Page 61 of Maverick

His gaze ate me up the minute he saw me, and heat filled his blue eyes. “Gracie, you look…holy shit.”

“Holy shit,” Sophie repeated.

“Sorry,” he mouthed, and winked at me. “Okay, ladies, time to get going.”

As soon as we got there, Sophie ran off with Leo and Chopper, their laughter echoing throughout the place.

I kept to myself at the bar while Maverick and the other bikers disappeared down the hall.

“Want a beer, hon?”

I looked up at the source of the friendly voice with a smile. “I’m good, thanks. But maybe a water or a pop?”

“Midwest girl?” I opened my mouth to deny it, but she waved me off. “Never mind, I know it when I hear it. Spent the first half of my life in Chicago,” she offered, and set a glass of cola in front of me. “You’re Maverick’s girl?”

I laughed. “I don’t know if I would say that, but he’s the reason I’m here. I’m Grace.”

“Tess,” she answered. “Been here forever. Maverick’s a good guy. Never seen him so concerned over a woman before.”

Heat flamed my cheeks. “It’s complicated.”

She shook her head. “Doesn’t seem all that complicated from where I’m standing. The complicated thing is what’s in here,” she said, and tapped three fingers over her heart.

“Perhaps.” I wouldn’t agree to anything at the moment, so I simply smiled and sipped my cola.

“You can hide from your emotions, from your feelings, even from your old life, but you can’t hide from your bartender.” Tess arched a brow and refilled my cola with a slow smile.

“Are you really a bartender if I don’t order a drink?”

“It’s liquid in a glass, it’s a drink. It counts.” She laughed to herself as she popped open half a dozen beers for the younger guys she called prospects. “Isn’t it time for you boys to do a perimeter check?”

One young guy grinned. “You do know how to crack that whip, Tess.” He winked and strolled away, cold beer in his hand.

I laughed to myself. “You’re some kind of biker whisperer.”

She tossed her head back and laughed. “Hardly. I’ve just handled enough young bucks to know how to do it effectively.”

Before I could ask her anything else, her gaze shifted towards the hall where Maverick and his brothers had disappeared to more than two hours ago. I turned over my shoulder and spotted the men, all looking exhausted and not too thrilled.

I was fascinated by them, all of them, as they filtered back into the bar. They were strong and tough, but right now they all looked defeated. And gorgeous. Maverick wore his distress beautifully, looking like a brooding model as he stalked through the bar searching for me. My heart caught in my throat when our gazes collided, and he strolled towards the bar with his easy, long-legged gait.

“Wow,” Tess whispered before she disappeared from my line of sight.

“Hey.” Maverick took the seat beside me and drummed his fingertips on the bar. It was clear to me that something was wrong, but I gave him the time he needed to say whatever words were on the tip of his tongue.

“Hey,” I replied. “Are you all right?”

“Yes and no.” He knocked on the bar to get Tess’s attention. “Slate hasn’t seen Trent anywhere.” I could tell the news was affecting him, and all I wanted to do was make him feel better.

“I’m not surprised,” I offered with a smile. “I can feel him watching, but I never see him.”

Maverick nodded before he slowly turned to me. “We’re still looking for him, but I think the best course of action is for you to move forward. Get on with your life while we focus on tracking him down.”

Get on with my life. As if things were just that easy. “I’m working on it, Maverick, but you have to understand that it’s just not that easy.” I was well aware that I couldn’t live off Maverick’s kindness for the rest of my life, but the truth of my situation was inescapable. I had no job, no money, and no prospects for the future. Once again, I was completely reliant on a man for my survival. “It’s not exactly easy, given my current circumstances, to just move on.”

“Maybe,” he conceded. “But it’s the best advice I have for you at the moment.”

“I know you didn’t sign up for this, taking are of a woman and her child, and I understand if you want to back out. But I’ve given it a lot of thought and there isn’t much I could do until Trent is caught. The best I can do is another job under the table, otherwise he’ll find me and ruin it. I know I can’t live off your kindness forever.” I hated that I had to do it now.

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