubborn, and just take it. You’ll be a lot happier here than some place else, and then the social worker won’t have a single thing to complain about. Once she’s permanently off your back, if you want to leave, we’ll find you something else.”
Raven says nothing for a long time. Indecision is written clearly all over her face. Finally she looks at me and says, “If I take this place, then you better be prepared for me to paint all this white.”
“Don’t go crazy. And don’t be having any wild parties either,” I add quickly. “This place is a quiet building.”
“There goes my plans for a rager. Alright, fine, I’ll take it.”
Ash beams. “Yay! I’ll go call Ember and let her know. Then we’ll get you guys moved in this weekend. Sloan, you’ll handle the movers?”
“No,” Raven snaps. “You’ve done enough,” she tells me with a fierce, narrowed-eyed glare. “The guys at the shop will help me, and I can probably rope a few of the Devil’s Soldiers in too.”
I nod curtly, understanding if I push too hard she probably will kick me in the balls. “I’ll make sure you have the service elevator key,” I tell her instead. “It’s larger and not widely used.”
Raven nods. Ash rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. “Good,” she says, and then heads out of the room, no doubt to get her phone.
Raven and I don’t move, but Raven looks at me. “Thanks, Sloan,” she says softly.
“No problem,” I answer back, knowing it’s probably hard for her to say that. “The other unit down the hall is empty so you should have a pretty quiet spot up here.”
Raven doesn’t look the least bit swayed. Instead she just nods. “How soon can we move in?”
“As soon as you like. I’ll let Leonard know to expect you.”
“And rent? When do you want that?”
“First of every month,” I answer, figuring it’s best to keep everything as close to normal as possible. The building super might be pissed at me for renting the place for a steal, but he can suck it up. I pay his salary, and own this building. “I’ll have the paperwork ready for you to fill out whenever you decide to move in. Just text me the date. Half the rent is due as a security deposit, but since this is short notice, I can waive that.”
“No, I got it,” Raven says with a firm shake of her head. She hesitates for a second and then heads out of the room.
When I follow her out, she and Ash are talking quietly. Ash looks at me and smiles. “Thanks, Sloan. We’re going to head out. I’ll text you later,” she promises, coming to give me a hug and kiss on the cheek. I kiss her temple and then Knox’s sleeping forehead.
I look at Raven and she narrows her eyes at me in warning. I grin, unable to help myself and wink at her. She rolls her eyes. “Come on, Ash, I have to get to the shop,” Raven says.
“Alright,” Ash says. She walks ahead of Raven, but just before Raven can leave, I call out to her.
“Just so you know,” I tell her with a wicked grin, “there’s nothing tiny about my dick. Nice to know you noticed him though.”
Raven doesn’t look the least bit scandalized at my comment. Instead she smirks. “The last thing I notice about you is your dick, Lincoln,” she retorts. “Unless it’s how big of one you’re being.” Then she walks out, shutting the door behind her.
I laugh, the sound echoing off the walls of the empty room. I’m tempted to move into the condo across the hall just so I’m around to piss her off.
Leaving, I lock up behind me and make sure to leave instructions and keys for Leonard and my building superintendent, Bob Flanigan. Most likely, Bob will have a cow and call me within the hour, but I have time to get to the office and get a few things accomplished.
By the time I get there, I find that Mabel already has a stack of messages waiting for me. “Most urgent is on top,” she says briskly when I take them from her. “You have a new appointment on your calendar for tomorrow. Marshall Nordstrom wants a meet up about the Towers deal, and he was insistent that it be with you.”
I bite back a groan. Marshall is one of our accountants, and the man is so damn neurotic about every little detail. Half the time it’s all I can do not to fall asleep. “Shouldn’t Maverick handle this?” I point out.
Mabel gives me a cool look. “He’ll be there as well,” she replies, her tone telling me I’m an idiot for questioning her.
“Right,” I say easily. “Thanks. I’ll handle these.” Then I head into my office, shutting the door behind me.
I barely make it through the first three messages before Bob calls me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sloan?” Bob barks at me, his Irish accent a little more pronounced than normal. A common thing when he’s pissed at me. “Are you trying to bankrupt us?”
“She’s a friend of the family,” I answer easily, “and it’s an emergency.”
“She?” he growls. “Damn it, boy, I told you not to fall for a pretty face and some long eyelashes.”
I chuckle. “Trust me, this isn’t like that,” I reply dryly. “She is pretty, but she’s become newly responsible for her thirteen year old brother, her current place isn’t big enough, and she’s on a time crunch.”
Bob huffs out a breath. “You do a background check?”
“Not yet,” I tell him. “I’ll vouch for her though, so any problems, I’ll handle it.”
“See that you do.” He’s grumbling as he hangs up, making me chuckle.
Bob’s right though, I should make sure to do a background check on her. It’s standard procedure for every tenant that moves into any of our buildings. I told Ash I wouldn’t do it to any one in our lives, but this isn’t me trying to find dirt on someone. Just standard procedure.
I place a call to my PI and get him started. I ignore the guilt that’s trying to worm its way into my belly. I’m doing what I need to do, and if Raven gets pissed, I’ll handle it.
I’ll just make sure to wear a cup if I have to tell her.