Page 16

Maverick

I’d always hated the tail end of a rally. When the booze ran low, the dust and sweat caked every inch of your skin, and the noise was too damn loud to think. But I had business to handle before I could ditch Anarchy, California. Specifically, one more face-to-face with Kingpin, the asshole who owned me, or so it felt. I needed to look him in the eye and be damn sure he wasn’t behind Dirty Diana’s death.

I found him exactly where I expected, outside of his RV bordering the rally field, smoking a cigarette like it was the last one on earth. His once-smug expression was set in a dark scowl, and I knew he was pissed about the cops sniffing around.

He spotted me and lifted his chin. “Well, look who decided to drop by.”

I parked my Harley and swung a leg off. “We gotta talk.” My voice came out rough, layered with the leftover adrenaline from the shitstorm that’d gone down with Diana.

He blew a plume of smoke, eyes narrowed. “Yeah, we do. Figure you want to know if I had anything to do with the old broad’s death.”

I didn’t say anything, just stared him down. We’d both seen more violence than we’d ever admit, so it was best to be direct.

Kingpin snorted. “If I wanted her dead, I wouldn’t have sent you to get close to her. I’d have done it a long time ago, no middleman required.” He spat on the ground. “But she’s gone now, so what I wanna know is, does the daughter know anything? Did Dirty Diana pass on all those secrets to Lexi? Or does she have zero intel?”

I fought the urge to punch him in that smug mouth. Instead, I kept my voice even. “Lexi doesn’t know jack shit. She’s mourning her mom. She’s not exactly rummaging through some secret file.”

He pursed his lips. “Lexi, huh? Women like Diana don’t go quietly. She might have given her kid something, a clue, a ledger, a flash drive, who the fuck knows. Don’t be stupid, Maverick. The mob doesn't just go after someone for no reason. So fucking figure it out. We can’t have them sniffing around our operations because of some dead whore’s secrets.”

My jaw clenched at the callous way he talked about Diana. Sure, I hadn’t liked the old lady. She was a drunk, had borderline zero morals, but still, she was Lexi’s mom, and she’d died under suspicious circumstances. “I’m not doing this for you,” I ground out. “I’m protecting Lexi because she’s in danger, not because you say so.”

Kingpin shook his head, a half-smile twisting his lips. “Don’t start getting noble on me, Pig.” He flicked his cigarette butt away, grinding it under his boot. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry. That mob boss, Grinder, runs parts of Texas. Word is Diana used to hang with some biker out in Dallas who was originally from the SOS MC in San Diego. Might be Lexi’s daddy, might be just another fling, but either way, the rumor is he pissed off the wrong people. If the girl’s connected to that old bastard, that could be why these assholes want her gone. Or perhaps Diana was holding onto something that ties Lexi to a bigger scheme. Documents, blackmail, who knows?”

I exhaled slowly. “If you hear anything else about Grinder’s real motive, you let me know. I’m not letting Lexi end up like her mother.”

He raised a brow, chuckling darkly. “Getting attached, are we? You always did have a soft spot for these helpless women.”

A stab of anger shot through me. “Fuck off, Kingpin. I didn’t come here for a therapy session.”

He shrugged. “Fine. Just remember your place. If that girl has anything that might compromise me or the Road Monsters, you get the intel. Then we decide what to do with her.”

I grimaced, biting back the urge to deck him. “She doesn’t have shit that’ll compromise you. But if I find out differently, I’ll let you know.”

Kingpin rubbed his beard. “Last thing. You said you got some cryptic texts about Sky? That’s old business. She left. Hell, if I wanted to haul her back, I would have done it by now. Figured you would, too, if you had any questions. But… it's possible another person is stirring the pot.”

My gut twisted at her name. “You don’t think it’s from her?”

He shrugged. “No clue. She’s still in the wind, presumably with Getty, as you know. I’ll dig around, see if something pops up. Nashville’s my territory, my business. If someone’s messing around with Sky’s name, I wanna know who it is.”

I caught the flicker in his eyes. Deep down, he’d always had a thing for Sky. Didn’t matter that he’d married Eve, or that he’d had a twisted relationship with both women. The man was a fucking black hole of desire, never satisfied. But in that moment, I realized I didn’t care anymore about Eve or Kingpin’s personal shit. Sky and her betrayal were the last thing on my mind. My mind was consumed by Lexi, her emerald eyes, her fear, her grief.

I turned to leave, flicking a glance over my shoulder. “We’re done here.”

Kingpin barked a laugh. “For now, Maverick. But if you screw me over…”

“I won’t,” I snapped, then stomped back to my Harley. My blood pounded with anger, and something else. The need to keep Lexi safe, no matter who was behind this.

On my way out, I weaved between the thinning crowds. The rally was winding down, but there were still pockets of chaos, men swigging from beer bottles, women dancing, random bikes roaring. I was just about to pass a row of tents when a familiar high voice called, “Maverick…”

I turned to see Hoops stepping out of her rainbow-colored tent, wearing the same skimpy top I’d peeled off her a couple of nights ago. She gave me a flirty grin, her hula hoop on one arm.

“Hey, big dick,” she crooned, stepping in close and sliding a hand over my crotch. “You going somewhere? Thought we could have another good time.”

She grabbed me by the balls, literally, and I let out a hiss. “Jesus, woman, I’m kinda busy.”

She pouted. “Aw, come on. Don’t tell me you’re still playing white knight for that old lady’s daughter.”

I shoved her hand away, gently but firmly. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. Sorry, Hoops. Not interested.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You used me for a little fun, and now you’re blowing me off?”

I forced a tight smile. “It was mutual fun. Don’t pretend otherwise. Look, I got shit going on. That’s it.” And with that, I turned and headed for my Harley. I heard her curse under her breath, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was Lexi, her wide, tear-filled eyes and the way her voice quivered when she put all her faith in me.

Hoops was old news, just another distraction in a world full of them. Right now, I needed a clear head, and Lexi.