Claimed But Not Owned

Chapter 6

Raven climbed down. The officer thoroughly checked the cab and the undercarriage.

Everything came up clean. He then called two more officers over to help inspect the boxes in the truck bed.

Just as Jordan had hoped, they didn’t look too closely. They opened a few crates, glanced at the produce, and moved on.

After a few tense minutes, they restacked the boxes neatly.

The first officer turned back to her with a polite nod.

“Sorry for the delay, ma’am. You’re free to go.”

Raven gave him a small, controlled smile, climbed back into the driver’s seat, and drove past the checkpoint without looking back.

King and Jordan stared at the screen in surprise, especially King. He had expected her to panic or act like an amateur. Instead, she had handled the checkpoint smoothly, without raising a single suspicion.

Jordan glanced at him. “She’s good.”

King didn’t reply. His attention stayed fixed on the woman on the monitor screen.

“Hello? Jordan? Are you still there?” Raven’s voice came through the radio.

“Yeah, yeah. Nice work back there.”

“Weren’t y’all supposed to settle the officers?” she asked flatly. “I thought you said you had everything planned out.”

“Just forget about it,” Jordan replied. “Listen carefully. The road keeps going straight, but at some point it splits into two. Take the right path. There’s a warehouse there. Drive in. The people inside already know what to do.”

Raven took a deep breath and followed his instructions. She stayed on the road until it divided, then turned right. A few minutes later, a large warehouse came into view. She drove inside.

Men were already waiting. They quickly offloaded the boxes from the truck bed. Once the goods were cleared, one of them looked at her.

“Raise your shirt.”

Raven hesitated for only a second, then lifted the hem of her top. They began wrapping thick bundles of cash tightly around her waist.

Once they finished wrapping the money around her waist, the men told her she was free to leave. Raven climbed back into the truck and started the long drive back toward the mansion.

“Raven? How did it go?” Jordan’s voice came through the radio.

“I got the money. I’m heading back now.”

Jordan pulled off his headset and spun his chair to face King. King still wore that same neutral expression, even though he was clearly impressed.

“Soo…” Jordan said, waiting.

King gave no response. He simply stood up and walked out of the room with his escorts.

Jordan watched him leave. “Real? No ‘I love you’?” he said jokingly.

Raven finally arrived back at the mansion.

King, Jordan, and a few men were already waiting for her at the front entrance. She parked the truck, stepped out, and walked straight toward them.

“Where’s my money?” King asked the moment she got close.

Without a word, Raven lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing the thick bundles of cash still wrapped tightly around her waist.

King’s scanned them quickly. “Get it off.”

One of the men stepped forward with a pocket knife and carefully cut the bindings free. The bundles were collected and dropped into a black bag.

“Count it,” King ordered, still looking at Raven.

The man nodded and disappeared inside with the bag.

Jordan let out a low whistle. “Girl… you were on fire today.”

Raven ignored the compliment. Her expression stayed hard. “What about my sister?”

“She’s fine,” Jordan replied casually. “You don’t need to worry.” He stepped closer and draped an arm over her shoulder. “Just be a good girl… and she won’t die.”

Raven looked at him for a second. Then she deliberately shrugged his hand off and walked past both of them, heading straight into the mansion without another word.

King and Jordan watched her disappear through the doors.

*********

On a lonely stretch of road, Michael sat on the hood of his car, a cigarette burning slowly between his fingers. Headlights appeared in the distance.

Another vehicle pulled up and stopped a few feet away. A man stepped out.

“What took you so long?” Michael asked without looking up.

“Sorry, but not sorry,” the man replied.

Michael finally raised his head . “Just say what you have to say. I have things to do.”

The man stepped closer.

“The deal is happening tomorrow at the abandoned field on the outskirts of the city at exactly twelve noon. Don’t screw it up this time.”

Michael studied him for a moment, then extended his hand. The other man took it in a firm handshake.

“Together,” Michael said quietly, “We’re going to bring King down to his knees.”