Page 25 of August 20

He couldn't keep them in the house forever. In one month, the school in Seaglass Cove would start. He couldn't keep Skye home.

She felt like time was running out, and she had no idea what to do or what Maverick would do. She was the dispensable one. Maverick wanted his daughter, not her.

"I don't think we'll go to the beach today." She freed the brush, sprayed Skye's hair, and worked the conditioner into the wet strands. "How about we give each other manis and pedis?"

"That's not fun." Skye bobbed on her feet. "I'm gonna ask Maverick to take me."

"No."

"He'll take us."

"No." She sighed. "We're not bothering him."

"He likes me."

She set the brush on the counter. "All done. Why don't you run into the room and find a pair of socks to wear with your sneakers."

As soon as she was alone, she picked up the towels and washcloths they used and carried them to the utility room. She started a load of laundry and then returned to the bedroom to find Skye gone.

Hurrying into the living room, she found Skye holding Maverick's hand and dancing before him.

"Skye?" she warned.

"We're going to the beach." Skye smiled, rubbing in her betrayal. "I told you he'd take me."

Brooke inhaled deeply, trying to keep her cool. She no longer had any say in her life or control over her niece.

Even if she wanted to keep Skye from going behind her back and asking someone else to take her to the beach, she couldn't because she wouldn't deny Skye the freedom to get out of the house.

If she were honest, she wouldn't deny herself another chance to figure out how to escape Maverick. One of these days, he'd let his guard down, and she'd be ready to run.

All she needed was a day that he took them alone without his biker friends standing guard. But he always seemed to have them around when he took them to the beach.

Maverick held up two fingers to Skye.

"Two minutes?" asked Skye.

He shook his head.

"Two hours?" She stuck out her bottom lip.

He nodded.

There were times Brooke wondered if the father-daughter bond included interpreting the made-up sign language and one-word conversations because Skye understood a lot more than her.

She hated feeling sorry for herself, but she was losing hope. If she could, she'd run back to Beaverton, re-enroll Skye back into school for the upcoming year, and work paycheck to paycheck, hustling to pay her bills.

Maverick pointed to the hallway. Skye took off, following his cues.

Brooke shook her head in disgust. Stuck in a place where she had no opinion, choice, or power, she wanted to cry.

She was too strong to shed a tear in front of Maverick. She'd rather die.

Skye returned with her sneakers and the small bucket that had appeared in one of Maverick's packages that one of the club bikers delivered. He'd thought about what she'd need here and, so far, had seen to his daughter's every need.

Even undermining Brooke's rules.

There was not one thing Maverick had done for her—as odd as that sounded. Getting her to Seaglass Cove and having her believe she had a better job waiting for her and a nice house to live in was cruel on his part. He'd meant to emotionally harm her.

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