Break Me (Brayshaw High #5)(79)

I slap a hand on his shoulder. “What up, Enoch? How ‘bout a shot?”

He grins and follows me into the kitchen.

Stupid fucker.





Brielle





If the plan Mac, Maddoc, and Captain went over with me and Micah this afternoon is still the one they were going with, things are far off course.

Mac said he’d text us if things changed, but he hasn’t.

All we were supposed to do was show up tonight, linger around, hear what might be said or catch looks of suspicion. Basically, we’re to blend as lookouts while they did their Brayshaw thing and brought the hammer down.

None of what we were told matches what’s happening now.

Tonight’s plan didn’t involve any inkling of alcohol. In fact, we were told to hold a drink in our hands, toss it after thirty minutes when no one was looking, and grab another. Consuming none, yet Royce stands at the kitchen counter, pouring shot after shot, taking shot after shot, Enoch, Jenson, and Mac at his side.

Royce’s voice is growing louder, his shoulder slaps and ‘playful’ shoves, harder, stronger.

A heavy sigh is released beside me, and I look to find Raven.

“He’s picking a fight.”

“Yeah.” She squeezes her lips together. “He is.” Her eyes come to mine, a crazy gray in color, and focused. “It’s what he does when his head’s too heavy for him to hold up.”

I noticed.

This is my fault.

If I didn’t break down today over my brother’s car, we wouldn’t even be here right now. Everything would have been handled and I would have had a hand in helping.

I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before, but this is on me. I have to be the one to fix this.

Turning, I meet Raven’s eyes.

Raven’s scowls, trying to read the thoughts in mine. “If we move,” she says. “He’ll start beating on the guy, no hesitation, no chance of another outcome. You move...” Her lips pull to one side.

“My shadow moves with me.”

She nods. “He hasn’t taken a single shot since you’ve been standing here talking to me.”

Realization heats my stomach as if I’m the one shooting back eighty proof, grade A liquor. “Because he’s focused.”

She smirks. “Drunk again or not, he can rein it in when he needs to. He wants to know what we’re talking about, and he knows it revolves around him. He’s watching you. He will keep watching you, just like you’ll keep watching him.”

I glance his way and his eyes narrow on the bottle he pours from.

Yeah, he sees me.

No matter what, he’ll be watching.

Maybe this is what he wants.

Maddoc walks up then, his arms wrapping around Raven and pulling her against him.

“Can I borrow your keys?” I ask him.

“I didn’t drive.” He studies me.

“But you have a set of keys.” I hold his stare. “I heard them in your pocket when she pushed her ass into you.”

Raven chuckles. “They all keep keys on them, in case we need a quick escape.”

Maddoc slips his hands in his pocket and holds them out, but before I can snag them, he closes his fist. “Why you want ‘em?”

“I have an idea.”

“I haven’t seen your ideas yet. Might be a shit one.”

“It’s not.”

“I should believe you, why?”

I shrug, a smirk playing at my lips. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.”

He scoffs, and we both know we aren’t there. We also know it doesn’t matter because the Brayshaws can spin anything, so if I screw up, they’ll clean up.

I’m not going to screw up.

It’s simple, really.

I take the keys, slip them in my pocket, pull my phone out and dial Micah.

He answers on the first ring, “Hey.”

“Just talk back.”

“What?”

I walk into the kitchen with my phone to my ear. “Are you sure?”

“Uh, Brielle?” Micah drags out.

Jenson grins at me as I walk in, nodding his chin in hello so I wave, but quickly look away and pull open the fridge door. “Taylor Simms.”

Enoch’s head snaps toward me, but he hides it by sipping on his drink.

“She’s there right now?” I keep going with my fake conversation.

Royce has stopped moving, staring at his drink now.

“Hang on, let me go outside, it’s too loud in here.”

I close the fridge and spin around. “Yeah, I’ll tell you what she told me. One sec.”

I head out front, quickly unlock Captain’s SUV, and slip the keys in the ignition.

“Girl, what the hell are you doing?” Micah asks through the line, his tone uneasy.

I hop out and push the door almost all the way closed and move to stand near the rear driver’s side.

“Can you see me?” I whisper.

“Front left,” he tells me where to find him.

I look, spotting his outline at the edge of the back gate.

He nods and then the front door opens.

I spin when it does, knowing Enoch is following and who will follow next.

“Yeah, so Taylor said she’s going out with you next week. Is that true?” I casually shift on my feet, confirming Enoch is out here, pretending to be checking something on his phone.