Dirty Secrets (The Heights #1)

Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

RAVEN

T he community center wasn’t too far from home, so Zavier and I walked. It was a nice day, and it would’ve been an unnecessary waste of fuel to drive such a short distance.

One of Beckett’s dads, Diesel, was there when we arrived, a warm smile on his face as we approached. The man was covered from the neck down in tattoos, and he’d been part of the Psychos since he was a teenager. He looked scary, but he was one of the nicest guys I’d ever met. “Hey. Checking the place out?”

“I can’t believe it’s almost finished,” I answered, glancing around the large building as the landscapers worked on the gardens. “You know most of the plants will just get wrecked, right?”

“We know. Can’t hurt to try though,” he shrugged, motioning for us to follow him inside. The doors were massive, and my eyes widened as I looked around to find a whole kid’s corner at one end, office computers along the wall close by, and even some small private offices on the opposite side of the building.

“We got a little carried away,” Diesel grinned as he started pointing things out to us. “A lot of people who are struggling have kids, so we wanted an area they could play in while the parents got help, or just to play in for the fun of it. Most kids around here don’t have a lot of toys, so now they have somewhere safe and fun to play. We hired staff, so people can get help throughout the day for things like resumes, job applications, or schooling. Kids can do their homework on the computers, and those who want to work can find jobs online.”

“This is amazing, but the second you close for the day, someone will break in and steal the computers,” I said with a wince.

“After hours will have security. Apart from high-tech surveillance, there will be security guards day and night,” he nodded, pointing to the offices. “On top of that, we have part-time mental health assistance, as well as separate men’s and women’s help for things like abuse, sexual health, and anything that sometimes makes people uncomfortable when dealing with the opposite sex. We obviously can’t fund full-time free clinics, but we’d like to trial some things to see if we can get the government and the local council on board. It’s unlikely to work, but it can’t hurt to try. We managed to get two condom companies to donate regularly, as well as a women’s health supply store. We should have free tampons and sanitary pads on opening week.”

“And how will you stop people from taking free shit to sell?” Zavier asked dryly.

“We have a system in place. Stone and Cruz worked on an app for us to input data like a registration. We mark off who gets what so we can check who's coming in daily. Obviously, we don’t mind if they’re genuinely using them, but if someone is going through five boxes of condoms a day, I think it’s safe to say they’re not using them all,” he laughed. “There’s a bathroom that’s accessible from the side of the building, which will be open twenty-four-seven. Separate male and female rooms with ten cubicles in each, as well as five shower stalls. There’s a laundromat going in out back, but that’s coin operated. Just means those who don’t have access to power or water at home have somewhere to?—”

He stopped talking when I hugged him, not realizing I’d done it until his arm dropped around me to give my shoulders a squeeze. I pulled back with embarrassment, clearing my throat. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine. I’m glad to know all the hard work is going to be appreciated,” he chuckled. “Besides, we’re huggers in our family. I’m used to it. Even the notorious Rory Donovan needs a hug sometimes. Don’t tell her I told you that though.”

The thought of Rory needing a hug kind of amused me, but it made me feel better that even a strong woman like her needed comfort sometimes.

“Are you helping with food?” Zavier asked, and I turned to glare at him.

“Don’t you think they’ve done enough?”

“I don’t expect them to, I was just asking since food is something that affects everyone,” he replied, and Diesel nodded.

“We’re working on it. There’s a lot of food places in surrounding towns that have stuff they throw out that is still consumable. Some even want to donate from time to time. What we’re hoping to do is set up something a few days a week to save on wastage. There’s a lot of food safety issues to go over first, so once we get approval for things, we can get food relief started. A few people have suggested a food truck or soup kitchen, but that requires volunteers and approval. Once we finish with the community center, we can move forward with the food stuff.”

“Why don’t you set up a scholarship for Ashburn Valley Academy?” Zavier continued, making Diesel wince this time.

“That's a complicated issue. We figured it would be better to improve education for the whole town instead.”

“And everyone’s grateful for it,” I answered, giving Zavier a pointed look.

“Is there a way we can get word out to other people who might be interested in setting up scholarships? The Heights has such a bad name, and I just figured maybe if some of the local kids had the chance to go to the academy, that they’d be more employable. I don’t expect you guys to do it all, but have you looked into it? Is there something we can do to make it happen through other people?” Zavier asked, tilting his head. “Look at your girl. She was just like us, but she’s running an empire now.”

“One, we just let her think she runs it, and two, Rory’s success didn’t come from a fancy education. She only did her final year at the academy, which was only possible thanks to Caden’s mom paying for it and taking her in. Rory went through hell at the academy and it didn’t help her in the slightest. Then again, what we do isn’t exactly the usual type of employment,” he chuckled. “The academy is a cesspool of entitled rich brats. Bullying is insane, especially to those who don’t come from money.”

“Why would you want your kids to go there then?” I asked with confusion, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Caden’s mom really wanted her grandkids to go. Who exactly would’ve given them shit though? They’re at the top of the food chain, thanks to the Donovan name, but even without Rory’s name attached to them, Caden, Jensen, Lukas, and Tyler left behind a bit of a legacy there. Trust me, no one was going to fuck with them. If we dropped a bunch of Heights kids in there though? Mayhem.”

“You sent Noah to the academy, right? He’s a foster kid.”

“Being a foster kid of ours and being a kid from the Heights is different, and you know it. I’ll take your thoughts back home though and discuss it with the others. If we could build an academy for the Heights, we’d do it, but we can’t put everyone through private school out of our own pocket. I know it seems unfair that the academy gets the better education, but the fact is that the kids who go there have parents who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for them to attend. The best we can do is try to fix the public system here and upgrade all the technology while offering other programs to help kids go a little further than they can now,” he said with regret, raking a hand through his graying brown hair. “There was talk about fixing the local pool and updating the park, but a few locals got snippy about the pool.”

I cringed. “Yeah, the local pool is known as the Pit. It’s where most kids hang out, tag walls, fight, and in a lot of cases, sleep. Ashburn has the track, and we have the Pit.”

“So you’re not against a pool, you just don’t want it to take over your social spot?” he asked curiously, studying me.

“The pool was popular until it shut down. The issue is, no one has money around here for leisure. Unless it’s free, no one will use it. Not because we don’t want to, but because we can’t afford to when a lot of people only eat every couple of days and live in houses with no electricity or water.”

“Budget aside, what would you suggest we do around here?” he asked, pulling his phone out and bringing up his notes. “Anything. Jobs, food, activities, education. I want a list so we can see what's in demand. We can’t do it all, I won’t promise that, but we can work on making some noise about things to see if the government gets bullied into some funding.”

“You guys really give a shit, don’t you?” I murmured, and he let out a laugh.

“You act surprised. We make millions of dollars a week in investments alone. Most of us grew up poor and on the street, so we know how hard things can be. We can make a difference, and the Heights only has a bad rep because no one will help it out. So, hit me with it.”

Zavier gently squeezed my arm, jerking his head towards the door. “I’m going to check out everything outside. You good with D?”

I nodded, knowing Diesel was safe to be around alone, and I gave him my full attention once Zavier had left.

“Businesses never stay. The longest running businesses here are the local diner and the grocery store. I don’t think anything has stayed open for more than twelve months. Hell, they never even rebuilt the police station after it burned down last year. The old high school has sat abandoned forever, the driver’s education program barely lasted two months, and when the salon went in a month later, it was only open for four months before closing. Nothing can thrive here because there’s no money for people to put into it. Investors don’t see the point in coming here in the first place for that reason. Teachers half-ass their lessons because they’re barely educated themselves, and those who might have a chance at working because they’re not fucked up twenty-four-seven, all have kids they have to look after. Child care is too expensive, it’s a luxury.”

“Would free birth control programs help?”

“Probably, but you’d have to offer it forever because when they run out and need more, they can’t afford it,” I shrugged. “Cutting back on unwanted children is a really good start though. I don’t know many people around here who can afford the kids they have, but they keep having them because they work in the sex industry and aren’t careful.”

“Why wouldn’t they be smarter about it?” He was frowning now, and I could tell he was trying really hard to understand. Diesel might have been a street kid, but he hadn’t grown up like us.

“People pay more for a cream pie, I guess. Not to mention, most people are fucked up on drugs and don’t care.”

“What were your parents like? Do they still live around here?” he asked, completely throwing me. My eyes narrowed and I took a step back, his hand coming up as if I was a frightened animal. “Touchy subject? We don’t have to talk about it. I just noticed none of you really have a parent around. Sorry.”

Understanding flickered across his face, and I let my guard down a fraction. “My mom left when I was really little, and Dad’s an abusive drunk who took off too. He only came back for proof that my brother was dead before leaving again.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Nine years ago. I was twelve,” I mumbled, hating to open up about something so personal, but knowing he wasn’t going to judge me for it.

“Who raised you then? How did you not go into foster care?”

“Reid,” I said softly, glancing around the room to try and find something to focus on to avoid his gaze. “He forged documents and forms for school for me and Logan. Dragged my ungrateful ass to school every day and went without food a lot so I didn’t have to.”

“The guys’ parents weren’t around either?” His phone was gone from his hand when I looked back at him, and I shook my head. “It’s not my place to talk about it, but no, they weren’t around much. Reid’s mom was at the house the other morning though.”

“That’s good, right?” he asked slowly, making me snort.

“No. It’s not. She was a shitty parent back then, and nothing’s changed. Reid and I are currently having a bit of a spat over her.”

“None of you are in danger from your parents right now?”

“No, none of them are our stalker,” I replied, clearing my throat. “If you’re going to improve the education system, it could be useful for sex education to come back. It’s obviously not taught around here much, but kids don’t understand the changes their bodies go through. I was delayed hitting puberty, a lot of kids are thanks to malnutrition. I thought I was dying until Reid helped me figure it out.”

He smiled, pulling his phone back out to type a note about it. “Sounds like you’re very lucky to have Reid.”

“Can you request that teachers get a proper background check? Too many creeps have gone through the schools. Oh, and is there a possibility of finding cheap food options for lunches? A lot of kids don’t eat at home but really can’t afford fancy cafeteria food. Instant noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, things like that. Even if it's just some donated food they split between the classes,” I said instead, not wanting to talk about Reid.

“Your teachers don’t have background checks?” he asked with surprise.

“It’s more like babysitting. They don’t really teach much, it’s just to keep kids in class. Most kids fail high school because we get tests like everyone else, but we were never taught anything. I only passed because Reid was a tyrant and forced us. Others don’t have that kind of help though.”

He typed for a while before sliding his phone into his pocket with a nod. “If you think of anything else, let Beck know so she can pass it on.”

“If any jobs pop up for any of your businesses, can you tell us? I don’t expect a job without going through the application process, but?—”

“I have a temporary thing I need help with,” he said thoughtfully. “Let's head outside so I can show you the rest of this place while we talk.”

I happily followed, praying it wasn’t part of their adult nightclub business. I didn’t want to look ungrateful, but I really didn’t want to be a stripper or an escort.

The bathrooms looked great, and the landscapers were doing wonders for the area surrounding the building. Benches were going in under some trees, there were plants with bright flowers everywhere, and a new path went all the way around the building with signs that pointed to where the bathroom was.

I was almost ready to burst when Diesel finally spoke. “How would you feel about helping Poppy out at the house with the kids sometimes? It wouldn’t be full-time, but we’re at capacity right now, and everyone’s super busy. Lukas and Jensen are run ragged trying to deal with them all, and Poppy can only do so much to ease the pressure. She said you were really good with them, so I thought I’d ask since you wanted to work. I can’t promise a lot of hours, but?—”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation, excitement building inside me.

“You haven't even heard about money.”

“Any money is better than what I’m making now. I don’t even get welfare like the guys, since I technically still live at my parents’ house. I really want to work,” I insisted, his face softening slightly.

“Thirty dollars an hour. Be available for last minute call-ins if possible. If it’s late at night, we’ll pay more.”

“Thirty an hour?!” I squeaked, doing the math in my head. “How many hours?”

“Like I said, it might vary. Some weeks we might not need you at all, but other weeks it might be ten hours a day for multiple days in a row.”

“I could make three hundred in one day?” I asked in disbelief, not bothering to hide the emotion in my voice. “Diesel, do you have any idea how much that helps us?”

“I know. Just remember that won’t be a weekly occurrence. Sometimes we don’t have any kids, other times it's fifteen. This week we’re basically set for it, but both Lukas and Jensen have other commitments coming up, and Poppy can’t do it alone. You drive, right?”

My excitement deflated slightly as I nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t have a car.”

“That’s fine. I just need to know if some mornings you’re able to help drive kids to school or pick them up. We wouldn’t ask you to do that unless we had no other choice though, so don’t worry. If it happens, there will be a car available for you.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly, forcing myself not to cry. Even if I worked one day a week, it would be enough to feed us. I could actually help the guys with expenses.

“You need to add more trash cans around here, or it will be covered in trash within days,” Zavier observed as he approached, frowning at me. “What’s up with you?”

“Diesel offered me a job,” I said with a grin. “Like, a paid job.”

“Doing what?” he asked suspiciously, earning a knowing look from Diesel.

“We wouldn’t hire her for sex work, don’t worry. Poppy needs help with the kids sometimes. Figured since Raven was good at it last time that she might be interested in doing it again.”

“Thirty bucks an hour,” I said as I kept grinning, relief filling Zavier’s face.

“Babysitting? That’s a good idea, I know you loved helping them last time.”

“I can’t wait to tell the guys,” I exclaimed, making Diesel chuckle.

“I need to head off, Slash is waiting for me. We’ll be in touch about some hours for you soon,” he said, saying goodbye and walking off, and I couldn’t help myself as I pulled Zavier down for a quick kiss.

“I got a job!”

“You did, baby,” he smiled, tucking me under his arm as he started walking back towards the road. “Should we celebrate tonight with a movie?”

“Absolutely.”

Zavier

I was grateful for Diesel’s offer for Raven to work for them a little, she was practically skipping beside me as we made the walk back home. Raven loved nothing more than to feel useful, so knowing she would be contributing to our household income would make her so damn happy.

We smoked as we walked, and I loved it when my fingers brushed hers and she took my hand.

“Do you think the Heights will become a better place with some changes?” I asked, glancing around at the houses we passed to study the damages. Between smashed windows, peeling paint, and trash all over the lawns, it wasn’t exactly an appealing place to be.

“I think some help could make a difference. The main problem is addiction though, which is well out of the budget. It’s not like they can send everyone in town to rehab,” she answered dryly, puffing on her cigarette. “Crime rate can’t go down until more people sober up and find decent jobs.”

“If they upgrade the schools in the area, they’ll have to get security for them too. New electronics are a goldmine.”

“They’ll just hire the Night Thieves to install fancy tech everywhere. There’s not a lot of security in the Heights, so I think it’s also an excuse for the crews and Thieves to gain access,” she said, making me nod.

“Yeah, it’s probably part of their motivation. I mean, they’re good people, but they’re also part of one big empire. They have a lot to gain by doing this. If it was anyone else, I’d hate it, but I don’t mind. Just means we can have access to surveillance when we need it too.”

We walked in silence for a moment before Raven’s hand tightened in mine a little.

“Do you think Logan and Reid made up today? I really want to talk to Reid tonight about our relationship.”

“How do we tell him?” I asked, not minding in the slightest about telling the world she was mine. Not that we’d really discussed what was happening between me and her, but if she wanted to claim it was a relationship, then I was down for that. “Do we ease him into it, or just outright say we’ve been dating? He’s more likely to kill Logan, right? Since he’s the only one who’s technically slept with you. I’ll have a head start on running if I trip him.”

She laughed, tossing her cigarette butt into the gutter. “Don’t abandon Logan. I’d miss him.”

“You mean you’d miss his dick. Trust me, mine’s better. Once we break the news to Reid and everything settles down, I want to kick the guys out for a night so I can have you to myself. I have no problem eating your pussy forever, but I hate that you’re missing out on what my dick can do for you,” I joked, tossing what was left of my cigarette aside too as she swung our arms slightly.

“Are you going to romance me, Mr. Lopez?”

“Hell no. I’m going to fuck you like an animal all over the damn house. I’ll be romantic afterwards though because I’m a gentleman,” I winked, her mouth curving into a smirk.

“I’d definitely like you to fuck me on the kitchen counter. I’ve had fantasies about it ever since you ate me out on it. It’s the perfect height.”

“Raven, you’re going to make me come right here in the middle of the street,” I groaned, releasing her hand to drape an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer as I dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll fuck you any way you wish though.”

The giggle that left her warmed my chest, but the moment was short-lived as the sound of an engine caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder as a car barreled towards us, and I shoved Raven to get us both out of its path of destruction.

Tires screeched as the car connected with us, thankfully not at full speed, but it sent us down hard nonetheless. I’d barely hit the ground before I was scrambling towards Raven, carefully feeling her head for damage.

“Raven? Baby, look at me,” I demanded, her eyes fluttering open as car doors slammed close by. “Hey, what hurts?”

My hip throbbed from the hit, but I could move, so it was fine. Raven seemed to be struggling to get her bearings, which worried me. Had she hit her head?

Someone shoved me, and Raven cried out as I landed on her, the barrel of a gun pressing against the back of my head. “Mr. Lopez, we've been looking for you.”

“I didn’t do shit,” I snapped, trying to lift my weight off Raven, but the asshole with the gun wouldn’t let me. When Raven let out a sound of pain, another prick kicked her, and I saw red.

I moved fast, turning and grabbing the gun that was pressed against my head, not caring that his buddy had another one pointed at me. They took a step back as I waved my new weapon at them, standing between them and Raven.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’re fucking with the wrong person.”

“Mr. Ricci has been keeping an eye on you for a while now. You don’t think he watches everyone who handles his drugs?” the guy pointing a gun at me asked with amusement, making me frown. He was a little hard to understand, thanks to a strong accent.

English definitely wasn’t his first language.

“I don’t even know who the fuck that is. I’m telling you, I’ve never sold drugs for a Mr. Ricci.”

“Don’t act stupid with me, boy,” he snarled, putting a goddamn bullet in my thigh and smirking when I let out a curse as the white-hot pain hit me. “Do yourself a favor and get in the car. If you cooperate, we’ll make it quick for you.”

“I don’t know who the fuck you guys are!” I shouted, wanting to check on Raven, but knowing I couldn’t take my eyes off these men for a second.

I prayed they didn’t have more guns on them, and I quickly shot at the guy’s hand to make him drop his gun, firing more shots as he made a move to grab it. One bullet hit him in the head, killing him instantly, and I turned my anger onto the other guy as he started running towards the car.

He didn’t make it far before I got one in the back of his head too.

I put the gun down and dropped to my knees beside Raven, her eyes closed and her body still.

“Baby, wake up for me,” I begged, not wanting to shake her if she had some kind of spinal damage. I ran my hand over her head again, hesitating when I felt the warm, sticky liquid on my fingertips.

Her head was bleeding. Not badly, but any knock to the head could be fatal.

“You’re okay,” I said in a panic as I yanked my phone out to call an ambulance, making sure one was on the way before calling Reid. His phone was off, and so was Logan’s, making me curse as my bloodied fingers dropped the phone.

I grabbed it, trying to stop my hands from shaking as I called Beckett, the panic consuming me the longer Raven stayed silent beside me.

“Lopez. I’m in a meeting,” Beckett sighed when she answered.

“Can you meet me at the hospital? Some guys attacked me and Raven. They hit us with their fucking car, Donovan. Raven won’t wake up and—” I was babbling, getting blood on Raven’s cheek as I stroked it. She still had a steady pulse, so I had to remind myself that she was alive.

“They hit you with their car? Is it random, or do you think it’s the person who’s been following you?” she bit out, chairs scraping and keys jingling in the background.

I looked towards the car, realizing it was the same one that we’d been trying to track down.

“Same car. They said they were here for me. Apparently, I sold drugs for some guy, but I have no idea who they’re talking about. Beckett, I never worked for the guy, I swear,” I choked out. “Where the fuck is the ambulance?!”

“Where are the people who hit you?” Her car started, and part of me relaxed at knowing she was on the way.

“Dead. They wanted me to get in the car so they could kill me. They kicked Raven and I snapped. I can’t get arrested until I know Raven’s okay.”

“Zavier, listen to me. You’re fine. Mom’s talking to the cops right now. I need you to take a photo of the guys so the Thieves can try to find their records. Send it to Stone,” Beckett ordered, pulling her phone away to talk to someone as her voice became muffled.

“I can do that,” I said more to myself than anyone else, getting to my feet and stumbling closer to the bodies so I could take photos of them, sending it to Stone before returning to Raven’s side and hanging up on Beckett without saying goodbye.

Thankfully, people knew to mind their own business here, so no one bothered us as I shrugged my jacket off and covered Raven with it, stroking her hair and begging her to wake up until the ambulance finally arrived and loaded her lifeless body into the back.