“Dina, I hope you don’t mind, but Taggert wanted to show me some home-style recipes.” Taggert instantly nodded, his eyes fixated on the scorched food in wide-eyed horror.
“Another cook in the house? I don’t mind at all. Maybe later we can trade recipes.” She gave a sunny smile and continued to pile everyone’s plate. Taggert instantly went to the fridge and started taking out supplies. Raven grabbed an apple and shoved it in her mouth.
Jackson’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t refute the lie. After one bite, his chewing slowed and his throat bobbed painfully as he swallowed, gazing at her to get him out of there.
The malicious side of her said to leave him, while the compassionate side of her argued to rescue him. When she remained silent, his eyes narrowed. She’d no doubt pay for her rebellion later, but a little vengeance felt good.
A tiny smile played about Dominic’s mouth as he watched the interaction. “While we eat, let’s catch you up on the case we’re running down.”
Raven hesitated, surprised at the laid-back comment from Mr. Super-Secret. “Now?”
He spared the two men a brief glance and shrugged. “From the way I understand it, they’re yours for the next month. If anything leaks, we’ll know the source.”
“If she would’ve come to the meeting, we wouldn’t have to re-hash everything.” Trish took a sip of the ever-present wine at her side. The food on her plate remained untouched.
“She had other things to attend.” Dominic kept his tone firm but even.
Trish stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly in the room. She slapped the table with enough force that everything clattered. Jackson stopped moving, the predator in him rising to the surface. One wrong step and he’d be at her throat. Taggert didn’t react at all to the violence as he continued to make food, which surprised Raven the most. He trusted her to protect him.
“Why does she deserve special treatment all the time? You always come after one of us if we’re late or don’t show. Even in the compound, they treated her better than us. Why?”
Heart pounding, Raven slowly faced Trish and her accusation. “I was treated no differently.”
“I didn’t hear the guards enter your cell, then brag about their conquest. How many times a day did they visit you?” Fury rolled through her, her voice rising.
“None.” They did something much worse.
Trish snarled, shoving away from the table and stalked forward. “They made me their whore, while you, their little princess, were safely tucked away from it all.”
Dominic stood and carefully placed his napkin on the table in a very exact manner as he battled his temper. “Trish, you will want to sit down and shut up.”
She whirled on him. “Even now, he protects you. You’re everyone’s little darling. My God,” she struck her arms out and turned slowly, “doesn’t anyone else see this?”
Bitterness and hatred poured through the room. Years of festering had taken its toll.
Dominic opened his mouth to speak, but Raven forestalled him. “Tell me Trish, how many times did they take you to the labs for tests?”
She rolled her eyes. “You think a few tests equaled what we went through?”
Raven ignored her. “How many times did they torture you?” When Trish opened her mouth to speak, Raven stepped closer. Energy curled around her feet, lashing upward around her legs like roots, sinking deep into her bones.
“Each time they raped me instead of you.”
Raven closed her eyes. “You want to know why they didn’t breed me?”
“Oh, this should be good.” Trish crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
“I’d been a prisoner at the compound for nearly twenty years.” The confession startled Trish, but didn’t ease her anger one bit. “They played the same games with me a few years after I was admitted. As soon as they deemed me old enough to breed.” Memories long buried rose to the surface. A little spark at her core wrapped around her in response as if to protect her. But with it came the delicious urge to lash out at the cause of the pain and make everything go away. She took a shallow breath, fighting the need.
Trish flinched, and Raven didn’t need a mirror to know her eyes had changed from pewter to a vivid blue. It happened whenever the current rode her hard. “They stopped the games the same day I fought back and killed everyone who came near me.”
Trisha blanched. She leaned forward, balled her hands into fists and planted them on the table. “And do you think I just let them do what they wanted without fighting?” She whirled and left without another word.