Break Me (Brayshaw High 5)

I noticed.

This is my fault.

If I didn’t break down today over my brother’s car, we wouldn’t even be here right now. Everything would have been handled and I would have had a hand in helping.

I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before, but this is on me. I have to be the one to fix this.

Turning, I meet Raven’s eyes.

Raven’s scowls, trying to read the thoughts in mine. “If we move,” she says. “He’ll start beating on the guy, no hesitation, no chance of another outcome. You move...” Her lips pull to one side.

“My shadow moves with me.”

She nods. “He hasn’t taken a single shot since you’ve been standing here talking to me.”

Realization heats my stomach as if I’m the one shooting back eighty proof, grade A liquor. “Because he’s focused.”

She smirks. “Drunk again or not, he can rein it in when he needs to. He wants to know what we’re talking about, and he knows it revolves around him. He’s watching you. He will keep watching you, just like you’ll keep watching him.”

I glance his way and his eyes narrow on the bottle he pours from.

Yeah, he sees me.

No matter what, he’ll be watching.

Maybe this is what he wants.

Maddoc walks up then, his arms wrapping around Raven and pulling her against him.

“Can I borrow your keys?” I ask him.

“I didn’t drive.” He studies me.

“But you have a set of keys.” I hold his stare. “I heard them in your pocket when she pushed her ass into you.”

Raven chuckles. “They all keep keys on them, in case we need a quick escape.”

Maddoc slips his hands in his pocket and holds them out, but before I can snag them, he closes his fist. “Why you want ‘em?”

“I have an idea.”

“I haven’t seen your ideas yet. Might be a shit one.”

“It’s not.”

“I should believe you, why?”

I shrug, a smirk playing at my lips. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.”

He scoffs, and we both know we aren’t there. We also know it doesn’t matter because the Brayshaws can spin anything, so if I screw up, they’ll clean up.

I’m not going to screw up.

It’s simple, really.

I take the keys, slip them in my pocket, pull my phone out and dial Micah.

He answers on the first ring, “Hey.”

“Just talk back.”

“What?”

I walk into the kitchen with my phone to my ear. “Are you sure?”

“Uh, Brielle?” Micah drags out.

Jenson grins at me as I walk in, nodding his chin in hello so I wave, but quickly look away and pull open the fridge door. “Taylor Simms.”

Enoch’s head snaps toward me, but he hides it by sipping on his drink.

“She’s there right now?” I keep going with my fake conversation.

Royce has stopped moving, staring at his drink now.

“Hang on, let me go outside, it’s too loud in here.”

I close the fridge and spin around. “Yeah, I’ll tell you what she told me. One sec.”

I head out front, quickly unlock Captain’s SUV, and slip the keys in the ignition.

“Girl, what the hell are you doing?” Micah asks through the line, his tone uneasy.

I hop out and push the door almost all the way closed and move to stand near the rear driver’s side.

“Can you see me?” I whisper.

“Front left,” he tells me where to find him.

I look, spotting his outline at the edge of the back gate.

He nods and then the front door opens.

I spin when it does, knowing Enoch is following and who will follow next.

“Yeah, so Taylor said she’s going out with you next week. Is that true?” I casually shift on my feet, confirming Enoch is out here, pretending to be checking something on his phone.

I wait until he’s a little closer, and drop mine, pulling my heel up so it bounces off my knee.

“Crap!”

“Here!” Enoch jerks forward instantly, seeing nothing but opportunity as he quickly stuffs his back into his pocket.

He grins, already bending down. “Let me help.”

He means let me pretend to help all so I can see whose name or number is on the screen when I pick it up.

He gets down on his knees, his hands planted flat against the ground as he tucks his upper body beneath the car, stretching to reach my phone.

I dash forward, rip open the SUV door, and hop in the driver's seat. I press the brake, and put the thing in neutral, the slight incline of the driveway sending it rolling backward, right over the left hand of Brayshaw High’s starting pitcher.

His scream is loud, panicked, and my heart leaps into my throat.

I put it into drive, ready to free him, but a hand comes down on my shoulder and I whip around.

Captain.

He pulls my fingers off the gear stick, shaking his head slowly.

I look toward the house to find Mac blocking the front door, Micah guarding the back gate, and in the rearview mirror, Maddoc.