Royce leans forward, his elbows on his knees.
“Boy?” Maybell calls him, wanting his thoughts, but he only continues to glare at his folded hands.
He shakes his head, giving nothing.
Maybell sighs and spreads some skin glue over my knuckles, patting me on the thigh as she stands. She stares. “Your old man tell you to do as you felt needed?”
I nod.
She gives a grim smile. “Well, seems there’s only one move at the moment.”
Cap spins around to look at her and Royce’s head raises. She looks from one to the next, settling on me. “Make her regret it.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Maybell lets out a little laugh and turns for the door. “Come on, boy. No need to fish for reassurance, it won’t take much to hit her where it hurts. No one knows that girl like you, maybe not even her. You boys are the only weapon that would work against her.”
Maybell throws away the soiled gauze and grabs a towel from the rack in the corner, moving toward the blood on the mat, but she stops before bending down and scowls at the three of us.
“Wash away the self-pity and stand tall, like you were born to do. I’ve watched you take down a corrupt judge and get a congressman to give up his seat, a seventeen-year-old girl will not break you.” Maybell’s eyes travel between us again. “Watch her when she can’t see you, force her hand when you need to. Make her think of you at every moment, every day – bet she already is. Stay in her face and get dirty if need be.”
“Why?” Royce asks her, and she looks to me.
My eyes bounce between hers, and I answer, “Because that’s what it’ll take.”
Royce pushes to his feet and Captain walks closer.
“To what?” Cap asks hesitantly.
My brows furrow and Maybell tips her chin.
I look to my brothers. “To break her.”
“Is that what you want to do?” Captain asks me, an angry glare he doesn’t try to hide behind his eyes. “You want to push her ‘til she falls?”
“And catch her on the way down, yeah.”
“And if she falls the wrong way?” Royce questions, unsure.
I clench my teeth together. Not an option. “Then we’ll make sure it hurts when she hits the ground.”
Captain pulls into the school and parks. “Look at these fucking people, standing around just waiting to see what happens next.”
Royce shakes his head, frowning. “We need to set shit right here, and quick.”
Captain glances my way and I jerk my chin, telling him to spit it out.
“You sure you’re up for this?”
“Up for what? This is our fucking school.”
“Yeah.” He nods with a glare. “And that’s your fucking girl who will be on the arm of a Graven. Collins fucking Graven,” he spits and my jaw clenches. “Like I said, you up for this?”
“I’ll snap his wrists, Cap.”
“And we’ll be right there to help you, my man, but we can’t ignore the fact that she made the choice. Do what you need to, but don’t forget where she slept this weekend.”
My eyes harden, and he shrugs, but his eyes show disappointment.
“You need to hear this, brother, who the fuck knows what’ll happen from here.” He eyes me.
“We already talked all this shit out, we go in there, treat her like the rest of them and play it by ear.”
“Yeah,” he nods. “I know we did, but I also caught the way your teeth started grinding the second we pulled into this parking lot, and the bounce of your knee, and the fists your hands are making right now.”
I throw my door open and climb out, turning back to lean in and grab my bag. “Point fucking taken.”
He gives a weak ass grin and they both follow my move.
We step in front of the SUV, Mac and Leo moving toward us as we do.
I look from Leo to the old Thunderbird he’s been driving. It’s a piece of shit, but still...
On a part-time paperboy’s salary?
“How long’d you have to save for that?” I jerk my chin toward the car but keep my eyes locked on Leo.
He shrugs, glancing back at it a moment. “‘Bout six months, but I’m making payments.”
I nod, shifting my eyes toward my brothers.
Royce looks from me to him, holding out his hand. “Badass, bro. Making it work.”
Could be true.
Mac steps in for props, right as Leo starts talking.
“That was some crazy shit at the rally the other day, huh?”
“We knew Collins was working his way in.” Royce shrugs and starts walking, so we all move with him, forcing Leo and Mac to stay behind or follow.
“But Raven, who would have thought,” the bastard keeps going, shaking his head.
“Every-fucking-body would have thought.” I swing a careful expression his way when I’d rather be pouring bleach down his throat for thinking he can speak freely on her. “She’s the daughter of a whore, what else would you expect? You really think we’d keep her around long?”
Acid lines my tongue at my own words, so I turn away before he sees the shift in my gaze.
“Speaking of whores,” Mac changes the subject, meeting my eyes a quick moment. “You guys hear Tisha Stevenson got caught sucking the judge’s dick at the cheer competition the varsity girls went to this weekend?”
“No shit?” Royce entertains him to help save face as Mac intended.
Leo gives a stiff laugh. “Yeah, we heard the coach walked in on it.”
Cap looks my way and I frown, following is stare when it shifts.
A group of girls stand in the middle of the hall chatting and I groan.
Fuck.
‘Course they’d all be ready and waiting day one.
I don’t bother covering my annoyance and keep toward my locker, but then laughter has me glancing down the hall in time to see Chloe step up to Mac and Leo and the others at the end of the hall.
Hmm...
I shift to Royce.
“Chloe?” He frowns, glancing down the hall and back, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
I shrug. “Why not let her run free on her, see if Raven cracks.”