“He’s angry.”
“He doesn’t deserve you.”
My shoulders fall. “And I don’t belong to you.”
His eyes harden, his grip on me following, but I don’t show him the sting it causes. “We came into this together. For years, they overlooked you, and then she came in and became God. She didn’t even have to work for it, Vee.”
“You have no idea what she did and would do for them, but this isn’t about her. This is about me, what I want. You’ve known from the minute you followed me here I had every intention to stay. Nobody asked you to come back.”
“I came back for you! Everything I have ever done has been with you in mind.” His lip curls, his hands trembling on mine, and I wince when a bone in my knuckle cracks. “I have loved you all my life.”
“I wasn’t yours to love.”
“You were supposed to be. When I found you, when I lead him to you, he promised you’d be mine, and she’d be his. But he took you as his instead.”
“He manipulated us, both of us.”
He throws my hands away, shaking his head as he stands and begins to pace. “I want... I can’t leave you here. Mero is gone, I’m here. We have the money, what you didn’t give Mallory anyway. Let’s go.”
“You’re forgetting, I’ve had the money all along. I don’t want it.”
“Come with me.”
“You don’t need me. Just… go.”
He shakes his head, dragging a hand over his mouth. “I never should have allowed things to get this far.”
My eyes narrow and he steps closer, his hands sliding along the base of my neck, eyes falling as he runs his fingers down my shoulder before flashing to mine.
“He doesn’t want you,” he whispers, flicking my hair. “But I do, we’ll help you see.”
My muscles freeze, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
His smirk is slow, and my pulse hammers out of control.
“We.”
His arms wrap around me, pulling me against him, and I’m too shocked to stop him. “Don’t look so nervous, baby. I’ve got it all worked out.”
My throat begins to close. “What did you do?”
“What I had to do to make sure you have everything you need to be happy.” His fingers run along my cheek, and he leans closer as my body grows heavy. “Go to sleep, sweetheart,” he whispers as my vision begins to blur. “And when you wake up, we’ll be a step closer.”
Chapter 34
Captain
“His son,” Maddoc draws out slowly, his feet carrying him closer to our dad. “What fucking son?”
Our dad’s eyes soften, regret heavy within them. “We should go inside, sit.”
“No,” I say, looking to Perkins. “He doesn’t get to come inside.”
Our dad nods. “You boys know I tried to save your fathers the night Brayshaw was ambushed eighteen years ago, you know my brother was with us during that attack, and I left his body behind believing he was dead. We all know now that wasn’t true.”
“Enough with the backstory.” Royce crosses his arms. “What are we missing?”
“Mero knew our plan was to raise you boys as our successors. Three boys, from Brayshaw’s top three men—a new future for this town.” Our dad looks to Perkins and back to us. “A few weeks before the murders, my brother came to me to tell me he was expecting a son.”
“He wanted him to have a place with us.”
“Yes.” He nods. “But the timing had me questioning my brother’s motives. He’d never spoken of a child, you three were already born, and suddenly he had a woman none of us had ever seen him with before, conveniently five months along.”
“He waited to find out it was a boy before he told you,” Maddoc says.
“Exactly.” Our dad shakes his head. “I didn’t believe him, but he expected that, and had a DNA test to prove it. He thought that would be enough, that he was my brother, so that meant his son would be promised all you three were, but it wasn’t that easy.”
“Why not? He wasn’t even born yet. He’d have come in as we did, just a baby.”
“From a relationship I’d only just learned of, and with a mother I didn’t know. I denied his request.”
“But you were the lead,” Raven says, studying him with narrowed eyes. “You couldn’t give him what he wanted, but you did love him, so you couldn’t give him nothing either...” She trails off, shaking her head.
He eyes her a long moment, and shame shadows his face as he looks to us. “When Maybell sent a pregnant, homeless Graven maid my way, Maria, I knew the father had to be a Graven, but I didn’t know which one. It just so happened—”
“Your brother’s wife was having a boy, and Maria was having a girl.” Raven glares. “You made a promise that wasn’t yours to make.”
“You’re wrong, Raven,” he says, his eyes moving to mine. “I gave my word to protect the life of Maria’s child with all my ability, to bring her into the Brayshaw world where she would be safe, raised alongside you all, and in return, Maria gave me permission to promise her daughter to my brother’s son.”
My face falls.
Victoria.
He continues, “Your fathers and my brother, as we thought, died not long later. Maddoc’s mother and I took the other two of you and your mothers into our home, something we planned to do even before they were killed, and I offered the mother of Mero’s unborn son a position. A month following that, Maria went into labor, and the baby, Victoria, was taken.”
“The mother lost her meal ticket,” Royce says.
“I had no intention of firing her or sending her away,” he tells us. “But that baby was her security, and suddenly it was gone.”
“She was afraid.”
Our dad looks to Perkins a long moment, and when he brings his eyes back to ours, distress shines through.
“Dad?”
“In her eyes, Mero was gone, the Graven baby was gone, and it was only a matter of time before I’d send her on her way. I couldn’t protect an unborn little girl as I promised, and with that failure, any trust she had in me died too.”
“I don’t understand.” I shake my head. “Mero was Brayshaw, was he not, he ‘died’ as one, didn’t he?”
“He did.” Our dad nods.
“So she didn’t trust you, who cares. Her son was Brayshaw, innocent. He could have grown like us, with us. He deserved to be here.” I glare at him. “Why would you turn him away?”
“Holy shit.” Raven connects something we haven’t as our dad’s chin falls to his chest. “You wouldn’t, not unless you had to protect your family, your sons.” Her shoulders fall, pity in her gaze. “You gave her a job, placed blind trust in her to live and work in your home, and it was your biggest mistake, the very reason you hold the earning of trust so tight.”
Our dad’s eyes cloud with guilt. “Every boy grows into a man, but not all are meant for this, not all are strong enough to let go of the past and be the difference in the future.”
“Stop,” Maddoc draws out, a calm to his tone that has all eyes moving to his. “No more bullshit. Say it.”
Our dad nods. “When Mero died, I hired his mistress as our maid.”
“A maid,” Royce repeats, turning to us.
A maid...
All at once, realization hits us.
“You gave her a home because you loved your brother, and she murdered your wife, murdered our mothers.”
Our dad swallows, moisture building in his eyes. “She could have killed you all, but Maybell heard the screams. She got here just in time.”
“That’s why you sent her to prison instead of killing her yourself, because she was pregnant.”
He nods. “I couldn’t murder my nephew, even if his mother murdered my wife and the wives of my best friends.” He clears his throat. “A couple months later, a woman was on my doorstep, an infant boy in her hands, and without a blink, I sent her away. I would not have him grow up in my home, with my sons, and come home to find you all dead as
I did your mothers.”
“He was innocent.”
“As was she, until she wasn’t. I put her away for life, she had nothing to lose. I have no doubt in my mind she’d find him as an adult and do all she could to turn him on our family.”
“Mero never stopped watching this place,” Perkins says, stepping forward. “He must have known the second his son was denied.”
Our dad sighs. “I assume so, too.”
“This is why you allowed Victoria into the group home. You knew it was her. You knew Maria was her mother.”
He doesn’t deny it. “Yes. I led her there myself, but I didn’t tell her. She figured it out on her own.”
I drag my hands down my face, turning to Perkins. “What made you come here today? Why’d you assume she was gone?”
I’d swear he was waiting for my question.
“Mero Malcari’s offshore accounts have been sitting idle for almost three years.” His eyes move between mine. “It was cleaned out yesterday. Every penny.”
My gut twists.
No.
“How much was in the account?” I force my voice steady.
“Just over twelve-five.”
My soul begins to ache, and slowly, I turn away from my family.
I lick my lips, trying to ease the sting threatening to knock me on my ass.
This is on me.
I asked her to leave, and so she did.
Twelve million, five hundred thousand dollars.
I’ll never find her, never get to thank her for what she did, let alone grovel over what I have.
I swallow and take a deep breath, turning back to Perkins.
Raven lets go of Maddoc’s hand and walks over, looking up at me with tense eyes. “She wouldn’t take a dime of Donley’s money when it should have been hers. She wanted me to give it all to Bass Bishop,” she whispers, looking to my brothers as they step in closer, closing off our circle.
“Maybe that’s ‘cause she was sittin’ on millions, RaeRae,” Royce says quietly.
Raven shakes her head. “She didn’t take from that account, there’s no fucking way.”
Royce looks back to Perkins. “How did you know the account was emptied?”
My head snaps left, and it hits.
“She left you a clue,” I say before he can answer. “Didn’t she?”
“I got an email,” he shares. “There was a contingency on the account. The moment funds were withdrawn, it auto-sent.”
“Why you?” Raven asks.
“Because I was the first person she forced herself to trust when she had nowhere else to run,” he tells us.
I step toward him. “Show me.”
He pulls the phone from his pocket, handing it over.
My eyes fall to the screen where no words lie, only a clip art image.
A single, outlined anchor.
My chest caves.
She trusted Perkins to understand what it meant, to tell me something was wrong if she were gone, because she swore she’d never leave.
“She didn’t take the money,” I croak.
“Keep scrolling, Captain. There’s one more. One I couldn’t figure out.”
With shaky fingers, I drag my thumb up the screen and every muscle in my body locks when the second image stares back.
“A bird?” Royce whispers, shaking his head in confusion.
Holy shit.
Her friend. The boy from the Graven estate.
He found her for his father, and then spent his life watching her, following her… and now he’s come back for her.
Beady eyes and a red neck, white painted wings, rimmed in black feathers.
A fucking vulture.
“It’s Mike.” I shock them all, my pulse pounding double-time.
“Whoa, are you for real?!” Royce runs a hand over his hair.
“I knew something was off with that motherfucker. I had that damn feeling and I did nothing about it.” I drop the phone and drag my hands down my face, folding them around the back of my neck as I clamp my teeth together.
Fuck!
“She told me her damn self to basically watch his punk ass, that he didn’t belong here. She knew he wasn’t like us. Fuck man, she told me to make him go!” A deep ache sets in as a scalding fire lights in the pit of my stomach. “He’s Mero’s son. And he never fucking left.”
Maddoc yanks the phone from the ground, glaring at the screen, but slowly his eyes lift to our dad. “You turned your back on a fucking baby, and now he’s here, fucking with our family.”
“I had no clue, son,” our dad whispers. “If I had, I would have told you.”
“You should have fuckin’ known. She was burnt by a Brayshaw, for fuck’s sake! The burnt always turn to Graven!” Maddoc jerks away, turning to us. “We fuckin’ had him.”
Raven reaches out to grip Maddoc’s wrist and pulls him toward her, but her eyes slide to mine. “We have to find him.”
My temples throb and I clench my jaw to refocus the tension, I look from Perkins to my dad, to Raven and then my brothers. “I’ve got a feeling he’ll find us first.”
“Why would he do that? If he has her, why not leave, take her with him?”
“She’s not his prisoner.” I shake my head. “The tower was a message, a fucking... grand gesture or some shit he thought she’d appreciate, making his intentions clear. He’s twisted in the head, but he’s bettin’ on her agreeing to leave. She won’t.”
“You sure about that, brother?” Royce asks. “You told her to go.”
“It doesn’t matter.” My eyes meet his.
“Cap,” Raven whispers, pulling our eyes to her. She gives a sad smile. “If it comes down to a threat against you or her leaving, she will go.”
I gently place my hands on Raven’s forearms. “I know you did what you had to to help us, to save us, and we love you for it, but she is not you, Raven. She said she won’t go, and I believe her.” I nod, meeting my brothers’ eyes before looking back to hers. “I trust her.”
Raven studies me a long moment, and then with a deep inhale, her smile grows until a small laugh leaves her. “And there it is.”
Maddoc slides up, wrapping his arms around her, and she leans against his chest. “Okay, Cap. Tell us what to do.”
“If Mike came for her, he wants her to want to go. He won’t hurt her, there’s no way. If he planned to do that, he’d have done it a long time ago,” I tell them the only reason I’m not fully losing my shit right now. “I have no doubt he’s been watching, he’s seen her with me. He knows what she wants. He has no choice but to persuade her.”
“He wants to convince her she isn’t wanted here, that she means nothing,” Raven guesses.
I nod, thinking.
What I have to do becomes clear, a wince following.
Fuck.
I turn away, rubbing my palm along my chest, my shoulders set.
Before I can think too hard on it, I pull out my phone, scroll and hit call before bringing it to my ear, speaking the second the line is picked up. “I hope you’re home, because I’m coming over.” I hang up as quickly as I dialed.
Royce frowns, looking from Maddoc to me. “Cap.”
“You’re not gonna like it. I fucking hate it.”
“We’re with you.”
“Captain,” Perkins interrupts, stepping closer eyeing the four of us, but settling on me. “He’s a smart young man. All he’s ever known is trickery, and all he has ever had is her. If push comes to shove, he won’t hesitate to do whatever he has to. He loves her.”
“She’s not his to love.”
She’s mine.
Chapter 35
Victoria
My tongue smacks against the roof of my mouth, my lips parting with a bit of a sting as I peel my eyes open.
Mike sits across from me, elbows on his knees, holding out a water. “Thirsty?”
It takes serious effort to lift my foot and knock his hand, and even then, it doesn’t do a damn thing. “Ambien in all
the water bottles?”
He nods, a small grin on his lips. “In case you reached to the back of the fridge. Just like old times.” He stares at me a moment, and it’s as if he feels the distance the last few years have placed between us, a heaviness settles over him. “Remember we’d slip it to my good old dad so we could stay up together?”
I try to clear my throat, but it’s too dry, so I nod, rasping, “Yeah, Mike. I remember.”
He nods, looking away, only to swing his eyes right back, and this time they’re focused. “You are leaving with me, Victoria.”
My blinks are so heavy, my eyes begin to close again.
“Where are we?” I fight to stay awake, glancing at the lavish bedroom.
“Least suspecting pit stop.” His smile is sad as he grabs a remote, turning on a little monitor, and stuffing the control into his jeans. “I didn’t want to do this, but you need to see.”
“See what?”
“Reality, so you can leave this place without question,” he whispers, lowering to his knees. “I told you, I’m giving you everything you need to be happy, baby, so there’ll be nothing left for you here.”
Tension pulls in my gut, my eyes bouncing between his. “Mike...”
“Shh.” He pushes my hair back, setting a water bottle in my lap. “The seal’s not broken on this one. No more meds.”
There’s a sound in the background, and a voice follows, but sleep calls.
“I’ll be back soon, Tor, and with a surprise.”
A loud ring has my eyes opening, a clinking sound following and I push into a sitting position.
“Hi.”
My muscles tense, but I focus on the voices.
“You got here fast.”
Mallory.
My eyes fly around the room, landing on the monitor Mike turned on and I pull myself up, squinting at the tiny screen.
Several small squares make up the monitor, a live stream surveillance system like the one Mero had.
“You asked me to come see you today, and here I am.”
A sting shoots through my body, making my feet throb.
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