I shake my head. “He’d only got brave a split second before my boys showed up.”

She fights a grin and I frown.

“Your boys, huh?”

I drop my eyes to the floor, a light laugh leaving me. “I don’t even know. Feels like it sometimes but ... anyway they’re for sure flippin’ their shit right now.”

“Well ...” She trails off and I look up. “Gotta keep them on their toes, right?”

I scrunch my nose and she laughs.

She’s not half bad.

“Come on, let’s dance.” She pulls me along and Vienna meets us halfway, drink in hand.

“You two kiss and make up?” she jokes, but we shrug it off.

We’re quick to finish off our drinks and after a second trip to the bar, I’m feeling good. The lights die down, the music shifts, and my body starts to roll on its own.

With Vienna dancing in front of me, Victoria and her new dance partner to my right, Mello and the redhead on my left, I relax a bit without my newfound shadows and let loose, pushing all thoughts from my head for first time in weeks.

I toss my water bottle in the trash, glancing around the store parking lot.

We came here after the school officials kicked us off the grounds so they could lock up.

“Dude, where the fuck would she go?” Royce complains. “You sure she wasn’t in the bathroom?”

“I told you, I checked myself.” Captain shrugs. “She wasn’t there.”

“Think she left with Bishop?” he asks me.

I shake my head. “Bishop was gone before she was. She was talking with that chick from the home.”

Leo turns to us then. “Vienna?” he asks, and I glare, waiting for him to talk since it seems he knows who she is. “She was with that Mello chick from West Wood earlier.”

“If she’s with West Wood girls, they’re—”

My phone beeps in my pocket right then and they look at me.

“It’s Buck.” I look to my brothers. “She’s at The Tower.”

“Fuck.” Royce shakes his head and we slide in the vehicle, Leo and our boy Mac with us.

We head south on the highway and ten minutes later, we’re walking toward Buck and the other guard dog.

“You sure she’s in there?” We give props and he nods.

“Girl you sent me that picture of a few weeks ago and told me to tell you if I ever saw her coming in? Yeah, man, I’m sure.” He waves a few girls in and they slip past us, dragging their nails across our shirts as they do.

I shrug the last one off and look back to Buck.

“I’d have called you earlier, but got caught up. Dickheads in line started brawling.”

I glare. “How long she been here?”

He shrugs. “Hour or so.”

Royce shoves past and into the club. We follow.

Leo and Mac make a move for the bar while Cap, Royce and I scan the room.

I tilt my head, peeking through bodies when the ones in the front shift left.

My eyes zone in on shiny black hair.

But the girl in front of me doesn’t quite fit my Raven.

“Is she—”

“Did she—”

She sure as fuck did.

Her body continues to sway, more and more until her front is facing us and goddamn, a lax Raven in sweats and T-shirt is sexy, but this Raven is ... fuck me.

She’s got on white jeans so tight I might have to cut them off with a tiny ass black top that has half her stomach out and ties around her neck. Her eyes are closed, and framed in jet black color like her hair, and those lips, a little parted and a lot pink.

I hold in my groan.

One of the girls from the home steps up, wedging herself between Raven’s legs, and draping her arms over her shoulder.

Raven’s quick to grab the chick’s hips.

I look to Captain and Royce.

Captain shrugs with side grin. “I say we let her have some fun.”

Raven laughs at the girl in front of her, and then her head lifts.

She spots me instantly and those eyes pop wide open, an obvious “oh fuck” making its way past her painted lips.

Her movements slow as she gauges me, but when I stay planted where I stand a small smirk appears and she winks.

I look to Cap, just about to agree with him, when a get a drug out, “Oh, shit,” from Royce, and our eyes cut back to her.

A hand reaches between Raven and the girl and they separate. Right as the girl steps back, the hand drops to Raven’s waist and she tenses.

And then his head slowly lifts and my blood boils, a fog taking over my eyes.

“Fuck,” Cap spits and starts forward, but I stop both him and Royce with a palm raised.

Collins.

Raven attempts to shift, to look over her shoulder, but he holds her head in place.

“Maddoc ...” Royce draws out.

She yanks herself away and spins to face him, getting in his face, arms flailing around like a wild woman.

And he steps closer to her.

I grind my teeth to keep my feet rooted.

“Maddoc,” Royce begins to panic.

“Wait.”

“You really fucking testing her right now?” he snaps, but I ignore him.

I’m not testing her. I’m giving her what she thinks she wants.

I’m letting her handle shit on her own, like she keeps asking.

She says something that has his chin dropping an inch and fire flares in my muscles.

He might just try and grab her again.

She sees it and moves backward a few steps, and then it happens, like I fucking knew it would.

Her eyes seek mine and a hammering begins in my chest as uncertainty clouds her features.

It’s ok to need me, baby...

She’s strong, we all know it, but she’s afraid to let go, even a little.

Independence and defiance make up a large part of her, but loyalty and hidden longing are in there just the same.

Raven wants what we give her. What she knows damn well I could give her. She might have been sent here and was never meant to stay, but things have changed. She feels it too.

The longer she stares, the faster her chest rises and falls.

I widen my stance, lifting my chin just a little to encourage, and she takes a step toward me.

But the piece of shit behind her makes a foolish move, desperate to show dominance when he has none, and darts forward, grabbing her elbow hard enough to make her eyes wince. But she doesn’t whip around to flash on him, her eyes stay on mine, a fierce expression taking over. She gives a curt nod.

“Now?” Royce growls beside me.

“Now.”

My brothers rush forward, and she’s released right before Collins is shoved back. He stumbles into the crowded dance floor.

Fists fly, people scream, but Raven doesn’t turn around.

She knows they’ve got it handled, knows where she belongs in this moment and who has her back.

She steps in front of me, her shoes bringing her body more level with mine, but still not equal. She starts chewing on her bottom lip, so I push into her, my thumb coming up to free it, and her mouth follows, holding onto the feeling a second longer.

She doesn’t lift her head but watches me through her lashes.

Royce and Captain step up in the next second, and her fingers find mine, lacing ours together.

My eyes hit hers again and she shrugs.