“You saying they haven’t earned it from you?” I grow defensive and he chuckles lightly.

My shoulders relax a little.

“They’ve earned every fucking bit of my loyalty, but they demanded it first, earned it later. With you though.” He shakes his head and looks away. “Man, Rae, you came up in here and threw their order into the shredder. Everyone watched in shock as it quickly went from them wanting to toss you in the grinder to tossing you in a fucking Brayshaw sized bubble.”

My forehead wrinkles and I look back to the now near empty court, the teams having cleared to change and shit now that the game is over.

“You had no agenda or hidden reason for anything you were doing, unlike most people.”

“So a girl you hardly knew does some stupid shit to piss off the guys you say have all your loyalty and you give her info over them?”

He’s quiet a minute, so I look his way again, finding him staring.

“I don’t do much that feels right, Rae. In fact, not sure I’ve ever done anything that has, but for whatever reason, putting you first that night did.” He looks away. “I’m not even sorry I did, despite all the fucked-up shit that followed.”

My eyes are pulled back to the court when I feel him.

Maddoc doesn’t bother looking at Bass until he’s standing right in front of me.

“All set?” he asks him.

“Always,” Bass coolly responds.

“Good. You can go now.”

Bass pushes to his feet and walks out, throwing “Later, Rae” over his shoulder as he does.

Maddoc gauges me with unsettled eyes and a deep wrinkle on his forehead.

“What?” I ask.

He licks his lips and looks off. “Let’s go.”

Okay then.

The boys are extra peppy tonight, which is a solid fuckin’ change from the last few days. They’re fired up and ready to party.

We make a quick stop at the house to drop off their gear and then go to a small pub on the town strip.

The waitress’s eyes light up the second we walk inside, and I want to vomit.

“Long time no see.” She grins at each of them, her smile faltering slightly when she spots me in the mix. “You’re Raven Carver.”

I don’t bother responding and move past her – of course my boys follow.

Royce laughs as he takes the seat beside me, Maddoc and Captain opposite of us.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just a natural, unapproachable bitch. I dig it.” He nudges me with his elbow. “Very Brayshaw of you,” he laughs lightly when I punch him in the thigh.

I look to Maddoc, finding both him and Captain grinning.

“Can I ask you guys something?” I ask, tearing open a sugar packet for the hell of it.

“If we told you no, would you ask anyway?” Cap teases.

“Yes,” I laugh and prop my elbows on the table. “Was that true, about your dad being okay with you guys making moves on your own?”

“We don’t run shit by him before we handle business, Raven.” Maddoc frowns.

“But you listen to him.”

“We trust his judgment. He’s been where we are, dealt with shit from the Gravens along the way.”

“And now?”

“And now he understands things have gone too far.”

I eye them. “Me.”

“You,” Maddoc confirms, leaning forward. “The second he touched you when he knew you belonged to me, the second he tried to take you from me he sealed his fucking fate. I wanted to ruin him before on principle. Now I’ll destroy his entire fucking world and everyone connected to it.”

My blood shouldn’t warm at his words, yet here I am, growing hot beneath my clothes. The gleam in Maddoc’s eyes tells me he knows it too.

“But to answer your question, RaeRae, yeah.” Royce motions for the waitress. “He told us to do what we needed, so we will.”

“Starting tonight,” Maddoc adds, nodding at the chick when she wordlessly sets down four waters.

“Tonight?”

Royce looks away while Maddoc holds his face blank, but Cap, he grins into his cup.

“What’s tonight?” I ask again and they chuckle.

The waitress comes back, setting down a couple pizzas.

“Carb up, RaeRae. You’re gonna need it.”

They get straight to eating so I do the same and twenty minutes later we’re back in the leather seats of Captain’s SUV.

It only takes a few minutes before I realize where we’re going.

I scoot forward in the seat, but Maddoc pulls me back, and this time onto his lap.

“What are we doing?

“Getting excited?” Royce bounces his eyebrows.

My stomach flips. “What are we doing?”

Cap pulls in and drives along the inside of the dirt path, not stopping until he’s right at the edge of the entrance.

The hairs on the back of my neck start to tingle when Mac all of a sudden appears and the gate is pulled open.

Captain rolls through and every head turns to watch as the sleek Denali makes its way forward.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” I ask, but it comes out as a bit of a whisper.

“I told you,” Maddoc speaks into my ear. “We’re done hiding.”

“Perkins will cause problems, no? The other families you talked about, they’ll know you guys are leading now, aren’t you supposed to wait ‘til you graduate? Someone will rat.”

“Let them,” Maddoc mumbles in my ear.

I tense then slowly spin to frown at him. “You want it to happen.”

“Someone needs to be the example. Let them challenge us. Never again will we fall at any other’s hands. Not us. And not you.”

“You’re not above the fucking law, Big Man—”

“Yes, Raven.” His eyes darken, determination etched across every inch of his face. “We are.”

My stomach about bottoms out at his words and I jerk when a hand touches my upper arm.

I look to Captain.

Always with those reassuring eyes.

“We know what we’re doing.”

“Have you dealt with snakes before, Cap?” I challenge, and a rare smirk that has me pulling back a little finds his lips.

“We are the snakes, Raven.”

I gape at him a second before a laugh bubbles out of me. “Well, shit. Let’s get the fuck out.”

Royce grins and all at once, the boys reach for their handles, but when I reach for mine, Maddoc yanks me toward him.

I frown but he only winks in return, and then the boys are stepping out, all fucking eyes on them.

Maddoc turns his head to look at me and reaches out a hand.

I glare, not missing the teasing gleam in his eye – he knows I hate this shit.

At the same time, though, there’s a lot of stray females out here, better they learn quick who they can and can’t touch.

I slide across the seat and step out, leaving his hand hanging, but I do take him by surprise when I grip his collar and pull myself up on my toes.

“Real cute, Big Man,” I whisper, and the corner of his eyes tighten in humor. “Now finish your little show.”

His eyes blaze and a low groan leaves him as he dips his head and kisses my neck a moment.