CHAPTER TEN

Maverick

The Next Day

Breakfast isn't hitting the same as it normally does.

Especially after a night of drinking.

The bacon isn't doing it for me this morning while I sit with Rip, Ink, and Dutch.

"But I'm telling you, bruh, the waves this morning we're so totally bangin'. I wiped out, like, at least five times. Got this killer gash on my shin from where the fin on my board totally ripped my leg apart. Was fucking ace," Rip waffles on as we all stare at him.

"Remind me again why you actually enjoy surfing. If all you do is fall off your board and tear your body to shreds?" Dutch asks, making the rest of us smirk.

Rip chuckles. "It's not about catching the wave every time, man. It's about being out on the ocean and just… being… you know?"

Ink shoves Rip playfully. "You're a wild fucking ride, Rip. You never fail to entertain us."

Rip smiles. "For real, though, I have to get you guys on board with me sometime. That would be totally sick as."

Dutch huffs. "You think you're going to get any of us up at the stupid o'clock to go out on the water?"

Rip shrugs, exhaling, knowing it's the truth. "You fuckers don't know what you're missing. When I die, I wanna be scattered across the ocean so I can always be catching gnarly waves."

Ink snorts out a laugh. "When you die, Rip, you'll always be in the ocean because you'll be in the stomach of a Great White."

The guys laugh, and Rip shrugs. "Meh, there are totally worse ways to go."

Dutch shakes his head. "You haven't even had a girlfriend, and we're about to plan your funeral. How very sad for you, brother," Dutch teases.

Rip tosses a piece of bacon at him. "Fuck you. I've had plenty of girlfriends."

"Wanna rephrase that to the truth, brother?" Ink chuckles.

"Right, yeah… I've had plenty of fuck buddies." Rip smirks.

The other guys burst into hysterics, but I can't seem to join them in the humor of the smack-talking. The fact is, I'm flat after Sadie walked out on the club yesterday. I don't know if it means she's also walked out on Clover. I don't give a shit about myself, but I am worried about my sister and the effect this might have on her and her schooling.

"Isn't that right, Mav?" Ink asks, but I have no idea what he's talking about. I all but tuned out whatever they were saying.

I ignore him, my mind instantly flicking back to Sadie.

I have no clue what I'm going to do about this, but I need someone to talk to. So I stand mid-conversation and walk off.

"Mav? Mav!" Ink calls out, but I keep walking while the three of them chuckle, throwing shit at my back as I walk away from them and make my way to Alpha, Haven, and Poppy. They look up at me when I approach, and I don't wait for approval to speak. I just go for it. "Haven, I need to talk to you."

My sister glances at Alpha with clear concern in her eyes, and he nods. "Go. I can deal with Poppy and her existential drama right now."

Haven smiles, gently caressing Poppy's head, then stands and walks over to me as we move for the front door.

"Poppy's having an existential crisis? She's seven," I state.

Haven chuckles. "She wants to continue to learn how to fight and ride bikes and do all the shit me and her father do. Alpha is arguing with her that she is out of The Nest. She needs to take that gift and be a normal seven-year-old girl."

I raise my brow, looking at my older sister. "And where do you stand on the matter?"

Haven rolls her shoulders. "I mean, I'm not her mother, but if it were me, knowing personally the shit she's been through, I understand she can handle anything. And I think if Poppy wants to learn some shit, taking baby steps to teach her club standards is not going to be a bad thing. Because if we don't, she will attempt to learn it elsewhere. And that's not a good thing."

"Are you gonna say that to Alpha?"

"I sure as hell will. Just not in front of Poppy. I will let him tell her no now. Then, I will tell him how it should be. He'll listen to me. He always does."

I snort out a laugh, shaking my head. "Your relationship with him is so fucked up."

"It's why we work. Anyway, enough about my bullshit. What's happening in your life that you dragged me away from my shit show?"

Running my fingers through my hair, I glance at Clover, who's getting ready for school. "I think we have a problem with Sadie."

"What do you mean, problem?" Clenching my eyes, I let out a breath, then open them again to see Haven studying me intensely. "Is it a… What. Did. You. Do… problem?" she enunciates.

"I might have had some stern words with her while at the hospital last night. Told her the club is like a family, and I might have said something along the lines of she's not a good fit and she's just Clover's tutor. I don't know. I also said she could choose to be a part of our family if she wanted to come and look at the baby, but instead, she left. She made it pretty clear that she thinks we're not worthy of her time, Haven."

She glares at me, clearly biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself calm. "Mm-hmm. You and her have been at each other's throats since she arrived. But Maverick, this is not about you. You pushing Sadie away is a dick move. Sadie being here is all about Clover and has absolutely nothing to do with you personally. So swing your limp dick off your face and make a call to ensure Sadie is still on board to help our sister. Or so help me God, I will start Poppy's training early, and I will get a seven-year-old to castrate you without her so much as fucking blinking."

"Jesus, Haven—"

"A little girl will cut your balls off. Just think about that when you're throwing your pissy bitch tantrums. Fix this, Maverick!" She slaps me upside the back of my head, and I jerk with the movement before she turns and storms off back toward Poppy and Alpha. I don't miss Alpha eyeing me as Haven slides in beside him.

He wraps his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her head, his eyes still on me, a clear sign to let me know if I annoy his Old Lady, I annoy him too.

I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head. "My sister. So innocent and polite," I mumble under my breath. With a heavy sigh, I turn and start walking for the bedrooms to make a call to Sadie.

Clearly, I need to figure out where her head is at when the roar of motorbikes makes me spin back toward the main clubroom.

"Pres, NOLA is here," Loki calls out.

The rest of the club stands to greet the other members of our brother chapter.

Calling Sadie will have to wait.

I turn to see Hurricane, his twin and VP, Bayou, and their stepbrother and sister, Nash and Novah, walk into the clubhouse.

Back in New Orleans Nash isn't part of Defiance. He's the CEO of some multi-billion-dollar swanky business that no one in the club cares about. He has always been somewhat anti-club, but because he's the biological son of Ingrid, he's always been a part of Defiance. The fact that his sister, Novah, is Bayou's stepsister and his Old Lady, yeah, it all but guarantees he's not escaping Defiance anytime soon. And even more so now, his mom, Ingrid, has just had a son who is a Defiance club member. The family dynamics are complicated, but somehow it all works.

I have to admit, seeing members of my old club makes that ache I was feeling in my chest disappear a little as a slow smile crosses my face.

I walk over to greet my old club members with everyone else, but Ellie is the first to reach them. "Hurricane, we're so glad you could all make it here. No Kaia?" she asks where his Old Lady is at.

I was wondering the same thing.

"Kaia stayed back with the kids. She's watchin' ours and Bayou and Novah's. She wanted to be here real bad, but we didn't want to bring the kids. It would be too much. We also didn't want too many people here to overwhelm Ingrid. She's been through a lot, so we thought we would keep it to immediate family."

Alpha steps up, and he grips Hurricane on the shoulder. "Makes perfect sense, brother. Welcome to the clubhouse. You know my home is your home. You're all welcome as long as you need."

Hurricane nods. "So Ingrid and the baby are comin' home tomorrow?"

Alpha smiles. "Yeah, we're looking forward to making them as comfortable as possible."

Hurricane begins looking around, studying the clubhouse.

I know that look.

He's about to start throwing orders.

This should go down well.

"Is the place baby-proofed? Doesn't look like you've done anythin' to secure shit 'round here."

Alpha raises his brow. "He's not gonna be crawling for a while yet, Hurricane. But when he is, we will ensure everything is in place."

"You should already have things in place, Alpha. This is my brother we're talkin' about. There should be crawl mats and fuckin' toys, let alone all the feedin' appliances, diapers, and shit. Where the fuck is all that, Alpha?"

Alpha folds his arms over his chest, glaring at Hurricane. "I'm going to try not to take this personally because I know how stressful it can be when a baby is born. I knowyou're anxious and want what's best for your stepmother, but this is my clubhouse. I need you to take a step back and let me run it my way, or you're gonna have to get the fuck out."

Hurricane flares his nostrils, stepping closer to Alpha, but Novah steps up to Hurricane, cuddling her stepbrother's side. "Hey, your control issues are making you freak out. I know you haven't seen Mom in months, but it will all be okay. Just chill the fuck out."

Hurricane slumps into the nearest seat, running his fingers through his long hair.

Alpha signals to the bar. "Navy, bring Hurricane a bourbon."

Hurricane snorts out a laugh. "Bring the whole damn bottle!"

Bayou laughs, gripping his twin's shoulder. "We're in for a long night!"

The Next Day

Having the NOLA guys here overnight in preparation for the arrival of South, Ingrid, and their baby boy has been eventful. Hurricane is on edge. Can't blame him, though. We all know how much Ingrid means to him, and meeting his stepbrother for the first time is going to be quite emotional for him.

Hurricane paces the clubroom as the rest of us hang back. We got word they're on their way, and ever since, he's been a complete wreck.

Novah steps up to him, her hand on his shoulder. "They're going to be fine. Just you wait and see."

"They're here," Loki chimes happily.

Alpha glances at Hurricane. "You ready to meet your little brother?"

Hurricane finally cracks a smile, racing for the front door. We follow him and the others outside to the parking lot, where South is pulling up. Hurricane goes to rush forward, but Bayou grabs him, forcing him to stand back while South and Ingrid get out of the car. Ingrid is walking gingerly. I guess you can't blame her, especially after what I saw happening to her.

That baby's head was fucking huge.

Hurricane shifts from foot to foot, obviously anxious to get to Ingrid, but as soon as baby Louis is in her arms, Bayou can't hold Hurricane back, and he takes off.

Ingrid smiles wide at him, clear joy at seeing her stepson.

Hurricane stares at Louis in awe. "Is this my little brother?"

Ingrid sniffles and nods. "This is little Louis."

Hurricane caresses his cheek and leans down, kissing his head. His other hand slides up and down Ingrid's arm. "I've fuckin' missed you, Mom."

A tear rolls down her cheek. "I've missed you too."

Hurricane wraps his arms around Ingrid and the baby, obviously not too tightly to hurt the baby, but just enough to show the emotion of the moment. Then Novah rushes forward, sliding in to join the embrace, making Ingrid laugh. Followed by Nash, then Bayou.

A real family hug.

Novah bursts into tears when she glances down at her half-brother. "He's so adorable. He looks just like a cross between Nash and South."

South and Nash look at each other and grimace, but it is Bayou who speaks, "Jesus, poor fucking kid."

Novah smacks her Old Man across the head. "Stop it. He's gorgeous. I'm so proud of you, Mom."

"Thank you, darling. I'm so sorry y'all weren't here for the birth," Ingrid says.

"We're here now, Mom. That's all that matters," Hurricane tells her.

Alpha claps his hands together. "All right, now that everyone's reintroduced, let's go inside and truly celebrate the birth of this little guy. Shall we?"

Everyone cheers as they start to head inside. My stomach twists. I was going to make contact with Sadie—get this mess sorted out—but right now, it will have to be put on hold.

The club comes first.

I can only hope whatever this shit with Sadie is doesn't fester to a critical level in the meantime.