Royce tosses his phone onto the coffee table and it continues to vibrate against the wood.
Cap sighs. “One of us is going to need to answer.”
“We need to wait,” Royce responds.
Footsteps have our heads jerking toward the stairs. Maddoc’s voice floats to our ears. “Hello.”
He’s answered his phone.
He’s visible now, still descending the steps and my ass cheeks clench in expectation when I meet his frenzied gaze.
My stomach turns, but I don’t dare look away – couldn’t if I wanted to.
“Yeah,” he rasps into his phone. “I will.”
He hangs up slowly, not stopping until he’s directly in front of me, glaring down the length of his nose.
Naked anger and unreserved foreboding has my throat growing tight.
“He wants Maybell here,” he speaks, looking at me but his words are for his brothers. “Can you guys go get her?”
“Yeah, man,” Captain mutters and he and Royce head for the door.
“Take your time,” he adds, and they hesitate a second before walking out, closing and locking the door behind them.
The second they do, he grips me under the armpit and tosses me in the air, catching my hips in his rough hands. He turns, taking the steps two at a time until we reach his room. He bumps into the dresser, shoves everything off with one full sweep of his elbow and drops me on top.
He pushes closer, pulling me flush against him and my body heats – a strange mix of fear and excitement flaring inside me. I’m not afraid of him, but I admit, I have no idea what he’s thinking, what he believes or what truths he knows.
His knuckle finds my jaw and he holds my head in place.
“What. Happened.”
“Nothing—”
“Try a-fucking-gain, Raven.” His chest rumbles with his growl. “And start with the part where you first left, the night you were jumped.”
I lick my lips. “Bass told me to meet him out at the warehouses, he was too cryptic for me to ignore him, so I went. He told me about a video of us breaking into the cabin, but he didn’t know that part of it, just thought it was of the four of us hooking up. I was jumped leaving.” I pause, not sure I want to tell him the next part considering I’m pretty sure Collins is in the hospital right now for the little he did know.
“Keep. Talking.”
“One of the guys whispered something before they ran off.”
“Which was?” he prompts, crossly.
“That I don’t belong, it was the same thing Collins said to me in the bathroom that day at the restaurant.”
“Wait.” Maddoc’s frown deepens, anger vibrating through his voice. “Are you saying ... Collins is the one who had you fucking jumped?”
“Yes.”
A deep growl leaves him, and his palms find my thighs, squeezing fiercely. “You hid this from us. You went there without us. Without me.”
“I had to,” I admit.
“Tell me why.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Say it,” he demands.
“To protect you.”
His chest rumbles and he starts shaking for real– a crack in his unbreakable armor.
A sudden and strong warmth spreads in my chest causing deep creases to form between my eyes.
His lip curls. “And what were you planning to do to protect us, to protect me?”
I tell him the honest truth. “Anything.”
A shuddered breath leaves him before he rips away from me.
He rubs his hands across his hair and down the back of his skull, gripping his own neck. “Did you fuck him?”
“No.”
“But you would have, if what, he took it?” His eyes bore into mine. “You’d have given him what I’d just fucking made clear belonged to me?”
I’m not proud of the decision, it should probably tell me to run and run fast knowing I’d give myself over for him – that can’t be a good thing – but ... “If I had to, yes.”
With a deep roar, he spins and punches the wall, planting his hands against it. He bends his body, his chin dropping to his chest.
I wait a minute, hop down and walk to him. Slipping under his arm, I slide down the wall, knees bent, until I’m low enough to look up and meet his stare without him having to lift his head.
“You’re angry.” My eyes shoot between his and his nostrils flare.
“I am beyond. Fucking. Furious,” he confirms slowly, and I nod.
I glide up and his head lifts to follow.
“Show me,” I whisper.
He tenses a moment, his features tightening as he quickly flicks his eyes between mine.
His head draws back slowly. “Raven—”
“I said,” I cut him off. “Show me. Now.”
His brows drop even lower, but with a deep rumbly roar, he lifts me, quickly tossing me on the bed in complete abandon.
He yanks his shirt over his head and my lips part.
He got ink.
Wrapping around his pec and left shoulder, the tribal-like design is thick and bold. Angry swirls and sharp edges with woven tethers of four ropes.
One for each of his brothers, one for him.
Who does the fourth embody?
My chest grows tight at the thought.
It’s so sexy.
So Maddoc.
His basketball shorts and boxers drop in the next second, so I start to lift my shirt, but he catches my wrist and tosses my hand aside roughly.
He makes quick work of stripping me bare. Before I can settle myself, he’s got my hips in his hands and I’m flipped over, landing on my stomach. His hand slips between my legs, cupping me and he pulls, lifting me by the pussy to my knees.
Two fingers slide down my center until their pushing into me and I clench around him.
He growls, pumps them twice, then removes his hand, his fingertips now biting into my ass.
He aligns himself with my entrance.
He growls, pushing inside me in one deep thrust, only to pull out completely, all so he can do it again and again.
Rougher, faster, and I clench around him, an airy moan slipping past my lips. My head drops back and he grips my hair.
He becomes frantic, deep growls leaving him, his breathing erratic and loud.
When my body starts to quake, he pulls out, smacking my ass cheek, then squeezing. “You don’t get to come yet.”
He slides his dick coated with my juices up and down my ass crack and I twitch. Maddoc slams back in and my knees try to close, but he nudges them apart more. Pushing my shoulders down until my chest hits the mattress, he scoots closer, drives deeper, my ass completely in the air for him to rub on.
“You denied me,” he rasps, flexing inside me.
“Yes,” I breathe.
“You kept things from me.”
“I did.” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to let go but, fuck me, I’m so close.
He grinds his hips against me, my ass cheeks spread as wide as they can go so he can get in me as far as the position allows.
He places his wet thumb over my hole and pushes, making me whimper.
He feels it, me about to come, my pussy clinging to his dick, begging.
Maddoc pulls out and I’m on my back, him sliding inside me in the next second. He grips my right knee, pushing it up to my side, and hot breath hits my ear.
I shudder beneath him.
“You protected me,” he whispers, biting at the flesh there before kissing it gently.
I nod against the pillow, my back arching slightly, hips rolling to meet his.
He grinds against me. “I didn’t need you to, but you did it anyway.”
My heart beats faster, my hands shooting up to grip him by the ribs.
His pace slows, still just as deep, still just as hungry, but ... different. His next words have my heart stopping.
“You left me,” he whispers.
My eyes squeeze closed a minute, and when I push on his
chest, he lets me roll him over so I can climb up. I slide down on top of him, unable to keep from grinding against him and his hands slip up my stomach, cupping my breasts. I brush his hair back.
“I didn’t want to.”
He eyes me before a tightness covers his features. “I know. And that tells me everything.”
I’m spun back to the mattress.
He breathes against my mouth. “Let me drive, baby.”
I clench around him, unable to speak, so I nod.
He starts moving, slow and steady. He fucks me deep and filling, and when I moan against his mouth, his lips finally fall on mine in a punishing kiss I fucking love.
My body is shaking uncontrollably now, my thighs clenching against him and he releases my lips.
“You can come now, baby.” He slides his mouth across mine, pushing in deeper than ever and I gasp. “Come with me.”
His body jerks with mine and together, partners in crime, we finish.
I could never get enough of this.
We only get a few minutes to catch our breath before tires crunching gravel has our stares meeting.
Slowly we stand, clean ourselves up, and redress.
He pulls me against him, running his lips over mine, before gripping my cheeks and kissing me slow. Different. “It’s time.”
We get downstairs only seconds before the front door opens.
Captain and Royce walk in, Maybell slowly entering behind them.
She looks solemn as she tries to smile, but there is a deeper issue plaguing her. “You ready, boy?”
He nods, skims his lips over my hair and walks to her.
He kisses her temple and she wraps her arm around his. Together they walk out front.
Royce, Captain, and I follow a few feet behind, making it out onto the porch right as a police car creeps through the trees.
My eyes widen and I take a step toward them, but Royce wraps an arm around my shoulder. “No,” he whispers. “He can handle this, RaeRae,” he says meekly, kissing my hair and my features tighten.
The officer steps out, his face drawn up in uncertainty as he steps toward Maddoc. It’s not a cop I’ve seen around here, but he seems well aware of who he’s here to arrest, fear clearly etched across his face.
But Maddoc gives a curt nod and the man relaxes, signals for him to turn around then places cuffs across his wrists.
His eyes meet mine over the hood and hold, then shift to his brothers’ before he’s placed in the back seat.
Maybell climbs in front.
“What do we do?” I whisper as the taillights disappear.
“We wait.”
“For?”
“Dad.”
It’s been three days since we’ve seen or heard from Maddoc. Three days since we’ve seen or heard from anyone, actually, since we stayed locked inside waiting for contact that never came. Today, though, we had to be at school because of the game. The team would already be short Maddoc, and the guys refused to leave them hanging.
All fucking day these nosey assholes asked questions they had no right to the answers to – where the boys had been and where Maddoc was, but they never responded.
Royce had called Mac the day Maddoc was arrested and told him to drop word that the boys were out on business. Nobody ever questions their whereabouts, but with all the flip flop happening around here, these Brayshaw students couldn’t hide their drooling tongues and wagging tales if they tried.
The boys handled their admirers better than I did the gossipy girls. I could only handle a few of the curious glances before I got pissed off and threatened to give anyone else who started matching black eyes they could look at in the mirror all day if they wanted.
I get the curiosity. I mean, fuck, Maddoc tore off my top at the assembly, then grabbed me up. I’m sure to outside eyes it looked like a fucked-up situation, even more so with everything that followed and now here we are, back minus the leader. But fuck them, I don’t give a shit about their petty rumors and neither do the guys. I just don’t like to be stared at.
A whistle sounds again, bringing me back to the now, and the crowd starts shouting.
The boys rally well, Mac and Leo helping lead the team as starters today alongside Royce and Captain – there’s still been no sign of Collins.
Captain’s footwork is off, but his shots are on point, so he passes off and the team rushes the ball down the court. Royce passes it back to Cap who shoots for a quick point earned.
The opposing team gets the ball and charges forward, but Leo manages to block a pass, the ball ricocheting off his hand and straight for Mac’s, who throws for a half-court shot, but it hits the rim and bounces off. Luckily Royce is near and hops up for the rebound, shooting midair and making it.
The score is back and forth all game, they miss and allow more points than normal, but in the end, they’re able to pull off the win.
The team quickly retreats to the locker room, but Royce and Captain don’t follow.
I rush to meet them on the court and together the three of us waste no time, acknowledge no one, and head for Captain’s SUV.
Royce throws himself back against the seat and takes a deep breath. “Maddoc would be pissed at how we played.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Captain tells him. “He’ll be proud we played period.”
The boys talk a little about the game on the drive home, and when we park and climb out, Maybell steps from the house.
Tension lines her brows, but she tries to mask it and my stomach muscles tighten.
We all rush closer, desperate for her news.
“Your dad called,” she tells them. “Maddoc finally gets to see a judge tomorrow. He says he should be granted bail, no problems.”
The boys’ shoulders visibly drop, and both look to the sky a moment, but not me. The tension in my stomach spreads through my ribs and wraps around my shoulder blades until there’s a slight ache there.
Maybell, she isn’t relieved. She should be, hearing one of her chosen sons is coming home. She won’t hold their eyes long and she hasn’t looked my way yet.
“He wants to make sure you’re there,” she adds and they both nod instantly.
“Why didn’t he call us, too?” Royce asks her and she gives a small smile, but it doesn’t meet her eyes.
She reaches up and touches both their cheeks. “He knew you’d be there, playin’ the best you could with all this goin’ on here.”
“So tomorrow?” Royce confirms again.
“Tomorrow. Doors open at eight.” She pats them lightly and moves toward me.
She takes a deep breath, her eyes finally meeting mine. She nods glumly. “I told you, child. I told you, you belong here. I need you to start believing it, you understand?” Her eyes grow glossy, but she doesn’t let her tears fully form. “It’s hurting my boys when you don’t.”
I nod, but I’m unable to wipe the frown that’s been in place since she started talking.
She starts down the road and turns back to the boys, but they’re already moving inside, so I follow.
“I’m fucking beat, bro.” Royce pulls off his hoodie and tosses it on the couch.
“Me too, man.” Cap moves into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge. “Sandwiches and chips cool for dinner tonight?”
“Sounds fucking good to me.” Royce plops down and flips on the TV.
Cap lifts his eyes to mine and when he does, his brows hit in the center of his forehead.
“Raven?”
“Yeah.” I nod, fighting not to swallow. “I’m good with that.”
“Raven.”
I lick my lips. I’m not fine.
Maybell didn’t share all she knows.
“Raven.”
“She’s hiding something,” I blurt out.
They eye me, then each other.
“Guys.”
Royce walks over to me and grips my elbows. “She has a lot of secrets, only spills when she needs to.”
“She shouldn’t hide things from
you, it’s not right.”
Royce grins, but it doesn’t meet his eyes, then moves to the fridge for a drink.
“I’m serious. I don’t know if you guys have known many people who’ve been arrested, but my mom was, all the fucking time. You’re in court within a day, sometimes released right after booking with a court date to return. This isn’t normal. He hasn’t called and he hasn’t seen a judge. Something is off.”
“If there is something to know, Maddoc will fill us in tomorrow.” Captain looks up and as soon as he sees the annoying unease I can’t hide, his light eyes soften. “I know things don’t work as easy as they should in our world, but we have to believe the moves made without us serve a purpose. And Raven, I guaran-fucking-tee, if Maddoc could call, he would have, and if there was a problem we needed to worry about, he would force a way. He’s sitting, so we’re sitting.”
“But doesn’t his not calling make you wanna fuck shit up just to be put in there with him and find out why?” I ask and both boys laugh.
Royce walks over and kisses my temple. “We love you, our little scrapper, but one more day, RaeRae.”
I look to Cap for confirmation, and he winks, saying, “If it doesn’t happen how we want tomorrow, we’ll fuck shit up, all right?”
I nod, all fucking for that answer and again they both laugh.
Cap makes quick work of finishing up our food, and we’re done just as quick, each of us disappearing into our rooms.
I close my door, change clothes and slide in my bed. I tuck my knife into my sleep shorts, plug in my headphones, and turn on my flashlight.
I stare at the door.
Here’s to another sleepless night.
The ride to the courthouse feels like a million years, but in reality, it only took a solid fifteen minutes to get to the turn-off. Once we’re within eyeshot, though, it feels way too fucking soon and nerves kick to life making me queasy.
“Raven, make sure your knife’s not on you, we have to go through a metal detector,” Cap reminds me.
“Got it.” I slip my switchblade between the seats and glance out the window at the large brick style building.
Captain finds a spot pretty close to the front and the boys get out, but guilt – an emotion I’m not used to – has me delaying.
Trouble at Brayshaw High Page 10
