Page 50 of Maverick

“Okay,” she whispered, and pushed to her feet and ruffled Sophie’s blond hair, watching as the little girl loved on Chopper, who ate it up like cheeseburgers, which were his favorite.

“Hug Chopper, Mommy. He loves it and you can’t hug him too tight.” The way the little girl smiled up at her mom brought even more tears to Grace’s eyes, and I was at her side.

“Come on, let’s get some fresh air.” I took her arm and whispered in her ear, guiding her out the back of the clubhouse where we could have some privacy and were far away from the road just in case there were any curious eyes on us. “Talk to me, Grace.”

She shook her head, arms wrapped around her waist as she hugged herself tight. Every inch of her body was tense, and I could see the guilt mixed in with the fear as she looked up at the cloudy sky. “I should have left when I said I would. If I had, Trent would have been too late. He would’ve gotten here, and he wouldn’t have found us.” She smacked her forehead a few times. “So, so stupid, Grace.”

I grabbed her wrists and yanked her hands away from her face. “Don’t. Don’t you dare revert back to the scared little rabbit you were when I found you. Don’t let him do that to you, goddammit.”

“Maybe he wasn’t completely wrong about everything, Maverick.”

“Or maybe you think this because he beat it into you.”

She winced at my words. It was the first time either of us acknowledged what we both knew she was running from.

“Sorry, but the woman I’ve gotten to know is stubborn and sexy and sometimes funny. She is never stupid. Got it?”

Grace stepped away from me, instinctively rejecting my words. “Or maybe you just don’t know her that well.”

I laughed. “Maybe it’s because she’s worried that all men aren’t like her asshole husband.”

She swiped at her tears, a small smile on her lips. “He’s here, Maverick.”

I nodded, the anguish in her voice like a damn machete to the heart. “Is your plan still to leave?”

Her brows crinkled into a frown. “Of course.” Her tone begged me to understand, but after seeing the fear on her face and the tears that lingered, I wasn’t in an understanding mood.

“Okay, your plan is to leave. You and Sophie are headed for parts unknown. What happens if, or more likely when, he catches up with you and it’s just you and her? What’s the plan, then?”

Her arms tightened around her. “Are you trying to scare me?”

“No, but you should be scared.” The man had tracked her for months, there was no way this ended well for any of them.

“I am,” she snapped. “You don’t think I’m scared? I know what happens if he catches up to us because I lived it for years.” She shook her head. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, Grace. I just want to keep you and Sophie safe. I want you to stay.” I wrapped my arms around her and let my hands glide up and down her back. “Please.”

She stiffened at first, but after a few moments, she relaxed and looked up at me. “Stay?”

I nodded. “Yes. Stay. Not just because I want more amazing sex, but it is a bonus.” I laughed and so did Grace. “Also because you’re better off here where we can all protect you and Sophie.”

She shook her head, at least one argument at the ready. “But I can’t stay here and take care of Mabel. What if…oh my god, he followed me from there didn’t he?”

There was a part of me that wanted to lie to Grace, to tell her that he could have spotted her anywhere. But I couldn’t. “Probably.”

“Shit. I need to call her. We have to go get her, Maverick!” Her hands gripped my arms tight. “I didn’t even think of that. I’m sorry.” Her shoulders sagged, heavy with defeat. “This is why I need to leave. Look at what my presence is doing here.”

“Rebel is already on his way to Mabel’s house and Scooter is already there. She’s going to be fine.”

“You guys are very efficient for bikers.”

I laughed. “We are a well-oiled machine and we’re tough, that’s why I need you to trust us, to trust me to keep you safe.”

She nibbled on one corner of her bottom lip, something I learned she did when she was nervous and trying to talk away her nerves.

“Now that he knows you’re not completely alone, maybe he’ll think twice about fucking with you.”

She shook her head. “If anything, that’s only going to make him angrier. We’re still married, Maverick. To Trent that means I belong to him. He always used to tell me that I was his and he could do whatever he wanted to me.”

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