Page 13

Maverick

I backed off, letting the cops do their job. They didn’t zero in on me immediately. Hopefully, they had no clue who the fuck I was yet, which was good. I kept my head down, drifting around the periphery. The paramedics eventually brought Diana’s body out on a stretcher, covering her with a sheet. Lexi and Nova watched, tears streaking their faces. My gut twisted at the sight.

I was about to slip away to check in with Kingpin when I caught a snippet of conversation behind a row of bikes. Two men, wearing brain buckets and dark shades, were speaking in hushed voices.

“That’s the old bat’s gone,” one said. “But the daughter’s still a problem.”

The other spat on the ground. “Yeah, well, we wait until the cops clear out. We know where she’s staying, some flea-bitten motel near the main road. We’ll finish the job tomorrow.”

Adrenaline spiked in my veins. They’re planning to kill Lexi. Must be connected to this Grinder shit, or maybe some other angle. Either way, they were talking murder, plain and simple. I tensed, stepping forward, but one of them must’ve sensed my presence. They both jumped on their bikes, engines roaring to life. I barely got a glimpse of a patch, couldn’t tell which MC or group. Then they sped off in a cloud of dust.

Fuck, I swore under my breath. Chasing them now would be useless. They had too big a head start, and I had no idea which direction they’d go once they hit the highway. Fuck. But I had to warn Lexi. If these assholes came after her, she was screwed, especially if she was na?ve enough to trust random guys. Random bikers like me.

By then, they’d had loaded Diana into an ambulance, presumably to take her to the morgue. I hovered at a distance, noticing that more cops were swarming. Some of the bikers had already started scattering, not wanting to risk a random search or warrant. It wouldn’t be long before tensions rose even more.

I saw Kingpin lurking near a lineup of black Harleys, scowling at the scene. Our eyes met, and he jerked his head. A silent command to vanish. He didn’t want me around when the cops were asking questions, no sense exposing ourselves further. That was fine by me. I slipped through the crowd, found my bike, and kicked the engine into gear.

I had one destination in mind, Lexi’s motel. If those assholes really planned to come for her, I had to warn her first, maybe get her out of town. I told myself it was just because Kingpin would want the daughter alive, that she might have secrets or could unravel something bigger if she died. But deep down, I knew there was something else. I couldn’t let some scumbags off her just when she’d lost her mother. A mother I’d failed to protect, even if I hadn’t truly wanted to.

It took me about half an hour to locate the motel I’d heard them mention, hell, it wasn’t like Anarchy was brimming with five-star resorts. The sign blinked in neon: Anarchy Inn . Perfect. The lot was half-empty, a row of shitty vehicles and a couple bikes on the far side.

I parked, scanning the area. No sign of the men I’d overheard. I went into the lobby where the aroma was stale coffee and mildew. An elderly clerk raised an eyebrow at me.

“I’m looking for Lexi,” I said curtly, giving her last name if I remembered it from that quick mention… Shit, I realized I didn’t actually know her last name. “She’s with a friend named Nova,” I tried. “They got here recently.”

He shrugged, flipping through a binder. “We got a couple women who checked in from out of state. Brown-haired and blonde, right?”

“That’s them.”

He gave me a suspicious once-over. “Room 214. But don’t cause trouble here.”

I ignored that last part and headed upstairs, the hallway reeking of old carpet and cigarettes. Door 214 was at the end. I knocked, then realized how this might look, me showing up out of nowhere after her mother died. But there wasn’t time for niceties if these scumbags were coming.

The door cracked open a sliver. Nova’s face appeared, eyes rimmed with red from crying. She saw me and gasped, “Maverick?”

Flattening my lips, I gave her a solemn look. “Let me in. It’s important.”

She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. Then she unlatched the chain. I stepped inside to find Lexi perched on the edge of one of the beds, hugging her arms around her middle, eyes bloodshot behind her glasses. She looked up, and her expression hardened.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, voice raw. “You have the nerve…”

I raised both hands in a placating gesture. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me, but you and your friend are in danger. I overheard some guys talking after your mom’s body was taken away. They want to come after you next. They know you’re here.”

Her face went blank. “W-what?”

Nova’s eyes widened. “Are you fucking serious?”

I nodded grimly. “They said they’d wait until the cops cleared out, then come here tomorrow. I don’t know who they are, maybe tied to that mob boss Diana was yammering about wanting to kill you all. But it sounded legit.”

Lexi swallowed hard, her knuckles white where they gripped the bedspread. “What the hell are you talking about, wanting to kill us?”

“Did she not tell you? She told me someone named Grinder was threatening to kill her and her daughter.”

“No. She didn’t tell me anything of the sort. Said she needed legal advice. The defamation. Remember? You heard her being all cryptic and shit,” Lexi said.

“Listen. Diana has a reputation for not exactly telling the truth. So, I didn’t believe her at first.”

Lexi nodded, like she related to that fact.

“So, once I found out there was actually a daughter, I thought she told you about the hit, when she called you.”

“A hit?” Lexi repeated my words like they were foreign.

“I told Diana to let you know you were in danger. I just figured she did, and supposed that’s why you were desperately wanting answers last night.” I spoke mostly to myself. “So, you didn’t understand that you two should have stayed with her. Because you didn’t know she was in real danger.”

“Well, you left her in her tent,” Lexi cried out, blaming me, rightfully.

“I came back in the middle of the night, and Diana was fine, breathing. I went to bed, thinking I was right beside her, and the sea of bikers would protect her from the mob. But I should’ve known, the mob would have bikers do their bidding.”

“You mean, you were distracted by some loose woman. What do you call them? Club whores? Sweetbutts? Club Bunnies? Roadhouse Rabbits?” Her voice raised and got high at the same time.

“I’m sorry, Lexi. I put your mom’s life in danger and yours.”

“My life? Are you sure? I—I can’t even process this. Why would they want me dead?”

I gave a rough shrug. “Because your mom might’ve said something. Or they think you know something. Shit, I don’t know. But if they’re serious, you need to get out of here. Tonight.”

Nova made a strangled sound. “We can’t just, leave. The police might have more questions, and Lexi… You can’t trust some random biker.”

“I promise, I’m just trying to help,” I tried, meeting Lexi’s wet eyes.

“She needs to plan her mom’s funeral. Or something,” Nova huffed out.

Lexi let out a shuddering breath, tears brimming again. “She can’t just…be gone.”

Guilt twisted in my gut. I knelt near the bed, forcing Lexi to meet my gaze. Up close, I noticed the faint freckles across her nose, the redness in her eyes, the tremble of her bottom lip. She was so damn beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly, meaning it more than I wanted to admit. “But if these assholes come for you, you might end up just like her. You got any family, friends who can help? Anyone you trust?”

She shook her head, blinking back tears. “My dad’s never been in the picture. I have some extended family in Dallas, but… I don’t know. There’s Mark, my boss from the office, but I’m not sure I want to get work involved.”

“Then I’ll help,” I said, surprising myself with how quickly the words came out. But it was the proper course of action, and I could find a way to placate Kingpin during this. “I can move you two to a safer place, somewhere these guys won’t find you. Then we’ll determine the next steps.”

“Tell me why I should trust you,” Lexi said, putting me on the spot.

“Well, once upon a time I was a good guy...” I started, but that explanation died in my throat. Hell, I didn’t want anything to happen to her for selfish reasons, but I’d gotten her mom killed. I tried a more reasoned approach. “If anything, your mom knew secrets, secrets about a man I work for and he asked me to keep her alive. If you don’t trust me, trust that my boss would want to know why someone wanted Diana dead, and you might be our only lead.”

Lexi puckered sideways, trying to decide.

I looked at her shirt that read, ‘Men are Better in Books’. Tears streaked her pretty face, and it was right, no romance hero would have left her mom unguarded to pork some whore.

“Listen, Princess, I’ll be real honest with you. Come clean, lay it all out. I won’t let anyone hurt you because from the moment I met you, I wanted to haul those glasses off your pretty face and give you a kiss to make you notice me, really notice me. Make your knees weak and land you under me, in my tent, my bed. So, I came looking for you in Diana’s tent. When you weren’t there, I found someone in mine, so I buried my bone in her, wishing she was you. So, don’t go thinking I’m going to let you get killed when I want to fuck you.”

Lexi swallowed hard. She parted her lips but nothing came out.

“Besides, I got to see that full bush,” I added, smiling.

Nova and Lexi exchanged looks. Finally, Lexi exhaled, shoulders sagging. “Okay,” she whispered. “I don’t know what else to do. And I don’t have a full bush. I don’t want to disappoint you.” She almost laughed.

Nova glanced at me, her expression still wary. “Just promise you’re not going to kidnap us or something.”

I snorted. “Kidnapping ain’t my style.” I lied. “I’m trying to stop them from killing you.”

Lexi nodded, wiping her eyes under her glasses. “Fine. We’ll go. Let me just… God, I don’t even have time to process my mother’s death.” Her voice cracked, and she took a moment to breathe. “But if we stay here, I might end up dead too, right?”

I stood up, shoving my hands into my pockets, wishing I could take away her pain. But I couldn’t. I could only keep her alive. “We’ll handle everything, step by step. Right now, pack up your shit. We’ll find a different spot.”

Nova got up, rummaging for her keys. Lexi remained on the bed for a beat longer, looking lost. Then she rose, moving stiffly, like a woman in a dream or a nightmare, more like. I took one more glance at her trembling figure, that wave of protectiveness flaring in my chest again.

What the hell am I doing? I was an outlaw biker. I owed her nothing. But something about Lexi made me want to keep her safe. It could have been the guilt from failing her mother, or perhaps the sight of her tears, or I simply needed to do one decent thing in my messed-up life.

“All right,” I said, clearing my throat. “Let’s move fast. Those bastards won’t wait long.”

She looked at me with a mixture of resentment, uncertainty, and, beneath it all, hope that maybe I could fix this. I doubted that, but I’d sure as shit try. Because I was Maverick, and if there was one thing I hated more than Kingpin’s manipulations, it was seeing an innocent woman get dragged into the underground’s crosshairs.

And so, battered by guilt and responsibility, I prepared to lead Lexi and her friend into the unknown, all while some faceless hitmen lurked somewhere out there, starting their engines, planning to strike. One thing was certain, Kingpin’s assignment had just turned from babysitting an old hag into protecting her daughter. And I had a sinking feeling that this job would be a hell of a lot more complicated.