“Where is your mother, Raven?” he repeats with a sneer. He knows he’s a goner, nothing left to do but try to tear at her.
But he doesn’t know Raven like he thinks he does.
“Same place she’s been since the day you raped her.” Donley’s face turns red with anger. “In Hell. If only you could see past the meat between a man’s legs, hm? Then we’d have been yours to mold. Bet we could have landed us a Brayshaw so easy, too,” she taunts.
We?
My muscles constrict, and I flex my fingers at my side.
Donley frowns at her, causing Raven’s smirk to grow.
She swiftly steps back, and my dad shifts closer to Donley.
Raven flips the blade in the air, catching the sharp metal in her palm and Royce takes a step forward, but my hand flies out and he halts his movement, glaring at me.
I frown, watching.
She glances behind her, half spinning and holds her arm out, her eyes flying to Victoria.
Victoria tenses, but the longer she stares into Raven’s eyes, the more she eases. She steps forward, wrapping her hand around the silver handle, around the words of Brayshaw.
Raven gives a hard nod, and Victoria yanks it back, blood spilling from Raven’s closed palm to the floor.
Captain’s eyes fly to mine, tension lining his brow, but I give a small shake of my head.
Let her be.
Victoria looks from the blood to Raven, to Donley, and then steps closer. Without hesitation, Victoria palm seals around the bloody blade, and she yanks the handle back. Her hand falls to her side, Raven’s bloody one slipping into it.
They step closer.
Raven pulls her hand from Victoria’s, slapping it against Donley’s face, and dragging it across his jaw. When the base of her palm meets his chin, she shoves his head back, forcing his ass to meet his feet.
Donley tries to swallow, but coughs, making a dark chuckle leave Raven.
She smiles wickedly. “Does our blood sicken you, father? Is it not thick enough, not dirty enough? Or maybe it’s too dirty for the man who traded one daughter for information on the other?”
What. The. Fuck.
All three of our eyes fly across each other’s, landing on our dad’s who frowns.
He had no clue.
I look to Raven and Victoria, both standing in front of Donley, both bleeding before him.
Sisters.
“I was never supposed to live, was I? You ordered an abortion, but my mom saw an opportunity. She’d taunt you every day and from miles away. She knew she’d be in the back of your mind, hiding in your darkest corner where your fear lies, just like you were in hers.” She laughs again, but it cuts off sharply, her eyes flying to my dad.
“Mero Malcari, the man you gave your other daughter to, raped me when I was twelve years old,” she says monotone, her eyes sliding to Victoria. I can’t see Victoria’s face from here, but Raven’s eyes tighten, and she looks away, swallowing whatever was on her tongue.
“My mother paid him, asked him to make sure what happened to her couldn’t happen to me. I was the spawn of her very own devil, and Satan forbid, I’d ever carry my own.”
Donley glares, his lip beginning to curl.
“She knew we’d get to this point, and she wanted me useless to you, to make sure you could never have a true, blood born, Graven boy, because girls are of no use to you. But guess what, dear father,” she forces past clenched teeth. “She f—”
“Raven!” I boom, stepping forward and my brothers step with me.
Her mouth clamps shut, her eyes flying to mine.
No, baby.
The grey grows icy cold, her brows dropping so low her eyelids are hidden beneath them. Finally, she blinks, turning back to him.
“You’re a piece of shit,” she rasps. “And you’re leaving here with nothing. If you’d rather die, let your eyes touch my boys and your wish will be granted without so much as a second’s hesitation, I swear it. You’re done, Donley, and so is your name.”
Raven looks across the heads of the other families, all who stare at her, a little in awe, a little unsure and shocked, but one thing they show is respect.
Her eyes fly to Trick Rivera when he stands, walking toward her with Alec at his back. “Get him out of here,” he says over his shoulder.
Both Alec and Bishop pull Donley to his feet, not letting up when he jerks in their holds.
He yells, argues back, but he’s ignored, his voice cutting off completely once they’ve shoved him in the cellar room, closing the door behind him.
Trick nods his head and holds his arm out for Raven to take, but her head snaps toward me before she moves a muscle.
Fuck me if it doesn’t settle my fucking soul.
I dip my chin, so she slips her hand through the bend of his elbow, letting him guide her to the fifth and final chair in the room.
Raven takes a deep breath, eyeing the seat with contempt.
“Mr. Hacienda,” she calls, slowly facing the others.
My eyes meet my dad’s a moment.
Romero Hacienda’s eyes narrow and he sits forward in his seat.
“Do you represent your family or your town?”
He glares. “We are one in the same, do not question me.”
She ignores him. “And the rest of you, you’d all say the same, yeah?”
They study her, but don’t speak.
Raven’s bloody hand trails over the empty seat, and she slowly steps around it. Standing behind, where the seconds in command stand.
She looks to Alec, back in his place at the end, behind Trick’s chair, Trick who is still standing. She meets his eyes. “Do you trust Alec with your life?”
“My family’s, my town’s,” he answers instantly.
“Would you give him your seat today?”
“Without thought.”
She nods, looking to the others, all who nod in agreement.
Her eyes fly to Bass who jerks his chin moving to the security at the edge of the room.
They disappear down the hall.
Raven licks her lips, dropping her palms on the edge of the chair, and her eyes fly to mine.
Mine tighten, but hers never waver. They stay just as strong, just as clear and sure.
My feet carry me to her.
“Sit,” she demands in a whisper.
My head starts to pull away, to look to my brothers, to Captain who gave it all for her, but her eyes slim.
Trust her.
Everyone looks when Bass returns with several guards, all carrying a chair if not two in their hands.
They place one between each of the others, laying a few extras near the edges, creating a large U-shape before returning to their posts.
Raven looks to the men behind their guides, to Alec, and once they get the approval of their leaders, they move, taking the seats laid out for them.
Her eyes find my brothers, softening. “Sit,” she whispers.
Captain and Royce are slow in their steps, stopping right beside me.
Our minds work the same, our thoughts matching.
It’s Captain who steps closer, reaching for her hand.
Steadily she gives it to him, allowing him to lead her around the front.
“We will,” he whispers. “But not today. Sit.”
Her lips press together to fight her smile.
She sits, leans back and crosses her legs. “You have one man you trust with your worlds, I have three. This chair belongs to Brayshaw.” Her eyes meet my dad’s a moment before moving back to the others. “And anyone we should trust to sit in it.”
Raven looks to Victoria, who gives a small smile, but takes a step back, letting her know she’s not ready should Raven believe she is. Our dad shifts to stand beside her.
“Rolland.” The Greyson leader eyes him.
“I was once what was right for this town, but times have changed. Should I even deserve a seat, I won’t be taking it,” he admits, his chest rising with his decision.
/>
“So, it’s settled.” Hacienda claps, sitting back. “The council is full.” He looks to Raven. “Welcome home, Mrs. Brayshaw,” he says and my gut clenches.
“Yeah,” Captain rasps, stepping forward again. His eyes move to mine, then Raven’s. “About that.”
Captain’s sheepish look has me holding my breath.
What the fuck else is—
My thought stops when Mac walks through the door, the reverend from mine and Captain’s midnight wedding right behind them.
“James?” Rolland worries, stepping forward. “What happened?”
“Mr. Carpo?” someone says from behind me.
He holds his hands up, a sympathetic smile pointed at me.
Carpo.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I push to my feet.
“This isn’t a place to bring your town problems,” Mr. Henshaw says.
“Their arrival holds purpose,” Captain tells them, but his tension-filled eyes hold mine. “Raven.”
I look back to James, allowing myself to be a judgmental bitch as I take in the tattoos that cover his arms – the ones his black fucking robe covered the night I met him – and the slight ruffle at his belt and boot, a tell-tale sign of his weapons.
I scoff, looking to Captain.
Captain’s shoulders sag, his eyes sloped around the edges.
“Your just in case?”
He nods, giving a half smile.
“What’s goin’ on?” Royce asks, glancing around.
“She’s mine.” Maddoc glares. “He made sure she stayed that way.”
“So you’re not married?” Royce’s eyes widen.
“No, man,” Cap clears it up. “We’re not.”
My chest tightens, and I lick my lips. “You’re Chloe’s dad?” I look to James.
“I am.” He answers as if he was waiting for this moment, almost as if he needs it.
“So you’re head of Brayshaw security?”
“Yes.”
“And you lied.” I frown, shaking my head. “Straight to the face of one?”
“I did,” he admits with zero hesitation but complete sadness. “Which is why I will be leaving my position.”
Captain and Rolland both jolt forward. “James, no.”
But he holds his hands up again, focused on me.
“Serving Brayshaw has been a true honor, and the things they have done for my family will never be forgotten, but the Bray in me is telling me it’s time I become a member of our community rather than the monitor of it.”
I flex the muscles of my jaw, glancing to Rolland briefly.
“This is my doing,” Captain interrupts. “You were helping us. You helped protect the granddaughter of the man who first brought your family in.”
James shakes his head. “The very moment I even paused to hear you out, Captain, I knew it was my time to step back.” He turns to me. “At the same time, I also knew I had to do it, for you, and in the name of Brayshaw. You deserved more than what you were getting, you deserved to love freely, something they stole from your mother, and I had to do all I could to try and help.
“However, loyalty is loyalty, and trust ...”
“Must be earned.”
He nods. “We met on a lie, Ms. Brayshaw. In my line of work, there is no coming back from that, and I cannot be what is needed without it.”
I bite into my cheek, staring at the stranger in front of me. I don’t know why, but want to tell him we could try, to ask him to stay and remind him of all the trust he does have here, but the resolve in his eyes begs me not to say a word. This is hard for him, but he’s confident in his decision.
I nod, and he grins, reaching out his hand as if to ask for mine.
I allow it.
“Thank you for accepting,” he says, a deep breath leaving him.
“James,” Rolland starts. “You’re sure?”
He reaches out, gripping Rolland’s shoulder. “When I took over for my father, he told me one decision is all it took for him to know it was time to pass it over. It’s time, Rolland.”
“Your dad was head security?” I ask.
“He was.”
“And it went to you?”
James inhales deeply. “It did.”
“Chloe won’t be gaining your position.”
A chuckle leaves him, and his eyes widen. “Trust me, I know. Maybe, in time, you’ll come to believe in her,” he says, hopefully. “She’s got a lot of work to do before then.”
Rolland motions for the door. “We should step out, they have more to discuss before they can leave.”
The three of them walk out, leaving the five of us in here.
“Raven,” Greyson says slowly. “I understand a lot has happened here, and I am truly sorry for everything Donley put you and your family, your people through, however...” He trails off.
I square my shoulders, shifting to face him better. “I don’t need lead up. Say what needs to be said.”
The man nods. “A new lead does not overpower an old debt. A contract was drawn, a deal made and accepted from two families. We don’t have a lot of rules, but the few we do come with no exceptions.”
“Are you not hearing me?” My head pulls back. “Did you miss everything that happened between that asshole and me? He raped Ravina Brayshaw, the woman he was bringing into his family, and I’m the product of that – a Graven and a Brayshaw. Am I not them getting what was promised?” I shout.
“I realize the situation is complicated and I acknowledge what he did was sickening. He will be dealt with, I can promise you this. Everything he has will be turned over to you, as you demanded – being the heir to the Graven estate and its assets allows that.”
“I give a fuck about his money!”
“I understand that, but the fact remains.” He sits back, looking across the others for back up.
I look to Trick who flattens his lips.
Fuck.
“Aside from everything, Raven,” he whispers. “What he’s saying is true. Your mother ran. Was she hurt, yes. Would I stop my daughter if the same happened, never. Did they gain you, yes, but—”
“But the Gravens never got their wife.”
He nods.
My eyes meet Captain’s.
Zoey.
He winks, his gaze flying over my shoulder and holding.
The shuffle of Victoria’s shoes has me spinning around, staring as she pulls a small grip of rolled white papers from the inner pocket of the leather jacket she borrowed. She steps up, handing it over to me.
“What are you doing?”
“You asked me to help you, this is me helping you.”
“I asked you to stand with me.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“So tell me.”
“It’s the contract.”
I frown, snatching it from her extended hand only to toss it to the floor.
“You kinda need to read that.”
“I kinda wanna knock you out.”
She chuckles, but quickly cuts it off, clears her throat and stands tall. Her brown eyes move between mine. “The contract is real, solid. There’s no getting out of it. Every single loophole if one would ever work in this situation was tied up. The Gravens are owed a Brayshaw.”
My nostrils flare, pressure forming between my eyes. “And you just had to restate the obvious?”
She steps closer. “Raven.” Her brows lift slowly. “They’re owed a Brayshaw,” she stresses.
My fingers fly to my temples as I attempt to make sense of it all.
Cap’s hand on my arm has me glancing over my shoulder. “There’s nothing in there about taking the Graven name,” he whispers. “Nor does it say a damn word about a female.”
Trick walks over, grabbing the papers from the floor. His eyes skim the highlighted area and he passes it down the row.
“A Brayshaw,” I whisper, and it hits.
My hand flies to my ribs with a gasp, and I whip around, and our eyes crash in
to one another’s.
He steps toward me, but I step back.
“I’ve taken over Graven and the Brayshaw lead was passed to me.” I look to the men, needing complete assurance. “Two families had to agree, but I’m both. I get the final say. I get to offer and take what I want.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Alec speaks for the first time and all eyes fly to his.
Slowly, the other members nod in agreement.
“If a Brayshaw weds a Graven, legitimately this time, the contract will be considered fulfilled.”
My eyes snap to Maddoc. “I’m gonna need you to marry me, Big Man.”
His jaw flexes. “For them?”
My eyes soften, and I step toward him, tilting my head back to look at him better. “I don’t give a damn about a contract or making people happy, but I want to be everything my name says I should be, and I want my family safe at all cost,” I say, and his eyes harden. “But at the end of the day, if there’s only one thing I can pull off, then I want it to be keeping you.”
His eyes narrow with his heavy inhale.
“So, what do you say, Big Man? You game?”
I shift, looking into the mirror as I grip the necklace the boys gave me last night – the bullet that hit Captain, melted down, reshaped and engraved.
A basketball, our names serving as the threads that create the shape.
The line across the center – Brayshaw. Mine and Maddoc’s on the strip across the center. Captain’s is the curved on the left, Royce’s on the right.
Four tethers, laced together, just like Maddoc’s tattoo. A representation of us all.
My family.
I look to my eyes, half smiling at the girl who stares back. A girl I never really thought I could like, and for the first time ever, I see me. Who I am on the inside. Who I want to be.
I see a Brayshaw.
And I’m about to marry one for real.
I inhale deeply, my hand coming down to cover my stomach as I spin around. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“It’s called you’re pregnant. If you don’t like it, use condoms after this one.”
Both mine and Victoria’s glare flies to Chloe, her head popping up to meet my stare at the same time.
“Sorry,” she forces out slowly. “It’s too natural to—”
Reign of Brayshaw (Brayshaw High #3) Page 28
