“She’s two. And, yes.”

“She’ll be three in three months, and that’s not fair,” she dares.

I growl, shoving closer and forcing her to trip over her own feet until she stumbles back a step. “Fair is an opinion, and yours is as worthless as your word.”

She clamps her lips shut before saying, “What happened to being the logical of the three, the Brayshaw who sees what anger shadows?”

My lip curls. “I was blinded by a blonde for the last time.”

She runs her tongue across her teeth, nodding lightly as she looks off. “Right.”

I stare at her, knowing I can’t have her roaming the halls of this house as my little girl freely will. Spring break began on Friday for Brayshaw High, so she has no place to be over the next seven days until the five of us return to BHS.

I’m not okay with that.

So, when she walks past me, I let her, waiting for her foot to hit the first step, letting her think our conversation is over, and then add, “Don’t come out of your room this week unless it’s to leave before we wake. There should be no sign you exist.”

She hesitates a second before slowly climbing the stairs and disappearing from sight.

Not until I’m sure she’s gone do I blow out a long breath, turning to the others.

Raven grins, while my brothers fight laughs.

They know I bull faced fucking lied, but she needs to sweat, and I need a sign she gives a damn. A real move, not one wrapped in an agenda or dipped in fear.

The problem is, in our world, it’s hard to tell the two apart. The truth always comes at the worst possible moment… like right after I forced myself to push aside the betrayal from the last female I let in and reopened a part of me I swore I never would.

Mallory messed me up good.

It’s fucked up, but Victoria’s betrayal, it should have been expected.

My brothers and I, we know the drill.

With truth comes trouble.

It’s why we exist in the first place.

We were born with purpose, warriors from the womb, leaders at birth, adopted into this family by a man that cared for our real parents who weren’t lucky enough to live and watch what we’d become.

Unstoppable, unbreakable.

Brayshaw.

“So, uh, anyone interested in seeing the pic I got of Tracy Parks’ tit job tonight?” Royce asks, easing the tension and earning a laugh from each of us.

Twenty minutes later I’m showered and lifting my baby girl from her bed, carrying her across the hall into my room, and lying her down beside me in mine.

She doesn’t so much as flutter a lash, hugging her little stuffed train as tight as ever. I tuck her blanket around her, laying mine on top, and stare at the most perfect little face.

I will love you with all I am and protect you with all my might, my little Zoey.

No matter what.

Chapter 4

Victoria

 

There should be no sign you exist.

I’d have begged for such an ‘order’ not long ago when the last thing I wanted was to look a Brayshaw in the eye and risk them seeing the truths in mine.

Now, it’s annoying and everything I used to strive for but no longer want, at least not when it comes to them—invisibility.

Oh the irony.

Over the next four days, I do as asked, leaving early and returning late. When they do see me they don’t speak, giving only side glances and blank stares I’m left to decipher, but I don’t care.

I do as instructed without so much as a frown, head held high and all.

I’m still sleeping under their roof, aren’t I?

Besides, I’m almost positive they’re having me followed. I’ve been going to the same park in the mornings, hanging out and keeping myself busy by picking the weeds from the planter boxes around there, and today when I went back, there was a pair of new gloves sitting right on top of the next in line to be worked on, tags still on and all.

“Heads up, Brayshaws coming in hot,” Nira, who happened to be walking the same way I was this morning, whispers into her cup as she leans back in the chair.

I turn to look and there they are, rolling up in a black Denali, one of three in this town.

I always thought it was odd all three brothers drove identical vehicles, but it makes sense now. You see one, you know a Brayshaw is coming, and each is as important as the other. It doesn’t matter which is inside, Brayshaw is Brayshaw.

Further proving my suspicion, Royce needs not a moment to roam the area, his smirk instantly landing on me as he hops from the passenger seat, Captain moving a bit slower to exit the driver’s side.

He saunters over, way too much confidence for his own good, not that he doesn’t deserve it—he’s hot and he knows it.

He flips one of the extra chairs around, straddling it, and reaches out to snag a fry from my tray, stuffing it in his mouth.

“VicVee.” He grins and then looks to Nira. “Group home girl.”

She offers a tight-lipped smile but focuses on her soda.

“So what up, girl?” Royce leans forward, elbows planted on the tabletop. “Catchin’ some rays?”

“Killin’ some time.” I lift a brow and his smirk grows.

“Good girl.”

I roll my eyes, dropping back in my chair.

My gaze cuts over his shoulder as Captain approaches, but his eyes slide past mine, and he walks inside the small burger place we just came out of.

Nira nudges me in the elbow, cutting a quick glance around, but I don’t have to look to know what she’s stressed over.

This is the downtown strip, and during off-campus hours, it’s overtaken by students, specifically the picnic area, where we are now, where two of the three Brayshaw boys have just been spotted.

Of course they’re staring.

They haven’t laid eyes on the boys of Brayshaw in weeks, and their blue-blooded selves could hardly take it, so this? Confirmation with their own eyes when all they’ve had was word of mouth and speculation?

This is golden.

Long live their kings.

“Watch ‘em flock, like the starved ducklings they are.” Royce scans the area using his peripheral sight, not once moving his eyes from mine. “Ten minutes and there won’t be an empty seat near this bitch.”

Right as he says it, a guy comes from behind me, adding three more chairs to my—our, I guess—table.

Nira wastes not a second, hops to her feet and rushes off. “See you around, Tor.”

I frown after her, nodding even though she’s not looking at me.

“Yeah.” Royce chuckles, pulling his phone from his pocket. “We have that effect on people.”

I roll my eyes, my head snapping left when the back door of the SUV suddenly opens, and a smiling Raven climbs out, tugging on her man’s hand.

She laughs loudly when he growls, glaring at her.

“See that, VicVee,” Royce starts. “That’s the face of a half-cocked fucker.”

“What does that even mean?”

“That means he only got half of what his cock wanted, which was to fuck her. Get it?” He grins.

A light laugh escapes right as Captain makes his way outside, a tray in each hand.

He glares at his brother but quickly drops it to the drinks he’s slowly setting on the tabletop.