“You little shit,” he drags out. “Always a step ahead, huh?”

“What the hell are we missing?” Maddoc eyes us both.

“Hey, Raven,” I say, eyes on Royce. “Did you know there was an opening at the Bray House?”

All eyes fly to Royce.

Raven frowns, confused. “Nobody moved in after you left, so yeah, I guess. Why?”

“Spot’s been filled.”

“Wait, what?” She looks from Royce to me. “By who?”

I grin, and Royce tries hard to keep his frown in place but ends up laughing.

“Yeah, VicVee. By who?” He saunters over, acting like he’s ready to share the juice and play along with me, but then I’m scooped into his arms, screaming as he jumps into the pool.

We pop up, and I splash at him, swimming to the edge as he grins.

We laugh as I pull myself up to the edge, sitting there soaked, still in my clothes.

“So.” I hold my hands out teasingly. “You wanna tell them who the new girl is, or should I?” I tilt my head.

Royce’s smirk is slow.

And then he drops the bomb they never expected.

I smile, lean back on my hands and stare as the others gape at their brother.

I look across my family, a calm in my soul and humor in my eyes.

Captain hops onto the ledge of the pool beside me, Zoey splashing around near our feet.

He leans over, kissing my neck and one thing is agreed upon.

Summer is about to be a whole lot more interesting.

Four months earlier

Royce

“All right, bro. We’ve been sitting in the same spot for eight hours now and other than a car or two passing, only thing on this entire block that’s made a move is the bird in that tree over there,” Mac says with a chuckle.

“Fuck, man, I know.” I drop back in the seat of this busted-ass rental car—couldn’t drive my baby out of town without my brothers, or nosy-ass brows would rise, and Mac’s ride wasn’t an option either. “But this is the place. Gotta wait.”

I look around the open area.

The homes’ front doors are pushed closer to the curbs, the back yards lining up with each other and wide open, small porches of different kinds attached to each.

The one I’ve got my eyes on is a plain yellow house with old blinds, a white iron railing and cement steps that carry you down into the grass. There’s some kind of string hanging from the house to a random pole and some broken slab of concrete beneath the windowsill.

Mac huffs, side-eying me. “Why you gotta make me ask?”

I chuckle, glancing his way.

“Tell me why we drove ten hours through the night, to sit on this deserted-ass, quiet little town street and stare at this house.” He raises a brow. “Who lives here?”

I lick along the clear line of the paper, closing the joint up tight, and roll it between the length of my thumb and pointer finger. I grin, sparking the lighter. “Not happenin’.”

He doesn’t get mad, though, just laughs and pulls out his phone to check on his girl.

Most people would dare ask what I didn’t voluntarily share, but he’s my boy, has been for years now, and outside my family, the guy I trust the most.

He wouldn’t be sittin’ here if he wasn’t.

I end up smoking this round by myself, putting it out against the fake leather of the armrest with a sigh. “Fuck man, I’m starved.”

He nods, sitting up. “Let’s go get some food, come back?”

I lick my lips, thinking.

My brothers would fuckin’ kill me if I got out in a town across our territory alone, they were trippin’ enough two nights ago when the morning after Maddoc and Raven’s wedding, I told them about this impromptu trip I was taking, but I’ve got hours into this. I’m not wasting that time.

Gotta fuckin’ eat though.

I push the door open, stepping out and Mac flies with me.

“Bro—”

“Go get some food and come back.”

His head tugs back. “You crazy? You want me to leave your ass out here when you won’t even tell me where here is?”

“I said go.” My eyes narrow. “I’m good. The trouble I’m after here ain’t the kind I need backup for.”

He eyes me a long moment. “You sure?”

“Yeah, man. Go find me a fat-ass burrito and some chocolate.”

He laughs, sliding back into the seat, so I shut the door and pop my head back in.

“If your brothers call?”

“If they call, they’ll call me. I’m not ignoring anybody, and I don’t lie to them.”

“But they don’t know where we are.” He raises a brow.

“And they won’t ask, ‘cause they know I don’t want to tell ‘em.” I grin. “Get the fuck outta here.”

He laughs and pulls away as I step into the large open grassy area, headed for an empty bench, and plant my ass against the old splintered wood.

“Why are you sitting in my backyard staring at my house?”

I hop right the fuck back up, spinning to glare at the mini-chick raising her brows at me.

She crosses her arms, popping her hip out as she waits. She can’t be more than, fuck, I don’t know. Five-foot max.

Fucking tiny.

Kinda mousy, sunglasses hiding her eyes from me.

I hop over the bench, pushing toward her while her head falls all the way back so she can see my eyes, but she doesn’t back up.

“Why are there no fences around any of these yards to keep people like me out of your yard and to stop me from staring at your house?” I counter her question.

“Because this place is as safe as safe can be.”

“No such thing, baby girl.”

“The worst that happens here is Tom Marvel down the street waters his yard on an even day instead of odd.” She mocks shock, her head tilting.

So she’s a brat.

I glare at her. “Sounds like a good time.”

“Bunches.”

“You said you live here?”

“I did.”

“All five foot of you?”

She straightens her spine, gaining a whole extra inch, but before anything else can be said, the back screen slamming against the wall has both our heads snapping toward it.

A slow smirk spreads across my lips as I take in the sight.

Thick, dark hair, long and lengthy with pasty-ass skin.

A perfect knock off.

There she is.

“Ah, now it makes sense,” the short chick says.

“What, how you’re cramping my style, wasting my time and your breath?” I ask, not taking my eyes off the target as she lights a cigarette, bringing it to her red painted lips.

Her head turns this way the second she pulls it from her mouth, and slowly she blows out a long line of smoke, her eyes narrowing on me and the mouse.

She waits, but so do I.

Here kitty, kitty...

She pretends to be chill, but can’t handle it, and forces herself to take slow strides this way.

“You can go now,” I tell the girl at my side, but she doesn’t move, and quickly my target is stepping in front of me.

“Cousin,” she drags out, but neither of us bother looking her way. “Who’s your friend?”