Chapter 3

Anita

Little did Joe know, I moved the contents of my father's safe. The combination to the safe had been my parents wedding anniversary. I head back down to the basement where I had asked Raven's parents to put in a hidden safe in the wall.

I frantically open the safe and take out the entire contents my father kept. Knowing what I was looking for and gathered the information needed, putting the rest back along with the USB that held millions of dollars of my father's work.

I call the detective handling my family's murders. She was a friend of my mother and also skeptical about Joe. Though she's only five years older than me, her mother was friends with mine. When her mother passed away, my mother was the person she turned to for motherly advice.

"Lexi, it's Anita," I choke quietly.

"Everything okay, you sound like you've been crying," she says with concern.

"I discovered something that you need to see. Can you meet me at the neighbors house from my parents house? It's urgent," I say with a wavering tone as nausea hits me.

"I'm on my way," she says softly and moments later I hear knocking on her end of the phone. "Captain, I have new information for that case I started five years ago. I have Anita on the phone now... Thank you Sir."

"Lexi, make sure Joe is at the restaurant before you come here, I'll explain when you get here," I choke quietly, trying to breathe past the nausea.

"Sure and are you okay? You sound out of breath... Are you calling me while Raven is...," she asks in fake disgust.

Before I could respond I had to bolt for the bathroom and get sick. When I finish, I realize Lexi is still on the line, calling for me. I pick up my phone with shaky hands and hear her let out a relieved sigh. "Jesus Anita, if I had to take a guess I'd say you're pregnant or have a hangover at two in the afternoon."

Panic rises and I freak out on the phone, "Lexi, please don't tell anyone. Please?"

"I promise," she coos over the phone.

I shutter a relieved breath and thank her before ending the call. I look up to the doorway and Raven was there with concern in her eyes. She offered me her hand and I take it. She helps me get to my feet and gives me a distracting kiss.

"My mother made you some tea," she says softly, wiping my eyes.

I nod lightly and let her lead me back upstairs. She grabs the files I took from the safe, but doesn't question anything. That's what I love about her. She waits for me to talk when I'm ready. I sit quietly at the table and wrap my hands around the mug of tea.

I guess I spaced out or something because I jump when someone touches my shoulder, making me nearly spill my tea. "It's me," Lexi says in a soothing tone and I notice that Raven and her parents were sitting with worried looks on their faces.

"Where's Amelia," I ask in a panic, moving to get up.

Lexi gently pushes me back in my seat and says, "She's watching a movie in the basement."

I rub my hands nervously on my thighs and ouch she stack of files in front of Lexi. "Proof that Joe is behind everything five years ago," I choke in a scared whisper.

Her eyes widen and starts reading everything. "Shit," she says quietly.

"He knows as long as me or Amelia are alive, he gets nothing. If he finds out I'm pregnant he's going to repeat history. This time he'll target Raven and her parents. I altered Dad's will and added them to it in case something happens to us," I choke quietly and Raven moves next to me.

She takes me in her arms, rubbing my back in comfort. "Is there anything you can do about this," she asks in a soothing whisper.

"We'll have to tread quietly and be patient. I promise you Anita, I'll get him. I'll make sure keep your family safe and that he spends the rest of his life in prison," she says with confidence. "Raven, I need you to act natural while working at the restaurant. Report anything suspicious to me and I'll go inform my Captain. He was a good friend of your parents and also skeptical about Joe.

"It actually makes sense why he kept visiting the hospital all those years ago and that he was surprised the baby survived the attack," she says through gritted teeth. "I should have known he was behind this from the start. He was so convincing about his concern."

Raven's phone rings and she shows us it's Joe calling. Lexi said to answer on speaker. "Hey Joe, how's the restaurant," she asks as if nothing was wrong.

"We're swamped, can you make it in?"

"Of course," she says and Lexi nods with approval.

"How's Anita before I let you come in? We have a storm coming," he says and I clench my hands tight in fear of the storm.

"She's visiting my parents as a distraction," she says rubbing her thumb over my knuckles.

"Oh," he says with a hint of disappointment. "Well see you soon then."

The call ends abruptly and Raven caresses my face in both hands. "I'm one call away okay, " she asks in a soothing whisper and I nod vigorously.

She gives me a kiss and I hug her tight. "Please be careful Ray," I choke in a scared whisper.

"I promise," she says giving me one more kiss before leaving.

Unknowingly, I start playing with my engagement ring. I turn my attention to Raven's mother who placed her hand over mine. "Sweetie, everything is going to be okay," she says with reassurance.

"How can you be so sure? Can you guarantee that nothing will happen to Ray, Amelia and my baby," I ask as tears roll down my cheeks. "Can you guarantee that Joe gets caught before someone else dies because of my father's work?"

"No, but I can promise to do everything to my ability to keep you safe," she says in a soothing whisper wiping my eyes and I go in her arms.

Raven

When I get to the restaurant it's not as busy as Joe made it sound, but it's busy enough to need the extra help. I quickly get to my station and start helping make the orders. I noticed Joe isn't around and I feel uneasy about his absence.

"Grace, I thought Joe was here? He called me in for help," I say curious.

"Oh, he just left. Said he had something important to take care of," she says with a shrug and continues cooking.

I discreetly send a quick message to Lexi and get an immediate answer. She's still at my parents house and calling her Captain. I get back to cooking like nothing is wrong. My thoughts drift to Anita and pray she's safe while I'm not there.

The night comes to an end as the restaurant closes at 10:30. It's just me and Grace cleaning up the kitchen. Lexi texted me to sneak into his office and see if I could find anything useful. I look at Grace and she looks exhausted.

"Hey, why don't you go home? I can finish up here," I say with a light smile.

"Are you sure," she asks looking at me with tired eyes.

"Yeah, you look ready to pass out," I say and she nods lightly before leaving.

I quickly finish the kitchen before checking in with Lexi on Joe's whereabouts. She said his car was still poorly hidden next door. At this point I'm thankful he doesn't know where my parents live. I told him when I started working at the restaurant that they moved out to the other side of town.

I had my own suspicion about his constant questions about Anita and turns out I was right to be suspicious. Entering his office and his desk was covered in papers and pictures of Anita. More pictures of the three of us pinned to the walls. I take pictures of everything and send them to Lexi.

I carefully look through the paperwork on his desk and find something that made fear strike me motionless. It was a list of ways he planned to kill us. I take a picture of it and also send it to Lexi. Thinking that was enough for her I scramble out of the restaurant and to my car.

I get a call from Lexi and immediately answer it. "Get out of there, he just left nextdoor," she says with a panic in her tone.

"I'm already on my way," I say in a wavering whisper. "Please don't tell Anita about what I sent you."

"Of course not, she's stressed out enough with the baby," she says quietly. "She's sleeping downstairs with Amelia. The storm earlier freaked her out. I didn't realize that she was this bad with her PTSD."

"Why didn't she call me," I ask with concern about her being pregnant.

"Your mother was able to calm her down downstairs," she reassured me.

I let out a relieved sigh as I come to a stop at a traffic light. "Thank you for staying there with her today."

"Of course, she's been like a little sister to me since her family took me in," she says with a protective tone.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," I say heaving a tired sigh and she ends the call.

My light turns green and as I push forward, I notice a car coming right at me and Joe's smiling face behind the wheel. Before I could press on the gas, his car rams in the driver side, causing me to flip upside down. His tires squeal as he speeds away from the scene.

My vision starts to blur and I call Lexi. "The son of a bitch just hit me, flipping my car. I-I can't feel anything," I say in a disoriented whisper.

"Shit, stay on the line Raven," she says with concern for me. "Can you give me your location?"

"The intersection of Smith and Palm avenue," I say groggily. "Keep her safe Lexi."

"Don't you talk like that damnit," she says in an authoritative tone. "Think of your baby, your baby needs you Raven. What about Anita? Amelia?"

Tears fill my eyes at the mention of my family and I struggle to move. "I can't move, I need to get to them," I choke quietly.

"You just stay awake and I'll bring them to the hospital with protection," she says in a soothing whisper.

Anita

I've been sitting in the waiting room with Amelia, Raven's parents and Lexi. There was a small group of police officers guarding the waiting room and several guarding Raven's operating room. Amelia was clung to Raven's dad and her mother was doing her best to keep me calm for the sake of the baby. The entire police department is out searching for Joe. Raven managed to call Lexi after the accident and he was thankfully caught on CCTV.

Amelia was calling for Raven's mother and I turn to Lexi for comfort. She's always felt like a big sister and made me feel safe while she was around after what happened five years ago. Her arms hold me close as I lay my head on her chest. She strokes my hair while we wait for someone to bring news on Raven.

When we got here Lexi discreetly took me to do an ultrasound with one of her friends here at the hospital who was sworn into secrecy. I was able to get a printout of the baby and was hoping to show Raven. Our baby is eight weeks along, conceived during the first bad storm of the season.

I feel someone gently shaking my shoulder and pop my head up from Lexi's chest. "She's out of surgery and asking for you," Lexi says in a soothing whisper.

I stand, wavering on my feet. Lexi holds me up with concern in her eyes. "Anita," she asks with worry in her tone.

"I'm a little dizzy," I say in a breathy whisper.

"Come on, I'll walk you," she says softly.

I nod lightly and let her hold me by my waist to support my weight. The doctor leads us to Raven's room and she has a cast on her entire left leg. She had bandages wrapped around her forehead and a light cast on her left wrist.

"Ray," I choke quietly and she opens her eyes slightly. "We've been waiting for hours before they said anything."

"I'm sorry," she says groggily from the drugs they put her on.

She lifts her right arm, inviting me to lay with her and I hesitate not wanting to hurt her. "Please? I thought he would find out I lied about my parents not moving from next door," she chokes in a scared whisper.

I climb in the space next to her and I'm careful not to put any pressure on her body. I let the sobs spill from my lips as her arm wraps around my back. When Lexi told me she was in an accident, I never thought I'd get this again. I thought I'd either lose our baby or they'd grow up without Ray.

She pulls me closer which brought my head to her chest and I could hear her heartbeat aside from the monitor. My hand clutches her gown over her stomach, not wanting to let her go. Her bandaged hand lays over mine on her stomach and her thumb sweeps over my knuckles. Her right hand reaches up my shirt, caressing my back and I shutter a calming breath between my sobs.

With her hand on my bare back, it was comforting and soothing. Exhaustion kicks in having maybe drifted of a half hour after waiting almost five for an update on her condition. Lexi had told me around eleven last night about Ray's accident. I have a feeling Joe was behind it with just her facial expressions giving me the news.

"She's going to sleep, finally," Lexi whispers quietly. "I'll stay in here in case he decides to show up. Apparently he had a hidden camera in his office and has a mysterious partner."

"Look into Grace, one of the cooks at the restaurant," Raven says quietly, sounding tired herself. "She seemed off tonight."

"I'll also look into anyone who associated with Joe and her father in college and had it out for him too. Or even rival security companies that Joe has relations with," Lexi says in a protective tone. "Anita is like my little sister and I'll be damned if something happens to her or anyone she cares about."