Page 40 of The Maverick (WaterFyre Rising #7)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ATTIKUS

Vanessa opened her mouth to reply, but I kissed her. She sighed, and her lips opened for me. I could kiss her all night. I didn’t want to hear her say this was a fake marriage or that I’d done enough for her already.

My life had been difficult, but after hearing her story, I admired her resilience and determination.

“You’re not a burden,” I spoke against her soft lips. “You’re the hope I’ve been waiting for—the spark of light that showed me new possibilities.”

She showed me the way to my salvation. That profound revelation hit me hard, and I needed time alone to ponder on that later.

She sucked in a breath, gripped my face, and kissed me hard.

I didn’t know what my relationship with Vanessa would be after six months.

But in my eyes, that timeline was irrelevant.

That contract we signed was now insignificant.

I didn’t need signatures to define what she meant to me.

What we did tonight and what we shared was an invisible promise we made to each other.

She trusted me enough to pour out her dark past. Those who had hurt her would pay.

She broke the kiss and smiled. “Now I want to know your story.” She lifted my right leg and patted my knee.

My cock hardened as she massaged my knee. “Someone’s jealous.”

She chuckled. “I’ll give him attention after you share your story. If I touch him now, we won’t be talking much.”

God, she’s so perfect.

“Then come here. If you keep massaging me, I won’t be able to think properly.”

She snuggled into me, and I loved how soft her nude body felt against me. Her hair smelled like fresh flowers, and her skin held an intoxicating hint of perfume.

“It all started with an artwork that won a contest,” I began.

Sharing the story brought back all the emotions I’d locked up. As with Vanessa, there were people who looked the other way when my family needed justice.

Even though the doctor tells me to stay in bed for a few more weeks, I sneak out of Gigi’s house to visit my old home. Only one side of the house still stands. The next windstorm will knock it down. The ground is black from the soot.

I enter, looking for anything I can salvage. This was my home. I need something to remind me of my family. Tears and anger roil through me.

I find a folder of my sister’s artwork. I hold it close, wondering if she was scared. Were my mom and dad sleeping during the fire?

I tremble, trying to imagine what they experienced. I know it’s not good for me, but I can’t help it.

Ashton, Bobby, and Harry will pay for this.

They murdered my family and got away with it.

My leg hurts, and I sit on a kitchen chair that’s still intact.

I lower my crutches and breathe in the surrounding air.

It’s tainted with smoke, death, and vengeance.

I know breathing it in isn’t healthy, but being here gives me the strength to move forward.

I see cars pass by in the street, but the people in them don’t look.

Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care.

I don’t know why those boys hate me so much. Is it the cash? Is it because Ashton can’t fathom losing to anyone? If they can kill so easily now, what will become of them?

“Rest in peace, Mom, Dad, and Amelia,” I say as tears stream down my face.

Vengeance courses through me as I sit in my former home. My life is now dedicated to making those boys pay.

“There you are!” Gigi appears. “How did you get here? I was so worried.”

Gigi maneuvers around the debris and reaches me. She’s my mom’s friend and has already submitted paperwork to adopt me. A week ago, she helped me scatter my mom’s, dad’s, and sister’s ashes in the ocean.

“Sorry to worry you. I took a taxi here.” I push myself up with my crutches. “I wanted one last look at my house before it’s torn down to be rebuilt.”

She pats me on the shoulder. “I would’ve driven you.”

“I know, and thank you. But I wanted to be alone with them, you know?”

She nods. “The school sent you all your belongings, including the artwork that earned you the prize. The restaurant heard about your story and made another donation in cash. It’s at home.”

“Oh, my god, Attikus.” Tears filled Vanessa’s eyes. “I’m so angry at those boys! Why are people so evil?”

Vanessa sat up, touching my knee and ankle with delicate care.

She held my ankle in her hand, examining it like a plant specimen, turning it this way and that way.

Then she bent and gave it a gentle kiss.

My knee got a kiss too. She gripped my right hand and kissed my wrist. My body thrummed with heat as though her kiss was the medicine it had needed all these years.

I couldn’t take my eyes away from her kind gesture. No one had shown me this much love.

“You’re not embarrassed to be with someone like me? Most people don’t want to be with a physically disabled man.”

She shot me a disapproving look. “We all have flaws, Attikus. Some of us have unseen flaws. Some of us have physical flaws.” She rubbed my wrist. “My mom told me about this mythical character named Chiron. He was a centaur, half-human and half-beast. He was an outcast. Even hisfather didn’t want him.

So he had a wound of unworthiness. But he used that wound of being different to move forward.

He took classes from the other gods and goddesses, mastering the arts of medicine, science, astrology, astronomy, mathematics, and the arts.

He surpassed all his teachers and proved that his weakness didn’t hinder him.

Instead, he transformed the wound into a gift for the world. ”

“I’ve never heard of Chiron, but I’ll definitely read up on him. I was an outcast, and so were you.”

“An outcast is the maverick who lives out-of-bounds. Because of this, he thinks and acts from an innovative perspective.” She poked me in the chest. “You are the way you are because of your flaws.”

I could sit here listening to her for hours. Everything she said made sense. Would we have connected and fallen for each other if we had met earlier?

My heart quickened at the admission. I was falling for her. How could I not? How could any man not want her? But could we have a long-lasting relationship? My life had been consumed with vengeance. Nothing was going to stop me from locating Ashton and making him pay.

And yet, my chest hurt thinking of not being able to have Vanessa. What if she got hurt in the crossfire? I’d spent years planning what I wanted to do to Ashton. I couldn’t change my curated plan for a woman.

Stop thinking negative thoughts. Enjoy the moment. She deserves that.

She drew circles on my stomach like it was her canvas. “I think people who don’t fall into the ‘normal’ category carve their own path. Take Beethoven, for example; he was deaf, but that didn’t stop him from creating so many masterpieces. That’s so inspiring, isn’t it?”

“Can I hire you to be my therapist? My wrist, knee, and ankle already feel a hundred percent better from listening to you.”

“I’m so angry at those boys for hurting you. Your entire life changed in an instant.” She held up a clenched fist. “Do you know where they are?”

Amused, I asked, “Will you hurt them for me?”

“I would. The world is a better place without people like them.”

“You’d be a great addition to the V.A.T.V. team.”

“What’s that?”

“Vigilantes Against the Villains,” I said. “We believe in eradicating the scum of society by any means.”

“Are you referring to bending or ignoring the laws?” Her eyes gleamed as though she understood exactly what I was referring to.

“Laws are made by people who don’t follow them. I view laws as guidelines that I can either follow or break if necessary. So yeah, the boys and I are busy with V.A.T.V. and video games.”

“I heard aboutWaterFyre Rising. Can you show me yours when you’re ready?”

“You play video games?”

“No.” She smirked. “I just want to peek into your complicated brain. You own a museum, art galleries, innovative farms, properties all over the world, children’s educational apps, and now you’re creating a video game.” She tapped my forehead. “I admire your mental capacity.”

“I see you’ve done a lot of research on me.”

“You’ve transformed your pain into a gift for all to appreciate, Attikus.

Your museum is a collection of beautiful things that symbolize something to somebody.

Your innovative farms help people eat healthy, and your educational apps offer kids creative ways to learn.

I don’t think you realize how much you’re contributing to society. ”

Money was power, and I’d used it to benefit those in need. My family had been the victims of a cruel world. I wanted to add some goodness to it for them.

“Thank you for your wisdom.” I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m a lucky man to have a wife like you.”

“Don’t you forget it,” she teased. “You’re an artist like me.”

“More like an illustrator. My sister was more creative. You would’ve gotten along well.”

“Can I see the drawing that earned you the prize?”

“It’s old.”

“I don’t care.”

I reached for my phone, which was charging on the nightstand.

“You have it on your phone?”

“It’s a reminder of what changed my life—the beginning and ending.” I opened the phone, swiped to my photo folder, and showed her.

“No way.” Her mouth dropped as she held my phone in one hand, and the other hand went to her chest. “I can’t believe this.”

“What?”

She pointed to the photo on my phone and zoomed in on it. “I remember this!” Excitement filled her eyes. “My mom and I helped her friends at The Cozy Family Restaurant choose this artwork. I can’t believe that was you!”

I couldn’t believe it either. “You picked my artwork out of all the submissions?”

She nodded. “My mom worked part time at The Cozy Family Restaurant. She was friends with the owner, Cindy, who couldn’t decide on the best ad for her restaurant.

So Cindy asked my mom and me to help them pick.

Yours stood out because I liked the illustration of the happy family in the restaurant setting.

” She held the phone to her chest and wiggled her eyebrows.

“I guess I chose you back then, Whistler. We were meant to meet.”

I was still baffled at how I was indirectly linked to her back then. Would we have become friends if I had met the restaurant owner? Would Vanessa have been there?

She swiped to some new pics. “Who are these people?”

I glanced at the image, and my mood soured. “My enemies.”

“Is this the doctor who cared for you?”

“No. Dr. Messina was a resident shadowing Dr. Noah Marks, who cared for me. But my doctor died suspiciously a day before I was released.”

She pursed her lips as she looked at the doctor. “You think he has something to do with it?”

“I suspect, yes, but I don’t have any proof. Right now, he’s on my shit list like so many others.”

“Aside from running your multiple businesses, you’re also investigating an old crime. When do you sleep?”

I grabbed my phone, placed it back on its charging station, and yanked her to me. “When my wife fulfills her promise to me. I don’t want to talk about my enemies on my wedding night.”

“What did I promise?” Amusement sparked in her eyes.

I took her hand and placed it over my hard dick. “To give something your attention.”

“Like this?” She stroked me slowly, making my breathing heavy.

“Yes,” I moaned in pleasure.

When her mouth came over me, my eyes rolled back, and I let my talented wife have her way with me.