“Raven...”
“Graven.” My nostrils flare as I fight to keep control I don’t possess. “She named me after them. She hated me, Cap.”
“No—”
I lift my hand, giving a small smile. “No, don’t. Don’t say things you don’t know. She honest to God, if there is one, did. Why would she run away, leave them, and then name me after them?”
He stares at me, not quite following.
“She wouldn’t, Cap. There is no fucking way she ran.”
“We’ll find out,” he promises. “But we need to get out of here. They’ll let me leave soon, couple more days at the latest.”
“You’re still on an IV.”
“It’s a precaution, fluids and in case they need to run some antibiotics or something.”
“So you’re better?”
“I’m good. Sore, little weak still, but good,” he stresses. “Raven, I need you to stay out of trouble, stay here, at least that long. Let me help you with all this.”
“Me too.”
I jolt up when his voice slams into me like a fucking brick to the chest.
My eyes hit his and I can’t keep it in. My lip starts to tremble, so bad I don’t realize my nails are digging into my leg, until Captain tugs them free.
I run my tongue across my teeth, wishing to come off stronger.
Maddoc walks in, fighting for a blank stare, but he can’t manage it.
His entire face morphs, unconcealed agony and regret right at the surface for both of us to witness.
Tears tremble at the edge of my eyes as he takes in our position.
Before, this wouldn’t be an issue. He wouldn’t even blink, he’d appreciate one of his own comforting me and vice versa.
But before, I wasn’t married to the man beneath me, holding onto me... and I gave up the one staring in my eyes in doing it.
I swear the corner of his eyes grow red, glossy.
He wants to so bad, but he can’t look away.
He stares, his mind convincing him he’s staring at a girl loving on her new husband who she almost lost.
Come on, Big Man... as if I could replace you so quick. Ever.
Cap senses it, the pull between his brother and me. The magnet calling me to him, but I’m frozen. Captain tries to gently nudge me off, but I lock my muscles, begging, so his hand relaxes against me, his grip growing firmer, his way of supporting me in this moment.
Maddoc finally moves his eyes to his brother, and his shoulders fall. “Cap...”
“I’m sorry,” Captain says.
Maddoc glares. “Don’t.”
“I’m sorry, Maddoc. I...” Captain’s eyes shift to me, but I still can’t tear my eyes from the dark-haired, green-eyed, guy in front of me.
My heart is breaking for real. I thought it hurt when he left, yeah right.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear my chest was being cut open right here and now.
Maddoc doesn’t say anything but torturously slow, slides his eyes back to mine.
“Hey,” he whispers and it’s no use from there.
Warm, wet, tears roll down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them if I tried.
“Hey...”
His nostrils flare, his jaw flexing and he spins around, giving us his back as he drops his chin to his chest, clearing his throat. “I’ll get the nurse.”
And he’s gone again.
My face falls in my hands and I shake my head.
“I’m sorry, Cap.” I quickly pull myself from his grip, and he tries to snatch me back, but I dash to the side, and he can’t reach farther. He’s still stuck to his machines. I force my eyes to his.
“Do not apologize to me again.” He glares. “This isn’t easy, Raven, and you’re human, even if you act like Wonder Woman.”
“More like Harley Quinn.”
Through his anger and the tension, he chuckles, dropping his head back against the pillow. A small grin forms on his lips, and though his eyes are still sad, it makes me smile back.
I move back to my own bed, finding Victoria’s blank stare on me. Slowly she shifts hers to Cap and then looks back down at her blanket before meeting mine again. She lifts her brows, smirking, going for playful but her concern is there.
“Always in the line of fire.”
“Eh.” I nod my head back and forth. “I mean, this time I was in the line of a busted ass pick-up truck, but tomato tomatoe, yeah?”
She chuckles, pushing to her feet and coming over to my bed. She drops on the end of it, staring at me.
“What?”
She glances at Captain, bringing her eyes back to me. Strain finds her forehead.
“Vee?”
She opens her mouth, closing it just as quick when the nurse walks in. The nurse who almost gets knocked to her ass when Royce rushes past her, and skids to a stop next to me.
His eyes fly over my face, and he grins, planting his arms on his hips. “Goddamn you, RaeRae.”
I give a single shoulder shrug. “I told you. Trouble finds me.”
He scoffs, leaning forward to grip my head gently, and kiss my hair. “You ain’t lying, girl.”
Rolland walks in next, concern etched in his brows, but he doesn’t speak, and Bass follows, staying posted half in and half out the door.
“I’m gonna need near her, to check her,” the nurse teases warmly, slipping between Royce and me. She gives a sad smile. “Hi.”
My eyes narrow when with each passing second, her features grow more tense.
She looks to my arms, then the screen, then the cords dangling off the bed. “You’ve unplugged. We need to get the IV back—”
“That’s not happening. I’m fine. No broken bones, some scrapes, no big deal.”
The woman gives a small nod. “Those things may be true, but that’s not why you’re in here. You passed out from exhaustion and dehydration, the crash only added to your weakened state.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Are you formally refusing treatment, at least as of right now?” she asks gently. “I’ll need to document if you are, good practice, remember?”
I shrug, nodding, avoiding the frowns directed at me.
“Can I ask everyone to step out a moment, I need to go over a few things with Mrs. Brayshaw privately.”
I wince at the name, dropping my eyes to my lap, but then I realize what she’s asked and my head snaps up. “No, they can stay.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you... sure? I’d advise they wait—”
“Stop questioning me.” My eyes shooting to Rolland as he quietly removes himself from the room on his own.
He’s learning.
Victoria scoots closer to me, her hand covering mine. “Raven,” she says quietly. “Make them leave or better yet, you walk out with her, since it seems you can. Just you and her.” Her eyes widen, and she nods.
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
“Girl, you are out of line,” Royce snaps, glaring from her to me.
I look to the nurse, who gives a subtle shake of her head.
“Help me up, brother.”
My eyes move to Captain as he shifts in the bed, dropping his legs to one side.
Both Maddoc and Royce rush to him, standing close as he pushes to his feet and grips the rolling IV machine.
He starts for the door, and reluctantly, they follow.
Victoria stands when they exit, glancing back at me once more before leaving with them.
My eyes move back to the nurse. “There, I’m alone.”
She reaches up, turning back on the machine, and then reaches for all the little clips and monitors I took off. “May I put these back on?”
I drop back against the pillow slapping my arms out like an obnoxious asshole. “Whatever.”
“Raven—”
“Don’t,” I hiss, closing my eyes. “No talking, do what you need, give me whatever you want, but no talking.”
“I have something you guys need to see.”
/> All eyes fly to Bishop.
“Fuck you just say?” Royce creeps toward him.
Bishop doesn’t spare him a glance, his eyes moving to Rolland. “Leo and Vienna weren’t as naïve as we thought.” He pulls a rolled-up paper from his pocket, holding it out to my dad. “I don’t know what they hoped to gain in attacking her, if anything, but I assume this” —he shakes the roll— “was intended for blackmail somewhere down the line.”
“What is that?” I ask, walking closer.
Our dad unrolls it, reading over the paperwork in his hand.
“Proof,” he says.
“Proof of what, exactly?” our dad asks him.
“Ravina Brayshaw didn’t run to run.” Bishop looks to me. “She ran because she was afraid, of Donley himself.”
“Surprised you didn’t give it straight to her,” Royce spits.
“Almost did.” Bishop shrugs. “But don’t wanna see her hurt worse.”
“How do we even know if this is true?” Royce shouts.
“It has to be,” Raven rasps.
Our heads jerk toward the doorway, where she stands, propped against the frame, her face blank, eyes void and focused on nothing. The hospital gown has her looking even thinner than normal, her cheeks a little hollower, but the closer I look, the more I can see it’s not the gown at all.
She is skinnier, the circles under her eyes darker, a different shade than the bruising surrounding it.
She’s not eating, not sleeping.
“All Donley ever wanted was someone to take over after him. Someone he could guarantee would be strong enough, someone he felt he could control, or gain from,” she says.
“He had Felix,” our dad reminds her.
“Yeah,” she rasps, her hands finding her throat. “He had a man in love with a Brayshaw, who came from Brayshaw High, who wanted to be Bray but earned a place with Graven first.”
Dad’s head pulls back slowly as if he hadn’t thought of that. His eyes move to her and finally she looks up and into his. Hers cut to where Maybell sits near and back to him.
“The maid...” He trails off. “The baby was his. That’s why he sent her away... he only wanted a son.”
“A female was of no use to him, so what purpose would a pregnant Brayshaw carrying a girl serve him? No wedding had happened yet, so in his eyes, she was still disposable,” Raven says numbly, shrugging. Her eyes slide to Victoria who stands frozen in the corner. “Coming in?”
Victoria gives a curt nod, stepping into the room, Raven disappearing behind her.
My eyes stay locked on the door.
“The fuck happened to her?” I whisper.
When no one speaks, I look around the room.
“I fucked up!” I shout. “I know this. I. Fucked. Up, but I love her, man. I fucking love her, just like you guys do but harder and with every piece of me. Tell me what happened. What the fuck did I miss? Who hurt her?”
Royce opens his mouth but suddenly Raven appears at the door again, and my chin falls to my chest, my deep breath filling both my cheeks as I try to calm down.
Suddenly her little hand is in view and fuck me if the hesitancy in her touch doesn’t sting worse than anything before this moment. I can only manage to lift my eyes, using every muscle in my body to keep my hands at my hips.
I’ve dreamt of you every night, baby. You and those stormy greys.
Her eyes tighten. “Nobody blames you, not even for a second.” Her hand is gone as fast as it came and with it goes my breath, my lungs constricting to the point of pain.
She stops in front of Bass. “Tell them every detail of every minute since you stepped in the hotel room and saved us both.”
“I saved no one, Raven.”
“Give it up, Bishop,” she whispers, and the affection in her tone burns as it should. “You did, and I owe you a solid.”
She walks back in the room, and this time a small click sounds after her.
Bass glares at the floor before shifting his eyes across the four of us. “You might wanna get Cap a chair for all this.”
Fuck.
Victoria digs in the bag Maybell brought for each of us when she realized the hospital was our new temporary home. “What can you wear?”
“Just underwear and some long socks from mine, maybe a tank top if there’s a clean one, and Royce’s long sweatshirt from his. It’ll hang close to my knees.”
She nods, fishing out what I asked for while I untie my gown, but when I lift my arms over my head for the tie behind my neck, I wince. My chest plate and shoulder blades start to ache.
She walks back to me, tossing the clothes on the bed.
When I don’t move, she rolls her eyes. “Come on, Raven. Everybody needs help sometimes.”
With a frown, I spin around, and she undoes it for me, handing me my underwear as it starts to fall. I slip them on quickly, and she eases my stretchy tank over my head and half down my ribs, so I can slip my arms into it.
“You gonna be able to get your arms in this sweatshirt?”
“Just pull it over, Vee.”
With a huff, she does as I ask.
After it’s on, I lift my wrist and she tugs my hair tie from around it and gently ties it in a loose ball in the middle of my head.
She drops down on the bed, so I spin to face her.
“You know.” She eyes me.
I pick up the plastic cup of ice water, taking a small drink and swallowing the stupid pills the nurse left sitting there for me.
“Raven... I couldn’t tell you—”
“Yeah,” I cut her off, nodding. “You could have. You absolutely could have.”
I finally meet her eyes only for her to break the contact not a second later.
“I get why you didn’t though, and it’s like I told you before.” I drop down in front of her, and her eyes move back to mine. “You owed me nothing. Not your loyalty, or your secrets. Nothing, Vee.”
She glares at me, shaking her head, but humor lines her eyes. “You’re the strangest fucking person I have ever met.”
A light laugh leaves me.
“Are we gonna talk about it?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Not today.” I shift on the bed, looking to Captain’s empty one. I take a deep breath.
“So... how are you, I mean who are you gonna talk to first?”
My brows pull in, and I squint to her.
She studies me and slowly her head pulls back. “Raven, tell me you’re gonna...”
“Gonna what?”
“End this.”
My head jerks back. “End what?” Right as I say it, a bitter laugh leaves me, and I stand. “Victoria, don’t,” I warn.
“You don’t.” She stands with me, facing me from the other side of the bed. “This changes everything.”
“It changes nothing!” I shout instantly.
She jolts back. “You don’t have to do this, Raven.”
“I already did.”
“But—”
“But nothing! I married him, Vee. I married Captain.”
“Oh, come on, Raven,” she hisses, stepping around the bed. “You don’t give a shit about marriage!” She throws her hand out. “Don’t stand there and pretend you do.”
“You’re right!” I snap back, getting in her face. “I don’t give a fuck about the word. That’s all it is to me, a fucking word. I have no idea what it means, no clue what I’m suddenly supposed to be with the title of wife, it’s not like I had a role model.” I push even closer to her, my chest bumping hers, my jaw muscles clenching. “So, you’re right, Vee, I don’t give a shit about marriage, but I give a shit ton about him.”
“I’m not questioning how much you care about him.”
“He gave up his future for mine, then almost gave his life, for mine,” I snap. “Did we find out things I wish we’d have learned of earlier? No fucking duh, but we didn’t, and I made him a promise. I’m keeping it.” I step back, keeping my eyes on hers. “This is where we are. Period.”
Her eyes soften. “You made a choice when the alternative was something you couldn’t live with, he did the same thing. He’d understand.”
I swallow, shouldering past her, but she grips my elbow, spinning me back around.
I yank free from her hand, pushing her as hard as I can in the chest.
She flies back, slamming against the bed tray and knocking all the shit on it to the floor.
The loud crash has one of the boys yanking on the locked door handle.
The banging follows, shouts from all of them after that.
I glare. “Are you saying this just so you can have him?”
“I’m saying it because it’s the truth and you know it.” She glares back.
I get in her face, fighting to hold back the moisture burning behind my eyelids. “What am I supposed to say to him,” I hiss. “Hm? How do I tell him I want out?” I force past clenched teeth, my entire body shaking. “That I need out. That I never should have fucking agreed to this, ever. That we were all wrong and we should have fought from the beginning? That I can’t be his wife because I will never be his and I don’t want to be?”
She swallows, but her eyes only sharpen more and she pushes off her elbows, standing before me, my hands shooting out to grip her wrist when she lifts it.
Her palm opens, letting me know she wasn’t trying for anything.
“You tell him just like that, Raven,” she says strongly. “Word for fucking word. He needs you to say it.”
He needs words...
My jaw starts to tremble, so I clamp it shut to stop it.
Keys clank in the hall, and the door flies open, too many footsteps to count shuffling in, each one halting at the entrance.
“You can do this,” she whispers, eyes firm.
“What if I told you I was afraid?” I force out in a shaky whisper.
She licks her lips, her eyes moving over my shoulder. “I’d say you’re human after all.”
Mine tighten with my grip before I shove her away.
“Bass,” I rasp, knowing he’s in here without looking.
One set of footsteps grow closer.
“Victoria could use a walk, see her out?”
Her eyes slide between mine, unsure.
Bass takes a step closer, but Victoria’s head snaps his way. “Touch me and I’ll crush your nuts,” she snaps, she shoulders past me, not looking back as she steps out.
Reign of Brayshaw (Brayshaw High #3) Page 23