Claimed But Not Owned

Chapter 7

Raven sat on a chair out on the balcony of her room, a book open in her hands. Soft afternoon light fell across the pages as she read in silence.

The door opened without a knock. Two tall, muscular men stepped inside. Raven didn’t flinch or even look up. She simply turned the next page and kept reading, completely ignoring their presence.

“The Don wants you now,” one of them said.

Raven flipped another page.

“Didn’t your mama teach you to knock before walking into a girl’s room?”

The man’s teeth gritted. He wanted to pick her up, fling her against the wall, but he said nothing. King had given strict orders—no one was allowed to touch her, no matter how much she insulted them.

Raven finally closed the book and stood up. She adjusted the hem of her top, then looked at them with mild annoyance.“Where is he?”

“In his office,” the second man answered.

“Let’s go then.”

She walked out of the room first. The two men followed closely behind.

When they reached King’s office, one of them pushed the door open for her. Inside, King sat with his legs crossed on the desk, a cigarette burning between his fingers. He raised a hand slightly, signaling the men to leave. The door closed behind them.

Raven stood in front of the desk with her arms crossed. For several long seconds, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the quiet crackle of the cigarette.

“Did you call me here just to watch you smoke like an exhaust pipe?” she asked.

King slowly put the cigarette out on a plate. He stood up, walked around the desk, and stopped in front of her. Without warning, his hand shot out and wrapped tightly around her throat.

The pressure was immediate and brutal. His fingers dug into the sides of her neck, cutting off her air. A sharp, burning pain spread under her jaw as she struggled to breathe. Her vision blurred slightly at the edges. She could feel her pulse hammering against his grip.

“Careful,” he said in a low tone.

He shoved her away hard.

Raven stumbled backward and fell to the floor, gasping and coughing as she clutched her throat. The skin burned where his fingers had been. Every breath scraped painfully through her windpipe.

King walked past her and left the office without looking back.

A few seconds later, one of his men stepped in, grabbed her roughly by the arm, and pulled her up before she could fully recover.

The man dragged Raven outside the mansion. A different truck was already parked and loaded with cardboard boxes. A black SUV waited in front of it.

King climbed into the back of the SUV. The man holding Raven opened the door and shoved her inside after him.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, a clear edge of fear in it.

King didn’t answer. His face stayed hard and serious as the car started moving.

“Where are you taking me?” she repeated, louder this time, almost screaming.

In one smooth motion, King pulled a pistol from his jacket and pointed it straight at her head. Raven went completely silent.

“Shut up,”he said quietly.

He put the gun away.

For the rest of the drive, neither of them spoke. The silence was heavy and long. After about an hour, the SUV finally stopped at an abandoned field on the outskirts of Chicago a remote, secure location the authorities knew nothing about. Perfect for deals like this.

The men opened the doors. King and Raven stepped out and stood in front of the vehicle.

Even though she could feel her stomach tightening into a knot, Raven forced herself to stay calm on the outside. She couldn’t stop the questions running through her mind. Why had he brought her? Did he want her to deliver the goods again? Did he plan to kill her? Sell her?

The exchange was supposed to happen at exactly 12:00 noon. King would hand over the drugs, and the buyers would hand over the money.

He checked his watch.

12:02 p.m.

He slid his hands into his pockets.

A second later, the man standing beside King suddenly dropped to the ground. A clean hole had appeared in the center of his forehead, blood already spilling out.

King turned sharply.

A sniper was close.