Chapter 15 — R is for Ravenwood
525 Words
Rain fell that night. Not a gentle drizzle, but a storm that felt like it had waited years to break.
Marina stood by the fireplace, the torn letter in her hand, the flames behind her casting long shadows across the floor. The message echoed in her mind:
"They're watching you. He doesn’t know. Take the money. Leave quietly. Or he dies too. —R"
Who was R?
And what had they meant by "they’re watching you"?
Dominic returned from the garage with a lockbox—small, steel, and scarred with age.
“This was hidden under the floorboards,” he said, setting it down. “You stashed things in here before. I couldn’t bring myself to open it after you left.”
Marina hesitated.
Then opened it.
Inside were three things:
— A flash drive
— A crumpled airline ticket to Prague dated eight years ago
— And a folded business card.
She picked up the card.
RAVENWOOD SECURITY — Executive Division
Rafael Lennox
Private Intelligence. Discreet Resolutions. Global Reach.
Dominic cursed under his breath. “Lennox. That’s who R is.”
“You know him?”
“We went to college together. Briefly. He was brilliant. Dangerous. Dropped out to start a firm that worked behind the scenes for billionaires, politicians… criminals.”
Marina's pulse raced. “Why would I be involved with someone like that?”
Dominic’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know. But if he sent you this threat, it means he was watching us—watching you—for a long time. And I didn’t see it.”
Marina plugged the flash drive into Dominic’s laptop.
Files loaded slowly—encrypted videos, scanned documents, bank statements.
And one folder labeled:
“EXIT STRATEGY — JULIETTE WARD”
Dominic’s fingers froze above the keyboard.
He clicked it.
A video file loaded.
Marina pressed play.
Juliette appeared on screen—herself, but different. More angular. Thinner. Wearing a hoodie and sitting in what looked like a storage unit. Her voice shook, but her eyes were clear.
“Dominic, if you’re watching this… it means I failed.
I didn’t run because I wanted to. I ran because I was being watched—threatened. They said they’d kill you. Said I had to disappear and make it real.
Ravenwood planned everything—flight, fake crash, identity erasure. I didn’t want to go. But I had no choice.
And if I ever find my way back to you… I hope you still believe in me.”
The video ended.
Marina couldn’t breathe. Her knees gave way, and Dominic caught her.
She looked up at him through a blur of tears.
“I didn’t leave you,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said. “You were taken.”
They stayed like that for a long time, both silent, both shattered.
Finally, Dominic stood, eyes fierce.
“Ravenwood’s still active. If Lennox thought you were gone for good, he wouldn’t be hiding now.”
Marina swallowed. “What are you going to do?”
He looked at her, voice like steel.
“Whatever it takes to get our lives back.”
End of Chapter 15.
- Writer
