Be My Brayshaw (Brayshaw High #4)(60)

Four angry Brayshaws.

When I threw the door open to her room, she was gone.

I woke Royce, who woke Maddoc and Raven while I searched the property, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

So here we fucking are, waiting.

She’s slow in her approach, her knuckles flexing as they tighten at her sides, a way to keep her muscles from going stiff on her.

Once she’s out of the shadow the dark entryway provided, she snaps out of her surprise, leans against the wall with her arms crossed, and a single blonde brow hiked high.

“What is this, intervention?” She gives a slow blink, working really hard to show her annoyance.

Always a damn brat, can’t hold it in when she should.

“Sit.” Royce kicks a leg out, finishing off his drink.

“I’ll stand, thanks.”

“It wasn’t a question.”

Her eyes fly to mine and hold a long moment before she kicks off the wall and drops into the open chair on the opposite side of the table.

She leans forward, her zip-up sliding off one shoulder as she rests on her elbows, meeting each of our gazes head-on.

Her tongue peeks out, and my eyes follow.

Her lips are puffed up, a deeper shade of red than normal, courtesy of my cock.

Thankfully, Raven catches her attention as she comes from around the counter, four shot glasses hanging from her left hand, two bottles of Don Juan in the right. She sets one bottle and glass in front of Victoria and the others in front of me, steps back into the kitchen and returns with a fresh-made hot chocolate for herself.

She lowers into the seat beside Maddoc as I twist the top from the bottle, looking to Victoria.

Her eyes tighten, holding mine a long moment, but then follows, opening and pouring hers as I pour ours. My brothers reach over, neither waiting to throw back the amber liquid.

I spin mine between my fingers, unsure if she’s bluffing or not, but then Victoria purses her lips, brings her shot up, and downs it.

Slowly, I take mine, lick my lips, and pour us each another.

And then another.

She keeps up, not so much as a grimace crossing her stony face in the process.

She’s completely closed off, and I’m almost impressed at her ability to hide behind a sheet of nothing, but that talent is what blinded me, blinded all of us, so I focus on my anger instead.

Time ticks by in weighted silence, but finally, five shots and fifty-four minutes in, a low chuckle makes its way past Victoria’s lips.

She locks her eyes with mine, throwing back another shot, and a slow smirk follows.

My muscles clench when she carelessly goes for more.

I reach out, about to take the damn bottle when she shoves herself back, a loud, heavy screech echoing around us as her chair goes with her. In the same move, she lifts the fucking thing to her mouth and goes for a long swallow.

I jolt from my seat, and it’s like a chain reaction.

My brothers and Raven fly up with me, Victoria on her feet in the same damn second as us.

“Put the fucking—”

“Try and act concerned right now and I’ll finish this fucking thing,” she swears, cutting me off. “This is what you set this up for, don’t play like it’s not.”

Raven masks her expression, shifting her eyes between the two of us.

Victoria slams into her seat, tipping her head back on a mocking laugh.

“Man, I expected so much more,” she drags out, cutting a glare to Raven as she speaks to me. “This is juvenile, a trick from my own act, in fact. Of course, I was on the other side.”

There’s a bite in her tone that has me curious, and I glance at Raven right as she lifts her chin at Victoria.

“Fuck you talkin’ about, VicVee?” Royce asks.

She blinks hard. “I’m here, I’m buzzed. Should we move along?”

“You should be on your ass.” Maddoc glares.

Exactly.

“Wanna ask me why I’m not?” She smirks, tucks her hair behind her ear, her eyes moving to mine. “Oh I forgot, questions are hard to come by,” she calls me out.

Anger cuts through me, but like a shard of glass dipped in poison, it stings of betrayal when I wish it would burn with hate.

“And loose lips’ll get your ass beat,” Raven snaps.

Victoria’s glare flies to her. “As do lies, right?” she challenges.

Raven goes to step closer to her, but Maddoc shoots back to his feet, glaring down at her pregnant belly.

Raven’s jaw tics. “I never lied to them.”

“Whatever you have to say to convince yourself to feel better.”

What...

Raven gapes at Victoria, a laugh leaving both her and Royce at the same time.

Victoria’s eyes snap toward Royce before landing on me.

Hold on...

It takes me a moment, but then it hits, and a heavy frown covers my forehead. I lean forward, planting my hands out on the table to get as close without moving my feet as possible.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” My eyes move between hers. “You want to sit here and question her loyalty?”

She doesn’t speak.

Holy shit.

I straighten my spine, brows lifted high as I stare at her.

“You really think Raven didn’t come home and tell me, tell us, what Maria told her? That I don’t know the woman who helped keep my daughter from me, your mother, held me as a baby because she couldn’t hold you?