Trouble at Brayshaw High (Brayshaw, #2)(83)

I try to scream, but it comes out as a rough whisper at best, and I watch, horrified, as the man unbuttons my jeans and yanks them down, freeing one of my legs. He pulls at my underwear next.

“Don’t touch me!” I hiss, but I’m ignored as he positions my feet so they’re planted flat against the floor, my knees up. “I’m not—”

“Stop speaking,” Donley cuts me off. “You had a chance.”

I grind my teeth together.

This asshole, he thinks I’m some dumb girl because he caught me slipping – never again.

Collins’ mom, Estella, looks out the window as I’m spread open right here at her heels.

“Don’t fight and it shall be quick.” Donley turns to Estella, who passes him a fresh drink without turning his way. “Doc?”

My eyes squeeze shut, and I think I feel moisture build at my lashes as pressure hits in my pelvic area, but I feel nothing other than disgust.

Only the weak cry.

“Doc,” Donley barks.

The doctor clears his throat, but even still, there is a slight hesitation before he speaks. “Hymen has been broken, sir. She is debased. And ... swollen, so recently active.” He clears his throat again, his troubled frown shifting away from the three of us.

Donley sighs, and I force my eyes to meet his. “I guess it’s to be expected with a mother like yours.” He downs his shot, not looking away. “The blood sample will confirm what I already know, which is I’m staring at the very last of the Brayshaw bloodline.” He blinks. “Well, besides Ravina, of course, but she’s not much use to anyone, now is she?”

“I ... huh?”

“That’s right.” He studies me. “Your mother is none other than Ravina Brayshaw, one and only child of Raymond Brayshaw. You, dear girl, are Brayshaw born, Brayshaw blood.” He slips on his suit jacket and reaches for the handle. “Fix her clothes and get the hell out of here. Won’t be long before her fight’s back and she puts you on your ass, Doc.”

And then he’s gone.

The doctor quickly slips my underwear, jeans, and shoes back on.

When his hand comes up to touch my cheek, I croak, “No!”

I jerk, managing to move my shoulders slightly, but he quickly pulls back, looking down at me.

Distress lines his aged eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ms. Brayshaw. In fact, I find myself in quite a predicament at the moment.”

“Yeah?” I rasp, trying with everything I have to push from the floor, but I only manage to scoot an inch left. “And what’s that? You realize you’re now a dead man walking?”

“No, miss.” He shakes his head. “I find an impossible decision in front of my eyes, one that, if the wrong move is made, will be the end of my life. But the other ... will lead to the loss of another’s. An innocent,” he whispers. His eyes implore mine, an urgency in his that has sweat building at my hairline. “Tell me, miss, what shall I do?”

I clamp my teeth together, speaking through them, “Leave.”

With a grim smile, he sets an envelope near my head, patting it lightly. “You’re proof, Ms. Brayshaw. And once you’ve figured out the secret we now share, you may seek me out, should you wish. You’ll know where to find me.”

And then he too leaves.

The second the door slams, there’s no longer any question if I’m crying. Tears roll into my ears as I stare at the black felt roof.

I wiggle my fingers and toes, but that’s as far as I can get.

I lie there, vulnerable, weak ... worthless.

And angry.

I refuse to lie here thinking of the helpless little girl I swore I’d never be again, so I count to one hundred over and over, until finally, I’m sitting, and then standing. I step from the vehicle, seeing we’re only blocks up from the school, parked in front of a church of all places.

There’re a few men standing at the entrance, both glance over but refocus their attention elsewhere just as quick.

I open the driver door, finding the cab empty and slip into the seat, instantly digging through the console and glovebox. A business card for Brayshaw High catches my eye and I freeze, pulling it out. Printed on the back, the contact information for their proud leader, Principal Connor E. Perkins.

“What the fuck,” I whisper to myself.

I fall against the seat, my eyes closing as wooziness hits, then with a deep breath, I force it away and step back out. I grab the envelope from the back, make a left and keep walking. With each few steps, my strength returns. It won’t take long until all my muscles are once again mine to control.

I keep forward, not stopping until I get to where I need to be.





After our team meeting and showering, it takes a good half hour for us to walk back into the gym, all three of us pausing when we find Raven’s seat is empty. Only a few stragglers waiting for some of our other teammates are left, but not my girl.

“Where is she?” Cap sighs.

“There’s that group home chick.” Royce nods his chin. “Let’s ask her.”

We make our way to Vienna and she turns with a smile. “Oh, hey.”

“You see Raven?”

Her shoulders fall a little, but she nods. “Oh, yeah, actually, she asked me to tell you.”