Page 23 of Raven's Mark
"No." Something flickers in Knox's expression. "You're not."
He's quiet for a moment, still holding her gaze. "My brother just put a target on this family for you. I need to know that's not going to be a mistake."
"It won't be." Her voice doesn't waver.
"That's easy to say. It's harder to prove when the bullets start flying."
"Knox." I start to step in, but Raven cuts me off.
"I've already been shot at, betrayed by my own partner, and had a cartel hit team show up while I was gathering evidence. I'm still here." She holds Knox's stare. "I don't fold, and I don't run. Whatever is coming, I'll be standing right next to your brother when it hits."
Knox's jaw works. He's looking for weakness, for doubt, for any sign that she's going to crack under pressure and get us all killed.
He doesn't find it.
"Don't make me regret this." It's not quite approval, but it's close. It is the grudging acknowledgment of someone who has taken her measure and come away without an argument.
Raven doesn't blink. "Your brother has saved my life several times. I don't forget debts."
Something shifts in Knox's expression, maybe respect or maybe just the acknowledgment that she understands how this world works. He gives a sharp nod and heads out.
Beckett stops in the doorway. He doesn't look at Raven, just keeps his eyes on me. "We need to figure out Carmichael's endgame. A man like that doesn't send her here and pull you back in without a plan beyond what he's told you."
"I know."
"Just make sure we're not someone else's pawns." He holds my gaze for a beat, then heads for the truck.
Knox is already behind the wheel with the engine running. I watch from the doorway until they disappear into the trees, then stand there for several more minutes to make sure they weren't followed.
When I turn around, Raven is still in the kitchen. The afternoon light slants through the windows, painting the room in long shadows. She's watching me with an expression I can't quite read.
"Your brothers are solid." Her voice is quiet.
"They've had to be."
She nods slowly, absorbing that. "They know now. About me, about Carmichael, all of it."
"And they're still in."
Her posture eases. It isn't relief exactly, but it's the kind of shift that comes when a weight distributes across more shoulders.
I move to the window and check the tree line one more time out of force of habit. The cabin feels different now, less like a hiding place and more like a base of operations. My brothers know the truth. Raven is here. Carmichael is playing his game, and the cartel is circling.
But we're not scattered anymore. We're not isolated. And we're in this until the end.
Outside, the Hill Country stretches in every direction. Somewhere out there, the cartel is regrouping, and a war is coming whether we're ready for it or not.
I glance back at Raven. She has moved to the other window with her hand resting near her Glock, scanning the horizon the same way I do in hostile territory. Operator habits die hard.
She catches me looking and holds my gaze. Neither of us speaks for a long moment.
"Beckett's right about Uncle Robert." She turns from the window. "He says he wants the cartel's leadership drawn out,but Harlan changes the equation. If Uncle Robert already knew about a dirty sheriff running the pipeline, he should have told us. And if he didn't know, then he's not as informed as he wants us to believe."
"I know."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I'm not okay with any of it. But Carmichael's plans aren't the only ones in play anymore." I hold her gaze. "He can run his operation. We'll run ours."
