Chapter 7
Maverick
“How do you think it went? Do you think she has anything we can use?” Guardrail asked me.
“Yeah, but she was still pretty rattled. Hopefully, more will come to her later,” I explained.
“You know she’s under your watch until we get our hands on these motherfuckers. She’s the only link we have to Skidrow’s murder,” he said, taking a drink from his beer.
The bar was quiet behind us. The news of Skid’s death was hitting us all hard. It was always tough when we lost one of our own, but not knowing who killed Skid was only making it worse. His murder had blindsided us. The need for revenge filled the air, making us all on edge.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” I assured him. As the new Sergeant of Arms, I knew her safety would fall to my hands. That didn’t mean I was happy about it.
“That’s all I needed to hear,” he said as he stood up. “I need to go see about Dallas.”
Just hearing Dallas’ name made my chest tighten. The news of Skidrow’s murder had just about broken her. They’d been together for as long as I could remember, and everyone knew they had something special. Skid was crazy about Dallas. Hell, he couldn’t keep his damn hands off of her. He was always holding her and kissing her, every chance he got. He spent his life showing her what she meant to him, and he never once thought about straying. When their son Dusty was born with Down syndrome, they never skipped a beat. They loved both of their children, and their love for them seemed to make their relationship stronger, bringing them closer together. Skidrow brought them to the club several times a week, sharing his life with his children in every way possible. We all had a special place in our hearts for Dusty. There was something about seeing the world through his eyes that always brought a smile to our faces. He’s a great kid, and I knew he was going to be devastated by his father’s death. We’re all going to have to do our part to make sure he never forgets how much his dad loved him.
“Allie’s been with Dallas all afternoon trying to help her out,” Guardrail explained. Allie was his old lady. They met when Guardrail set out to find her brother, Tony. Guardrail’s plan was to use Allie to get to her brother, but he never thought he’d actually fall for her. He did, nonetheless, and Allie is the best thing that ever happened to him.
“Dusty doing ok?” I asked.
“I don’t think she’s even told him yet. She still needs some time to wrap her head around all of this. Hell, we all do,” he answered.
“No doubt about that.”
“Call me if anything comes up. I’ll be back later tonight to check on things.”
“No need for that. I’ve got it. I’ll call you if we need you,” I told him.
“Thanks,” he said as he crossed his arms. “Maverick?”
“Yeah?”
“Henley isn’t like the girls around here, and being at the club full time is going to be different for her,” he said.
“And?”
“Just give her a chance to get accustomed to it. You know, try being… nice,” he said. He turned and walked away before I had a chance to say anything in response. One of those slow, depressing country songs blared from the jukebox as I grabbed my beer and finished it off. I was sitting the empty bottle down on the counter when Cassidy walked in with Henley. Cassidy’s lips moved a mile a minute as she rambled on and on in Henley’s ear, but I could tell from the expression on Henley’s face that she wasn’t really listening to a word Cass said. I’d seen Henley a couple of times when she came around the club with Cass, but never really made an effort to talk to her. Never really felt the need. She wasn’t my type, if I even had a type. But now I was stuck with her until this mess got settled. Henley looked over in my direction and seemed to be caught off-guard when she noticed me looking at her. She held my gaze for a moment, captivating me with a soul-searching stare. I was almost disappointed when she turned away.
I watched as she nervously ran her fingers through her long bangs as she unsuccessfully tried to tuck them behind her ear. Cassidy continued to talk as Henley’s dark eyes anxiously skirted around the room. Unlike her sister, she wasn’t wearing much make-up, but then again, with her olive skin, she really didn’t need it. She was a natural beauty. When Cassidy pointed across the room to Boozer, Henley’s full lips curved into a smile as she held up her hand and gave him a bashful wave. Her cheeks turned crimson as she quickly dropped her hand to her side and began to fiddle with the hem of her vintage t-shirt. It was obvious she wasn’t exactly comfortable being here, but she would have to realize that we were here to keep her safe. Nothing else really mattered.
My attention was still focused on Henley when Cooter, one of our prospects, sat down beside me. He let out a deep sigh when his phone chimed with a text message. He grabbed it out of his back pocket and read it, cursing under his breath.
“Damn it. I can’t catch a break with her. I mean,” he whined. “I love her and all, but fuck.”
When I looked over to him, he took it as an invitation to continue with whatever was on his mind.
“I’ve done everything she’s asked me to do, and she’s still bitching at me. I’ve just about decided that you can’t make a woman happy,” he started as he motioned over to Cassidy for a beer. “She’s always on my case about something. It doesn’t matter what I do, it’s never enough.” He stopped long enough to take a drink from his beer before he continued. “I just can’t get away from it. You know? Every time I turn around, she’s calling to ask me… Are you okay? When are you going to be home? It never ends. You’d think she’d finally just give it a rest, but nooo! She just keeps at it. And it’s even worse when I’m home. When are you going to do this? When are you going to do that? Man, it just goes on and on.”
I looked down at my empty beer and wondered how the hell I got stuck listening to him ramble on like this. I raised my empty beer bottle and waved it in the air, letting Cassidy know I needed another one. When she placed my cold beer on the counter, I noticed Henley walking over to the back of the bar. As I watched her, I realized she was taller than I’d remembered, and I found myself wondering what she was hiding under that old t-shirt. I imagined her having one of those athletic builds some girls have without even really trying. She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who was into sports as she walked over toward our old Pac Man Arcade game. We’d pulled the damn thing out of some rundown bar downtown, and I hadn’t seen anyone even play it since we installed the thing.
“I’ve done everything she’s asked. Hell, I painted her damn bathroom three fucking times before she was happy with it,” he carried on, completely oblivious to the fact that I couldn’t care less what he was talking about. He took another tug of his beer before he continued, “At least she can cook. Man, she makes the best lasagna you ever put in your mouth. Never found anyone who could make it like hers.”
I tried to tune him out as I watched Henley start up the game. When she took the knob in her hand and leaned closer to the screen, her faded blue jean shorts rose slightly, showing off her sexy, long, tan legs. My eyes were zeroed in on her hips swaying from side to side when Cooter’s voice pulled me back into his rant.
“You just can’t find a good Italian woman like her anymore. She’s one of a kind. I guess that’s why I put up with all of her shit. We only get one momma, right? What’s a man supposed to do? You know?”
Realizing for the first time that he was actually talking about his mother pissed me the fuck off. “I wouldn’t know. My mother died when I was a kid. I’d say you’re lucky to have her,” I told him as I turned my head away from him, ignoring whatever he mumbled under his breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Henley jumping up and down. Her hips jerked from side-to-side as she pumped her fists in the air, obviously celebrating her win over the game. Watching her made me feel lighter somehow, an unlikely diversion from the darkness that usually consumed me. After several seconds of prancing around in the corner, she suddenly stopped and slowly turned her head, peering around the room. Her lips pressed together as she checked to see if anyone had seen her little victory dance. When her eyes locked on mine, she bit her bottom lip. Her mouth slowly curved into a bashful smile as she shrugged her shoulders, acknowledging that she knew I’d seen her. I turned my head and looked away in disbelief.
I sat there for a moment, trying to clear my head, but I couldn’t stop myself. I don’t know what exactly triggered it… maybe it was that goofy little dance or her adorable smile, but she’d just done something no one has been able to do in months. Henley Gray just made me smile. Fuck.