Reign of Brayshaw (Brayshaw High #3)(47)

Six weeks of lying to everyone around us, by omission, but still. One plus one is still two. And one secret from two Brayshaws is three lies told.

I look around this stupid fucking hotel room, our little jail cell, and then move onto the balcony.

I grip the edges, looking out.

Graven orchestrated everything so far. We deserve a say in some things.

I look over my shoulder at Cap who now stands off to the side behind me. “A honeymoon of our choice?”

It’s an awful joke, but a scoffed laugh leaves him and he nods.

I shift, leaning against the railing and reach for his hand, pulling him closer.

He wraps his arm around me, breathing into my hair.

We both know how much we hurt the boys today, and it’s a bitter bitch to swallow.

“I’ll never forget the look on his face today,” I whisper.

“I’m sorry, Raven. So fucking sor—”

A loud boom vibrates in my ears, causing me to tense as Captain’s body clenches around me, his arms tightening before slowly losing their grip.

I pull back slightly, looking up at him, and his eyes fill with water, his lips parting some. “Captain.”

He stumbles back, hits the patio table and falls to the ground.

I gasp, my eyes darting to the movement inside the room only to fly back to Captain and the blood spilling from his side.

“Holy shit!” I drop to my knees, touching his face, his side, his arms. Tears spill down my cheeks, clouding my vision and my eyes move back to the gun hanging at her side.

What the hell?!





“What the fuck did you do?!” I scream, pushing to my feet and running for the hotel phone. “Why are you here?!” I cry. “What did you do?!”

She rips the phone from my grasp, yanking it from the wall. In the same second, I snatch the base from the stand, whip around and hit her over the head with it.

I grip her by the throat and rush her backward until she hits the wall.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” I scream, slamming her against the frame. It shatters behind her, crashing at our feet. I slam her again, but this time she pulls the gun up and hits me over the head with it, but only with enough force to push me back a few steps.

She rushes forward, gripping me by the neck, so I move my foot behind her, and shove, both of us falling to the floor.

“Stop!” I yell, elbowing her while trying to push her hands down, but she’s strong.

Her knee comes up and she kicks me between the legs, making me fall forward. She uses that to wrap her arms around me and rams the gun into my kidneys.

I groan, rolling off her and she climbs on top.

She hits me across the face with the butt of the pistol and my vision goes black a minute.

“I’m helping you, you ungrateful bitch!” she screams at me.

Her body is trembling against mine.

I blink several times and move my eyes back to her.

Now that I can get a good look, it’s clear she’s wrung the fuck out. Dark circles, streaked makeup, overgrown roots, and bruising across her cheeks and arms.

“I need to call for help.” I shift beneath her and she pushes the barrel of the gun into my sternum.

She opens her mouth to speak but suddenly is shoved off.

My eyes dart to the side, and I take Cap’s extended hand but don’t allow him to pull my weight.

He drops against the mattress, slipping and falling to his ass with a groan. He’s pale, blood covers his side and pours out more by the second. He holds a hand against himself but it’s fruitless.

“Captain,” I shriek when his eyes start to close.

His head bobs as he tries to focus on me.

“Your phone! Where is it?!”

He hits his pocket, so I try to fish it out, but he suddenly shoves me away not a second before a lamp comes around and slams against him.

It doesn’t shatter, but he’s already weak, so it causes him to slouch over even more.

I crawl across the floor, scrambling for the gun, but she spins, catching me off guard and kicks me in the head. I fall back, allowing her to grab it once again.

She points the gun at Captain again, pushing the barrel against his head.

His eyes meet mine a moment before they roll closed.

“Don’t!” I scream, rushing to my feet, but my head is pounding, and I fall back to my knees.

“I warned them,” she says monotone. She cocks the gun back with both hands. Moving her finger to the trigger.

She braces herself, and only seconds before she shoots, does my blade pierce her gut, the move causing the bullet to only graze across Captain’s shoulder.

He flops, his head hanging lifeless against his chest, hand falling from his wound as he goes unconscious.

She crumbles too, and with me standing at her back, the sudden weight of her loose body takes me down with her.

I tumble to my ass while she falls on top of me.

My knife still in her side, she shifts in my lap, her watery eyes wide and on me. “I told them they’d never get another piece of me.” She coughs, blood now spilling from her mouth. She spits in my face, but I don’t even flinch as her mucus and blood splashes against my skin. “I should have shot you instead,” she realizes.

Sensing her next move, I grip the handle of my knife right as she swings the gun around, pushing it into my throat just beneath my jaw.