He grinds against me. “I didn’t need you to, but you did it anyway.”

My heart beats faster, my hands shooting up to grip him by the ribs.

His pace slows, still just as deep, still just as hungry, but ... different. His next words have my heart stopping.

“You left me,” he whispers.

My eyes squeeze closed a minute, and when I push on his chest, he lets me roll him over so I can climb up. I slide down on top of him, unable to keep from grinding against him and his hands slip up my stomach, cupping my breasts. I brush his hair back.

“I didn’t want to.”

He eyes me before a tightness covers his features. “I know. And that tells me everything.”

I’m spun back to the mattress.

He breathes against my mouth. “Let me drive, baby.”

I clench around him, unable to speak, so I nod.

He starts moving, slow and steady. He fucks me deep and filling, and when I moan against his mouth, his lips finally fall on mine in a punishing kiss I fucking love.

My body is shaking uncontrollably now, my thighs clenching against him and he releases my lips.

“You can come now, baby.” He slides his mouth across mine, pushing in deeper than ever and I gasp. “Come with me.”

His body jerks with mine and together, partners in crime, we finish.

I could never get enough of this.

We only get a few minutes to catch our breath before tires crunching gravel has our stares meeting.

Slowly we stand, clean ourselves up, and redress.

He pulls me against him, running his lips over mine, before gripping my cheeks and kissing me slow. Different. “It’s time.”

We get downstairs only seconds before the front door opens.

Captain and Royce walk in, Maybell slowly entering behind them.

She looks solemn as she tries to smile, but there is a deeper issue plaguing her. “You ready, boy?”

He nods, skims his lips over my hair and walks to her.

He kisses her temple and she wraps her arm around his. Together they walk out front.

Royce, Captain, and I follow a few feet behind, making it out onto the porch right as a police car creeps through the trees.

My eyes widen and I take a step toward them, but Royce wraps an arm around my shoulder. “No,” he whispers. “He can handle this, RaeRae,” he says meekly, kissing my hair and my features tighten.

The officer steps out, his face drawn up in uncertainty as he steps toward Maddoc. It’s not a cop I’ve seen around here, but he seems well aware of who he’s here to arrest, fear clearly etched across his face.

But Maddoc gives a curt nod and the man relaxes, signals for him to turn around then places cuffs across his wrists.

His eyes meet mine over the hood and hold, then shift to his brothers’ before he’s placed in the back seat.

Maybell climbs in front.

“What do we do?” I whisper as the taillights disappear.

“We wait.”

“For?”

“Dad.”

It’s been three days since we’ve seen or heard from Maddoc. Three days since we’ve seen or heard from anyone, actually, since we stayed locked inside waiting for contact that never came. Today, though, we had to be at school because of the game. The team would already be short Maddoc, and the guys refused to leave them hanging.

All fucking day these nosey assholes asked questions they had no right to the answers to – where the boys had been and where Maddoc was, but they never responded.

Royce had called Mac the day Maddoc was arrested and told him to drop word that the boys were out on business. Nobody ever questions their whereabouts, but with all the flip flop happening around here, these Brayshaw students couldn’t hide their drooling tongues and wagging tales if they tried.

The boys handled their admirers better than I did the gossipy girls. I could only handle a few of the curious glances before I got pissed off and threatened to give anyone else who started matching black eyes they could look at in the mirror all day if they wanted.

I get the curiosity. I mean, fuck, Maddoc tore off my top at the assembly, then grabbed me up. I’m sure to outside eyes it looked like a fucked-up situation, even more so with everything that followed and now here we are, back minus the leader. But fuck them, I don’t give a shit about their petty rumors and neither do the guys. I just don’t like to be stared at.

A whistle sounds again, bringing me back to the now, and the crowd starts shouting.

The boys rally well, Mac and Leo helping lead the team as starters today alongside Royce and Captain – there’s still been no sign of Collins.

Captain’s footwork is off, but his shots are on point, so he passes off and the team rushes the ball down the court. Royce passes it back to Cap who shoots for a quick point earned.

The opposing team gets the ball and charges forward, but Leo manages to block a pass, the ball ricocheting off his hand and straight for Mac’s, who throws for a half-court shot, but it hits the rim and bounces off. Luckily Royce is near and hops up for the rebound, shooting midair and making it.

The score is back and forth all game, they miss and allow more points than normal, but in the end, they’re able to pull off the win.

The team quickly retreats to the locker room, but Royce and Captain don’t follow.

I rush to meet them on the court and together the three of us waste no time, acknowledge no one, and head for Captain’s SUV.

Royce throws himself back against the seat and takes a deep breath. “Maddoc would be pissed at how we played.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Captain tells him. “He’ll be proud we played period.”

The boys talk a little about the game on the drive home, and when we park and climb out, Maybell steps from the house.

Tension lines her brows, but she tries to mask it and my stomach muscles tighten.

We all rush closer, desperate for her news.

“Your dad called,” she tells them. “Maddoc finally gets to see a judge tomorrow. He says he should be granted bail, no problems.”

The boys’ shoulders visibly drop, and both look to the sky a moment, but not me. The tension in my stomach spreads through my ribs and wraps around my shoulder blades until there’s a slight ache there.

Maybell, she isn’t relieved. She should be, hearing one of her chosen sons is coming home. She won’t hold their eyes long and she hasn’t looked my way yet.

“He wants to make sure you’re there,” she adds and they both nod instantly.

“Why didn’t he call us, too?” Royce asks her and she gives a small smile, but it doesn’t meet her eyes.

She reaches up and touches both their cheeks. “He knew you’d be there, playin’ the best you could with all this goin’ on here.”

“So tomorrow?” Royce confirms again.

“Tomorrow. Doors open at eight.” She pats them lightly and moves toward me.

She takes a deep breath, her eyes finally meeting mine. She nods glumly. “I told you, child. I told you, you belong here. I need you to start believing it, you understand?” Her eyes grow glossy, but she doesn’t let her tears fully form. “It’s hurting my boys when you don’t.”

I nod, but I’m unable to wipe the frown that’s been in place since she started talking.