Page 106 of Panther's Magpie
I will be back.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
MAGGIE
Once again, like so many times before, I chew on the corner of my thumb as I pace the clubhouse. Meek is in his office, doing his thing, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts.
Have they found her yet?
Are the boys okay?
Is he okay?
Surely if something is wrong, Meek would tell me, right?
The clubhouse door opens, and I turn so fast my hair whips across my face. I brush it out of my way and frown when I see who steps inside.
“What are you doing here?” I demand.
“I’m here to claim what’s mine,” Ava hisses.
“How the hell did you get in?”
“Let’s just say I have my ways and know this place better than people think,” she says as she stalks toward me.
I narrow my eyes and step forward. “You need to leave, right now.”
“No.”
“Seriously, Ava, you need to leave before Panther gets back. If he catches you here, you won’t find yourself with a restraining order but six feet under.”
She scoffs. “Panther would never do that to me. He only said that to appease you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
For a second, her confidence wavers, and I try to use it to my advantage.
“Leave now. If you do, then he will never have to know. Just go and we can pretend like this never happened.”
“No. The only one going anywhere is you. Panther is mine, and I’m not giving up on him. I’ve spent too much time trying to win him over for some little nobody to come in and steal what’s mine.”
Ava lunges for me, and I sidestep her. She crashes into the table.
“Meek!” I yell as my heart races.
Ava’s eyes narrow. “Aww, how cute. The little girl has to call for backup because she can’t fight her own fights.”
“Does your mouth ever get tired? All it seems to do is run and run…” I taunt.
“You bitch.” She moves toward me again.
Only this time, I strike. I form a fist like a former self-defense instructor taught me, and I punch her square in the nose as I move to the side.
Ava screeches like a wounded animal.
Huh, maybe Aspen was onto something when she said we should take those classes that summer back in high school.
