Chapter 2

Raven

Surprisingly Anita and I slept through the night without a nightmare. I was cuddled at her back while Amelia was cuddled against Anita's chest. Anita's arms wrapped securely around the small child. The peaceful look on her face told me she was content.

I look out the window facing us, seeing gray skies. The first signs of rain falling loudly on our roof. Anita stirs in my arms, a light whimper coming from her. I whisper soothingly in her ear and feel her relax in my arms. Her facial expressions relax from her brief frowning in fear.

A low rumble of thunder causes her eyes to fly open, breaths quickening. Amelia starts crying and it seems to distract the woman in my arms. "I'm here sweetheart," Anita says in a trembling whisper.

"Mommy, where's Daddy," the fragile voice asks in a choked whisper.

"I'm still here baby," I say in a soothing whisper, startling both of them. "It's okay, I'm here."

Amelia carefully climbs over Anita and lays on top of me while Anita rolls to face me. I hold them both in my arms as a loud rumble of thunder rattles the windows. Anita screams and Amelia and I both try our best to calm her. It was no use.

My phone, ringing on the nightstand made her look up at me, a small distraction from the storm. Picking it up, I see it's my mother. I answer her on speaker and her soothing voice fills the room. "Why don't you try bringing Anita and Amelia over here? The basement is soundproof and there are more storms coming."

"M-Mom," Anita asks with shaky sobs that turns into a scream as another roll of thunder hits. "Can you come get us please? I don't want to let go of Ray."

"Of course sweetheart," my mother says in a soothing whisper.

"Thank you," Anita chokes between shuttering breaths.

Thankfully it was quiet with the occasional rumble of thunder while we waited for my mother to pick us up. Amelia let my mother carry her down to the car while Anita clung to me, arms and legs wrapped around my neck and waist. Her body trembled against me, silently whispering about not letting them get her.

She jumps in my arms at the sound of the car doors closing and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me. "It's okay. I just closed the door," I say in a soothing whisper.

I slip my hand up her borrowed hoodie and rub her bare back. She shutters a calming breath at the contact on her skin and I kiss her head. I let my free hand play in her hair. Moments later I feel her body relax against me in the back seat of my mother's car as more thunder rumbles quietly.

My mom looks at me through the review mirror, surprised at how calm Anita was right now. Amelia leans over, moving hair from Anita's face only to reveal her sleeping. I look back up to my mother's eyes in the review mirror as tears fill my eyes. She just gives a light smile not knowing what to say. Anita has always freaked throughout a storm.

I was wondering if it was the pregnancy draining her energy. I know once the weather calmed down we'd make an appointment to check on her with the pregnancy. It wasn't planned for her to get pregnant, but nonetheless we welcomed it. I thought back a few weeks ago, when the storms first started for the season. My parents happened to take Amelia camping that weekend two towns away. We'd made love to distract her from the storm outside. That was roughly eight weeks ago and there have been other more recent activities.

I was broken from my thoughts at the halt of the car moving. I realize we're in my parent's driveway and Anita is still fast asleep. Deciding on not waking her with her lack of sleep lately, I carefully climbed out and carried her in my parent's house. Even my father was surprised to see Anita asleep through the storm.

My parents built a soundproof basement when we first took Anita in after being released from the hospital. Yes, my parents still live next door to the house it all took place. The house is in Anita's name but no one has been in aside from the police since that night.

I took her down to the built-in bedroom for us down there and laid her on the bed. She immediately cuddles with the life-size teddy bear I got her years ago. She hums with content and I let out a breath of relief. Amelia lays on the other side of the bear, instantly falling asleep. Mitsy, my parents dog, climbed in at Anita's legs, resting her head on her thighs.

I went back upstairs to see my parents waiting in the kitchen. The tears in my eyes fell and my mother's arms wrap around me. I let the sobs expel from my lips as I held onto her. It killed me to see the raw emotion in her eyes when it storms. The sound of her broken voice calling out to her parents and siblings.

I slowly calmed with the thought of the pregnancy and her accepting my proposal. My mother pulls back enough to wipe my eyes before moving us to sit at the table. "Were you able to finish the setup for your proposal," she asks with a light smile.

I shook my head and her smile faltered. "I didn't need to, she said yes last night after the storm calmed down," I say with a big smile on my face.

"Daddy, Mommy is getting sick downstairs," Amelia says with worry in her tone. She knows Anita doesn't normally get sick often.

I didn't wait for reactions from my parents, I ran downstairs to find her bent over the toilet getting sick. I held her hair back, rubbing her back comfortly. Moments later she leans into me, wiping her mouth with shaky breaths. I took some of her hair, enough to keep it out of her face and tie a loose braid.

She turns sideways with her legs bent, sitting across my lap on the floor of the bathroom in the basement. I rub her bare back and she groans with relief. A throat clears in the doorway and I look up to see my mother with concerned eyes. "Anita," she says in a soothing whisper and Anita looks at her with hooded eyes. "Is everything okay sweetheart?"

I look at her as her lower lip started to tremble before she hid her face in my chest, sobbing out of control. For the first time since we've been together, my mother didn't know what to do. "What if more men try to get my father's work and they learn that I survived, that Amelia survived? What happens to my baby," she asks between broken sobs.

My mother's gaze moved to me, asking without words if she heard right. "She told me last night," I choke quietly as a light smile forms on my trembling lips.

Anita

My heart was pounding against my ribcage at the thoughts running in my head. My new found fears coming to light. The fear of reliving what I already survived. The fear of losing my baby sister who I call my daughter. The fear of losing my child I just found out about. The biggest fear of all, losing Raven. She's been there for me since that night and the thought of life without her hurts more than a bullet to my chest.

I lay my ear over the beat of her chest and used the soothing rhythm to calm down. Her chest vibrated as she spoke, but her words didn't reach my ears. The soothing strokes of her fingers in my hair brought a distraction from my thoughts.

A soft caress to my cheek brought my eyes to her mother. Her eyes held sympathy the moment she looked in mine. It was as if she could read my thoughts through my eyes and held her hand out to me. Hesitant, I took the offered hand and let her help me to my feet, keeping my hold on Raven as she stood behind me.

She was leading me towards the stairs out of the basement and I stop in my tracks, causing her to jolt back and look back at me. "The storm has passed for now," she says in a soothing tone and Raven kisses my temple.

My grip on Raven's hand tightened and she gives me an assuring squeeze back. We continue upstairs and gather in the living room where Amelia and Raven's dad were watching the live action movie of Beauty and the Beast. Amelia runs to me, hugging at my left leg and I let go of Raven's mother's hand.

I wrap my arm around her small shoulders and she returns to her spot next to her grandfather. I pull Raven towards the loveseat and she immediately takes her spot, letting me lay with my head in her lap. Instantly, she runs her fingers in my hair as her mother kneels in my view.

"I'm here, if you need someone to talk to," she says in her motherly tone.

"Thanks Mom," I say quietly, voice raw with emotion.

She smiles lightly, leaning over to kiss my forehead before moving to sit next to Amelia, leaving the child in the middle of Raven's parents. My focus returns to the even strokes of Raven's fingers in my hair. I let out a sigh of contentment and look at the ring on my left ring finger. My hand rested on her knee as a small pillow cushions her lap for my head.

Still feeling tired, I roll towards Raven and bury my face in her stomach. Her hand continues to stroke my hair as I wrap my arm around her waist. The nausea that woke me had passed and I let out a tired sigh. The movie was a distant noise that lulled me back to sleep with the soothing strokes in my hair.

I woke to the most heavenly smell of Raven's apple pie. I realize I was alone in the living room and make my way to the kitchen. Raven was just placing the pie from the oven on the counter to cool. I wrap myself at her back and she jumps slightly at my presence.

"Hey," she says softly, looking over her shoulder at me with soft eyes. "Did you sleep okay?"

I nod lightly against her shoulder and he turns gently, taking me in her arms. "Your pie woke me," I say quietly and she kisses the top of my head.

"You mentioned the other day you were craving it," she says softly.

"I have an appointment to confirm the pregnancy next week. Can you come with me," I ask in a choked whisper.

She's usually booked at the restaurant and lately with all the storms, Joe has been letting her leave to be with me knowing they cause PTSD for me. Joe was my Dad's best friend from childhood. My mother was always skeptical of him, but my dad thought it was because Joe always flirted with my mother. Joe was also co-founder to the work my father had that he was killed for. The two of them came up with it in college, but Joe opened his restaurant instead of being co CEO to the company that my father started, that I now run.

I offered Raven a position at the company but she had a love for cooking and didn't want to pass on her dream of being a cook at a high end restaurant. I helped get the job at Joe's restaurant and he was more than happy to help out.

"I'll ask Joe," she says with a smile and kisses my forehead.

Raven was about to step out onto the patio off the kitchen when a feeling of nostalgia hit me like the bullet in my chest. I dropped the glass of iced tea I didn't realize I was holding that Raven must have given me. It shattered at my feet and in an instant I was surrounded by three very concerned adults.

It made sense now. Why Joe always allowed Raven to be with me during my attacks. It gave him the chance to leave the restaurant to try cracking the safe in the house next door. He was jealous that my father used his part of the formula for this technology but didn't get any credit towards it. He was the only one left to get everything if something happened to me and my family.

I shake my head vigorously and Raven caresses my face in concern. I was finding it hard to breathe and Raven carefully guides me away from the broken glass. She tries to get me to sit but I refuse. "It's Joe, my mother was right to be skeptical about him. He and my father formulated an algorithm for cyber security. If that program falls in the wrong hands, no one would be safe on the Internet.

"Ray, he's been letting you come home to me so he can leave the restaurant," I choke in broken sobs. "Joe killed them and he knows I'm alive, that Amelia is alive."