Exposure (11 page)

"No shit. But why does that matter? You said
there were other witnesses and you had recordings of him talking
about election funds." It should've been a slam-fucking-dunk.

McCannon's chair squeaked. "The timing of
the contract is worrisome. His funds are tied up until trial."

Noah ground his molars to dust. "He got it
from somewhere."

"And until we know who he hired, you need to
stay on the down low."

McCannon had called with a "watch your back"
warning just twenty-four hours after Noah had Raven in his arms.
Finally. And there was Aubrey to take into account. He'd have to
beef up security at her estate, even though Rizzoli didn't know the
girl existed.

Raven was Noah's biggest concern at the
moment. As his friend, she'd been off radar and of no consequence.
In fact, so had Noah. Until he'd finally gathered enough credible
evidence that the feds could lock the fucker up for life. Raven was
under his roof now, and Rizzoli would have to be an idiot not to
suspect. If there was a hit out on him, then Raven was already in
the crosshairs. This was a clusterfuck, and he'd possibly put Raven
right in their sights.

"I want to know if anything changes. And so
help me, McCannon, if I find Rizzoli's contracted killer on Alaskan
soil, the hell I'll deliver will make what Rizzoli's done look like
a Sesame Street special. Got me?"

McCannon sighed. "Calm the hell down.
Threatening a federal officer is a crime," he said lightly. When
Noah didn't laugh, McCannon cleared his throat. "I know this has
been a long time coming and it's been hard on you. Just hang in
there. It's almost over. She's finally going to get justice."

"She'd better."

Noah disconnected and tossed his phone next
to his keys. His late teens and entire twenties were buried neck
deep in this mess, a mess that wasn't even his, and damn if he
didn't want to start living his life without looking over his
shoulder or putting those he loved in danger. He looked down to
find his hands shaking. He fisted them and took a deep breath.

A glance at his watch told him Raven would
be home soon. How long could he evade her curiosity? Part of him
wanted to tell her everything, but the less she knew the safer she
might be. He trusted her with his life, with Aubrey's if it came
down to it, but he still had a gut feeling she didn't trust him.
Not one-hundred percent. Regardless of the change in their
relationship, she was holding something back. It pissed him off he
couldn't figure out what.

Keys slid into the lock and the door opened.
Raven stepped into the foyer and halted, Max on her heels. "You
beat me home."

A funny thing happened in his chest when she
said "home." He smiled, walking to her and taking her coat. She was
moving slow and her expression was distracted. "You look
tired."

"Yeah, long day. Not bad, just long."

Before he put too much thought into the act,
he cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. Not a gesture he
could ever remember doing. It spoke of tenderness he'd never known.
"Why don't you take a hot bath? I'll order Chinese. We can eat with
chopsticks by the fire."

She rolled her shoulders. "Sounds good."
Glancing briefly at Max, she smiled and headed to the bedroom.
"Goodnight, Max."

"'Night, ma'am."

Already in the bedroom, she cleared her
throat loudly.

An out of character grin split Max's face.
"Sorry, Miss Crowne."

"Better." The bedroom door closed.

Noah raised his brows.

Max's grin fell to half watt. "She doesn't
like being called ma'am." He shrugged, the giant of a man's face
reddening in embarrassment.

Right. "Anything unusual today?"

Max sobered. "No. She had a client come in
but, other than that, she stayed in her office. I thought we
might've had a tail on the drive back, but I was wrong. The car
passed us before the turnoff."

He sighed and forced the tension from his
neck. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

Max looked like he wanted to say more, but
he nodded and turned to go.

"Is there anything else?"

"She's asking questions," he said over his
shoulder. He turned with his hand on the doorknob. "I don't think
it would hurt you or Miss Aubrey if Miss Crowne had the answers to
those questions."

Noah crossed his arms and regarded Max. He'd
been with Noah a long time and, in that time, he'd never offered
advice or spoke up unless directly asked or if there was a
potential threat. Seemed as if Raven was getting under Max's skin,
too. "Noted."

After his bodyguard left, Noah ordered
takeout and switched on the fireplace while waiting for delivery.
Pouring two glasses of wine, he moved to set them on the coffee
table and signed for the food when it arrived.

Just as he was about to check on Raven, she
emerged from the bedroom in a pink silk robe that barely covered
her good parts. Long tendrils of midnight hair broke free from the
clip on her head, framing her face. To contrast this sexy as fuck
look, she wore large fluffy bunny slippers he'd given her for
Christmas one year.

"Don't move." He went to the black room down
the hall and retrieved a camera. When he returned, her brows drew
together in frustration.

"Put the camera down."

"No. And wipe that exasperated expression
off your face." He wanted the look she had when she first emerged.
Sleepy and curious. And, damn her, she wasn't complying. Dropping
his voice a baritone, he lifted the camera to his face. "Baby, look
at me. After dinner, I'm going to untie that robe of yours and
spread it wide. Do you know what I'll do next? I'm…"

Click, click, click, click, click
.
Fuck yes. That was it. Perfect.

She rolled her eyes and crossed the room to
sit on the floor by the fire. With her in profile, the firelight
cast shadows and light across her form. Before she could reach for
the takeout, he snapped several more. When she looked over her
shoulder at him, he stole the money shot--her lips parted, slight
lift to her brows, warmth in her eyes and the light behind her.
Impish and sexy.

As he lowered the camera, something pinched
in his chest. His jaw clenched as he attempted to control the
myriad reactions jostling inside. Something was off. He wasn't
expecting this punch to his gut when he looked at her or the
incessant need to have her. Not just under him, but beside him in
all things. Hell, she'd been at his side for years. Lust was
expected. He'd lived with it for a decade, like an extra appendage.
Why did things feel different?

Shaking it off, he strode over and sat on
the floor next to her. He opened a container, realized it was her
chicken chow mein, and passed it to her before reaching for his
cashew beef. Dipping his chopsticks, he pulled out a bite and
chewed, watching her.

Her feminine characteristics were unique,
which was why he'd wanted her on film. A mix of siren and
innocence. Everything about her was contradictory. Dark hair, light
skin. Brazen sexual abandon with innate fear lurking in shadow. A
control freak, yet soft at heart. Where did she get such artistic
perfection? She didn't resemble her mother at all but, then again,
Raven wasn't Willow's biological child.

"How old were you when your mom adopted
you?" They'd talked about it a time or two, but he couldn't
remember.

Her chewing slowed, then she swallowed just
as slowly. "Seven. Why?"

He shrugged. "Just curious. Do you remember
anything about your life before?"

She faced the fire, chopsticks stabbing her
food. "A little here and there. It's mostly small flashes. I don't
know how accurate they are."

Talking about this bothered her, judging by
the stiffness in her spine and avoidance of her eyes. She didn't
put up walls against him, not often. "What do you remember?"

"I told you, it comes in spurts--"

"I heard you. Why are you getting
defensive?"

She glanced up and let out a harsh exhale.
"I'm not. I just don't like talking about it."

His spine turned to ice. Her personality,
mannerisms, and inability to make love normally all blinked through
his conscious. He liked her just as she was, but was pushing for
more. Because she deserved that. Sexual creatures like her should
never be contained, especially behind fear. Did any of her walls
have to do with those formidable years?

"Why don't you like talking about it?'

She set the carton aside and hugged her
knees to her chest.

The ice along his spine spread to other
areas. "Raven."

She closed her eyes. Shook her head. Sighed.
"Do you remember hearing in the news about that naturist group in
California, Lambs of Christ? We were young when they
disbanded."

Wondering what the hell this had to do with
anything, his gaze got lost in the flames as he thought back. He'd
certainly heard of them. They were one of those cult groups in
southern Cali. "A little. Weren't the leaders arrested on weapons
charges?"

"Among other things. I think most of the
members, like my birth parents, went into it thinking they'd live
in a small, Christian community to raise their daughter. By the
time I was starting to babble, it was too late to get out." Her
voice went reflective. "According to my mom, some tried to leave
the group and were never seen again."

If he tried to move, he'd snap. That's how
tight, how cold, her words left him. "You were raised in a
cult?"

Her gaze whipped to his as if she sensed his
tension. "All I know is what my mom told me. I have almost no
memory of it."

She pried the carton away from his fingers
before he could crush it to a pulp. Grabbing her wine, she leaned
against the couch. "From what I understand, the kids slept in a
separate bunker from their parents and were treated well. After
their school studies, they helped farm the fields." She cleared her
throat. "My parents died during the ATF raid. My mother was living
in the area at the time, heard about a lot of the newly orphaned
kids, and adopted me. A shrink told her it might be best to move me
from familiar settings, so she packed us up and we've been in
Alaska ever since."

The air slowly seeped from his lungs. He
forced himself to draw more in. Two weeks ago, she'd told him she'd
never been abused or assaulted. He'd believed her. Of course he
had, but doubt niggled in the back of his mind there was more going
on than her need for control. She may not remember it, but
something had happened to her back then that made her like this
today.

He doubted she even realized it. When they'd
first started going at each other, she wouldn't let him touch her.
Now, he did so freely, but he had to go slowly in the beginning.
She didn't like enclosed spaces and hated surprises of any
kind.

He looked over to find her watching him.
Grabbing his own wine, he downed half the glass. They had sex
often, in a multitude of positions. All but one. He never thought
he'd crave the missionary position so damn much. The only time she
panicked anymore was when he was on top of her.

"You won't let me make love to you on top.
Have you noticed that?" Against the wall, her riding him, him from
behind…didn't matter. She was fine. As long as they were
vertical.

She frowned, confusion marring her face.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Satisfied he'd put the notion in her head,
he set his wine down and crawled on all fours over to her. She'd
analyze what he said and dissect it until she figured out a
solution. He just needed to set her on the path.

But now? He needed to sink inside her and
forget the things she'd told him. If he let the vision of a younger
version of Raven cement in his head, he'd need eight solid hours in
the gym with a punching bag.

She grinned when he took her glass away.
"What are you doing?"

Kneeling between her legs, he ran his hands
up her calves. "Wondering what you have on under that robe."

The fire reflected in her eyes, lit with
humor. "Why don't you find out?"

Clamping his mouth on her throat, he
growled. "With pleasure."

A
week later, with
an Elements exhibit starting in twenty minutes, Raven turned away
from the door in her office and sat on the edge of her desk,
listening to her mother blubber about a recent breakup. She cradled
the phone in one hand and plucked dead blooms from her potted plant
with the other.

When there was a pause, Raven said, "I
thought you were seeing someone named Daniel."

Her mom sniffed. "Oh no. Daniel was weeks
ago. I thought things with Richard were going so well."

They always did, until a few weeks passed
and Willow Crowne fell head over heels. Surprise, surprise, it
ended shortly after that. Raven had had this conversation so many
times, but it still pained her that her mom was hurting. "I'm
sorry."

"Me, too." She blew her nose. Loudly.
"Enough about me. How are you? Are you seeing anyone? Why are you
calling me on a Friday night?"

Her mother liked Noah, but the two of them
were a temporary thing, so no sense in telling her because it would
only get her hopes up. They agreed to a month, and only one more
week was left of their time. Her stomach churned. She ignored it.
"Just checking in. I have a showing starting in a few minutes. But,
since we're on the phone, I need to ask you something."

Weariness weighed on her shoulders. Between
Noah exhausting her after work and a sudden rash of new nightmares,
sleep was not a commodity. Ever since he'd brought up her
childhood, she started remembering little tidbits. Google searches
only brought up things she knew.

"Anything, honey."

Raven rubbed her forehead. "Where was I
found after the Lambs of Christ raid? I keep having strange flashes
and can't piece it together."