Chapter 129: Draven’s Return

DRAVEN’S POV

Ever since Jade left me, I hadn’t been myself.

I didn’t know how she was doing, how she was faring out there. What her life looked like with Rex ... I had no idea. I just laid low, kept my cool, and stayed buried in the Seven.

Months had passed. I didn’t go looking for her, even though every part of me wanted to pull her back. But not at the expense of her life. If she was safe in Rex’s hands, then the best thing I could do for her was leave her there.

Still, my life had taken on a different shape in her absence. I threw myself into the Seven ... adopted their lifestyle, their code, their way of moving. I loved every single run we made. Bank jobs. Kidnappings. Holding some rich family’s kid for ransom and listening to the parents beg on the other end of the line.

The desperation in their voices was something else. Admirable, almost. And very, very profitable.

Lucas, our leader, was a fair man. He ran things clean and kept everyone in line.

"Bro, why are you down?" he asked one evening, catching me with my head low, lost in thought.

I tried to fake it at first. Tried to wear the mask like everything was fine. But what was the point? I looked at him and just said it straight.

"It hasn’t been the same without her. She’s an integral part of my life and I’m only realising that now ... in her absence. I can’t do without her."

Lucas nodded slowly. "Jade was an integral part of the Seven, from the old days. But she made her choice and she’s living with it now." He paused, then patted my back. "Doesn’t mean you can’t go look for her though."

Did I really want to do that?

Yes. God, yes. I missed her and I wanted to see her face. But I also wasn’t willing to put her safety on the line just to satisfy what I was feeling. Maybe she was always meant to end up with Rex. Maybe that was just how it was supposed to go.

I went to the area where the Mafia wolves were stationed.

I told Lucas about it before I moved. He told me not to get her caught. That was never going to happen. I loved Jade with everything in me.

I reached the bar where she was working and made sure to go late ... late enough that Rex and his wolves would’ve already gone to bed, leaving her alone to wash up and close down.

I didn’t go inside. I stood at the window and peeped through the glass, watching her move around inside.

My baby was as beautiful as ever.

Her parting words came back to me then ... I love you. I hadn’t believed her when she said it. I thought she was incapable of that kind of softness. But watching her through that glass, I saw it. She had always been capable of love. She just wore her toughness on the outside and kept the soft parts locked deep within.

I stared long enough for her to notice me. The moment her eyes landed on mine through the glass, her whole face lit up. She moved like she was about to come out to me and I shook my head, giving her hand signs ... stop. We’ll see again. I’ll call you.

She smiled and nodded.

I left before Rex or any of his wolves could come out and put her in a difficult position.

I planned to see her again two days later. The previous day, the Seven had a mission to handle first.

We went out to rob a group of men and came back with a lot of cash. It went smoothly ... except for one casualty. One man refused to comply and it cost him his life. I felt bad about it. I genuinely did. But some people were just built stupid.

Why the fuck would you see a gun pointed at you and decide to drag? It had to end in him getting shot. That was on him.

That was the only death that night.

The morning before my second visit to Jade, I called her line.

"Hello, Jade," I said, keeping my voice calm even though my legs were literally shaking with anticipation.

"Can we meet tonight? Just right outside the bar?" I asked.

She said yes.

"I’ve missed you," she told me, and something in my chest cracked open when she said it.

"I’ve missed you more, Jade. I can’t wait to see you. Please watch out," I said. She affirmed it and we ended the call.

That night, I went back to her bar. As usual, it was quiet and dark out there ... no one around. The only light came from the street lamps casting a faint glow over the empty road.

She was so happy to see me. As happy as I was to see her.

She came out through the bar door and jumped straight into my arms. I grabbed her and held on tight, like I was afraid she’d dissolve if I loosened my grip.

"Jade. I’ve missed you," I said again, pressing her close.

She pulled back just enough to cup my face in both hands, her eyes searching mine. "I haven’t stopped thinking about you, Draven."

Then she kissed me. Soft and certain, right on the lips.

"I’ve missed your lips too," she said when she pulled away, smiling that contagious smile of hers ... the kind that always had me grinning like an idiot without even trying.

"How’s it been here?" I asked her.

"It’s okay. I cook and clean, do whatever Boss Rex needs. But they don’t take me on missions." She said it lightly, but it hit me like relief.

That was the best thing she could’ve told me. From what I could gather, their numbers had thinned out considerably. They were making do with what they had left, but they weren’t operating at full strength anymore.

"Jade, we can’t stay out here too long." I pulled her close one more time. "But I’ll come back. I’ll always come back. I love you."

"I love you too, Draven."

We kissed ... slow and deep, the kind that was meant to hold us both over until the next time. Then I pulled away and made my way back to the Seven.

"How did it go?" Lucas asked the moment I walked in.

"It went well. She looks good. Healthy." I sat down and exhaled. "I want to see her every day. I know that’s not possible, but that’s where I am right now."

He handed me a drink and sat back. "That’s the thing about love," he said. "It demands sacrifice."

We were still talking when the sirens hit.

They were close ... too close. Which meant they were already in the building.

I moved fast, cutting straight toward the back while they burst through the front. I was almost clear. Almost out. Then my foot caught a stone and I went down hard.

An officer was on me before I could get back up.

"You’re under arrest for civilian murder," he said, and shoved me into the back of his car.

As the door slammed shut and the vehicle pulled away, I stared at the darkness outside the window.

I had just started enjoying my life again.

And now this happened.