Page 119 of Victorious: Part 3

… peaceful.

Resolved.

“Everything okay?” I ask as Phoenix reclaims his spot next to me.

“Everything’s good,” Phoenix confirms, pressing a kiss to mytemple.

Maverick settles into the chair across from us, accepting the beer Haven hands him. “Phoenix and I had a good talk,” he says simply. “We’re good. Somehow, I don’t know how the fuck he did it, but the bastard actually made me like him.”

Phoenix chuckles as I gasp, and the relief that washes over me is almost overwhelming. I feel like I can finally, truly relax for the first time in weeks, and I lunge forward, embracing Maverick. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you, Mav.”

He pulls back, smiling at me. “You did good, kid. Now let’s get some drinks and finally celebrate.”

Haven smiles wide, bumping into my shoulder as if to tell me,‘See, I told you it’d be fine.’“Yes! Navy, tequila shots all round!” she calls out, throwing her hands in the air in excitement.

Poppy smiles, popping her head out from nowhere. “Me too?” she asks excitedly.

“No!”Alpha and Haven both reply quickly.

“Oh, man,” Poppy whines.

We all laugh as the night continues. There’s more drinking, more celebrating, and new faces appear in the clubhouse, faces I recognize but don’t know well. Luke and Logan Martinez, the brothers who helped gather intelligence during the Cartel war, are standing near the bar talking to Alpha and Loki, their expressions serious and hopeful.

“What do you think that’s about?” I ask Phoenix.

But before Phoenix can respond, Alpha calls for attention again. The Martinez brothers step forward, their posture nervous but determined. “Luke and Logan have asked to prospect for LA Defiance,” Alpha announces. “After seeing how this club operates, how we take care of each other and fight for what’s right, they want to be part of it.”

The response is immediate and positive with drunk clapping, whistles, and calls of approval from around the room. Thesemen proved themselves, risked their own safety to help us take down the Cartel. They’ve already shown they understand what brotherhood means.

“Well then, you’re officially prospects,” Alpha says, shaking both their hands. “You’ll start next week.”

“Be prepared, Loki is a taskmaster of a prospect trainer. You guys are in for one hell of a ride,” Montana calls out, holding up his beer.

“No shit, dudes. We’ve had prospects who couldn’t hack Loki’s gnarly tough love. You grommets better buckle up.” Rip chuckles.

And Luke doesn’t bat an eyelid. “I think if we made it through the heat the Cartel threw at us, we can handle prospecting.”

“And if it’s harder, then we’ll stick through that too. Martinez boys don’t quit,” Logan adds.

“I think we made that pretty clear by how we fought back the Cartel when they tried to come for us. Whatever you wanna throw at us, Loki, we can handle it,” Luke states.

“Oh, yeah, we can handle it because we want this. We wanna earn our Defiance patches. Because the way you guys took down the Cartel, that’s worth being a part of. That is worth fighting for. So we’re in,” Logan adds.

Alpha puffs out his chest, a slow smirk crossing his face. “Well then, welcome to Defiance.”

A raucous round of cheering erupts around the clubhouse as we celebrate, followed by more toasts, more evidence that even in the midst of loss and change, new beginnings are always possible.

Eventually, in the early morning hours, the crowd starts to disperse and thin out. Brothers pass out on the floor, couples disappear into their bedrooms. Phoenix and I remain on the couch, not quite ready to leave this space where so much has happened, where so much has changed.

“Sadie wants to open the center next month,” I tell him, breaking the comfortable silence. “The one for the rescued bird children. She asked if I’d help with the social media campaign for funding.”

“That’s perfect for you,” Phoenix says immediately. “You’re brilliant at that stuff.”

“And she mentioned they’ll need someone to help with maintenance and building repairs. Someone good with their hands.”

Phoenix turns to look at me, eyebrows raised. “You offering me a job, Mrs. Evans?”

The name still sends a little thrill through me. “Maybe I am, Mr. Evans.”