River of Bones by Dan Padavona (books you need to read TXT) 📕

Then what? She couldn’t have reached LeVar in time. The attack happened too fast.

Deputy Lambert hurried to Thomas. The two officers shared a brief conversation. The grim look on Lambert’s face told Raven the deputy had bad news. She braced herself, understanding nothing would save her sanity if LeVar was already dead.

“I spoke to Deputy Aguilar,” Lambert said. “Aguilar and the ranger are searching the state park grounds. The campgrounds are on lock down. So far, we’ve found no one. No sign of LeVar.”

“Find him,” said Raven. “He might be injured.”

Thomas flicked on his flashlight.

“We’ll take the trail along the lake and meet up with Darren and Aguilar. With any luck, we’ll trap the suspect between us.” And find LeVar alive, Raven prayed. “Do you have your gun on you?”

Raven nodded and patted her holster. Thomas handed her a radio.

“Keep it on at all times, and don’t let Naomi and Scout out of your sight.”

“Gotcha.”

Thomas took a deep breath and touched Raven’s shoulder.

“We’ll find LeVar. I promise.”

Raven steeled herself.

“Bring him home, Thomas.”

Thomas and Lambert took off for the trail. Raven’s body thrummed with tension as she cupped her elbows with her hands. She wanted to be in the park with the search team. Raven held the flawed belief that she could alter fate by joining the hunt. As she struggled to remain calm, she spied the terror on Scout’s face. She needed to be strong for the girl. Kneeling before the wheelchair, Raven took Scout’s hand in hers.

“You did great, Scout.”

“No, I didn’t help him.”

“He’s alive because of you. Darren and I missed the alert. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have known someone tried to break into the guest house.”

Naomi rested a hand on Scout’s shoulder. The girl sniffled and swiped her hand beneath her nose.

“I just want him to be okay. He’s my friend.”

A part of Raven broke inside. Since he’d left the Harmon Kings, her brother had touched so many lives. Not just his family’s. That he’d befriended a paralyzed fourteen-year-old made her even more proud of what he’d become.

“He loves you, Scout. LeVar has a funny way of showing affection sometimes. But he’s a teddy bear at heart. I see how he looks at you.”

Raven turned away when Scout broke down. As much as she wanted to comfort the girl, Raven couldn’t watch Scout sob without falling apart. She faded into the shadows where the others wouldn’t see her cry.

A shout pulled Raven around. She shared a glance with Naomi, then she ran toward the lake trail, stopping when LeVar walked out of the darkness.

“LeVar!” Scout cried out.

Raven breathed again. She wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him close, never wanting to let him out of her sight. The honeymoon didn’t last long. Remembering he’d run after his assailant like a reckless fool, she shoved his shoulder.

“Don’t do that again. You risked your life for nothing.”

“I had it handled.”

“Oh, really? He shot at you.”

LeVar glanced over his shoulder.

“Well, he’s not a good shot, ‘cause he missed.”

Raven shook her head.

“Think with your head, not your fists. Did you see who it was?”

“Nah, I didn’t get a good look at him. It must have been one of the Kings. My guess is Rev or Kilo.”

Scout called to LeVar. He met the girl’s eyes and hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on her head.

“We thought we’d lost you,” Scout said, on the edge of tears again.

“Takes more than a prowler to put me down.” LeVar brushed the hair off her forehead. “If he’s stupid enough to return, we’ll catch him.”

“No, you won’t. Leave it to Thomas,” said Naomi. Raven nodded in agreement. “This is a police matter. Thomas and the deputies are in the state park with Ranger Holt now.”

“Yeah, I passed them on the way back. They won’t catch the guy, though. He’s too fast.”

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid like that again,” said Raven. “You’re not expendable, LeVar. Everyone cares about you.”

“Don’t worry, Sis. Like I said, I got it handled.”

Sure you do, Raven thought. Fire burned in her brother’s eyes. If the Kings returned, he’d be prepared. What if LeVar found a gun and shot somebody? Worries fluttered through Raven’s head as LeVar spoke with Naomi and Scout. How would Raven explain tonight’s events to Serena without worrying her sick?

Before Raven called her mother to break the news, her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She stared at the screen. When it rained, it poured.

“What’s wrong?” asked Naomi, coming to Raven’s side.

She put the phone away and exhaled.

“That was Chelsey. She’s in the emergency room.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Saturday, August 14th

10:40 p.m.

Raven ignored the speed limit on her way to the hospital. She’d worried something like this would happen. Chelsey had grown sicker by the day, and Raven fretted over the myriad of possibilities. Was her friend stricken with a disease, or had the crippling depression returned?

She sprinted into the emergency room, but the receptionist wouldn’t allow Raven inside because she wasn’t family. After a lot of persuasion and arguing, Raven stood aside until a family gathered at the receptionist’s desk. Then she slipped through the emergency room doors before anyone noticed. She hurried to room four, the room Chelsey claimed she occupied in her text. A doctor with a gray mustache turned when Raven entered. There was nobody else in the room.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Chelsey Byrd. She messaged me and told me she was in this room.”

The doctor scrunched his brow.

“The woman who occupied this room is in surgery.”

Raven’s stomach dropped. No, this wasn’t happening.

“Are you certain?”

“Well, yes. They rushed her into surgery five minutes ago.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you immediate family? You shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m her coworker…I mean her best friend.”

A confused expression fell across the doctor’s face.

“Coworker? I would have expected she retired years ago.”

“Wait, are we talking about the same person? My friend is thirty-two. Dark hair down to about here.” Raven touched her shoulder.

“Oh, my. You have the wrong