Page 63 of Maverick

A place I knew well, too well. Where Eve and I first met. I parked my Harley on a side street. This was all too familiar, like some twisted time loop.

I slipped into the alley behind the bar, expecting to see Eve’s blonde hair. Instead, I found Kingpin, tall, imposing, black beard, and that ridiculous looking fringe jacket. Not to mention, he bristled with quiet rage. He wasn’t alone. With his red hair, Irish stood to one side, cracking his knuckles, and Villain lurked in the shadows, knife glinting in his belt. Man looked like Prince Charming but was pure evil.

Shit.Before I could bail, Kingpin lunged, fingers crushing my throat against the alley wall.

He sneered. “What the hell are you doin’ in my wife’s phone, Pig?”

I gagged, vision flashing red. “Eve, texted, me,” I choked.

Kingpin let go enough for me to gasp.

“Let’s just say my wife lost her phone. I found your number in it, decided to see if you’d show. You just can’t stay away, can you?” He was snarling. “You think I was born yesterday?”

I coughed, rubbing my bruised throat. “Where’s Eve? You said…”

“She’s not here,” he snarled. “I needed to know if you were meeting her for some other reason. Or aboutSky.” He paused, studying my face.

“Of course, it’s about Sky,” I strangled out.

“Turns out it is, so that checks out,” he admitted, letting my neck go.

“The stuff about her being blackmailed… is it real or not?”

He finally let me stand properly, stepping back. “Oh, it’s real all right. Her mom claims Sky’s the one who lured Grinder into killin’ Dirty Diana. Says she wanted to get our attention.”

“Fuck, she got our attention, all right. What about Diana’s daughter?”

“Getty’s daughter, you mean. Apparently, the mobster had a secret. He’d been taking care of Diana and her daughter all these years. Ralph got rid of his uncle and his cousin but didn’t know there was anyone else standing in his way until he got into Alexander’s files.”

“Did Sky know that you got me involved?”

Biker’s hand twisted his neck. “No clue. But Diana was running her mouth on me, too, remember. Why I got involved in the first place. Anyone hearing her talk about me would know, I’d want to shut that whore’s mouth. Her and I weren’t exactlyon good terms any more. Maybe they planned to blame Diana’s death on me.”

“But if Sky’s been forced to stay with Ralph…” I started, trying to connect dots.

“Could be Ralph is blackmailing her. Could be she’s tired of him. Or maybe she’s screwing us all over. Who the hell knows?” Kingpin belted out in frustration.

I ground my teeth. “If there’s a chance Sky’s in danger, we gotta help her.”

Kingpin barked a laugh. “We don’t know if she’s in danger. Sky’s a fuckin’ nutcase. She might be playing us. The only reason I’m not killing you on sight is because of your old ties to her. That, and maybe she’s telling the truth about needing out. And this is a favor to Maddie, not you, not Sky… But we can’t risk the Syndicate starting a war in Nashville, either. So, if she wants to run, you gotta take her somewhere else. She can’t be nearmywife or my kids. That’s final.”

“So, Eve doesn’t know?”

Kingpin narrowed his eyes. “That’s none of your goddamn business.”

Relief and anger surged through me as I processed his proposal. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

He motioned Irish and Villain to stand down, then lowered his voice. “We already got a plan. Maddie, Sky’s mom, arranged a meeting tomorrow. My men will snatch Sky, see if she wants out. If she’s serious, we’ll bring her to you. Then you take her wherever the hell you want. Out of state. Out of my hair. I’m washing my hands of the woman.”

My guts roiled. Take her where, the same place as Lexi? The same place my new woman is holed up with heartbreak? I swallowed. “All right.”

He eyed me, crossing his arms. “You sure you’re not still sweet on her? Because if you are, I don’t want you half-assing it. You can’t trust her. This is about business now.”

I pressed my teeth together. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Kingpin smirked. “Good. We’ll see. You better not let your dick do the thinking. You got a new girl, right? I heard the chatter about you and Diana’s daughter. Hope she’s not like her mom. Woman couldn’t keep her mouth or her legs shut.”

Rage and embarrassment flashed through me. “Shut the fuck up, Kingpin.”

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