“Really?” she says flatly. “This is how things happen when you fight them?”

I don’t bother responding, dropping my head against Royce’s shoulder instead.

He kisses my temple and I roll my eyes. “Yeah, blondie, it is. Now quiet, ‘less you wanna show my bro there what else that mouth can do.”

“Oh, how original.”

“Damn right I am, one of a fucking kind, baby.”

“Shut up, and get in,” Captain gripes and then we’re on the road.

Victoria glowers in the back seat but doesn’t try to escape like I did the first time they threw me in.

She’s handling it better than me.

Captain drives past the Bray houses, rounding the opposite side of the property and pulls onto a small dirt road, parking mid-way down.

Everyone jumps out at once, still cautious of each other.

Maddoc’s eyes lock with mine as I make my way to him, satisfaction flashing in his eyes when I move to stand right beside him.

“Giovanni Acri,” Maddoc says, eyes still on me, quickly cutting them to Gio. “Born in Stockton, California. Graduated three years ago, and no record since.”

When they frown, Royce laughs.

“You really drove a truck registered to you to fuck with people like us?” Maddoc speaks slowly. “What kind of fucking amateurs show up with a clear job without doing research? Or at least a fucking rental car if not a stolen one?”

“Excuse me—” the girl talks, so I dart forward, but Gio slips an arm between us and my three step forward.

A frown takes over all their faces and they relent.

“Fine. All right, relax.” Alec wraps his arms around the girl. “My name is Alec Daniels. This is my wife, Oakley, my brother Rowan, and Gio is one of my men.”

“Why are you here?” Captain asks, frowning at Victoria when she hops up on his hood looking bored.

“You’re Brayshaw,” Alec says.

“And?” Royce growls.

“And we’re part of the Rivera family. We never meant to fucking fight with you today, but your girl—”

“My fucking girl,” Maddoc cuts Alec off and I’d swear his lip twitches slightly.

His hand on his wife tightens.

“Right, your girl is smart and spotted us while we were trying to find out who all was in your crew so we could approach you. We haven’t been able to reach Rolland and he’s kept you three under wraps. We weren’t supposed to meet until you graduated.”

“The Riveras?” Royce’s eyes widen and he looks over the four of them.

He nods. “Oakley is Rivera by blood, we were brought in, like you. We run the Riverside district.”

Cap nods, stepping forward. “You have the fire academy as your cover,” he says, having heard of them it seems.

Alec nods. “That’s how we find and train our men. We’re the guys people call when the judicial system fails them. We step in and make it look ... natural.”

“You’re arsonists.” Royce frowns.

“No more than you’re anarchists. You take the law into your own hands where it’s needed in your community. We do the same thing, just not too close to home. Imagine our surprise when someone came to us to take down one of our own.”

“You were hired to burn our shit down?” Captain asks him, and Alec nods.

“Your home, your school, your warehouses,” Oakley supplies.

“By who?”

“That’s the tricky part.” His eyes cut to mine. “It was a female.”

All their eyes fall on mine and I jerk. “You thought I did it?”

Alec lifts his hands as if to say ‘you’re the only girl around.’

“Well, I’m poor so... obviously not me.”

“Yeah, Raven, how the hell—” Gio is cut off when Maddoc steps in his face.

“How do you know her?” he demands, disregarding everything being said in search of the answers he wants more.

Gio glares. “Ask her.”

“I’m asking you.”

I look at the blonde when she fights a grin. She sees me looking and winks, so I glare at her.

“We grew up together,” he tells Maddoc.

The vein in Maddoc’s neck is throbbing against his skin, but he stays in Gio’s face.

“Good for fucking you.” Maddoc’s hand flexes at his side. “That was then. Stay away from her, do you understand?”

“What are you worried about?” Gio goads him and my eyes widen.

I step forward, but Royce yanks me back while Captain squeezes between them.

“Shut your mouth, dumbass, or I’ll let him flip the fuck out. You’re big, too, I get it, but nothing would stop him when it comes to her, so quit trying to be a smart ass and know your fucking place, and here you don’t have one. She’s his and she loves it. Period.”

“Wow.” All eyes fly to Victoria when she pops off and she widens her eyes like an asshole.

“Look, it was our duty to notify you—”

“You could have just called, no?” I cut Oakley off.

She looks to me. “Yes, our duty was only to make sure you were aware, that’s how these top rank families work, but we came out of respect. Rolland’s helped out my father many times, I hear, and we wanted to make sure the loyalty was passed to you guys.” The blonde smiles and damn if she isn’t perfectly sweet looking.

“Anyway, we’ve been here two days, and we have to get home to our daughter now,” she says, stepping forward to shake my hand.

She moves down the line and then her husband steps up to shake the boys’ hands.

“I’ll email you the recording of the girl. She clearly didn’t know about all the family ties.”

“An outsider. Thanks, man,” Maddoc grumbles and returns Alec’s gesture.

Gio and the other guy hold back. “So, uh, we’re gonna stick around another night or two. Catch up on some sleep,” he announces, his eyes sliding my way briefly.

A deep crease takes over Maddoc’s forehead, and his stare shifts to me. When his eyes narrow, I turn to G.

“They have a place on third where people are allowed. Come over around seven. The boys are playing ball, I’m getting drunk.” I shrug.

Gio grins, looking to the guy beside him, Rowan as they called him, who glares at me. Gio catches it and drops his smirk at the dirt. He goes to step forward, like he’s about to hug me but Maddoc is suddenly at my back, making him laugh.

“Later, Raven.”

Maddoc’s chest leaves my back and I turn around.

Victoria shakes her head, her eyes wide. “Wow.” She gapes at me. “I know I already said that, but really though, that’s all I got. Just ... wow.”

Then the horn blares and she squeals, slipping off the hood.

Captain and Royce stand outside their doors laughing and she fake laughs back, flipping them off.

“Assholes.”

“Yeah...you have to ride with those assholes,” I tell her, and she glares at me.

“Seriously? After all that?”

“I need to ride with Maddoc alone.”

She crosses her arms. “Ride with or ride in general?”

I waggle my brows, and she rolls her eyes, but a grin is on her lips. “Fine. Whatever.”