CHAPTER SIX

Maverick

The Next Day

This fucking bike won't give me a break.

Giddy laughter filters from behind me after tightening the timing belt again to stop it from slipping. I glance over my shoulder to see Clover, Rhyan, and Poppy making their way over. "Here comes trouble," I murmur before I grab my beer to give myself some liquid courage for the conversation that's inevitably coming my way.

"Hey, Mav?" Clover asks in her I-want-something voice.

Smirking, I raise my brow while Rhyan and Poppy smile beside her. "How much do you need?"

"No, it's not that. I mean, it is, in a way… but I kinda need to know some—"

"Spit it out, brat!" I tell her.

"Have you heard of 153 Days?"

Scrunching my brows, I huff, knowing this will lead me down some boring teenage path. "No. Is it some fucking new movie you're going to make me watch?"

Poppy and Rhyan both giggle like I'm stupid for not knowing whatever the fuck this bullshit is about. "No, they're the hottest band around, and they have a concert coming to LA."

I snort out a laugh. "What the hell kind of name is 153 Days?"

Poppy grins. "The rumor is they're named after the number of hours it took for Marvel to film Endgame, which was the name of their debut album."

I can't help but chuckle. "So these hippy boys are nerds too?"

"And they're hot, so they also have that going for them," Rhyan states.

I raise my brow at her while Poppy giggles along. "I'm new to them because I've been hidden away from this kind of thing, but from what Clo and Rhy have shown me, it's super fun."

"Aren't you a little young to be obsessing over some boyband right now? You're only seven."

Poppy juts out her hip and stares at me like I'm stupid. "I was an assassin in training for two years, Mav. I can do what I want. I am much older in mind than body."

Widening my eyes, I smirk. "Well, okay then," I reply, not wanting to argue with the president's daughter.

Clover shrugs her shoulders. "So, can we go?"

"I mean, I gotta talk to Alpha for Poppy and Dutch for Rhy, but yeah, sure, why the fuck not. I'll talk to South and see if his sister can get you some decent tickets."

The three of them scream like banshees, which only causes every muscle in my body to tense as my ears ring with the intense sound while they all jump up and down on the spot.

Fucking girls.

Clover turns to me, slamming into me with a giant hug. "You're the best brother ever!"

Nodding, I hug her back. "Yeah, yeah. Just remember, Alpha and Dutch have to approve, or it's a no for you too, Clo."

She beams in excitement. "But you'll talk to them, right?"

"Yeah."

"Love you. Oh, and Sadie should be here soon."

She hits me with a double blow, and I can't help but huff. "Great! What a fucking treat that's going to be. About as much fun as this whole conversation," I mumble.

The three of them chuckle, but Rhyan steps forward, a curious expression crossing her face. "Um, Mav… how's Noah doing with his prospecting?"

Furrowing my brows at Rhyan's left-field question, I tilt my head. She's grown up in this clubhouse. She is a daughter of the club. She's lived here her entire life. This is all she's ever known, with her father being The Wise One of the club and her mother, Ellie, basically running the club girls inside and keeping everyone in line. Rhyan is the club princess, and for her poking her nose around a prospect is not a good thing.

"Rhy, you need to focus on your work. Lord knows the more you learn about your job, the handier it could become for the club."

Rhyan chuckles. "It's the only reason I went into being a forensic and trauma cleaner. So I could learn exactly how to clean evidence and sanitize areas. When Mom and Dad found out this was the area I was going into after school, they were apprehensive. They didn't think I could handle seeing all the death and carnage, but I've grown up in this club. I know a lot about death. This is the perfect job for me. I am going to do anything that I can to help the club. It's my responsibility."

"That's good to know, Rhy. But you also need to keep focused. Noah… he's a wild card. Steer clear of that prospect. He's rebellious and over-the-top for a sweet girl like you, okay?"

She purses her lips, dropping her eyes to the ground. "'Kay," she replies with a genuine smile as the gates open and Sadie's car pulls into the lot.

"And just like that, the gates of hell open, and Satan arrives," I murmur.

Clover shoves me playfully. "Stop it. I really like her."

I groan out my disapproval.

"I can team up with Haven, and we can take her out if you want?" Poppy quips.

I glance down at the seven-year-old and chuckle, shaking my head. "Jesus Christ. Alpha is gonna have his hands full with you."

"I'm only half kidding," Poppy replies.

I grab her shoulders and spin her to face the clubhouse. "Go find Haven and create chaos with her somewhere else. I don't need you talking smack talk like this in front of the tutor."

Poppy chuckles before Rhyan grabs Poppy's hand and leads her off with a smirk. "I got this."

"Thanks, Rhy, I owe you."

She snorts. "Don't want to have a murder scene to clean up. Honestly, just saving myself some work."

I laugh as Clover rolls her eyes while Sadie slides out of her car. Her blonde hair falls around her shoulders in soft waves, like some fucking goddess. She stands in another one of those innocent-looking little floral dresses she wears.

Letting out a low growl, I spin my back to her to continue working on my bike.

Clover leans down to my ear. "Behave."

I don't say anything in reply as Sadie steps up to us. "Hi, guys, it's a beautiful day. You want to sit outside to do your lessons today, Clo?"

"That sounds great."

"Hopefully, you'll burn," I mumble under my breath, continuing to work on the bike.

Sadie clears her throat. "Sorry, Maverick, I couldn't hear you over that huge ego you have."

Rolling my eyes, I face her and plaster on a fake smile. "I said, I hope the weather doesn't turn. Want you girls to have a nice day."

Clover smirks at me before leaning down to place a light kiss on my cheek. "I'll check in with you later. I'm just gonna go grab my books. Meet you 'round the back in a minute, Sadie?"

Sadie smiles genuinely at Clover. "Sure thing."

Clover runs off inside while I let out an obnoxious huff, moving to stand and face Sadie. I have to admit, she looks fucking edible, but I try to keep those thoughts at bay as I fold my arms over my chest and stare her down. But the cute little thing isn't intimidated by me—not even the tiniest bit— which only serves to fire me up more.

She steps forward, her eyes narrowed, and she points her finger out, pressing it right into the middle of my chest. "You think you're so fucking smart. You think your comments under your breath are witty and clever? The only person you're hurting here, Maverick, is your beautiful sister. Because I can tell you now, your backhanded insults don't do shit to me. I don't give a fuck what you think about me because I think far, far worse about you. But the shit you say about me in front of Clover affects her. So maybe think about that before you go mumbling under your breath shit about me next time she's here with us."

I raise my brow. "You really think that highly of yourself that Clover cares about you and your feelings more than she cares about me?"

Sadie snorts out a laugh. "Not at all. But I know enough to realize that Clover is the type of young girl who cares about everyone around her. You might be her biggest priority, but you're not her only priority. She has a good heart."

"What, unlike me?" I ask.

Sadie's lips turn up into a slow smile, and she shrugs. "If the shoe fits."

"You don't know me at all, Sadie. You don't know who I am or what I'm capable of."

She turns from me, letting out a heavy exhale. "Probably climbing into bedroom windows in the middle of the night and standing over my bed while I'm practically naked."

"What?" I blurt out as the image instantly flashes through my mind.

Then it's like she realizes what she's just said, and her eyes widen to the size of saucers while she just stares. "What?" she replies, sounding equally shocked.

A slow smile crosses my face, and I step closer. Sadie's nostrils flare while she grits her teeth. "Maverick," she warns, but I reach out, brushing a strand of hair from her face and sliding it behind her ear.

She inhales sharply when our eyes connect, a definite buzz flowing through the air. "Don't worry, Sadie… it's okay. You're not my type."

She lets out an aggravated groan, shoving me hard in the chest. I chuckle, slightly losing my footing before stepping back to my bike. She spins, hoisting her bag over her perfect shoulder, and takes off for the back of the clubhouse to start her time with Clover.

Yeah, I know, shoot me! But I can't help watching her perfectly peach-shaped ass as she walks off. I turn back to face the bike. "I dunno what the fuck that was about, but getting under her skin may be my new favorite thing," I mumble under my breath, getting back to work fixing the bike.

The sun beats down from the California sky, and I swipe the sweat from my temple after being outside in this heat for another hour or so. The thing is, I am finding it hard to concentrate because now all I can think about is being in Sadie's bedroom with her practically naked. I don't know what the fuck she was trying to accomplish by saying something like that, but if it was to throw me off my game, it fucking worked. Goddammit! And the more I try to push the image out of my mind, the harder and harder it is to forget it. And the more frustrated and angry I become.

I bet that was her plan all along.

That fucking bitch is trying to manipulate me.

As I try to tighten a nut with the wrench, the wrench slips again, making my hand jerk, slamming into the concrete this time. My knuckles graze along the pebbles, instantly ripping open. "Fuck's sake!" I groan, throwing the wrench in my anger across the parking lot, where it nearly hits Rip, who sits on guard.

He chuckles and dips his head. "Won't take that personally, bruh. You good, though?"

Letting out a huff, I stand as drops of blood drip from my hand. "Yeah. Let my mind wander. Glad it didn't hit you, brother."

Rip chuckles. "Wouldn't have cared if it did, man. You know me, it's character-building and shit."

"As long as it doesn't stop you from surfing, am I right?" A slow smile crosses my face as I head for the clubhouse, my good hand grasping my other to stem the blood.

Rip dips his head. "Got it in one, dude."

"Thanks, brother," I reply before I reach the entry.

"I didn't do anything, but you're welcome."

Few people are around when I enter, but I spot Ingrid sitting with South while they check a laptop. Ingrid was the mother of NOLA Defiance before they switched to LA. If there is anyone who can help patch me up, it's her.

Ingrid spots me approaching, blood dripping on the floor, and she lets out a huff and a small laugh, gesturing for me to take a seat. "What the fuck have you done?"

South widens his eyes, stands, and rushes off—I assume to grab a med kit. I slide my hand across the table and show her. You'd think for a nine-month pregnant woman, the sight of blood might make her queasy, but she examines my hand, prodding and poking around like it doesn't faze her in the slightest.

"I had a little run-in with a wrench, my frustration, and the ground."

She chuckles.

South comes back, placing the med kit on the table beside me. "You got worked over real good there, brother."

"You should see the other guy," I quip, and Ingrid laughs.

"Okay, you have some pieces of gravel lodged in your knuckles. I'm gonna have to pull them out. I already know the answer, but I have to ask. You want me to numb it?"

I stare at her and tilt my head, not saying anything. "Mm-hmm… thought as much. South, can you grab me some gloves, the alcohol solution, and some tweezers, please, baby?"

South nods, pulls out everything, and then plants a tender kiss on her head. "I like seeing you like this, Angel."

Ingrid clenches her eyes suddenly, like she's in pain, letting out a long breath. Her hand moves to her stomach. South and I stop and stare before South kneels beside her, a concerned look crossing his face. "Ingrid… what the fuck was that?"

She finally inhales, opens her eyes, and then smiles, looking calmer. "That, my love, was Braxton Hicks. I've been having them for a few days now."

South furrows his brows. "Why the hell didn't you tell me? We should get you to the hospital."

Ingrid lets out a small laugh, placing her hand on South's chest. "That is why I didn't tell you. I've done this twice already. And I know this isn't the real thing. We're okay. Our little guy isn't due for another couple of weeks. He's not coming yet."

South's concerned expression tells it all. He's worried. "Angel, I love you, and I don't mean anything by this, but your first two pregnancies were different. This one is different. It's riskier. You know that."

She snorts. "Because I'm old? I'm fifty-five, South. I'm fit. I'm healthy, and I have taken care of our baby. It's going to be fine, and when I am actually having contractions, I promise you, we will go to the hospital. But for now, Maverick needs help with his hand. So stop your stressing. Or the next one to need medical attention will be you."

I try to hold in the smirk but can't.

South huffs and takes a seat next to his Old Lady.

I get that he's worried. I'd probably be the same. "Thanks for helping me, Ingrid."

She snorts out a laugh. "You won't be saying that after I do this," she warns, then pours the alcohol solution over my wounds. It stings like a motherfucker, and I instantly jerk in response. "Fuck!" I blurt out.

"Bet you wish you had the numbing now, huh? You guys and your macho bullshit." She grabs the tweezers and begins debriding.

While she gets to work, my eyes shift to the back door to see Sadie moving about outside. I can't help but feel rattled by her and our conversation. Just as Ingrid is finishing up, Sadie and Clover walk in from outside, Sadie's hair sweeping down over her shoulders, her skin a little more sun-kissed than when she arrived. They both walk over to the bar to grab themselves a drink. I can't stop watching her while South and Ingrid are in the background talking about going to visit South's sister, Bella.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day, Mav?" Ingrid asks, pulling my attention back to them.

I am stuck in a hell loop—my eyes automatically draw back to Sadie at the bar—as I groan under my breath.

Before I can answer, South interjects. "Why don't you come with us to see Bella? Just to get out of the clubhouse for a few hours? Because we're heading to my sister's, and it's on the approved list, you won't need permission from Alpha."

Ingrid smiles and nods. "Yeah, I think you could do with the fresh air."

I turn back to them. "Fuck, yes. Thank you. I need this."

South grips my shoulder and nods. "Yeah, brother, we can tell. We'll head out now, if you wanna tell Clo you'll be gone for a bit?"

"You guys are fucking legends."

"We got your back, brother," South tells me.

I stand, then make my way over to the bar. Once there, I grip Clover's shoulder. She spins, smiling. "Hey! Sadie and I are just getting a drink. It's so hot out there again today. You wanna join us?"

Sadie smiles, but I can tell it's forced. "Actually, I'm heading out with South and Ingrid to see his sister for a couple of hours. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, for sure. Me and Sadie have a bunch planned."

My eyes meet Sadie's again, but she says nothing. "Good. Have fun. Get Haven to pay you on the way out," I motion toward Sadie but don't leave any room for her to reply before I walk out of the clubhouse toward the van where Ingrid and South are waiting for me.

Some space from Sadie is exactly what I need.

The woman riles me up.

And right now, I can't stand to be near her.

So, for Clover's sake, I need a time-out.