Never cower, sweet girl. Your eyes are your power.

“It started small, get the kid at the ice cream shop to admit he stole from the tip jar, convince the guy at the park to steal his mom’s car, but I was really good, and suddenly I was twelve, but passed for seventeen… and I learned there really was a lot of bad in the world. Mero said my ‘job’ was to find it, and making him proud became the most important thing in my world. So I did what he asked, always. I found new ways to get smart, powerful, people to give up their secrets, and in return, they gave Mero money.”

“Blackmail.”

“Yep.”

“Did you have to sleep with these men?”

I run my tongue along the backs of my teeth. “Did someone force me to a bed and take what I didn’t give?” Shame weighs on my chest, and I inhale, the ache only growing. “No, never. Sex wasn’t always necessary, but when it was, when I had no other way to get the answer I was sent for, it was.”

I was disgusting, craved the approval of a man who I thought was my savior, even mourned his death as I made my way back to this place, and then it was like a switch went off in my mind. All at once, everything clicked and I realized what I never saw... I wasn’t his princess, I was his prisoner.

“When I got to the Bray house, I studied everything around me, and it didn’t take me long to realize where good met the evil, but your family had no reason to trust me, so I found another way.”

Finally, Captain shifts his head, meeting my eyes in the dark. “You found us.”

My stomach muscles tighten, and I nod. “Yeah, Cap.” I found you.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispers.

“I was a stranger who knew what she shouldn’t.” I shrug. “I was basically a stalker.”

Captain chuckles, but it quickly dies on his lips.

His hand comes up, pushing the hair from my cheek and he holds it there a moment.

His eyes fall to my mouth, his tongue peeking out to wet his own, but then they swing back to mine and a look I can’t decipher flashes across them.

He stands, gazing down at me.

“Sleep, Beauty.” He trails his fingertips as they skim along the expensive comforter. “And when you wake up... show me who you are, so I can forget the rest.”

A spark of expectation fires within his eyes as they meet mine, a glint of impatience just behind it.

He’s ready for me.

And then he’s gone, a heavy twist takes over my stomach in his wake, and I close my eyes, pulling in a full, deep breath.

Please.

Whoever listens to the desperate whispers of a lonely girl in the dark...

Please.

Let him be my Brayshaw.

Chapter 20

Captain

“The hell you doin’, brother?” Royce comes around the corner, joint in one hand, water bottle in the other.

I look to the hose in mine and take another step left. “Soil looked a little dry.”

The joint freezes at his lips, his eyes narrowing. “Soil looked dry.” He laughs, taking a long drag. “Fuck you know about soil?”

I chuckle, but a sigh quickly follows. “Fuck, dude. Nothing. Looked, I don’t know, like the flowers were dying or some shit.”

It’s been three days since we found out Victoria is the one who gave me the proof my daughter existed, shared a little about her story with me, and I haven’t been able to think of much else since.

Haven’t talked to her much since, but my eyes hardly leave her when she’s near.

Like I told her to, she’s made sure to be around for dinner every night, something that my brothers and I have always done since before I can remember, but she hasn’t jumped right into normalcy and while I appreciate her trying to ease in slowly, it’s also frustrating as fuck.

Royce bends down, gently brushing across a few of the flower petals, and shakes his head. “Nah, man. Sun’s just not hit ‘em today yet.”

I hike a brow. “The fuck do you know about flowers and the sun?”

He laughs, pushing to his feet with a grin. “Hey, I’m right, fucker. Remember when Miss Maybell had us start doing outside chores? Mine was the planters on the porch.” He shrugs.

I look to the sun, and back to the flowers.

“Also learned over-watering kills ‘em even faster.”

“Fuck.” I drop the hose, glaring at the garden.

The purple garden...

A part of Zoey.

A part of Victoria?

Did she give my daughter a garden as someone gave one to her?

“You good, man?” Royce eyes me.

I run my palms down my face. “Yeah, I’m just—”

“Horny?”

I laugh, my brows lifting as I nod. “Yeah, actually.” That’s part of it.

“Won’t be much longer, brother.” He smirks. “By the way, Mac says still no sign of douchebag Mike. Think he got the picture.”

“He came and asked to see her. You really think he’d go without saying bye?”

“Yeah, man,” he chuckles. “I think taking your brass to chin might have convinced him to.”

“Daddy!”

We turn as Raven and Zoey walk around the house.

“Fuck.” Royce quickly stomps out his joint and then jumps in front of her.

She pretends to juke him, spinning around and he lets her pass so she can run to me, fully believing she evaded his hold.

I pick her up, tossing her in the air and then kiss her cheek. “Did you have fun on your walk?”

“Uh-hu! We saw five birds.” She holds a hand up. “One was a hawk, RaeRae said.”

We laugh when she tries to say RaeRae, the nickname Royce uses for Raven, but it comes out as WayWay.

“That’s awesome, Zo.”

“Zoey,” Raven calls. “Tell Uncle Bro what the baby needs.”

“Oh!” Zoey spins in my arms, looking to Royce. “Uncle Bro! Baby needs donuts, okay?”

Royce laughs, wraps an arm around Raven and kisses her temple. “What baby wants, baby gets, Zoey Bear.”

I grin from him to her. “Maybell’s got all the food ready, we just gotta grab it from her as we leave. As soon as Maddoc’s out of the shower, we’ll head out.”

“I had to go and get sick, delay us by an hour,” Raven says, making a face.

“For real, RaeRae, your uncontrollable morning sickness is gettin’ real inconvenient.” Royce gives a dramatic eye roll and she slaps his stomach, making him laugh. “Careful, or I might puke on you like you puked on Madman earlier.”

“Fuck off.” She laughs, then slaps her hand over her mouth. “Oh shit.” Her eyes widen, making us laugh.

“You’re fine,” I tease her.

Her shoulders fall and she throws Royce’s arm off of her and sludges past us. “I’m literally a lost cause. The worst.”

“Ah, not the worst but...” Royce grins, dodging her punch and runs ahead of us.

“Uncle, wait!” Zoey squirms, so I set her down and she chases after him, Raven and myself on their tail.

We follow them into the house, my steps slowing when we round the entryway to find my dad and Victoria in the kitchen.