The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The crew behind Jax stared at the phone on the ground, swapping confused glances.

They couldn't figure out what kind of call could shake Jax enough to make him drop it like that. The guy always kept it together.

Next to him, Dane sat in his wheelchair, watching Jax's stiff posture. A sick feeling churned in his stomach.

"Jax, what's up?" he asked, his brow wrinkling.

Jax didn't say a word, just stood there quiet.

Then he slowly turned his head toward Raven, his glare cold and piercing.

"You behind this?" he asked, voice low.

Raven looked back with a small smile.

"Told you," she said easy, "I'd show you what regret feels like."

Jax's fists tightened, knuckles cracking from the pressure.

Dane caught their back-and-forth, and panic hit him hard.

"Jax, what's going on?" he pushed, his voice jumping with worry. Jax took a deep breath, his words coming out rough and gravelly. "The Group-it's finished," he said, heavy and slow.

Dane's eyes widened. He was dumbfounded.

He scrambled for his phone, pulling it out of his pocket in a clumsy rush.

It'd been on silent before they got here he hadn't even noticed till now.

When he got it out, the screen lit up with a call coming in.

He sucked in a shaky breath, his trembling finger tapping accept

The Group's done!" the voice on the line

He

"What happened?" he snapped.

solid before he left-how could the Group collapse

on. "Everything's out-all the files. You know a ton of that stuff can't hit the light. The cops

shock all over his

locked tight. The Group had killer programmers-They were supposed to keep this from

saying it was some world-class hacker," the voice added, sounding helpless. "Our firewall was like paper

in a breath and

1/3

5

72%

16:17 Mon, 14 Apr

Chapter 23

fix

seconds of quiet dragged on before a shaky

Group's cooked-bankruptcy's a done deal. Maybe... you could hit up Mr.

"Smash!"

phone down

breaking apart. It didn't touch the anger burning in his chest, though-his breathing

of work, wiped out in minutes.

his guts, he couldn't stomach a hit like this. His fists clenched hard. Then he swung his head toward Raven,

noticeable, then

fast," he said

that big-shot CEO line and shook her head, half-smirking, half-

talk back then-and she'd still

on Jax and

patience," she said, her voice cool. "Give

take a little

his whole vibe turning

hard stare on Raven, each

see what you've got,"

the Grayson family would feel the