Page 14

CLOVER

Scrolling through my feed, trying to figure out what the hell I’m going to say to my clients about my impending road trip to Vegas, I let out a long sigh. Sinking further into my chair and the depths of misery, I sigh.

A slight chuckle from beside me has me lifting my eyes from my screen to Sadie, who’s still eating her breakfast. Maybe it’s a second breakfast at this point? I’m not really sure. All I know is I finished mine in what feels like half an hour ago, and she’s still going as she brings a piece of toast to her lips, grinning at me.

Raising my brow, I slide my cell onto the table, then fold my arms over my chest. “Okay, little miss giggles, after everything that’s been happening the last couple of days, what could possibly be so funny?” I quip.

Sadie continues chewing on her toast and shrugs. “I don’t know… I just think the faces you make when you’re doom-scrolling are funny.”

Scowling at her, I jerk my head back with a scoff. “I do not doom scroll! Everything I do depends on social media. It’s like my entire job, so I have to be active, review the trends, and keep up with the latest gossip. Not to mention the constant algorithm changes. It’s a real thing, Sadie,” I tell her, the frustration evident in my tone, even though I didn’t mean it to be.

She smirks, placing her half-eaten piece of toast onto her plate. “You want to tell me the real reason you’re having a minor freak out in that cute little brain of yours?”

Dropping my chin to my chest at how easily she can read me, I quickly glance behind me to make sure the guys are still meeting in the Chapel. I turn back to her, my knee bopping up and down with my anxiety, but she reaches out, placing her hand on my knee for support. “Clo, I’m practically your sister-in-law. I’m pregnant with your little niece or nephew. Just talk to me. What’s going on?”

Letting out an exaggerated breath, I clench my eyes tight because I feel like the mother of all assholes right now. “I’m supposed to be heading off to Las Vegas for this job, and I know I need to contact them and tell them I have to turn it down because I need to be here with my family, considering everything that’s going on right now.” Opening my eyes back to look at her, I sigh. “And please don’t get me wrong, I want to be here. I need to be here. But this was the first paying job that I earned all on my own, and I can’t help but be really fucking disappointed that I’m letting my first real clients down.”

Sadie weakly smiles, leaning in against me. “You know what I adore about you, Clover?”

Furrowing my brows, I shake my head. “My amazing fashion sense?” I joke.

She snorts out a laugh. “Other than that, I love how caring you are. You put others’ needs before your own. All the time. You put your brother’s needs before yours constantly. You do things in your life that you think he will approve of, and don’t get me wrong, I love that cranky sonofabitch. But I love you too. You’re your own woman, Clover, and trying to detach you two from each other is like trying to separate super magnets.”

Gnawing heavily on my bottom lip, I completely understand what she’s saying, but it’s hard. It’s just been me and Maverick for so long. He’s been the one taking care of me until we came here, of course. And then we met Haven and found out she’s our older sister. But still, Maverick has always been the one to step in, step up, and ensure I have whatever I need.

Whenever I need it.

“I don’t ever want to let him down,” I tell her honestly.

Sadie’s shoulders slump, her hand sliding up to move some hair behind my ear. “Oh, honey. There is absolutely nothing in this world you could do that would ever make him feel that way. Maverick beams when you’re around. You just have to believe in yourself and then also trust him in the process a little more too.”

“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really help with my situation. We all know what they’re talking about up there… the stuff that happened with Livvy means the club’s going into full battle mode. There’s no way I’m going anywhere at the moment. I’m just going to have to face reality and pull up my big girl panties. Part of being in business, right?”

Sadie wraps her arm around me for support but gently nods her head. “I’m sorry, Clo. Maybe you could reschedule with them for another time?”

“Yeah, I’ll try that. Fingers crossed.”

Thumping footsteps of multiple boots make their way down the stairs as their boisterous chatter begins to flood the clubroom. It’s amazing how quiet this place is when all the guys are locked away. The rest of us in the clubroom turn to look at the guys as they disburse through the area. It’s clear from the stress written over their faces that the meeting wasn’t all kumbayas and high fives.

Turning back to Sadie with a grimace, my muscles tense all over. “This doesn’t seem like a good omen.”

Sadie reaches for her half-eaten toast and takes another bite. Clearly, she’s stress eating. “No. No, it does not,” she replies, her mouth full of food.

Maverick storms his way over to our table. It’s easy to see by the way he’s carrying himself that a burden weighs him down. He steps in behind Sadie and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her hair, then moves to the bench seat next to me and slides in, not saying a single word.

My anxiety is starting to creep up as I nudge my shoulder into his playfully. “So the meeting in the Chapel seemed like it was intense. You guys talk about the fact that Doughnut keeps breaking out of his pen, and poor Rip has to chase after him, yelling and screaming out his weird surfer words that no one understands?”

Maverick finally breaks a smile. I think I even hear a slight chuckle. “Ahh, no, we didn’t talk about that. But it sure as shit is fun to watch Rip chasing after the club’s goat.”

“Right?” I giggle.

His smile slowly falls back to the grim expression he walked out here with, and he reaches out, taking my hand in his. The movement instantly sends a shock wave of nerves coursing through my veins. “Clo, this war that’s coming…” His intense eyes shift to Sadie behind me, and I see the fear in them. Maverick’s rattled, and I’m not sure the last time I saw him scared like this. He moves his focus back to me and continues, “With the information I have and the fight we’re up against…” He shakes his head, tightening his grip on my hand. “I don’t want you anywhere near this shit.”

My breathing quickens, panic starts rising inside as I turn to look at Sadie, her hand on her stomach, her face turning pale. Snapping back to my brother, I try to catch my breath. “Then we go. You, me, and Sadie. We leave as a family while all this is going down.”

Maverick lets out a long breath, his fingers running through his short hair as he stares at the both of us. He clears his throat, then softly smiles. “I love you both. So fucking much. You guys are my whole damn world, but I can’t fight with you here.”

My hands start trembling as I shake my head. “No! I’m not leaving you her—”

“Clover, stop! I know I was never really big on the idea of you driving all the way to Vegas for this social media job, but right now, I couldn’t be fucking happier that it’s come up. Almost like a sign from Mom telling me that this is exactly how I protect you this time.”

Slumping my shoulders, I groan. “Oh, geez, man, why’d you pull out the Mom trump card?”

He smirks that mischievous smirk he’s known for. “Because I knew it would work.”

“You’re an asshole,” I mumble under my breath.

Maverick shifts his attention to Sadie, a somber expression crossing his face. “I need you to take care of Clover for me on the road. I need you to take care of each other. I have to know that my growing baby in there is going to be—”

“No,” Sadie flat-out states.

Maverick and I both stare at her in shock.

Maverick cranes his neck to the side, trying to stretch out his unease. “No? No, to which bit?”

“I’m not going,” she simply replies.

Maverick snorts out a laugh, waving her off dismissively. “Yeah, you are,” he snaps back.

Sadie sturdies her shoulders, ready for a battle of wills. “I believe your idea of sending Clover away is the right one not only for her protection but also for her future. She’s just starting her career, and her first real client needs her to work right now. If she cancels that job, she will be starting in the industry with a tarnished reputation before she’s begun. We can’t have that after everything she has worked for and worked through.”

“I agree completely. Doesn’t explain why the hell you can’t go with her, though, Cupcake?” Maverick grumbles, clearly becoming annoyed.

“Because, baby, even though you won’t believe me now, you need me. You’ll need me through this war. I can’t fight, that’s true. But you will need someone to lean on, and that’s me. I’m not going, Mav. I’m staying right here, by your side, as your Old Lady, just like I’m supposed to. Ride or die, remember?”

His breathing increases like he’s trying to keep his emotions in check. “God, woman, you’re so fucking stubborn.” He spins, turning away from us so we can’t see his face, his shoulders moving quickly with his frantic breaths. “It’s the fucking dying part I’m terrified of, Sadie.”

Sadie slides out from her seat, quickly moving around to Maverick. She steps up to him, kneeling down, and reaches out for both of his hands. He tries to avoid looking at her, but she has none of it. “Look at me, Mav,” she urges. He shakes his head, and she huffs in annoyance. “Stop being a fucking pussy, Jesse!” she growls out the words.

His head instantly snaps to meet hers as I try to hold in my giggle, but it’s Maverick who can’t hold his laughter in. The soft chuckle escapes him as his hand slides out, gently resting over Sadie’s stomach. “Did you ever think from the first time we met, when you came in as Clover’s tutor, that we’d be here? You, me, and a spark plug firing in your belly, and that we’d be happy together?”

Sadie snorts out a laugh. “Fuck, no. I thought you were an arrogant asshole, and Clover was in danger because of the club, but that’s only because of my history. Wes and I had a really shitty deal growing up at the Steel Serpents MC. Now we’re here, we’ve made a family with all of you, Wes has patched in and received his road name, and I know that neither of us would want to be anywhere else. So, when I tell you, Mav, that I’m your Old Lady, and I’m not leaving you. I fucking mean it.”

His hands slide up, cupping each side of her face. “I really fucking want you to leave, but I understand why you have to stay, and goddammit, I love you for it.”

Sadie smiles wide, shrugging. “Face it, you’d be a mess without me here to ground you.”

He snorts, tilting his head. “You’re probably fucking right.” He starts pulling her in for a kiss, but she stalls.

“Are we really gonna continue calling our baby spark plug?” she asks, making me chuckle behind them.

Maverick leans a little closer, their foreheads touching now. “I’m a mechanic. What more do you want from me, woman?” Then he leans in, kissing her. Her fingers instantly thread through his hair, and I can’t help but smile, my eyes shifting across the room to Sadie’s brother Phoenix, noticing his eyes on the three of us as if he’s waiting for a moment to come over and join the conversation. I give him a curt wave while my brother and Sadie continue to make out beside me.

Phoenix steps up, his eyes shifting to our siblings, and he shakes his head, sliding into the seat where Sadie was moments before. “Jesus Christ, no wonder she got pregnant when they’re all over each other like that,” he murmurs.

I take one last look and see Maverick pull Sadie onto his lap. Their lips are still joined, and I sigh contentedly as I turn back to Phoenix. “I think it’s sweet. I like seeing my brother happy.”

Phoenix glances at them again, a genuine smile crossing his ruggedly chiseled face. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Sadie deserves to be happy, especially after everything she went through with her arranged marriage to Grave at the Serpents… I’m really fucking happy we’re here.”

Sheepishly smiling at him, I bite my bottom lip. “I’m glad you’re here too.”

His intense blue eyes meet mine, and for a moment, we simply stare at each other. Not speaking, my heart racing, goose bumps pebble up and down my arms as my breathing begins to quicken. The corners of his lips slowly creep up, and just as he goes to speak, Sadie talks first. “Oh, hey, little bro. I didn’t see you come over,” she states, finally detaching from my older brother.

Phoenix breaks eye contact with me, glancing past me to focus on Sadie. “Guess that happens when you’re tongue-deep in a guy’s throat.”

Sadie flips Phoenix the bird as Maverick spins to face us, bringing Sadie with him. “All right, so now we have all this settled, when will you be leaving, Clo?”

Inhaling sharply, I raise my brow, trying to think it all through. “I mean, I need to talk to my clients to make sure we have the itinerary set in stone, and once I get the approval, I should be good to go. Maybe twenty-four to forty-eight hours?”

Maverick’s shoulders instantly relax. “Good. The sooner I can get you out of here, the better.”

Sadie locks eyes with Phoenix, her eyes narrowing like she is debating whether or not to say anything, but then she widens them with clear determination. She glances down at Maverick, her hand clenching around his club cut, almost as if she is bracing herself. He furrows his brows at her as she begins talking, “Just hear me out before you flat out say no.”

Maverick shakes his head, letting out a small laugh. “Fuck. No good conversation ever started with those words.”

Sadie shifts her gaze back to Phoenix. “Wes, I know you’ve only just patched in, and you want more than anything to prove yourself to this club as a valuable member—”

“Where the hell is this going?” Maverick grumbles.

“Sadie…” Phoenix exhales. “Please don’t cause shit for me.”

She rubs at the back of her head in hesitation but continues anyway. “Just hear me out, both of you. Mav, I know you want Clover out of town by any means necessary. But you can’t tell me that you aren’t a little anxious for her to go on her own without a protection detail, right?”

Maverick scowls, a low rumble escaping his chest because he knows she’s right. “You may be right, but I don’t like the direction you’re taking this in, Cupcake.”

Sadie stares into his eyes. “Then think of it this way, you want your sister away from this fight for her protection. I want the same for my little brother—”

“Not really little anymore, but—”

“Not the point, Phoenix,” Sadie grumbles at him, and he raises his hands in defeat. “My point is that we can kill two birds with one stone here. Protect both our siblings and send protection for Clover at the same time. This is a win-win!”

My stomach flutters at the thought of being alone on the road with Phoenix. I can’t even imagi—

“Do I get a say in this?” Phoenix snaps, his brows furrowed like he’s really fucking pissed off.

Instead of fluttering, now my stomach falls straight through the clubhouse floor, continues into the molten core of the earth, out the other side, and is now free falling through the vast void of endless space, a singed, battered, and drained of oxygen clump of icy space rock.

My stomach is now a fucking useless space rock.

Blinking my eyes rapidly to try and calm the raging storm inside me, I speak before anyone else can. “It’s fine. Totally fine. I can go on my own. I don’t need to be babysat. I’m not little anymore, either.”

Phoenix looks at me, his eyes softer now. “Shit, Clo, that’s not what I mean—”

“Look, I understand what you’re saying, Cupcake. I do. And in a way, it makes sense, but Phoenix is a patched member now. He needs to be here for the fight. End of discussion,” Maverick states.

Sadie glances at her brother, her face falling in sadness, then she turns back to Maverick. “Babe, I know you don’t trust any man with Clover, but you trust me. Right?”

He scowls like he is insulted. “Of course, I fucking trust you, Sadie. Where are you going with this?”

She exhales. “Then, please, Mav. Trust me when I tell you that my brother, the man who risked his life for me, the man who stayed at a club who tormented him just so I had a chance to stay hidden, is a decent guy. I understand you have reservations because of the club he came from. Because of things he had to do while at the Serpents. But please. For me. Just try to remember that he only did that out of his love and devotion to keep me alive.”

Maverick exhales and his posture softens, but only a little. “He did that for you because you’re his sister. Why would he take that kind of care of my sister?”

Sadie smiles wide. “Because that’s just the kind of man he is. It’s just that no one will give him the damn chance to prove it.”

Phoenix clears his throat, exhaling while rubbing the back of his neck. “While I hate that Sadie’s making me out to be some kind of glorified saint while I’m supposed to be a tough, badass biker, she is telling it as it is. I’d fucking roll over first before I let anyone touch my sister. And I’d do the same for any of the women here in the club. In fact, any of the brothers here too.” His eyes meet mine, and that same static and butterfly feeling catapults through my stomach. Maybe it is still in there somewhere?

“And as for Clover? I wouldn’t let anyone near her, Mav. If they tried, then you’d see the Serpent in me come roaring back. I’d tear those fuckers limb from limb if they even made her think she was in danger. So, would I take care of Clover? Yeah, you bet your ass I would.”

Inhaling sharply, I can’t stop staring at him, my heart racing so fucking fast I don’t know if I’m about to pass out, or— BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

Shit!

My eyes widen in shock as my alarm blares, snapping me out of my trance. I shift my hand to my watch as Maverick shifts closer to me. “You okay? What’s going on?”

Shaking my head as I try frantically to shut off the stupid alarm, I finally manage to flip it off, seeing Sadie knowingly grinning as wide as the Cheshire cat at me. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding as I try to calm the fuck down.

“Clover, talk to me. Do you need insulin?” Maverick snaps, concern crossing his features.

I subtly glance at Phoenix, concern crossing his expression, too, as I wave it off like it is nothing. “I’m fine, honestly. It was just the alarm saying my heart rate was going a little too fast, that’s all.”

Maverick sinks back into his seat, scrubbing at his face in relief, while Sadie continues to smile, knowing exactly what just happened. But thankfully, she doesn’t clue in my oblivious brother. “All right, well, let’s get you some rest. It’s been an eventful few days.” Maverick grits his teeth and moves his attention to Phoenix. “ If I allow you to go with Clover on this trip, I need you to swear to me that you will learn everything about her diabetes before you go, so if you run into issues, you can help her.”

Phoenix softly smiles and nods in agreement. “I’ll take care of her. You have my word. If I can’t be here to be a part of the war, my duty for the club is protecting Clover, and I take that very seriously.”

Maverick hesitates, his eyes meeting Sadie’s, and she smiles at him. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Phoenix stands, straightening his shoulders, and then those intense eyes drop to mine again. “Guess I better start making a playlist for the road trip. Any requests?” he asks.

“Well, I mean, there’s always 153 Days, and, of course, you can’t go without Taylor Swift,” I reply.

Phoenix stares at me blankly, or maybe it’s that look you get when you’re constipated? Either way, he lets out a long puff of air. “Okay, this is gonna be a long drive. Leave it with me. I’ll make your playlist.”

Smiling wide, I giggle. “Thank you,” I chime as he walks off, shaking his head, but before he gets too far, he turns back. “Oh, and snacks. I’ll grab snacks.” Maverick goes to interrupt, but Phoenix beats him to it. “Blood sugar friendly, of course. And I’m gonna go talk to Alpha now too. Just to let him know I’m going to be Clover’s bodyguard while she’s in Vegas. If you guys are okay with me doing that?”

Sadie and I both stare at Maverick intensely as he huffs, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, brother. You go tell him.”

Phoenix dips his head at Maverick, then glances at me, the corner of his lips turning up just slightly, then he spins and takes off. A silence falls over the three of us as Sadie and I grin at each other while Maverick stews in his own annoyance.

But it’s Sadie who makes the first move by cuddling into him and sliding her hands up around his neck. “Thank you. I know you haven’t seen it yet, but this is going to be good for both of us when this war starts. Knowing that the two of them will be far away from this will ease our minds.”

He wraps his arms around her and nods. “No, I do see it, but I don’t have to like it.”

Letting out a small chuckle, I reach forward, placing my hand on his knee. “I’m gonna be okay. I don’t know why you’re so freaking worried about me ? You guys will be the ones fighting a damn war while I’m off sightseeing. How does that seem logical?”

Maverick reaches out, taking my hand in his. “Serious talk?”

Furrowing my brows, I scoff. “You mean all that wasn’t serious?”

He licks his lips, his eyes instantly turning somber. “If I call or text you and tell you we’re going to fight, and you can’t get hold of me or anyone else at the club, you and Phoenix go talk to Sin at Las Vegas Defiance, and you stay there . You make a home for yourselves, and you do not come back here under any circumstances. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

Tears instantly flood my eyes, my bottom lip trembling as Sadie weakly smiles at me, a simple nod confirming my thoughts. She’s staying because if this is the end result—if the club loses, she doesn’t want to be in a world without Maverick—she wants to go out with him.

I can’t hold back my emotions as the tears flow freely now, and I rush forward, taking my brother into my arms, quietly sobbing against his chest as he holds me. “I… I d-don’t think I can l-leave n-now,” I whisper.

He pulls me back, his glistening eyes meeting mine. “You can, and you will . I fucking love you, Clo, and I promise you that me and the guys are going to do everything we can to take this motherfucker down, but, just in case, where do you have to go?”

Scrunching up my face, my stomach floats right back into outer space. “Las Vegas Defiance.”

He nods in acknowledgment. “Good! And who do you have to talk to there?”

Inhaling deeply, my shoulders sag. “Sin,” I whisper.

Maverick smiles, that same old big brother smile, and somehow, I am right back to when we were younger. Just him and me fighting to make our way through this godforsaken world. We’ve been through so much, and the thought of us not being together hurts like a thousand sledgehammers pelting me at once.

But I know if I don’t leave, he won’t be able to focus.

And if he doesn’t focus on the fight, it’s far more dangerous for him.

So, I have to leave and hope like hell that every time I call, he picks up his freaking cell.

Because if he doesn’t—I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from coming back home…

To a warzone that has already been lost.