Deliverance (The Maverick Defense #1)

by L A Cotton

  “Eduardo.” Donnie stood almost toe-to-toe with the man. He slid his own weapon out of the waistband of his pants and returned the favor. “This is not me. I swear. But I know who it-”

  Gunfire erupted somewhere in the club, and Eduardo started barking orders at his men, but his aim on Donnie never wavered. They rushed out of the room, except for a couple who remained steadfast behind their boss.

  “Go check it out, Stu, Barkley.” Donnie nodded toward the door.

  “Boss?” Stu asked, all of the color drained from his face.

  “I said go.”

  They shuffled out of the room like lambs to the slaughter. Donnie’s men might have carried out his dirty work, but this was a whole new ballgame, even to them. A fresh round of gunfire broke out, and Shaun’s fingers dug into my skin pulling me to a kneeling position with him. Voices shouted out, frantic and unfamiliar. And then the room plunged into darkness.

  A new wave of fear crashed over me, as my eyes strained to make out shadowy silhouettes. I could just see Donnie and Eduardo with their guns still stretched out in front of them. Still certain Dawson and Lex were behind the theatrics, I kept glancing at the door waiting for them to appear. Trying to convince myself I would make it out of this.

  “Hernadez, vaya y compruébelo,” Eduardo said, and someone moved away from us and into the chaos on the other side of the wall. “You say you are not responsible for this, that you know who is?”

  “I have a pretty good idea. If you’d just let us handle this, we can all get back to business.”

  “If you are lying to me, DeLuca, I will slit you open like a pig,” the Mexican hissed.

  Donnie swallowed hard, gripping his gun tighter. He was good, though, replying in a calm voice. “Troy, gentlemen, shall we? Let me show you how things get done in my town.”

  “What about them, boss?” Troy’s voice carried through the room.

  “Fine. You stay, and don’t let them leave.”

  A large shadow moved toward us while Donnie and the other men’s footsteps became quieter.

  “Troy? What the fuck?” Shaun’s voice trembled as we stood up and looked at the shadow.

  “Come on, we don’t have long.” A flash of light hit the floor, and I followed its source. Troy held the small flashlight in his hands. “We need to move.”

  There was no time for questions, and I nudged Shaun to follow Troy out of the room. The gunfire had stopped, but it sounded like Donnie and Eduardo were sweeping the main room.

  “We need to get to the emergency exit,” Troy whispered. It sounded odd to hear a huge bald-headed man whisper, but the urgency in his voice pressed me forward. “Dawson is meeting us there.”

  Dawson.

  Relief rushed through me, and my feet moved quicker. The hallway connecting the back rooms, Donnie’s office, and the main room was still in darkness, but in the distance, the emergency exit sign illuminated our path.

  “Shaun, run ahead. The door’s unlocked, go straight home and stay there.”

  “But shouldn’t I call the-”

  “Shaun, just do it,” Troy instructed, and Shaun’s hand slipped out of my own.

  “You’re coming, right? Both of you are coming?”

  “We’ll be right behind you. I just want to make sure you’re safe, kid. Now, go.”

  Shaun scrambled past Troy and me. His body crashed into the door, and he didn’t look back as he stumbled into the alley to the side of Shakers. Light streamed into the hallway, and I glanced back suddenly aware that it might draw attention to our escape.

  “Joy, go.” Troy grabbed my arm ripping me from the fear building in me.

  “Wha- what? Where’s Dawson? I’m not leavi-”

  “Here, I’m right here.” Dawson appeared out of Donnie’s office and pulled me into his arms, running his hands over my body to check for signs of injury. “We need to move. Lex can’t hold them off much longer.” Satisfied I was okay, he glanced at Troy and nodded. “Thanks, man. We owe you. Come with us. We can protect you.”

  Troy huffed. “You get your girl out of here and don’t come back. I’ll make sure your friend makes it out in one piece.” He slid his hand into his jacket and pulled out a handgun, clicking off the safety.

  “Troy? TROY?” Donnie’s voice cut through my relief at seeing Dawson again. Troy motioned for us to leave and turned to head deeper into the club.

  Dawson’s arm held me close as we reached the door.

  “Spencer,” a voice called out and two years of abuse and hurt at the hands of Donnie DeLuca paralyzed me on the spot. He’d caught us. We were so close. Another twenty yards and we were free, and Donnie would be left too busy trying to appease the Mexicans to worry about us.

  Dawson’s head dropped and his grip on me tightened as he slowly turned us to face Donnie. Even with the distance between us, I could see his eyes were ablaze, rage rolling off him in waves. Dawson inched our joined hands to his waistband and I felt the outline of a small gun.

  Gunshots cut through the tension, and Donnie’s attention moved from us to the door to his side. Taking our opportunity, Dawson turned and pulled me toward the door—to freedom. Light surrounded us as we spilled out in the alley, but something in me caused me to look back. Back at my prison, the place that had stolen so much from me. The emergency door was slowly closing on its hinge, and before it clicked shut, I saw Donnie. Our eyes locked for one last time, and I saw the realization flicker over his face.

  The game was over.

  Donnie had lost.

  I was finally free.

  After a long six-hour drive from Chancing to Springfield, Colorado, all I wanted was to get home, have a decent meal, and sleep. We’d been traveling since last night, and although Dawson had taken a stint at the wheel, I was bone tired. The pit stop we’d made at a roadside diner to fuel up on coffee had only taken the edge off my fatigue. So much had gone down in the last twenty-four hours; I was still trying to process it.

  After Joy had been taken, my brother’s warnings about not making it personal and all that shit went out the window when we learned the Los Diablos were coming to Chancing to see Donnie. We had to get her out of there before she got caught in the crossfire. Dawson was in his element; it was what he’d been gunning for all along. To storm the club all guns blazing and rescue his woman from Donnie, proving once and for all she was his. He played the young alpha male role well. At first, I’d thought him young and foolish, but it was hard to deny what he felt for her, and it was obvious she felt the same. The two of them slept in the backseat of the Jeep and still managed not to let go of one another. They deserved it. Me, on the other hand … I had yet to find peace.

  Casting a glance at the sleeping girl next to me, I blew out a sigh of exasperation. What was Aidan going to say when we showed up with not only Joy but Arianna, as well? There was no way I could have left her; no way Joy would have allowed it. But it was more than that. Something about her had made me want to save her; she needed saving. She had nothing now and couldn’t stay in Chancing. The only choice was to take her with us. I would deal with Aidan. Outwardly, he wouldn’t bat an eyelid, but I knew when it was the two of us, I would get an earful. My older brother was very hard to please, in every aspect of his life. Nothing was ever good enough for him, and over the years, I switched from seeking my father’s approval to seeking Aidan’s—and it bugged the hell out of me.

  But for all his annoyances, we were still pretty tight, and he had my back when it came down to it. Like when I got sent down. My family could have disowned me, pretty much like Dawson’s dad had, but they didn’t. They stuck by me. My promising career in the SEALS had been cut short, and by the time I met Dawson, I’d already served twenty-two months of a three-year sentence. We were a lot alike, and I saw a younger version of myself in him, which was why I convinced Aidan to give Dawson a job when he was released. He had talked about Joy all the time back then—about the plans they had made, the things they were going to do when he was released. But after t
he visit from his dad, he never mentioned her again. Seeing Joy again was a second chance for Dawson, and when I warned him not to let it become personal, I wasn’t saying it to be a dick. I just knew first-hand how it could turn out.

  Making it personal had cost me three years of my freedom.

  Ari stirred in the seat next to me, drawing my attention to her slight body, curled into a ball in the passenger seat. She looked around at me, sleepiness still clinging to her, and pushed her pink blond hair back from her face.

  “Where are we?” she asked, looking out the windshield for any clue as to our location.

  “Nearly home.” I grinned, perhaps for the first time since we’d left Chancing. It felt good to say we were going home and what felt better was that I was taking Ari with me. I had saved her from a life I didn’t want to even think about in Chancing, but then what? I couldn’t just cut her loose. Drag her off to another state, give her a wave, and send her on her merry way. No, I couldn’t do that.

  I wouldn’t.

  “And where’s home?” She smiled at me, and it was a different smile from anything I saw from her before. All of her other smiles had been a grimace or weak and tired because she’d been beaten up, almost raped by Donnie. Now, sitting in the passenger seat of my Jeep, she looked more relaxed.

  “Springfield, Colorado. We’ll be there soon.”

  She nodded and settled back in her seat, pulling her knees up to her chest, the heels of her feet resting on the edge of the seat. The toes of her bare feet were painted pink, and I hazarded a guess it was her favorite color. She was still dressed in Joy’s clothes that Dawson had given her earlier, and I felt a twinge of sadness that she didn’t have anything else with her. Everything she owned had been left behind. I suppose I could take her shopping later and replace all the shit she’d left. She’s not your responsibility, the rational part of my brain argued. But she is, another voice chirped in my head. You brought her here.

  I chanced another look at her as she chewed on her bottom lip. The bruises on her face had blossomed and would take a good few days before they faded to yellow. I bet she looked even prettier without a black eye and a split lip. Mentally, I slapped myself to stop my train of thought. She was too young, barely legal, you should be looking at her more like a sister. But I didn’t have a sister, only an older brother who certainly knew how to look after himself. Yet whenever I looked at her, the urge to protect her filled my chest, and while she was with me and I was responsible for her, that was exactly what I would do. Aidan could suck my dick if he had a problem with it.

  Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the double drive of a sprawling two-story house with double garage and apartment above. This was Aidan’s and my home, but it also doubled as the Maverick Defense headquarters. The house was plenty big for all of us, Joy and Dawson would be able to share, Aidan had his own space, and I had the apartment above the double garage. Behind the garages was another single-story extension that housed our offices. The extension featured a custom-built panic room as well as a state-of-the-art weapons room that housed all of our kits when we weren’t using them. I killed the engine and turned to Dawson and Joy, who were waking up in the backseat.

  “Home sweet home.” I laughed and Dawson’s look of tiredness gave way to excitement.

  “About fucking time,” he teased me and pushed open his door to climb down. Holding out a hand to Joy, he helped her and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Wow,” she breathed out, “this is some place.”

  “Sure as hell beats anything in Chancing.” Dawson grinned and curled Joy into his body, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Come on inside.” He led her to the front door where Aidan now stood in black combats and a tight black t-shirt. He and Dawson greeted each other with man hugs and slaps on the back. He stepped aside to let Dawson and Joy enter before his steely blue gaze, similar to my own, settled on Ari and me who hovered at the hood of the Jeep. The way he arched his brow told me he had a lot to say about this.

  “Ari …” I called to her in a soft voice because she was transfixed, staring at my brother. I ignored the way my gut clenched and held a hand out to her. She stared at my hand for a long minute before she moved closer and placed her palm on mine, looking up at me, uncertain.

  “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” Her eyes jerked back to look at my brother standing in the doorway.

  “It’s my house too. Of course, it is,” I assured her as I laid a protective arm around her shoulder and guided her to the front door.

  “Little brother,” Aidan greeted and wrapped me in a tight hug before letting me go. Ari hung back, her arms wrapped around her middle, holding herself together.

  “This is Arianna. And this is my brother, Aidan.” I introduced the two of them, and Arianna shifted under his intense gaze.

  “Ari,” she corrected in a small voice and her arms dropped so she could shake Aidan’s outstretched one. “Thanks for letting me stay.” She managed a faint smile, which vanished as quickly as it came. Damn Aidan. He was being a dick, deliberately making her feel awkward and unwanted. Maybe it hadn’t been the plan to bring her along, but Dawson was right when he said that none of our plans were worth shit since we arrived in Chancing. Wait until I got Aidan on his own.

  “Lex, Aidan,” Dawson shouted through from the kitchen, “What the fuck are you doing?” Aidan smiled and shouted back.

  “Just coming.” And strolled through to the kitchen leaving Ari and me standing in the hallway. I made to follow him, but she remained there.

  “You okay?”

  “I don’t think your brother likes me,” she mumbled, a wobble in her voice, and I wanted to kick my brother in the nuts.

  “Ignore him. Aidan can be a dick sometimes. I’ll deal with it.” I tried to reassure her, but if anything, she looked more worried. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head violently.

  “No, don’t say anything. I don’t want to cause any more problems.”

  Was that what she thought? Her words tugged fiercely inside me, and I turned to face her, resting my hands on her shoulders and staring down at her. “You’re not causing problems. I- I mean, we couldn’t leave you there, not after what went down. You’re safe here. Don’t listen to Aidan. Promise.”

  She chewed her lip, still uncertain, but eventually, she nodded and I relaxed. “Let’s see what Dawson’s so excited about.” I pulled her along behind me to the kitchen where Dawson, Joy, and Aidan sat around the island drinking coffee.

  I declined the cup Joy offered me; I wanted to fall into bed and get some sleep, right after I’d had words with Aidan.

  “What went down then?” Aidan asked once we were all settled. I assumed this was the debrief. Normally, we’d go to the office, but the girls knew exactly what had gone down, so there was no reason not to talk out in the open. Besides, this way I could get it over and done with and crawl into bed.

  Dawson started and I was quite content to let him tell the story; it was funny to hear how excited he got and more often than not, he threw in some actions and treated us to a dramatization.

  “So after your call, we stormed the club and made a diversion.” He added the sound effect of an explosion, and I bit the inside of my mouth to stop from laughing. “And the Mexicans and Donnie’s men were running around like headless chickens trying to find us. Someone had tipped Los Diablos off that Donnie was in bed with the DEA.” Dawson’s brow creased, and I watched for Aidan’s reaction.

  “Really?” His face remained blank, but I saw a twitch at the side of his mouth before he spoke again. “And then what happened?”

  “Troy helped us escape then went back to make sure Lex got out okay. As soon as we were clear, we got the hell out of there, stopped at the house to grab our gear, and left.”

  “And Mikey didn’t want to leave?”

  Dawson’s animated face fell. “Yeah, he didn’t want to leave Chancing or the garage. Said it was his home.” It was the only black cloud hanging over us; we
’d all assumed that Mikey would come too, but really, he was right. He had his garage there—his livelihood—and he only knew Chancing. Everyone was quiet, the events of the last few days weighing heavy. It was hard to believe that it was finally all over. Although a few unanswered questions remained.

  I turned to Aidan. ”What made Los Diablos think Donnie was working with the DEA?” I asked, pinning Aidan with a look that said don’t-bullshit-me big brother. As he met my gaze, something in his eyes flickered but vanished, and a smug smile spread across his face.

  “Because I told my guy on the inside, who fed it to the cartel.” Calmly, he picked up his coffee mug and took a large swallow. I looked at Dawson who looked surprised but shrugged. I wasn’t so easily placated. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, pressing it down in the black granite of the island.

  “You fucking prick. Do you know the danger you put us in? If we hadn’t managed to get away, the Mexicans would have crucified us,” I seethed, seeing red, which was unusual for me. Normally, that was Dawson’s job. I was cool, calm, and collected; maybe his temper was rubbing off on me or maybe when it came to my brother, sibling rivalry never went away.

  Aidan laughed, testing my grip on his hand. “What’s the problem, little brother? I knew you two could handle it.” He smirked and I really wanted to knock him out then and there.

  I glared at him, hard, unable to formulate a response because he had pushed my buttons and I was a hard guy to get riled up. Rein it in, Lex, I said to myself; much the same thing I’d said to Dawson on more than one occasion. Ari looked at me nervously, and even Joy shifted uneasily in her seat.

  “Did you see what happened with Eduardo and Donnie?” Aidan directed this question at me, as I’d been the last one to see them alive.

  “Eduardo wasn’t happy when Donnie was unable to hand us over. Shit hit the fan. They were cursing in Spanish as I made it out the fire escape. But you know all this already, don’t you?” I glared at Aidan, not understanding why he was questioning me when he knew the answers.