Page 104 of Ravage
If Kellan thinks we’re in some sort of relationship, then I need to stop being with him. As soon as I have the congressman and Elias is back to watch Portia, I’ll be gone. I can’t be with anyone like that.
Besides, I have a mission.
My phone pings, and I check it, assuming it’s Portia. Jack’s name fills the screen instead, and I open the text.
Claudia is picking up the girl. She’ll take care of her.
If that message came from anyone else, I might not believe them. But if Jackson says she’s good, then I won’t question it.
I text Portia that I’ll be over in five, then finish getting ready and let myself into her apartment. She’s sitting in her butterfly chair with a pack of Twizzlers in her lap and a pair of earbuds in.
I frown and tug one of her headphones free.
“Listening to music like that while alone in your apartment isn’t a good idea when we’re still on high alert,” I chastise softly.
She peers at me. “Then how should I listen to music?”
I snag a Twizzler from her pack and flop down on her couch. “Keep a headphone out of one ear. Or listen to it through a speaker at a low volume so it’s just background noise but not so loud that you can’t hear someone in the hallway.
She scrunches her face. “I wouldn’t be able to hear the music at all if it’s that low.”
“Then make sure I’m here with you when you want to listen to music. Did you even hear my text?”
She snatches her phone up to check it. Well, that answers that. “Claudia? Have you met her before?”
“No, but Jackson says she’s good and I trust him. Has she woken up at all?”
“No. I’ve checked on her a couple of times, but she’s completely out.”
“Poor girl is probably exhausted after everything she’s been through.”
A gentle knock echoes from the door, and I hop up from my seat. “I’ll get it.” I wrap my hand around my gun and flick the safety off. I open the door just enough to fit my head through, then fix my foot on the floor behind it to block it from being opened any further.
The woman standing there is tall and thin. Her long, dark hair reaches past her hips. She’s wearing jeans and a simple boat neck shirt. And while she does have some light makeup on, it looks natural and friendly. Her eyes twinkle when her lips lift into a smile.
“Hello there! I’m Claudia.” She extends her hand out to me.
I take it slowly. She gives me a firm, but short handshake. “May I come in? Aiden sent me and I think it’s best if we talk about what you need with some privacy. Are you Raegan or Portia?”
“Raegan,” I answer. “Did Aiden tell you what this was about?”
“He did.” Her eyes sweep over the apartment as she enters. “Is she here?”
“Isabel’s sleeping right now,” Portia says from her chair. “Are you going to be able to help her?”
Claudia smiles warmly at her. “You must be Portia. You know, we could really use someone with your talents at the Guild. I heard how you were able to get the girl here without any trouble or causing more harm to her. That’s a real gift you have.”
Portia perks up in her seat. “What’s the Guild?”
The woman looks at me, but I shake my head. I don’t know much about it either, aside from Elias mentioning it that one time.
Her brow furrows, and she taps her finger against her chin as she seems to study us from a new perspective. “How do you know Aiden? I assumed you were prospective Guild members.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I see.” She nods. “Well, you could call the Guild a community of gifted people. It’s where we can be around others like us. It—Well, up until last night, it was a safe place where we didn’t have to worry about being hunted or used.”
“You mean the building that was attacked last night?” I ask to confirm. I thought it was a coincidence the guys lived in the same building that Elias had pointed out as the Guild. Businesses fill the first few floors and then apartments in the stories above.
