Page 20 of Beautiful Unity

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m with all of them,” I said, stepping back. His mouth dropped open, so I turned to the man I didn’t know. “Who are you?”

The smaller guy smiled, stuck out his hand, and elbowed Tiny, who closed his mouth. “This one’s better half, but you can call me Mack. I’d just started MCD right before you left.”

My eyes widened, and I stepped back, eyeing him up and down. “Did you used to have curly hair?” I asked, tilting my head at the buzzed head. “I thought your name was Corkscrew.”

He laughed. “Yep. So you do remember. And uh, yeah, that got changed once I earned my patch.”

“Okay, Mack.” I nodded, committing the name to memory. I was dying to know why, but I left it for now. “And you’re together?” I asked, looking back at Tiny. He smiled, wrapping his arm around Mack’s shoulder.

“For the past three years, though, I can’t publicly claim him. Too many eyes, too many people wanting to find a weakness.” Tiny’s eyes were soft as he stared at the man he loved. “I’m hoping that with your return and the men at your back, that’s about to change.”

I squeezed their hands, wanting them to know they were safe here. “I’m here to end Stanley Driscoll and reclaim the Mavericks.”

Tiny’s body sagged, and tears gathered in his eyes. Mack rubbed his shoulders, supporting his boyfriend. “Good. Good,” Tiny said, gathering himself. He blew out a breath and then noticed the two other guys. “Mad Dog. Damn, son. I see you’ve been eating your spinach.”

Maddox laughed and walked over to Tiny. The giant of a man stood and embraced Maddox, clapping him on the back.

“Shut up, Old Man. I think your muscles could eat mine for breakfast.” Tiny laughed, and Maddox pulled back and then shook Mack’s hand. “Hey, Mack. Nice to see you’ve made it through.” Mack beamed and enthusiastically shook Maddox’s hand.

“And this is Brooks or Cowboy,” I said, pulling my quiet boyfriend toward me. Cowboy did his own shakes, and then everyone took a seat. Bubba pulled me onto the bed, wrapping his arms around me.

“So, what happened?” I asked when no one spoke.

Grayson blew out a breath but leaned forward and braced himself on his knees. “Jackson’s a ghost town. It wasn’t until we got to the bar that we saw any signs of life. We pulled into the lot and were going to go in and observe like we planned, but this one cornered us in the parking lot and told us to leave.” He pointed at Mack, and the man in question gave a sheepish shrug.

“It was for your own good.”

“We know. It’s all good. Better you than the others.” Mack nodded, relaxing.

“Despite his warning, we could sense he didn’t mean us any harm,” Bubba added. “We mentioned who we were looking for, and when that didn’t work, we said you’d sent us.”

“When he mentioned your name, I hightailed it to Tiny. I needed to warn him before Brewer spotted them.”

“Who’s that?” I asked, not recognizing the name.

“Not Chad?” Maddox interjected.

Tiny nodded. “Unfortunately.” He grimaced.

I looked at Maddox for more information. “He was one of Agonizer’s guards. He was a slimy fellow that didn’t believe the rules applied to him.”

“He took over the Pit Stop and turned it into the Dizzy Arrow two years ago when Agonizer succeeded in taking the Mavericks. Brewer runs a fighting ring in the back and the sex club in the basement. Part of our dues is to work either room. Depending on which job you take depends on the rewards you receive. I run the fights, as well as fight on occasion. And when I do, I always win, bringing him more money on the bets to get a certain level of freedom, but it’s not much.” His eyes flicked to Mack, guilt heavy in them.

“Brewer is Agonizer’s eyes and ears while he’s away. In the beginning, there were a lot of protests, so he was given free rein to get people in line however he saw fit. Forcing you to fight or putting in time on your back got everyone in line,” Mack said, his voice soft.

Repulsion swirled in my gut. How could my father let it get like this? Had he even tried to stop it?

“I know that look. Your father sacrificed more than any man should have to, Rosebud,” Tiny said.

I let out a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. Also, it’s not Rosebud anymore. I’ve outgrown that name.”

“What is it?”

“Queen.” I lifted my chin, meeting their eyes head-on.

Tiny gave me a nod of respect. “It fits.”

“What happened next?” I asked, wanting to get the conversation back on track.

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