Page 31 of Maverick

I kicked the other tire, cursing myself. “And they didn’t touch the bikes?”

At my words, Chigger shot me a guilty look, one that said he was the one who did the deed. He slashed her tires. It all made sense. But did Chigger do it to get closer to Nova or because taking the car was a liability? After all, it was in Lexi’s name. It could be tracked. It was something I’d have to put on my list to talk to him about later.

I covered for him. “Could be a message. Could be they got spooked so didn’t have time to finish or to take us all out. Either way, you can’t drive this piece of junk now.”

Chigger grunted, scanning the tree line. “Well, guess the ladies ride with us.”

Lexi looked between our two Harleys, her expression uneasy. “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle.”

Chigger had Nova right beside him. She was practically buzzing with excitement. “I have! Well… once. When I was, like, nineteen.” She didn’t look too worried.

I gave Lexi a reassuring nod and my helmet. “It’s not that bad.”

She chewed her lip, glancing at the slashed tires again. “I guess we don’t have a choice, huh?”

“Nope.” I hoisted my bag over my shoulder. “We’ll need to travel light. I’ll have someone from the club come pick up your stuff later. Right now, we need to get on the road.”

Bending over the trunk, Nova and Lexi speedily went through their luggage, tossing some of our stuff, and filled the two saddlebags. Chigger and I stood back and watched. Enjoyed the view.

He leaned sideways and whispered. “You can thank me later.”

I whispered back, “For what? Causing a problem?”

“That car is a liability. Get your head on straight, brother.”

“You’re the one distracted,” I challenged him.

“No, I’m getting mine. I’m keeping Nova out of your hair. You need to get some pussy, stat, so you don’t make such obvious mistakes.”

When Lexi hopped on my bike and hugged me from behind, I said, "Hold on and lean with me."

The beginning of the trip was smooth sailing. Riding for miles with a scared but determined woman holding onto me should be no big deal. Lexi’s grip on my waist got tighter every time we turned. Oddly enough, I was totally worried sick about her. But she chilled out pretty quick, letting me handle the bike. Weirdly, having her close, her warmth on my cut, felt pretty good. But Chigger was right, I was distracted by her. It was something I’d have to take care of soon, just so I could keep her safe.

Nova rode on the back of Chigger’s hog, and we’d occasionally stop for gas or a quick bite. The sun was brutal, sweat pouring down my face, but the faster we got to Dallas the faster we got answers. We zipped across the border, arriving in Texas by late afternoon.

The sky turned dark, and we all decided to call it a night. We stopped at a crappy motel off the highway. A burned-out neon sign, flickering, barely showed "VACANCY". The four of us stood at the reception counter, haggling with the bored clerk.

“Two rooms, one night,” Chigger said, flashing the man a casual smile.

“Two beds in each room,” Lexi added.

The clerk gave us a suspicious glance. Bikers often got that reaction. He shrugged, taking our cash, then handed over two keys. Rooms 204 and 205, upstairs. Perfect.

Nova clung to Chigger’s arm, so it was obvious they weren’t separating. Me and Lexi ended up in the other room again.

“Probably for the best,” I mumbled, leading her to our door. “No sense leaving you girls alone in a room.”

She blushed. “Right.”

We realized we forgot our bag, and I stretched out my sore shoulders, preparing to head back out. My stomach rumbled. “Damn, I could eat.”

Lexi smiled faintly. “I think there’s a diner next door. Want to check it out?”

“Absolutely. Let’s see if they at least have real food.”

Chapter 18

We walked across the dusty lot to a diner that looked straight out of the seventies. Inside, a waitress in a pink uniform led us to a booth, handed us sticky menus, and poured stale coffee into chipped mugs.

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