Page 30 of Panther’s Magpie (Mountain River MC #1)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

MAGGIE

I t has been rough having Aspen so close and not being able to talk to her. She has been hiding out in her room since she got back last night. I thought she would come out today, but so far nothing.

I hate that I was willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. With her, really. I would take all the trouble coming at me, and it led to this.

I love Aspen, but she isn’t the girl she was when we started this trip. The truth is, neither am I.

I have changed since coming here. I found a family who is willing to help me grow into the woman I want to be. I’m no longer living in Aspen’s shadow.

That scares me as much as it exhilarates me. I don’t think I ever realized how much of who I thought I was had been tied up in who Aspen was.

Now I’m free to be me. I only wish I could have her by my side through this.

“Give her time,” Calloway says, kissing me as I stare at the hall.

“I want to, but it is killing me,” I admit to him.

He nods. “I know. We have to give her space, though. She lashed out at us both, but it wasn’t really about us. You know that, right?”

I shrug. “I know most of it wasn’t, but I think she meant some of what she said.”

He sighs. “Maybe, but we can’t change it now, and I wouldn’t want to. You don’t regret this, do you?”

I shake my head. “I can’t regret you. This is where I belong.”

He kisses me once more. “I have to do some club business. Do you want me to call Rain and have her come take you somewhere?”

“I want to be here in case she changes her mind.”

He nods. “Okay. I’ll be a phone call away.”

He leaves me with one last kiss before he leaves.

I stay in my seat at the high top, staring as if I could make Aspen magically appear with my mind. I have no idea how long I sit there when Meek slides into the seat next to me.

“Are you going to sit here all day?” he asks.

I sigh. “Probably.”

“I have the brothers, but I don’t quite understand the concept of best friends,” he admits.

I smile sadly. “It’s the best feeling in the world. You have that one person who understands you better than anyone else and who will always be there for you. No judgment whatsoever. Knowing that person will always be in your corner.”

“All of my brothers fulfill that. What makes one the best?”

I smile, looking up. “Best insinuates that there can only be one. I don’t believe that. I think best indicates a closeness that you wouldn’t have with a friend that you see only so often. Someone you don’t talk to daily. Does that make sense?”

He shakes his head.

“Think of it like this. A friend is someone you see and talk to every once in a while, but you can go months without speaking, and your heart wouldn’t hurt.

It’s not that you love them any less, it’s just that closeness isn’t there.

You don’t need to talk to them every day, and that’s okay.

A best friend is someone who you think about the moment something happens.

They are the person you want to tell all of your secrets and troubles to.

The person who will listen to you rant about something stupid for an hour and then move on as if you didn’t sound psychotic.

It’s a special bond that cannot be broken…

or so I thought,” I tell him, my eyes drifting back to the hall.

“Then it won’t be,” he tells me. “If you feel that way, then she does too. All boats have to weather the storm. It doesn’t mean they don’t take on damage. It’ll take some fixing, is all.”

“Wow. That was actually really deep,” I tell him, looking back at him.

He shrugs. “I heard Kim say it once.”

I laugh. “Never change, Meek.”

“I wouldn’t want to. I like who I am.”

Looking over at him, gratitude fills me. We haven’t had a chance to talk about what he did for me. He took a life. That has to weigh on his soul, yet he did it for me.

“Thank you, Meek.”

“You should really thank Kim.”

I shake my head. “No, for what you did. With Ava.”

“Any brother would have done it for you.”

“I know.” I sigh. “I mean, thank you for taking that sin on for me. I know killing someone is a weight. I didn’t even do it, and it still weighs on me. Thank you for taking the brunt of that.”

“It doesn’t.”

I frown. “It doesn’t?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t weigh on me. I killed her because she was hurting you. You are my friend. My best friend.”

My heart stutters in my chest. He thinks of me as his best friend?

He turns to me. “I don’t ever want to see you hurt.”

“You’re my best friend too,” I tell him.

I mean it. Meek has been the brother to spend the most time with me outside of Calloway. He was the first one I really got to know, and he’s the one who seeks me out to talk.

I didn’t realize it, but he’s right. He has slowly become one of my best friends.

“Good, then no need to thank me. I did what needed to be done. She is gone and cannot hurt you anymore. Besides, her voice grated on my nerves. I never did like her.”

I let out a small laugh. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“I just did. Do you want me to tell you again?” He looks confused.

I love that about him. He is very matter-of-fact. It’s endearing the way he speaks. I never have to question if he means what he says because he wouldn’t say it otherwise. He’s the most honest person I know.

“You really think this shit with Aspen can be fixed?” I ask, needing the reassurance.

“I do. Trauma affects people in weird ways. I think that once she realizes that her anger isn’t for you, she will come around.”

I grab his arm, squeezing it. “Thank you.”

“Yeah. Sure. We should go for a walk.”

Just like that, he changes the subject, pulling me from my pity party.

I take one last look at the hall before I follow him out.

Aspen will come back to me eventually. I just need to give her time.

PANTHER

I wish I could solve all of Maggie’s issues, but the one she has with Aspen isn’t my place. I hate it, but I have to follow my own advice.

Aspen needs space.

So when I find her outside the outer building we keep people we want to interrogate in, I’m surprised.

“What are you doing out here? Maggie has been staring at the hall all morning, so you had to have snuck out the window,” I call out to her.

She straightens away from the door. I frown when I realize she was trying to pick the lock.

“I want to see Asher.”

I snort. “Not happening.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “You fucked my best friend while I was being tortured, and you can’t give me this?”

“Aspen, don’t start. You know I did everything in my fucking power to save you. In fact, Asher could have helped sooner, but he kept you there longer, so why do you want to see him?”

“Asher saved my life. I want to be sure you are treating him well, the same way he did for me,” she admits.

I sigh. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. You know if I could take your pain away, I would. I would do anything for you. You’re my little sister.”

“Break up with Maggie then and send her away.”

My heart hurts.

I love my sister, but fuck her.

“I won’t do that, and you don’t really want me to.

I know you are possessive over me in some weird sister way, but you don’t need to be.

I can be your brother and be with Maggie at the same time.

She will still be your best friend. I will still be your brother.

It doesn’t change our love for you. I love her, but not the same way I love you.

One doesn’t take away from the other. You get that, right? ”

She pouts, tears filling her eyes. “I know, but it still hurts. I feel like you all expect me to be the person I was, but I can’t. I don’t know how to be. I feel like a caged animal. I have nightmares, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

I take a step toward her, but she waves me off. “Please don’t, Calloway. I can’t take the coddling right now. I’m doing my best to hold it together and figure out where to go from here, and I can’t do that and deal with my feelings for you and Maggie.”

I want to hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay, but I can’t. I can’t promise that because right now the danger isn’t physical. It’s in her head.

“All right,” I tell her.

“You want to help me?” she asks after a moment.

I nod.

“Let me see him. Please.”

I relent going to the door. I knock twice. It opens, revealing Hawk on the other side.

“Go take a break,” I tell him.

He frowns as he sees Aspen, but does as I ask.

We step inside the building, the smell of copper and must filling the space. I’m used to the smell, but I find myself studying Aspen’s reaction. She doesn’t have one, making me wonder if she was held somewhere similar at some point.

When Asher comes into view, her stone-cold face melts as she starts to cry, running toward him.

“Asher, are you okay? Are they treating you well?” she asks.

“Shh.” He coughs. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Stop that. You came for me, so I came for you.”

I step forward, making Asher straighten up.

“Why did you bring her here? She doesn’t need to see this,” he tells me.

A moan from the chair beside him has me narrowing my eyes. “You don’t get to make noises, traitor. I’ll deal with you next.”

The guy looks away, trying to keep his moans to himself. It looks like the guys have already beat him to a pulp.

Asher is relatively unharmed, letting me know they weren’t sure what to do with him.

“Aspen, you’ve seen him. I need you to go now.”

She falls to her knees, putting her head on his knees. “No. I don’t want you to hurt him.”

I roll my eyes. “Always so dramatic. I’m going to have a talk with him, and if he agrees to forget anything he saw, he will be let go.”

“I don’t believe you,” she spits at me.

“It’s the truth. He helped save you, so if he is willing to keep his trap shut, his life is his. I don’t kill people for no reason, Aspen.”

“You kill them, though. Asher is a good man.”

“I’m sure he is, and he will agree to keep his mouth shut, but we need to talk about a few things first.”

“Aspen,” he mutters. “Go. Please.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to,” he urges her. “I did what I did because it was the right thing. I don’t deserve your devotion. You need to go.”

“So what we went through meant nothing to you?” she asks, hurt lacing her voice.

“It was a job.”

She winces, her eyes tearing up. “Fine. I’ll go then.”

I listen as she runs out of there, the door slamming in her wake.

I walk over to Asher, punching him in the face. “That’s for hurting her,” I tell him.

“I did what I had to. She wouldn’t have left otherwise.”

I nod. “Probably not. I meant what I said. I’m letting you go, but after you do me a favor.”

“What is that?”

I nod to the man next to him. “He betrayed me and got someone I love hurt. I want you to teach him a lesson.”

Asher pauses a moment before he nods. “Done. You’ll leave me and my sister alone?”

“Your sister was never on the table, bro. We will leave you alone as well as long as you keep your mouth shut.”

“Not a problem there. Untie me.”

I do as he asks, watching him. He rubs his wrists before going to the other man. He starts off slow with some punches. I can see the anger slowly building.

I see the moment he loses control. The animal inside of him comes out. Like an alpha wolf protecting his pack.

I like it.

Grabbing his arm, I stop him after several minutes.

“You’re going to kill him,” I warn him.

He glances over at me. “And? He’s a useless piece of shit.”

My eyes widen at his admission. “Proceed then.”

Stepping back, I watch as he finishes the job. The traitor prospect didn’t have a chance.

That night, I solved two issues. I got rid of the traitor and got ammunition on the cop.

There is no way he will speak now. Not with what I have on him.

I don’t think the cops take kindly to murder.