Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Goin’ to start keepin’ watch on you. Will talk to my club, see if I can get an extra set of eyes on board. I’ll start trackin’ down this little Trey fucker, and I’ll deal with him the way he should have been dealt with from the start.”
His words have me shivering. Maverick outweighs Trey by a long shot, and he’s far scarier, but Trey is smart, Trey is a coward and wouldn’t hesitate in killing in cold blood. Both options are terrifying, both options are almost an equal match. But Maverick has his club. And he’s smart, too. I no longer care what happens to Trey, my heart simply does not stretch that far after what he did to me. I’m more worried about Maverick getting tangled up in my mess.
“Don’t bring your club into it, Maverick. It isn’t your mess to clean up, it’s mine. You shouldn’t put yourself or others in harm’s way for me.”
He grins at me, and it’s a little terrifying. Especially considering the way his eyes light up. “Darlin’, this is what we fuckin’ do.”
Oh, boy.
“It’s too late now for me to even try and stop. I want to help you, and no fucker is goin’ to stand in my way. You’re in danger, I don’t know how, but you are. That man wants something from you, and he’ll have to get over my dead fuckin’ body to find it. I’ll keep you safe. You just keep doin’ what you’re doin’. I’ll make sure to watch out for you and make sure he doesn’t get close enough.”
“So, you’re just going to be like extra security?”
He nods. “Yeah, that.”
That would be nice.
“Okay, Maverick.”
He reaches over, running a rough thumb over my cheek. “Okay, darlin’.”
-9-
MAVERICK
“Mal,” I say as soon as I am back to my bike later that evening, nearly the early hours of the morning.
Scarlett finally went inside after exhausting herself. She told me about her new song, her music, and the new girl on her team. I got her talking to get her mind off it. She wouldn’t sleep otherwise. Finally, she started getting drowsy, so I said goodbye and gave her my phone number in case she needed anything. Then I got out of there, calling Mal before I even hit the pavement.
“What’s goin’ on bro?” he asks, sleepily. “What you doin’ up so late?”
“Got a problem with Scarlett.”
“The girl you’ve been followin’ around?”
“Yeah. Well. She’s Scarlett Belle.”
He goes quiet, then mutters, “Tell me you’re fuckin’ jokin’ me right now? The singer? The biggest name in country-fuckin’-music?”
I hum a response.
“What the fuck!” he barks. “Are you out of your mind? Does she even know you’re followin’ her? Fuck. You could get locked up!”
“Calm down,” I mutter. “She knows. We hang out.”
He goes silent again. “Pardon fuckin’ me?”
“Not the point. The point is that she’s in trouble. Some big drug dealer.”
“Still haven’t got my head wrapped around your choice of company, but, carry on.”
“Ex-boyfriend. The way she talks about him. Big dealer. He showed up at her concert tonight. She’s terrified. He wants her for somethin’. Not sure what. Wonderin’ if you have an extra set of eyes I can borrow. Her security is shit.”
Silence again. “Drug dealer?”
“Eyes, Mal ...”
“I can give you eyes, but Mav, drug dealer ...”
“What about it?” I mutter.
“You say he’s big time.”
“She says he’s smart, cunning, and big time, as far as she knows.”
He makes a throaty sound. “And everyone knows Scarlett Belle’s hometown is where?”
“Denver,” I mutter. “Your point?”
“We’re havin’ a fuck load of trouble with a smart as fuck, cunning drug dealer right about now.”
“Not related.”
“You sure of that?”
Fuck.
Fuck.
Dammit.
“Not sure of anything, just that he’s showed up.”
He exhales. “Shows up when suddenly a biker is followin’ her around the countryside and he knows bikers are trackin’ him down ...”
Fuck me. I didn’t think of that. Is this fucker the man we’ve been looking for, and if so, does he think Scarlett has called on us for some sort of protection, or worse, spilled to us and that’s why we’re after him? If that’s the case, she’s in far more danger than I first thought.
“Might not be him,” I say, but something is tugging deep in my chest, making me more than uneasy.
“Maybe not, but it’s all a pretty big coincidence.”
“And that might be all it is,” I snap.
“Calm down. We’ll get eyes on your girl, but you gotta look into this, you know you do. For all you know, she’s part of it.”
“She ain’t part of it,” I growl, my voice low, and deadly.
“Take your heart away from this, use your head, brother. Be careful. Get information. Keep your eyes open. What’s this fucker’s name? I’ll get everyone on my end onto it, too. Could be a good step in the right direction.”
“Treyton Wilder.”
“Right, got it. I’ll look into it, keep in touch, and send some guys your way. You keep your eyes and your ears open, and Mav, be fuckin’ careful. You don’t know this girl. She might have a sweet ass and a voice that would make any man’s dick hard, but she’s also famous, and you know fuck-all about her. Be careful. All I ask.”