I clench around him as he works me from the inside, adding a second finger as he does. He pulls on my nipple, his grip creating a vibrating motion until my body starts to quake.

A deep moan makes its way up my throat and he captures it with his mouth. When he tries to pull back, I don’t let him. I grip his hair and force him to let my tongue in, fucking his while I ride his palm.

He feels when I’m close and yanks away, moving to nip at my left nipple while still twisting and pulling on my right. The speed of his fingers increases to where all I can do is fight not to fall over as I come apart.

I come for him and he hums his approval against me.

We stand there, his fingers still inside me, my body slouched against his until the water runs cold.

Bass is hanging up his phone when I finally make my way down the next evening. I stayed in bed all day nursing some killer ass aches. Cap meets me at the landing with some more Ibuprofen and a bottle of water while Royce holds out two shot glasses.

“She needs painkillers, not that shit right now.”

I take the pills Captain gives and pat him on the shoulder before taking the shots from Royce’s hands. I hold them up. “I kinda need both right now.”

I quickly down both shots back to back. I take the open seat next to Bass, while Maddoc stands and Royce and Captain drop on to the couch.

Bass nods, looking me over. I spent an hour in the bathroom, working with what I had to cover up most of the mess – another trick I learned from my mom. “You good?”

“Fine.” I eye him and he frowns. “You told me to come out last night and this happened. Who else knew?”

“Just my guy.”

“What fucking guy?” Maddoc growls.

I consider my words carefully. If I mention the video, they’ll go all out-revenge mode and get screwed in the end.

“Bass said someone called him talking about causing trouble for me.”

Bass’s features tighten, but he doesn’t throw me under the bus.

Maddoc’s eyes narrow, searching for a lie.

He won’t see it. I can hide the truth behind omission like a champ, especially when I have no choice. Especially if it means protecting them.

“Who is he?” Royce demands, leaning forward in his seat.

“Name’s Benny.” Bass looks from me to the guys, like he’s trying to decide what he can and can’t say in my presence.

But if I hadn’t already put two and two together, he threw it out last night anyway when he said Maddoc pays him.

The guys are behind the fighting at the warehouses. It’s why they want me to stay away and why they can’t be seen doing business there. It’s illegal as shit and they can’t afford that right now.

Which is also why the video can’t see the light of day.

“He’s a nomad, gets in where he fits in.”

“Meaning he’s loyal to no one but himself,” Maddoc adds.

I shrug and his stare slices to me. “It’s natural for people who don’t belong. Self-preservation.”

Maddoc’s glare shifts back to Bass and they start talking who he is and what he’s about, but I tune them out. I got their conversation going, purposefully so. But I already figured out who’s running the playbook.

Once I woke up and the fog of last night disappeared, the answer was obvious.

I heard what that last asshole said to me before he ran off, and it’s no damn coincidence the same exact words were just spoken to me by another.

Collins Graven is a real piece of work.

He laid down his little bread crumbs, whispered to the right people in order to get the information to Bass. All he had to do from there was have him tailed and wait for me to come around. I bet he’s real proud he got me on Brayshaw ground, too.

He hinted he had something on me when he cornered me in the bathroom the other day, but I didn’t think he’d go and have me jumped to force my attention.

I know Captain’s eyes are on me, but I don’t dare look. He’s too perceptive in his nurturing nature.

I pull the joint from my hoodie pocket and wave it around so nobody freaks out when I stand and exit the room.

They keep talking and I slip onto the porch, letting my legs dangle over the side as I stare at nothing in the dark trees.

Just as I’m blowing out my first hit, Captain drops beside me.

“What are you up to?”

When I don’t say anything, he sighs. “Don’t fuck this up, Raven.” I go to shake my head but he keeps talking. “You don’t understand what you being here is doing for us.”

“Cap ...” I close my eyes, wishing he’d stop talking.

“Please,” he begs, not even knowing what he himself is asking for.

He has no clue something is being held over their heads by the very same person who had me jumped. The truth is I have no damn idea if the video Collins has is enough to take down a Brayshaw, let alone three.

It could have little or immense consequences for my boys. The fact of the matter is I’m not willing to leave it to chance. Not when I know how I can fix it.

It’s why when he says, “We’ll figure it out. Together,” I play dumb.

My leg starts bouncing, and a sickness swims inside me, making me queasy. Tears prick the back of my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cap.”

He hesitates before standing and pulling me to my feet so he can gently wrap me in a hug. “This is where you’re meant to be. You’re a part of us, that means we handle our problems as a team.”

He slowly steps inside, and the first tear falls without permission.

I warned them I’d cause trouble. I didn’t even have to try, and it fell at my feet anyway, as always.

I wish I didn’t run on impulse. I wish I could stop and think a little longer, but my brain doesn’t work that way. I can’t be controlled or convinced.

Warnings and threats go right over my head and every action taken is for one reason and one reason only.

Because I want to, consequences be damned.

They’ll be angry, but I can’t worry about that.

I have to stop this, and I know exactly how to do it.

I knock on the door, turning to look over my shoulder as I do.

I know the second I split through the trees, they came looking. Three engines fired up and screams filled the orchard as they called my name over and over, curse after curse until finally, they sped off down the street. But I ran through the alleyways until I hit the neighborhood across the bridge.

My lungs feel like they’re caving in and my head is pounding but this can’t wait.

It’s the last place they’d come searching, at least tonight.

I’m not new to this shit, so I know this, what I’m about to do, is only the beginning, which is strange since it also seems a lot like the end.

The thought shouldn’t leave such a void in my chest. Yet here I stand, appearing strong and tall and so damn sure of my next move when for the first time, there’s a shrieking cry in the back of my head, begging me with all its got to turn back, to go to them.

To trust Maddoc could fix this and believe he’d want to.

But again, I’m not new to this and I know how this goes. I know I have to stay standing where I am until the threat is gone.