Page 26 of Maverick

I was momentarily speechless. An ex-cop turned outlaw? My mind reeled. But it explained the way he carried himself, the sharp, assessing glances, the sense of moral obligation, buried beneath the leather and tattoos.

He sighed. “Look, get some rest. I need to see if I can shake some leads out of folks who might know more about your mom’s situation. Stay here with Chigger. He’s good people. He’ll keep you safe while I’m gone.”

I wanted to ask more, but Nova and Chigger returned with a thud of bags being set down.

Maverick stepped back, picking up his keys. “I’ll be back tonight, or tomorrow morning at the latest,” he said. “Don’t leave this cabin. Got it?”

I nodded, oddly bereft at the thought of him riding off. “Okay.”

With that, he strode out the door. Moments later, his Harley’s engine roared, fading into the distance.

Chapter 15

I didn’t realize how numb I felt until he was gone. Nova and Chigger bustled around the small kitchen, finding a pack of tortillas and some random supplies from the cupboards to go with what they bought. They put together a passable meal of chicken fajitas, the savory aroma filling the cabin.

I sat at the worn wooden table, picking at my food without much appetite. Nova and Chigger were chatting like old friends. Actually, more like flirtatious new friends. It was sweet, but I couldn’t shake the pang of resentment twisting in my stomach. My mother had just died, and here was my best friend giggling over chopped onions and sizzling chicken.

Eventually, Chigger looked over at me. “You doin’ okay, Lexi?”

I forced a thin smile. “As okay as I can be, given…everything.”

He nodded sympathetically. “Maverick will find answers, trust me. He’s relentless when he sets his mind on something.”

Nova propped her chin in her hand. “How do you know Maverick so well?”

Chigger grinned, leaning back in his chair. “We met a while back, after he left his first MC. He’s been drifting for a bit. Joined the Road Monsters. He’s a hell of a fighter, used to be a detective, you know.”

“Yeah,” I interjected softly. “He told me.”

Chigger nodded. “Then you know the gist. He’s got a complicated past. Something about his ex, Eve, screwing him over, losing their baby, and hooking up with Kingpin, his old MC president.”

Nova and I exchanged looks, from our books we knew all about the motorcycle club hierarchy.

Chigger grimaced. “My sister, Eve Angel… She messed him up.”

“Your sister?” I asked, my face probably giving away my surprise.

“Yeah. It’s a small world when you’re from Arkansas.”

“Maverick’s from Arkansas?”

“No, Eve and me. Maverick’s from Ohio, though I’m rubbing off on him. Man used to have a bright future, you know? Now he’s… I don’t want to say broken, but he’s definitely a different breed. Me, myself, I never had prospects like him, so I’m good with who I am.”

Nova smiled and touched his hand lovingly.

But I focused on getting info on Maverick. “What do you mean different breed?”

“Man’s been dead inside. I think the fact his wife left him, really put the final nail in the coffin.”

“Eve? He married her?” I asked, getting whiplash.

“No, another woman. His president’s wife. He ran off with her.”

“Oh, what happened to him then?” Nova asked, as we tried to keep up.

Chigger motioned to the cabin. “You’re looking at it. He got exiled to another club.”

“So, is the guy single?” Nova asked what I was thinking.

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