Dark Angel (Sequel to White Raven)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The End is Near

"I'm headed home now," Ary informed Maddie.

"Bell, what's going on?" Maddie sobbed into the phone.

"I have no idea, but I'll get to the bottom of this. I promise," she told her sister before hanging up.

What was going on? Why would Christian put a hit out on Luke? Did Luke do something to upset him? Damn, now she really wished that she had gotten a chance to talk to Luke. He knew more than he was letting on. He probably knew more than any of them. If her cousin was alive, she'd kill him. After getting the information out of him of course.

Ary came barreling down the back staircase. She jumped down the last few steps and hit the ground running. There was no time to waste. There could be more bombs going off in Haven at any moment. Bombs that where specifically being placed to harm her family.

"Jesus, Ary," Mason barely caught himself from dropping the cases of beer he was holding when she come sprinting past him.

"Where's Rave?" she demanded as she slowed down to a more reasonable pace. She was still moving pretty quickly though.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning.

"No time. Where the hell is your boss?" she snapped at him.

"Out front," Mason nodded towards the door leading towards the main part of the club.

Ary only felt slightly guilty for snapping at Mason like that. She didn't mean to sound like an asshole, but her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't really focus on anything other than the tight feeling in her chest. She knew Mason would forgive her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rave slid off of the barstool as soon as he saw her.

"We need to go to Haven. Now," she told him.

"What? Why?" he asked, confused.

"There was another bomb. This time at Luke's house," she stated. Rave's expression didn't change. "Rave, I know you hate him, but he's my family. I have to go," she told him, urgently.

"Okay," Rave nodded. "Let's go." He grabbed his jacket from behind the bar and followed her out back.

"Lock up," Rave ordered Mason.

"Okay..." Mason looked thoroughly confused, but he wasn't about to disobey orders.

"Christian isn't really the bombing type," Rave frowned. "He likes the blood and guns," he explained as they approached his car.

"Okay, but he always has someone do his dirty work and with the gang being all over the place, he's had to get help from somewhere else," Ary suggested as she jumped into the passenger seat.

"This just doesn't feel like him," Rave said, starting the car. He put it into gear and floored it out onto the street.

"Who else would want to hurt my family?" she questioned.

"I don't know, but you aren't exactly a clean living, wholesome bunch. Your uncle, Luke, your mom-" he stressed that one. "There could be plenty of people that want to hurt you."

"I miss the days when Juliana having a fit was the worst thing I had to worry about," Ary sighed, slouching in her seat.

Rave reached over and took her hand in his. "It'll be okay, Ary. We'll get through this," he assured her.

Ary couldn't explain what she was feeling at the moment. What Rave said, the way he said it. That's all she had ever wanted to hear. That she wasn't alone, that she wasn't the only person who was fighting. No one had ever helped or supported her. They never encouraged her.

Her chest hurt again, but this time it wasn't from fear, it was from the love she felt for this man. For all the over protective crap he pulled on her and the dozens of times she had ran off, he was still always by her side.

"Rave?" she said his name in a raspy voice, her throat suddenly dry.

"Hmm?" he glanced over at her.

"I love you." She said it as if it were her first time confessing it.

He smiled, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. "I love you, too." She frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"What if we never stop this? What if the bombs and shootings and violence just go on forever?" she questioned.

"That's impossible. You're just thinking too much," he assured her.

"Am I? We've literally been bombarded from every side for almost a year. From Christian, from Michael, and now possibly a new threat?" She leaned back against the seat, her brain just fried from all the scenarios she was thinking up.

"Ary." He squeezed her hand in a show of support. "This will end. Even if it means going up against every lowlife criminal in the entire Midwest, we'll get past all this violence and mayhem."

Ary had to believe him. If she didn't she'd just worry more. Eventually there would be an end. She'd see to that. Whether it ended in the death of every person who wanted to harm her family, or with her own demise, there would be an end for her. An end where she wasn't always on her guard. Where she wasn't awaiting for the confirmation of death of a loved one. All there was left to worry about was the ending she actually preferred more.

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I apologize for the long break! Thank you so much for sticking with my story for all this time. I promise I will finish it by Halloween.