The ache and the burn and the venomous sting threaten to take me to my knees, but I refuse to fall.

It’s a deserving pain, after all, so I welcome it, embrace it.

“Fuck you doing, VicVee.” Royce’s voice suddenly meets my ear, and then he’s beside me, staring at the same door I can’t seem to pull my eyes from. “Go get your man.”

I must shake my head because he asks with a heated undertone, “He not worth the fight, or are you too weak, not up for a challenge?”

“He’s worth every hit, Royce. Every battle.” I’m surprised by the hollowness of my own voice, and he must be too, because his head snaps my way. Slowly, I meet his eyes. “I’d fight for what I want, and I can sure as shit handle it. I’m not too weak or afraid or anything else you might think or want to believe, not in the slightest.”

He turns his body to face me better.

“I’d go up against anything or anyone for him.”

He frowns, whispering, “Except her.”

I nod, and I’d go as far as to say he feels bad, not that I want him to.

Royce looks away, heavy tension lining his forehead. “That’s fair, but that girl, she don’t deserve him.”

If only he knew how true a statement that was.

His footsteps carry him away, and then he calls, “Come on, girl. Let’s go home, huh?”

Translation: let’s not sit here and see how long it takes him to come back out.

“Did you know?” I call out.

“That Cap is fucking his baby mama, who I’m half tempted to feed to the gorilla at the zoo?” he snaps. “Nah, can’t say I did.”

He slips inside with a hard slam to his door, so I make my way over, climbing into the passenger seat of his SUV.

He puts it in gear but before he presses on the gas, his dark eyes swing to mine. He opens his mouth to speak, but then shakes his head and off we go.

Only once on the drive back do I realize the timing was no accident, none of it. The trip to the store, Cap’s arrival, Royce and the ride home.

Maybell knew what she was doing.

She always does.

The rest of the afternoon is a wasted pit of time, like staring at the sun in the peak of the day wishing for the moon to show himself.

I’m about to give in and look to the clock I’ve forced my eyes not to touch when an engine dies out front, alerting us Captain’s finally back.

The door flies open, and he rushes inside, quickly tossing his keys on the coffee table.

“Hey,” he says, stiff and to no one in particular, his feet carrying him directly through the living room, right past us. “I talked to Dad, he said he just now convinced Zoey to leave the zoo.”

Royce’s eyes stay locked on me as he talks to Captain. “Season pass is gettin’ its use, huh?”

Captain chuckles, and it serves as the phantom to my dying opera. “I know, right?” His left foot hits the first stair, his gaze never even flicking in our direction. “Let me shower, and I’ll do dinner tonight.”

A shower… why a shower?

My stomach turns.

Royce’s eyes tighten, moving between mine.

I wait for him to call Cap out or at the very least put me on blast for ‘spying’, but all he does is reach beside him for a bottle of Crown, twist off the lid and take a swig. He passes it to me, answering Cap’s question even though he didn’t stick around to hear one, “Sounds good, brother.”

I take the fucking bottle, knowing I’d have to consume more than this thing can hold in order to get drunk enough to hide from the visions in my head.

I swish the golden liquid, eyes on Royce’s. “Got anything stronger?”

Chapter 26

Captain

My tires crunch against the gravel, rocks flying around when I slam my brakes, but I don’t wait for the gate to be opened for me. I throw it in park, keys still inside, and hop the fuck out.

Andre meets me halfway through the crowd, but I don’t stop to let him talk and as quick as he was in front of me, he’s behind.

“She’s as bad as your brother’s girl, don’t listen for shit,” he shouts above the roar of the crowd.

“I’m aware.” I shove the door to The Wolves Den the rest of the way open, but I’m not seeing her or my brother anywhere.

“I wasn’t trippin’ much since your boy is with her,” he says. “And she seemed good when she got here, but uh… I don’t know about now.”

My head snaps toward his and Andre slips in front of me with his hands raised, nodding with a tense look in his eyes. “Right side room, my man.”

I rush for where he mentions, the room Victoria poured a drink on that Amber chick, reaching it right as the dude who makes drinks in here comes out with empty hands.

He quickly disappears.

I tear inside, and all heads fly my way—except Victoria’s.

“Out,” I snap, eyes on my brother who is laid out on the couch, legs spread, and arms draped along the back of it, joint in one hand, Victoria in the other.

The stray girls and guys rush by, and then it’s just us three and the music.

Victoria’s head is dropped back, so when she opens her mouth, Royce’s arm is able to curl right around. He cages her in as he slips the joint between her lips.

She inhales, holding it in as she leans forward, leisurely pushing to her feet, and takes the few steps to me.

She blows the smoke into my face on a slow blink.

“What are you doing?” I ground out.

The corner of her lips lifts with her hands and suddenly she’s dancing, eyes closed, goofy-ass fuckin’ grin in place.

“What’s she on?”

Royce tilts his head. “A pill or four to do the job alcohol couldn’t.”

“And you didn’t think to call me? Why?”

He chuckles, dragging his ass to his feet as he stumbles toward me. “Because she asked me, that’s fuckin’ why. I wasn’t so sure you’d care, brother. She’s just a little liar, betrayed you, right? Broke trust? Showed no loyalty? Did one of the worst fuckin’ things she could do?” He eyes me a moment. “That’s why you spent the last month fighting how she makes you feel right? Why we spent the last fucking month hating her, ain’t it?”

My head tugs back. “That’s why you brought her here?”

“To see if you’d come for her?” He lifts his arms out, head swaying a bit. “Yup, and you did.”

I study him, finding no hint of humor or sense of pride, nothing that shows his purpose for tonight was fulfilled by my showing up.

A sharp twinge shoots up my spine, stiffening my neck. “What’s wrong?”

He laughs, but it’s hollow, his hand coming down hard on my shoulder as he steps directly beside me, our heads turned toward each other. “Nothing, bro.” He eyes me. “Not a fuckin’ thing.”

His shoulder knocks mine as he makes his way out, and worry pulls at my brows, but I shake it off, turning to Victoria.

The lighting is low, the glow of the room a soft red and likely heightening her high.

I move toward her and with every step my heart hits harder against my chest.