Be My Brayshaw (Brayshaw High #4)(38)

“Behave.”

Shit head.





Chapter 11





Captain



“I’m fucked.” I plant my ass onto the bleacher beside Maddoc.

“Let me guess, you wanna wring her fuckin’ neck, then lick the bruises?” he gives me a quick side smirk, laughing at my expression.

Because yes, exactly fucking that.

“I don’t know, man. Thought she’d fight me, not—”

“Fight for you?” Maddoc lifts a brow.

I nod.

“Why don’t you lock her ass in a room with the fake file we have on her, and force her to talk?”

I scoff. “I lock myself in a room with that girl and there will be no talking.”

“That bad?” Royce drops beside us, nodding for a towel.

I toss him one. “I caged her in the first fucking night, ready to just—”

“Go to pound town?” Royce laughs.

I chuckle. “Ended up telling her I wanted to bend her over.”

Both grin, only for their jaws to drop when I add, “So I could picture Mallory while I fucked her.”

The shock hits but wears off quick and they bust up laughing.

“That’s cold, my man.” Royce grins, proud, reaching out for a fist bump, but I leave him hanging. “Genius, but cold. I think I’ll take credit for that one.”

Maddoc shakes his head, then shrugs. “Still say if you want her, have her. You don’t have to trust her to fuck her.”

“Damn if that isn’t a true ass statement.” Royce grins. “Only chick I trust is Raven, and she’s ‘bout the only one I can’t fuck,” he jokes, shoving at Maddoc with his elbow.

Maddoc pushes him off the bench and he hops up, laughing.

The bell rings, so we stand with him, gather our shit, and head to the locker room. As we step through the double doors, James Carpo, our former head of security for all Brayshaw operations, comes around the corner in a crisp, black suit.

“Boys. I’d heard you were back today, but I didn’t have time to say hello this morning.”

“Lookin’ good, James.” Royce nods.

He scoffs. “If I had known becoming principal of a high school was harder than managing the entire town’s safety, I’d have never agreed to this.”

“Hey, it’s a good compromise. You have to stay involved; we need you,” I tell him.

“I’m pretty sure my daughter doesn’t share your sentiment.” He chuckles. “She’s not so happy I’m here.”

“Ah, she’ll come around, doesn’t take much to please Chloe,” Royce adds with a smirk.

James levels him with a stern look. “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Nah, my man.” Royce pats his shoulder, stepping around him. “You mean, you’re gonna try and forget I did. Good luck with that, James!” he shouts from inside the locker room door.

I fight a laugh while James looks ready to puke.

Maddoc watches Royce go before turning back to James. “You got eyes on Raven?”

“Am I tracking her every move like you asked me to?” James lifts his brows.

My eyes snap to Maddoc.

“Yes,” he says.

“No,” James responds.

I quickly put my shoulder between them, knowing Maddoc’s advance was coming.

“That wasn’t a request.” Maddoc speaks slow.

“I can’t invade the privacy of the head of this town without her permission,” James tells him calmly.

“I put a fucking kid inside her. That is permission enough.” Maddoc’s shoulder begins to push against my back.

James, though, he smiles at him, used to his aggressive nature and proud of his fierce protection over his girl. “I’ll talk to Mrs. Brayshaw and see what I can do. See you guys later.”

Maddoc shoves into the locker room with me on his tail.

“You know she’s gonna tell him to kiss her ass, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m working on the doctor, need her forced into bed rest, so I can keep her ass locked at home until she’s stronger.”

I laugh. “She’s pregnant, not broken.”

“Then why’s everything hurt her?” he shouts.

“She say that?”

He scoffs, giving an incredulous glare. “Yeah, fuckin’ right, Cap, but I can tell. She’s exhausted, makes all these faces when she moves, like she’s stepping on thorns and shit. It’s her feet, her back, her fucking tits.” His eyes widen. “Swear to God, if her puss—”

“Cut it, brother.” I lift my palms and walk away, but the second I get under the warm spray of the shower, an unexpected and unwelcome question begins to swim inside my head.

I try to refocus, force my thoughts to anything other than where they’ve suddenly taken me, but it’s no use.

The things he’s describing in Raven, the things we’ve all began to notice, the swell of her stomach as her child starts to grow, the little cravings and mood swings, the added sentiment behind her eyes and lost look she gets when she’s quiet, I wonder... are those things Mallory experienced while pregnant, too, but alone?