Page 18

We walked across the dusty lot to a diner that looked straight out of the seventies. Inside, a waitress in a pink uniform led us to a booth, handed us sticky menus, and poured stale coffee into chipped mugs.

I glanced at Lexi from across the table, noticing how tired she looked. Still, there was a quiet determination behind the lenses of her glasses. Maybe it was the heat of the coffee after a long ride, but I felt all warm and fuzzy inside when she looked at me. She was so damn beautiful, even with dark circles under her eyes.

“How you holding up?” I asked softly.

She shrugged. “Tired. Confused. Grieving. Terrified. The usual.” Then she gave a wry smile, as if laughing at her own misery.

I reached across the table, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll figure it out.”

She studied me, something flickering in her eyes. “You keep saying that,” she said, voice trembling. “And I keep wanting to believe you.”

I pulled my hand back, forcing a casual grin. “I’m a man of my word.”

The waitress interrupted them, setting down plates of greasy burgers and fries. We ate quickly, exchanging quiet words about tomorrow’s plan, arrive at her apartment, dig through Diana’s junk, see if we hit some kind of jackpot that explained everything.

At one point, I caught myself staring at Lexi’s lips, coated with grease from the burger. I remembering the taste of them from that impulsive kiss. She noticed, her cheeks instantly coloring, and I had to look away, overcome by a rush of heat of my own. She dabbed her lips with a napkin, reminding me she was off-limits. Damn it. She’d just lost her mother. And she didn’t need me complicating her life. But damn if my body disagreed as I adjusted myself under the table.

“You okay?” she asked, brow furrowed.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I was just… thinking we should get some rest. Big day tomorrow.” Liar, I thought. But at least it was half true. I was imagining getting her back to the room and tearing off her glasses and her latest ridiculous book t-shirt, with a racoon, saying she reads trashy books. See that titty again, and the other one. I’d show her that not all men are better in books.

We rolled out of that diner, full of burgers and coffee, and the night air felt great. Without thinking, I reached for her hand, lacing our fingers together. She blinked, but didn’t pull away. For a few seconds, we walked in silence, that small connection feeling more intimate than it had any right to be.

Then gunshots shattered the quiet, echoing from the motel parking lot.

Lexi gasped, and I whipped my head around to see Chigger and Nova sprinting toward us. Chigger’s face was grim, Nova’s eyes wide with terror.

“Run!” Chigger yelled. “They’ve found us. We gotta get the fuck out of here!”

My stomach lurched. I grabbed Lexi’s hand tighter. “Let’s go.”

The four of us bolted for the motorcycles, bullets whizzing by. Shouts erupted from behind some parked cars. Whoever it was, they weren’t shy about making noise. I yanked Lexi onto the back of my Harley and fired up the engine.

“Hang on!” I roared.

Nova and Chigger did the same on his bike. Tires squealed as we tore out of the parking lot. Headlights pierced the darkness, as the boom of our engines mingling with the gunshots. I ducked and weaved, evading possible shots from the rear. Lexi clung to me with a death grip, her face buried against my back.

Glancing in the mirror, I saw a pair of bikes chasing us, muzzle flashes lighting up the night. Shit. I gunned the throttle. We bobbed and weaved, taking random turns to lose them. One bullet pinged off the pavement too close to my front tire.

At last, after cutting through a maze of side streets and back roads, we lost the bastards. I slowed, scanning for any sign of them. Nothing. Just a long, empty highway with a few sad streetlights.

But Chigger and Nova were nowhere to be seen.

“Where the hell did they go?” Lexi asked, her voice shaky.

Pulling off onto a side road, I shook my head. “No clue. We got separated.” My blood still pounded in my ears. “We have to assume they’re okay. Chigger can handle himself.”

She gasped shallowly. “So now what?”

I surveyed the area. We were in the middle of nowhere, a highway lined with a few rundown buildings. A cheap motel sign flickered in the distance. Every muscle ached, and Lexi was trembling.

“We lie low,” I said. “At least until morning.”

I pulled into the grim parking lot of a rundown single-level motel. Inside the office, a bored-looking woman took my cash without much comment, though she eyed our rumpled, panicked appearances.

A minute later, we stood outside room 10, a key in my hand. I opened the door to a dull, stale space with one bed, a tiny TV, and the faint smell of cigarette smoke. Good enough for the night.

“Safe and sound,” I muttered, flipping the deadbolt once we were in. My shoulders finally relaxed. “No gunshots. That’s an improvement.”

Lexi hugged herself, eyes haunted. “I can’t believe this is happening. People shooting at us in the middle of nowhere…”

I set her helmet on the dresser, turning to her. “We’ll figure out who they are. Tomorrow, we can try to reach Chigger, see if they’re safe.”

She nodded, rubbing her arms. “I, uh, think I’ll shower. I feel gross from the road.”

“Sure,” I said softly. “Bathroom’s all yours.”

She grabbed a change of clothes from my saddlebag, stuff we’d hastily shoved in there earlier, and disappeared into the tiny bathroom. I heard the water squeak on. My mind buzzed with the day’s events. Bullets, Kingpin’s demands, this potential father in Texas, and now we were holed up in yet another shitty motel.

After a few minutes of pacing, my nerves got the better of me. An urgency from the escape was still spiking, and the image of Lexi’s terrified face kept flashing in my head. I couldn’t just stand here. I found myself drawn to the bathroom door.

The rush of the water was loud behind the thin wood. Calm down, Maverick. But a wave of protectiveness surged, maybe even something more. I couldn’t wait any longer. I pushed the door open, half hoping she’d already be done.

Steam billowed out, the shower curtain drawn. I could just make out her silhouette. Her voice startled me. “Who’s there?”

I swallowed. “It’s me,” I said softly, stepping closer. “Princess, I…”

She squeaked, probably noticing a figure looming behind the curtain. “Maverick?!”

I reached out without thinking, tugging the flimsy plastic aside a few inches. She was turned away, water streaming down her shoulders, beads tracing over soft curves. She yelped and spun, covering herself with an arm.

My cock hammered at the sight of her wet skin. “Shit,” I muttered, instantly regretting my intrusion. “I’m sorry… I just…”

High on adrenaline, confusion, and the overwhelming urge to make sure she was okay, I hadn’t thought this through. Now I was face-to-face with her naked form, half concealed by the curtain.

Her eyes were wild, cheeks flushing. “You couldn’t wait until I was out?!”

I kept my gaze on her face, trying not to stare at what little I could see. “I just… I’m sorry,” I repeated, breath catching.

My pulse pounded, half from embarrassment, half from the undeniable attraction that slammed into me. But I managed to yank the curtain closed, stepping back. “I’ll, uh, let you finish.”

She didn’t say anything, probably too shocked. I retreated, heart thudding like a jackhammer, every sense on high alert. The door clicked shut behind me. For a second, I stood there, hands fisted at my side.

Smooth move, asshole. I’d never felt more like a dumb teenage boy in my life. The thrill, the guilt, the embarrassment all warred in my chest. I cursed under my breath and backed away from the bathroom, sinking onto the edge of the bed.

Outside, the hum of traffic was quiet, and inside, all I could hear was the rush of water and my own hammering heartbeat. I realized that despite all the chaos, the danger, the grief… she was the only thing I was thinking about right now. And that scared me more than any bullet ever could.