by L. Wilder
“You got one of those for me, Shep?” Courtney asked as she peered over his shoulder and watched him sprinkle the seasoning on the steaks.
“You know it. We’ve got plenty. Hope y’all are hungry,” Sheppard told her. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, I thought he looked more like a model than a biker. There was a warmth to his smile that gave him a wholesomeness that I wouldn’t have expected from one of the Devil Chasers.
“Yes, we’re starving… well, I am, but I’m always hungry these days,” Lily told him as she patted her round stomach. “Have you heard anything from Ana?”
“Nothing yet. She checked the lab before she left, and they weren’t ready yet,” Sheppard told her.
Goliath walked over to her with his eyebrows furrowed with concern and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. “She’ll have them in the morning. Now, why don’t you go rest for a bit while we get dinner ready? You look exhausted.”
“Okay. I could use a little break. Just call me when it’s ready,” she told him. Before she turned to leave, she reached up and kissed him on the lips.
I felt a twinge of jealousy as I watched them together. They had it all… they were a family and John Warren was the one that brought them together. I wondered if Maverick felt the same way. Did it hurt him to see them together, to see the family that he didn’t have?
I leaned over to him and said, “Hey.”
“Hey. How did things go today?” he asked.
“I had a great time, but I’m sure you already knew that, since you were there the whole time,” I answered.
“Just keeping an eye on things,” he said, sounding almost defensive.
“You should’ve spent some time with John Warren or Gavin. You didn’t have to spend the day watching over me. It’s not like anyone would follow us all the way to Tennessee.”
“Not taking any chances,” he said as he handed John Warren his sippy cup. I’ll admit it. I liked that, even with everything that was going on in his life, he was still there looking out for me.
“So… did everything go okay this morning?” I was almost afraid to ask. Lily told me about the DNA test, and I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about me knowing.
“Not much to it,” he mumbled. His shoulders grew tense, obviously not wanting to talk about it.
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go call Cassidy and check in. I know she’ll be worried. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”
“Take your time. It’s going to take them awhile to get dinner ready,” he explained.
When I got up from the table, a part of me wished he had asked me to stay. I wanted him to talk to me about what was going on in his head, but he still wasn’t ready to let me in. I wondered if I would ever be able to get through that wall he’d put up. It scared me to think that I might never get past it.
On the way to get my phone, I heard a huge ruckus coming from one of the bedrooms. I couldn’t really tell what was going on, but someone was obviously upset. Curiosity got the best of me, so I peeked my head inside the doorway and found three men sitting on a sofa, shouting curses at the television screen. They each had a video game controller in their hand, and the sounds of gunfire exploded around the room.
One of them jumped up and shouted, “Come on, Levi! Don’t go out in the open like that. That’s a dumbass move!”
“Shut the fuck up, man. I got this,” he said, defending himself. None of them seemed to notice when I stepped into the room.
They continued to shout back and forth while each of them tried to defeat their opponent. The game was really heating up when one of their phones chimed with a text message. The man looked down at his phone and said, “I gotta run.”
“What the hell, Conner? We’re in the middle of a death match.”
“Duty calls. We’ll get ’em next time,” he told him as he tossed his controller down on the sofa and headed for the door. When he finally noticed me standing there, his eyes roamed up and down my body. With his eyebrow arched high, he gave me a mischievous grin. I rolled my eyes and walked past him, heading for the sofa.
“Mind if I play?” I asked them, walking over and picking up the controller.
Without even asking who I was or what I was doing there, one of them asked, “You know how to play?” The minute he looked at me, I knew he was Gavin. I’d know those eyes anywhere. His hair was lighter and he wasn’t as filled out as Maverick, but there was no doubt that he was Maverick’s brother.
“Yeah… I’ve played a time or two,” I said confidently, sitting down beside him.
“Well, let’s see what you’ve got, sweet thang,” Gavin smirked as his focus returned to the game.
It had been awhile since I had played, but I managed to hold my own. Before long, we were all shouting and screaming at each other like we’d been playing together for years. We tried our best to take down the enemy, and I was doing really well. Every time I got a good shot, Gavin and Levi would both cheer me on. I was having a blast. My kills were really adding up, and I’d only died twice, when I felt Maverick’s presence enter the room.
None of us even acknowledged that he had walked up, there was no time. We were all too engrossed in the game to even speak to him. After a few minutes, with his eyes still trained on the TV, Gavin said, “Good to see you, man. Your friend here is an amazing shot.”
“Is that right?” Maverick asked, looking over to me smiling.
“Yep,” Gavin said. He nudged me with his elbow and continued, “I might have just found the perfect woman. She’s beautiful and knows how to quick scope a sniper rifle.”
The second the words left Gavin’s mouth, Maverick’s smile vanished. “Dinner’s ready,” he snapped, sounding almost pissed.
“Just a second… I’ve almost got him,” I shouted with my eyes still glued to the screen. When the last guy dropped to the ground, Gavin and Levi reached out and gave me a high five.
“Did you see that? We just beat our high score,” Gavin said proudly.
“Conner is going to be pissed that he missed that!” Levi said laughing.
As soon as my feet hit the floor, Maverick took hold of my hand and led me out into the hall, closing the door behind us. Before I had a chance to ask him if something was wrong, my back was against the wall, and he was kissing me. It was no gentle kiss. There was nothing soft or sweet about it. It was demanding and intense, and I loved every minute of it. His body ground against mine, and we were both lost in the heat of the moment when Gavin stepped out in the hall. Maverick pulled back, releasing me from our embrace and growled. Yes… growled – like a mad dog hovering over his precious bone.
Gavin sighed and said, “Well, damn. I thought I’d found the one.” He winked at me as he patted Maverick on the shoulder. “Let’s go, big brother. Dinner is getting cold.”
Chapter 17
Maverick
‡
WHEN I SAW Gavin looking at Henley like she was the star on top of the fucking Christmas tree, I lost it. Enough said.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Henley whispered as we walked down the hall towards the kitchen.
“No.”
“Really? You’re not going to say …” she started.
“No,” I told her firmly.
“Alrighty then,” she said sarcastically. “Just so you know, I think Gavin is really nice, and it was fun hanging out with him.”
“Good to know.”
“I’m sure you’ve missed him. I mean… it has to be hard being so far away from him, but I can tell he’s happy here. The guys seem to like him.”
I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say. Yes, I missed my brother, and yes, he seemed to be doing great here. It was a good move for him to prospect here, but I had no intention of talking about it. I had other things on my mind.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Henley helped the girls finish cleaning up the kitchen and then, headed back to the room. I hadn’t had much time to talk to Gavin alone, so I went to the bar to
have a few beers with him.
“Things seem to be going pretty well for you,” I told him.
“Yeah, it’s been good, really good. The guys are great, and I love working in the garage. You should see some of the bikes and cars they pull through here. They’ve really made a name for themselves,” he explained. His eyes gleamed with pride while he talked about his work in the garage, and it meant a lot to me. When mom died, we both took it hard, but it was different for Gavin. He was just a kid and still needed his mother’s guidance. I tried to be there for him, but he was just too young and naïve. He had to figure things out for himself. I always thought he’d just follow in my footsteps and join Satan’s Fury, but seeing him now… I knew he’d made the right decision. He’d found his way, and he’d done it on his own.
“I’m glad you’re a part of it. It’s good to see you happy.”
“What about you?” he asked hesitantly. “Are you sure about signing off on the adoption tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“You know, I’d understand if you were having second thoughts or something, but John Warren…”
“I’m not having any doubts, Gavin. I know he’s where he needs to be,” I clipped.
“You’re right. I know that, now. I’ve never told you this, but back then, I thought you were wrong. I thought it was a shitty thing for you to give him up. I really did, but when I saw him here with them, I understood. I understood why you did it. You did the right thing.”
As soon as those words came out of his mouth something shifted inside of me. Just knowing that he actually got why I did it, made the weight I had been carrying around seem lighter.
“Thanks for telling me that, Gavin. It means a lot.”
“So what’s the story with the girl?” he prodded.
“Nothing to tell. I’m keeping an eye on her until we find the guys that killed Skidrow. End of story.”
“Nah. There’s more to it than that, and you know it. I saw the way you were looking at her, and the way you had her pinned against the wall. She means something to you.”
“Maybe so, but it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters. Everybody needs someone that they can care about Maverick, even you,” he told me as he took a drink of his beer.
It was after three in the morning by the time Gavin and I left the bar. I figured that Henley would be pissed that I was coming in so late, but when I crawled into bed, she didn’t hesitate curling up next to me. With her head resting on my shoulder and her arm draped across my chest, she whispered, “Everything okay?”
“It is now,” I told her as I kissed her on top of her head. “It’s late, go back to sleep.”
The alcohol was clouding my thoughts, making it difficult to think straight, but I’m almost certain that she said, “In case you were wondering… I wasn’t interested in Gavin or anyone else, for that matter. I only want you… just you.”
The room was silent. I could feel the rise and fall of her chest as her breathing became slow and deep. Even though she was sleeping soundly, her words continued to echo through my mind, and I wondered if I had imagined her saying those words to me.
“Henley?” I whispered, but she didn’t answer. The room was spinning, so I finally gave in to my intoxicated state, and fell asleep. I couldn’t have been out for more than a few hours, when I heard someone pounding on the door.
“Maverick!” Goliath shouted as he continued to slam his fist into my door. It felt like I had barely closed my eyes when he said, “It’s time to roll, man. Ana just called and the test is back.”
Why the fuck did I drink so much? My head was throbbing, and the light creeping in through the window was only making it worse. “Just a minute!” I shouted back. Henley was nowhere in sight when I pulled myself out of bed.
Wearing only a pair of boxers, I opened the door and asked, “Have you seen Henley?”
“She’s out front with Lily. She can hang out here with Bobby or…”
“No, she’s going with us,” I told him. “Just give me five minutes.” I still reeked of alcohol, and I needed a hot shower to clear my head. Goliath nodded as I closed the door behind him.
I turned the hot water on high and stepped into the shower, trying to wash away the fog of my hangover. It didn’t help. My head was still pounding while I got dressed and headed down the hallway. When I opened the back door, the heat of the early morning sun hit me like a brick wall. I still hadn’t gotten used to the Tennessee humidity, and I could already feel the sweat begin to trickle down my back. Henley walked over to me with a bottle of cold water and a couple of aspirin in her hand. “I thought you could use this.”
“Thanks, Slick,” I told her, taking the bottle from her hand. Her full lips curved into a sexy smile, tempting me to pull her close. “You ready to go?”
She laid the palm of her hand on my chest and said, “You really want me to go? I don’t mind staying here. I can hang out with Bobby or Gavin until you get back.”
“No, you’re coming. Lily said it shouldn’t take long, so I thought I’d show you around the lake when we got done, maybe grab a bite to eat.”
“I’d like that.”
With Lily and Goliath following behind us in their car, we headed over to the lawyer’s office. We drove in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about the night that I took JW back to Lily and Goliath – the night that sealed my fate, our fate. Every decision I’d made over the past year had a rippling effect, and I wondered if it all ended today. Would it – could it ever really end?
When we pulled into the parking lot, Ana was leaning against her car with a large yellow envelope in her hand. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was wearing her doctor scrubs. Even in her work clothes, it was easy to see why Sheppard had fallen for her. She was beautiful and smart. Almost dying in that river was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Goliath pulled in next to me, and as we were getting out of the car, Ana walked over to us with a troubled look on her face. When she reached Lily, she said, “Hey, I need to talk to you before we go inside.”
“Why? What’s going on?” she asked.
The distressed look on Ana’s face said it all. Something was wrong.
“It’s the DNA test results. I don’t know how to tell you this…” she started as her eyes skirted over to me. Fuck. What the hell was that look? Whatever was bothering her obviously had something to do with me, but I had no idea what it could be.
“What is it? Just say it, already,” I demanded, feeling my heart pound against my chest. I tried to think of all the things that they might find in a DNA test. Was John Warren sick? Did he have some kind of genetic defect because of me?
Lily looked at Ana with a pleading look in her eyes. “Just tell us Ana,” she begged.
“The test results showed that …. Maverick isn’t John Warren’s father. After analyzing all the markers, they determined that the percentages were just too low for him to be the father,” she explained.
“Then, the fucking test is wrong!” I roared.
“I don’t know what to say. There has to be some kind of mistake! We all know that Maverick is John Warren’s father!” Lily shouted hysterically. “It just doesn’t make any sense!”
A million thoughts were running through my head, and when I tried to speak, the words just wouldn’t come. The rage began to boil in my gut when I finally realized what Ana’s words really meant.
“Lily, I don’t know what to say. I’ve gone over it hundred times. The results show that Maverick is indeed a close relative, but he’s not the father,” she tried to explain.
As soon as the word relative came from her mouth, I knew. Gavin is John Warren’s father. I think a part of me had known all along that I wasn’t his father. I’d felt it whenever I held him in my arms, certain something wasn’t right. Now, hearing the words out loud… knowing that I hadn’t been fucking crazy, made the ground shake beneath me. How the hell could I have bee
n so goddamn blind? I took a deep breath trying to slow the storm of thoughts that were spinning in my head. I couldn’t figure out how the fuck this happened? Gavin… Gavin was John Warren’s father. I was sure of it. Fuck! How could he watch me go through hell, and never say a goddamn thing?
Fury soared through my body. I’d spent the past six months thinking I was some kind of monster. Gavin knew how tormented I was, how broken I had become and the self-loathing I felt for not being the father that John Warren needed. I thought I was incapable of being there for him… my own child. I detested the very thought of it. I tried to make excuses, telling myself that I was protecting him from the club. But, I knew that was really never it. It was me, only me I was protecting him from.
“Maverick,” Henley whispered with a pained look on her face. She placed her hand on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts.
“It’s Gavin. He’s the father. He’s the only living relative I have,” I told Lily through gritted teeth. I took another deep breath, trying to calm my anger. I’d never felt such rage, such hurt. I took a step back, taking a deep breath. Then, just as suddenly as the onslaught of my initial rage from Gavin’s betrayal, it happened. Like a dim light shining through the black clouds, the darkness that had been surrounding me for fucking months was starting to fade away as an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me. Like the rolling in of the ocean’s tide, wave after wave of increasing relief, cleaning me of my guilt, my self-hatred and my despair. John Warren wasn’t my son. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t losing my mind. My instincts were right all along. “Call him. He won’t do anything to stand in your way of the adoption. He knows JW belongs with you,” I told her.
“But how? How did this happen?” Lily asked with her voice trembling.
“He failed to mention that he was screwing Hailey, so you’ll have to ask him about that,” I snapped. The very thought of him being with Hailey and never telling me about it, made my hands tremble with anger.
