Page 15

I didn’t realize how numb I felt until he was gone. Nova and Chigger bustled around the small kitchen, finding a pack of tortillas and some random supplies from the cupboards to go with what they bought. They put together a passable meal of chicken fajitas, the savory aroma filling the cabin.

I sat at the worn wooden table, picking at my food without much appetite. Nova and Chigger were chatting like old friends. Actually, more like flirtatious new friends. It was sweet, but I couldn’t shake the pang of resentment twisting in my stomach. My mother had just died, and here was my best friend giggling over chopped onions and sizzling chicken.

Eventually, Chigger looked over at me. “You doin’ okay, Lexi?”

I forced a thin smile. “As okay as I can be, given…everything.”

He nodded sympathetically. “Maverick will find answers, trust me. He’s relentless when he sets his mind on something.”

Nova propped her chin in her hand. “How do you know Maverick so well?”

Chigger grinned, leaning back in his chair. “We met a while back, after he left his first MC. He’s been drifting for a bit. Joined the Road Monsters. He’s a hell of a fighter, used to be a detective, you know.”

“Yeah,” I interjected softly. “He told me.”

Chigger nodded. “Then you know the gist. He’s got a complicated past. Something about his ex, Eve, screwing him over, losing their baby, and hooking up with Kingpin, his old MC president.”

Nova and I exchanged looks, from our books we knew all about the motorcycle club hierarchy.

Chigger grimaced. “My sister, Eve Angel… She messed him up.”

“Your sister?” I asked, my face probably giving away my surprise.

“Yeah. It’s a small world when you’re from Arkansas.”

“Maverick’s from Arkansas?”

“No, Eve and me. Maverick’s from Ohio, though I’m rubbing off on him. Man used to have a bright future, you know? Now he’s… I don’t want to say broken, but he’s definitely a different breed. Me, myself, I never had prospects like him, so I’m good with who I am.”

Nova smiled and touched his hand lovingly.

But I focused on getting info on Maverick. “What do you mean different breed?”

“Man’s been dead inside. I think the fact his wife left him, really put the final nail in the coffin.”

“Eve? He married her?” I asked, getting whiplash.

“No, another woman. His president’s wife. He ran off with her.”

“Oh, what happened to him then?” Nova asked, as we tried to keep up.

Chigger motioned to the cabin. “You’re looking at it. He got exiled to another club.”

“So, is the guy single?” Nova asked what I was thinking.

“Oh, yeah,” Chigger replied, like the answer was obvious.

My heart twisted. Maverick had loved a woman named Eve, they’d lost a child, and then she’d betrayed him? Then he was married and that’s over now too. No wonder he seemed so dark and guarded.

“Chigger, if Maverick’s so broken, do you trust him?” I asked the burning question.

Chigger met my gaze. “With my life. And just between you and me, Eve’s my real blood and flesh sister. Don’t get me wrong. I love her. But man’s been real good to me even though I stir up shit memories for him. He’s got a dark cloud following him, sure. But under all that tough shit, he cares. He’s got a code, his own code, even if he tries to hide it.”

Nova smiled. “That’s good to know.” She glanced at me. “Hear that, Lex?”

I nodded, chewing my lip. Part of me felt a warmth spread through my chest. A code. That explained the unwavering sense of responsibility he’d shown in trying to protect me. But it also made me wary, I’d seen my mother latch onto men who had “codes,” only to be disappointed when they turned out to be scumbags.

We ate in relative silence after that. I concentrated on the fajitas' flavor profile, spicy, tangy, actually quite palatable for a rushed meal. Chigger and Nova chatted softly about random topics. The best bars in Dallas, funny stories from the road. I felt like an outsider, my grief too raw, my thoughts too consumed by everything that had happened.

Maverick never returned that evening. Eventually, the only light came from a single lamp in the living room. I sat on the small couch, phone in hand, repeatedly checking for any messages or calls. Nothing.

“Any word?” Nova asked around ten o’clock, yawning.

I gave my head a little shake, worry gnawing at me. “No.”

Chigger checked his phone, then dialed a number. He spoke in hushed tones, then hung up. “He’s fine,” he assured me. “Just said he’s tied up with something, and not to wait up. He’ll see us in the morning.”

Relief loosened my tight muscles, though a thread of anxiety remained. What was he doing out there? And would he really find answers? I sighed, exhaustion weighing me down. “I guess I’ll go to bed.”

Nova stood too. “Me too.” She shot Chigger a little smile. “Thanks for dinner.”

He winked. “My pleasure. You ladies sleep well. I’ll keep watch.”

Despite my best attempts, I couldn’t sleep. My mind replayed the day’s horror like a broken record. Mom’s lifeless face, the bruise on her neck, the cops’ questions, Maverick’s intense gaze, his little speech about keeping me alive because he wanted to fuck me. At some point, I must have drifted off, because I woke with a start sometime after midnight, a chill creeping over me.

I blinked in the darkness, realizing I was alone in the bedroom. Where’s Nova? Her bed was empty. Confusion pulsed through me. It wasn’t like her to wander off in the middle of the night, especially not in a strange place.

Fear prickled along my spine. My first thought was Are we being attacked? I shoved the blankets aside, heart racing. Quietly, I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand and slipped out of bed, tiptoeing across the cabin. I flipped on a small lamp in the living room, noticing it was empty.

Then, from down the hall, I heard noises. Distinct moans, followed by muffled laughter. Oh, God. My cheeks heated. It was coming from the second bedroom. Chigger’s room.

I realized what was happening at once. Nova was hooking up with Chigger. My stomach churned with a weird mix of relief at the fact at least she wasn’t kidnapped and embarrassment. Still, the moans sounded urgent and echoey, and part of me panicked. Perhaps she required assistance?

I crept closer, picking up a cast-iron pan from the stove, my brain in a half-asleep panic mode. God, Lexi, calm down. But adrenaline spiked. If there was danger, I wasn’t going to be caught unarmed.

The sounds got louder as I reached the doorway, moans, creaking of the bed, breathless gasps. My face flushed bright red. They’re definitely not in trouble. I decided to slink away before I humiliated myself further.

But as I turned to retreat, I smacked right into a solid wall of bare chest. A startled yelp escaped me, and I almost dropped the pan.

A low chuckle rumbled above me. “Easy, princess,” Maverick whispered. “You planning on bashing someone’s skull in?”

I looked up, heart hammering. It was dark, but enough moonlight filtered through the cabin window to reveal Maverick’s silhouette, tall and broad as ever, and very deliciously shirtless. My gaze roamed over the cords of muscle in his thick arms, the dark outlines of tattoos on his chest. His nipples, were larger than I imagined, but made sense his chest was so vast. God, he looked too good. My mouth went dry, and I licked my lips.

Though I had no saliva, I swallowed hard, flustered. “I heard noises,” I explained lamely. “I thought maybe we were being attacked.”

He smirked, leaning in closer. “Just your friend and Chigger having themselves a little midnight fun. The walls here aren’t exactly thick.”

Heat rushed to my face. “Right. Um… You’re back.”

“Got back a few minutes ago,” he murmured, glancing over his shoulder at the sounds still echoing from the other bedroom. “Didn’t feel like stepping into that, so I was gonna crash on the futon in the living room. But now….” He gestured at the noise with a crooked grin. “I doubt I’ll get any peace with that going on.”

I realized how close we were, close enough that my arm brushed his bare torso. My stomach flipped. “You can, uh, take Nova’s bed in my room, if you want,” I found myself offering. The words came out before I could think them through. “I mean, she’s obviously not using it.”

His eyebrow arched, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “You sure?” he asked softly.

I nodded, my pulse racing. “Yeah. It’s fine. Let’s just…sleep.”

He studied me for a moment. “All right,” he said finally. “Lead the way.”

We crept back into my bedroom, the pan still in my hand for some stupid reason. I set it down on a small table, feeling like an idiot. Darkness cloaked the room except for a faint glow from the moon outside. Maverick hovered near the twin bed meant for Nova, while I slipped under the covers of mine.

For a few heartbeats, I just watched him. He toed off his boots, wearing only jeans now, the faint line of his abs visible in the low light. My mouth went even drier. Damn, I was thirsty and finally got the slang. The earlier spark of that kiss flickered in my memory, sending a rush of heat through my veins, through all my bodily fluids. But I had no right to want this. My mother had just died, and I was in mortal danger.

He lay down on Nova’s bed, exhaling a quiet sigh. “Night, princess.”

I swallowed thickly. “Good night.”

I rolled onto my side, trying to ignore the awareness of him just a few feet away. My heart pounded so loudly I wondered if he could hear it. He didn’t say anything else, though. Maybe he was as confused as I was.

Eventually, exhaustion claimed me. As I drifted off, the faint murmurs of Nova and Chigger’s passion died away, replaced by the gentle rhythm of Maverick’s breathing. Safe, my tired mind whispered. I felt… safe.

Despite the grief threatening to swallow me, despite the swirling questions about who killed my mom, I found a pocket of comfort in the dark, knowing that a man who once was a detective, now a hardened biker, was just a few feet away, vowing to protect me until this nightmare ended.