Page 16 of Property of Max
Please, God,I think as I pull onto the road,don’t let me fall asleep.
“Mama, can we go back to the park in the morning?” Bree asks as I pull into the theater parking lot, her voice hopeful from the back seat.
“I have to work in the morning, baby,” I remind her gently. “And you both have school.”
“Dang it. I forgot summer was over and school was back. I wish I could have school at home like you, Bubby,” she sighs, leaning against her seatbelt.
Tears sting my eyes at the nickname.It’s what I call him sometimes. Hearing it from her mouth feels like a gift, like she’s carrying that piece of me forward.
Micah’s eyes flick down to his device, and a handful of seconds later it speaks for him:
“No, you don’t. Boring.”
Bree bursts into laughter.
I shake my head, smiling even as my chest aches. “We’re here. Who wants to watch some sharks eat people?”
“Me!” Bree bounces in her seat, practically vibrating with excitement. Her enthusiasm for bloodthirsty monsters should worry me, but it just makes me laugh.
I pull into the handicap spot for vehicles with ramps, throw the van into park, and let out a long breath, stretching my aching shoulders. For a moment, I close my eyes, savoring the stillness, before forcing myself to get moving.
When I slide the side door open, Bree is already halfway unbuckled, grinning like she’s about to burst. Micah waits patiently, his dark eyes calm, his pump humming softly behind him.
“Alright,” I say, plastering on a smile as I kneel beside the chair. “Let’s go watch a movie.”
Hiding my exhaustion, I lean down and start the process of removing Micah from the van.
Chapter Seven
Max
“Have a seat, brother,” Spike says as I step into his office.
I sit, heavy and resigned. No point pleading my case, no point begging for another chance. It was only a matter of time before they came together and decided letting me back in was a mistake. I’m not trusted enough to be a Shadow anymore, and we all know it.
Tank, Maverick, and Foster sit scattered around the room, silent, their eyes on me. The weight of it presses harder than chains.
“I wanted to talk to you about something before I bring it up at the meeting,” Spike says, leaning back in his chair.
I nod, bracing for the verdict.
“As you’re well aware,” he says evenly, “Muerte is dead.”
The name hits me like a fist. Muerte. The reason for all of this. The reason my life went sideways.
My mother borrowed money from him. Stupid, desperate, and when she was killed, her debt fell on me. A debt I could never afford even with the amount of savings I have. I cut a deal, thinking I was clever. I slipped him information from the Shadows’ books…buyers, shipments, contacts…in exchange for my freedom.
But it was never freedom.
The deal was supposed to be for two years. Two years of selling pieces of my soul, as long as none of my brothers got touched. But when the time came, he claimed I owed interest. One more year. Another round of betrayal.
And I did it. Until I couldn’t anymore.
I slipped from the Shadows’ mainframe one last time, knowing it was the end. Either way. I was done. Ready to die if I had to. Maybe part of me even wanted them to catch me. I was sloppy, reckless. Skip found the trail first.
I had no choice but to run. If I stayed, they’d kill me. And maybe I deserved that. But before I could let it happen, I had to clean up my mess.
Muerte had to die.
