“Quiet,” he shouts, and she clamps her mouth shut.
One of Benny’s buddies attempts a step forward, but Captain lifts his brass knuckle covered fist, spinning the bat in his other hand and the guy freezes.
I let up a little and he gasps for air. “I’m gonna ask you again, are you Benny Rogers?”
“Yes.”
“The same Benny who called Bass Bishop, the motherfucker standing in the background right now, about my girl?”
His brows snap together, and he opens his mouth to argue, but his eyes shoot wide in realization. Beads of sweat instantly form on his forehead and he frantically shakes his head. “I didn’t know, I thought it ... oh shit.”
“Yeah, Benny boy. Oh shit.” I bend down. “Tell me exactly what you told Bishop and I’ll leave your balls intact. Lie or hesitate, even for a second, and my brother is ready to smash your nuts with a Louisville Slugger.”
“Maddoc—” Bishop starts but cuts off.
I can only imagine Captain leveled him with a look that said not a fucking seed planting word.
“I didn’t know it was about her.” Tears fill the bastard’s eyes and he swallows. “I only told him I heard a video was being shopped around for those interested in a blackmail piece.”
“What fucking video?”
“Maddoc—”
Bishop tries again, but a slam is heard next. “You had your chance to speak. Open your mouth again and I’ll fill it with brass.”
I quirk a brow at Benny.
“You really want me to say it out loud?” He looks from me to the bat in Cap’s hands frantically.
I stand up and nod to Royce.
He shoves the girl in the house, ripping the blanket from her as he shuts the door.
He tosses it in the grass, and I nod my head toward it.
Benny quickly grabs it and covers himself, cutting a glance at the people around us.
“Leave,” Captain tells them, and they scatter in seconds.
Royce hops off the porch and the three of us crouch in front of Benny.
“Talk.”
“I called Bishop.” He sits up, glancing at the fool himself before looking back to us. “I told him I heard about a video being shopped around of his new girl.” When I growl, he throws his hands up. “I didn’t know she was your girl, man! I only knew she was one of his newest fighters.”
“Just keep talking,” Captain snaps, throwing a frown at me.
“I told him there was a video of the girl who had been fighting out there, and you three ... fucking. All I knew was it was being pushed as Brayshaw blackmail material, but it didn’t sit right with me because how would a video of you three getting with the baddest bit— ” He cuts himself off, clearing his throat. “The baddest chick we’ve seen out there be blackmail material? More like a good ass porno, you know?”
“Wait.” I shake my head.
“Video of us fucking...” Royce’s eyes hit mine and then widen.
I frown looking from him to Captain. “What?”
“The cabin.”
My muscles lock.
The fucking cabin.
Graven.
Fervor spreads through my body and a tremor follows.
Benny recoils in fear.
“Look, man,” he rushes out. “I called Bishop on purpose. I knew he was in charge of running shit at the warehouses for you guys. I thought he’d go to you.” His eyes bounce between the three of us. “I was doing a solid, I swear!”
I push to my feet and move for the truck, my brothers on my heels.
I grip Bishop by the neck and slam him against the door so hard his head snaps back against the glass, hard enough for it to bounce right off.
He doesn’t fight me, he knows he fucked up and takes it.
“You better fucking pray or grasp for some kind of straw, Bishop.”
I toss his ass to the ground, moving to the front of the vehicle to talk to my brothers quietly.
“Bishop is fucking dead,” Royce growls.
“Raven earned his trust like she earned ours. We can’t fuck him up for that,” Captain reasons. “We wanted that for her, but we can fuck him up for not telling us this the second she took off.”
“Fuck!” Royce folds his hands behind his head, looking to the sky. “She did it again. She fucking protected us.”
“But at what cost?” Captain says quietly. “This is Collins we’re talking about.”
“I’m going to get her.”
“Now?” Royce asks eagerly.
“Right fucking now.”
Cap and Royce move for his SUV
I climb in mine, and Bass slides in the passenger seat.
My heartbeat hammers against my ribs – the fucking cabin.
Shit.
Captain leads down the road, but I hit the gas, swerving on to the wrong side of the street to pass.
Bass grips the handle above his head, his glare snapping my way briefly.
Captain shakes his head as I fly by him – I know that’s why he wanted to lead.
But this is my girl we’re going after.
“Where we going?” Bass asks.
“Shut the fuck up, Bishop.” I glance both ways, zooming through the red light before the cars have a chance to cross, looking in my rearview mirror when Captain honks his horn. He throws his hands up, letting them come down to smack against his wheel.
My phone rings in the next second, but I don’t fish it from my pocket. I already know he’s gonna ask me to pull over and wait.
He’s fucking trippin’, I couldn’t calm myself if I tried, and I’m not even gonna attempt to.
Raven is the most stubborn fucking girl I’ve ever known.
She’s venom in the water. Not the snake itself, but the fatal liquid that floats across the top. No matter where you step, if even twenty feet away, she’s finding her way inside.
She’s in me.
She’s in my brothers.
And she’s in the prick next to me. Why else would he feel the need to warn her, a girl he hardly fucking knows, when he’s been working for us the last year?
Our dad had his file sent over the second one of his men got word of what was going on in his home. Turned out his dad beat his ass, put him in the hospital for the last time, all for defending his little sister. Our dad always got wind of these situations before whatever county these kids come from did.
Pick of the fucked-up litter.