Chapter 24
Maverick
Ispent the afternoon with Larry. He was agitated but calmed down eventually.
He was angry about the people who kept showing up in his garden because he was growing those vegetables for his friend Ivan.
I had no clue who the fuck Ivan was, or who was taking his veggies, but I promised to have the boys look into it.
Fuck, dementia was a shitty disease. I’d found a few websites and was reading up on it.
Just trying to be a good neighbor and all.
They said it was normal for him to go in and out like this, but eventually he’d be more out than in.
So fucking sad. Kat was working on getting him a doctor and medication to slow things down.
It gutted her every time he recognized me but not his own flesh and blood.
Larry wanted to get out of the house, so we walked to the clubhouse for an early dinner. I texted Kat to let her know, but it was getting late and she still hadn’t gotten back.
“Hey, Pixie?” I excused myself from the table and walked over to the bar where she stood.
“Yeah, Mav?”
“Think you can keep Larry company until Kat comes? I’ve got church.”
Pixie nodded, wiping her hands on a towel and looking over at our table. “How’s he doing?”
I shrugged. “He was a little confused earlier when he woke up, but he seems back on track now.”
Pixie nodded. “Sounds about right. When I interned at the senior home, we had a number of patients like that. Is Kat on her way over?”
“Yeah, but I guess she got held up at Ivy’s. Honestly, he’d probably be fine, but since he had an episode earlier, I don’t feel right sending him home alone.”
“Yeah, of course. I’m happy to hang out with him, but the second he catches wind that you asked me to babysit, he’ll be on the move.”
That was the damn truth. “Thanks, I’ll tell Dan to check back in thirty minutes. If Ivy’s not back, Dan can walk him home and hang out.”
“Wow.” Pixie’s lips parted in suprise. “You’re taking this good neighbor thing to heart. Mr. Rogers would be proud.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Unless…” She dragged out the word and her voice pitched upward. “It’s not just about being a good neighbor.”
I sighed and shook my head.
Pixie winked and walked away from the bar. “Mr. Larry! How’s your week been? And where’s that Noodle?”
I exited the public area through the back door that led into the clubhouse. We kept it locked, but everyone affiliated with the club had a code. That meant the brothers, prospects, old ladies, and bunnies. And speaking of bunnies…
“Mav, finally! I haven’t seen you in weeks.
” Sheila pouted. Her bright red hair was pulled high on top of her head, highlighting her bare neck and shoulders.
She wore a tiny tube top that barely covered her large breasts and a pair of tiny black shorts.
It was a sight I once enjoyed, but at the moment couldn’t muster any interest.
“Not now, Sheila. I’ve got work to do.”
She placed a manicured hand on my arm and walked with me.
“Sounds good to me. You know how much I love it when you work. I can under your desk and—“
“I guess I wasn’t clear.” I peeled her hand off my arm and opened the door to church, using my body to block her from entering. “I’m not interested. Go find someone else.”
“Aww, you don’t mean that, baby.” She placed her hand on my chest, her bright red nails contrasting against my black cut. I looked her over. Her whole image was over the top. How did I think that was attractive before?
Classy was sexy. A silk blouse with a vee neck that gave a hint of cleavage. I bet Kat had a closet full of tight little pencil skirts that would bring my best librarian fantasy to life. I couldn’t stop the smile that formed as I thought of Kat with reading glasses and her hair in a bun.
Unfortunately, Sheila thought that smile was for her “That’s right, Mav. Let me take care of you.”
And she wasn’t the only one who misread the situation.
“Oh! I, um, shit.” Kat stood in the hallway, her eyes glued to where Sheila’s hand rested on my chest.
Fuck.
“Kat—” I started.
“No, I, um.” She shook her head. “Lexie opened the door so I could… Well, anyway. Thanks for staying with Dad. I’m taking him home.
And then I might be gone for a few days.
They, uh, my work needs me on a project.
” She blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes.
“You two can keep doing,” she waved a hand in the air, “whatever.” She turned and walked back down the hall like her ass was on fire.
“Kat, wait!” I shouted, but she was already gone. “Sheila, so help me if you do not get the fuck out of my face right now, you’ll be going to Larry’s in a bucket.”
“Mav!” She squeaked and jumped back. She looked in the direction Kat left, then back at me. “Her? Really?” She scoffed. “Well, when Miss Big City Snob gets tired of slumming it—and you know she will—you know where to find me.”
“Yeah, in bed with one of my brothers.”
She shrugged and she turned to walk away. “Never bothered you before.”
I sighed. What could I say? She was right. I’d never cared who else Sheila fucked. It was just sex and I had the club to run. But maybe I was tired of “just sex.” Maybe I liked having a life outside of the club. Although, it was becoming more and more clear that that life wouldn’t involve Kat.
I walked inside the meeting room where we held church and banged my fist on the table.
As much as I wanted to chase after her, now wasn’t the time.
And what would I say? I could pull the tapes if she didn’t believe me.
But after the fight from earlier? Her not understanding the club?
There was no easy fix for that. And it wasn’t like we were a couple.
We both knew this was a fling when we started.
I had a few more minutes before the rest of the officers arrived.
I skimmed through the folder Baller had left for me and my blood boiled.
He’d printed out photos from the trail cam.
Photos of Larry. Of me. Of Kat. And someone I didn’t recognize walking past the house with a drip torch on the night of the fire.
Bear, Blade, and Baller entered the room. Tracker, our road captain, had physical therapy so we’d fill him in later. Come to think of it, he’d missed a lot of church because of physical therapy…
“Ah, you got to that one, huh?” Baller asked. “Looks like Ol’ Larry was telling the truth.”
Blade cleared his throat. “I searched the area during the fire. No one was around, but I did find the drip torch. It was one of Larry’s. I assumed he started it given his…” Blade tapped a finger to his head. “But there’s no lock on the old man’s shed. Anyone could have taken it out and used it.”
I rubbed a hand over my eyes as my blood raged. Someone prowled around Kat’s house while she slept. Set fire to the woods behind her. Could have killed her if the wind had picked up.
Fuck temporary. Fuck what she thought she saw. What she thought she knew about the club. All that mattered was that right now, at this moment, she was mine.
“Could be related.” Bear interrupted my spiral.
“Related to what?” I asked, trying to catch back up.
Bear snorted. “To everything, brother. To the Alliance. To the Diablos. The Bratva. I talked to Rowan, and he had a lot to say.”
“Fucking finally,” I muttered. “So what are we dealing with?”
“According to Rowan, one of the families has fallen under tough times. The Volkovs were mostly into heroin and cocaine until they lost a huge shipment in a DEA raid. Their organization fell apart as it became a literal rat race to see who could turn the fastest.”
I scoffed. Loyalty was everything. Thank fuck that shit would never happen to us.
Bear continued. “With most of the crew in jail and their assets seized, the remaining members of the family scattered across the country. Seems the few that stayed out of jail decided to shift into a more local drug trade. Less chance to get caught if the drugs don’t have far to move.”
“So they’re growing pot?” I asked.
“Yeah, some of that and cooking meth. They’ve been buying up large properties across the south and midwest, ones that are in rural areas and heavily wooded. Perfect cover, away from law enforcement and next door to their prime clients. It’s a pretty good model, if I’m being honest.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for that objective opinion of their business plan.”
Bear shrugged.
My eyes narrowed. “The pieces fit. Between the MC and Larry, that’s eighty acres. A hell of a lot of space to run an operation. They’ve got to be the ones behind those fucking Diablos.”
Bear rubbed his hand over his beard. “If those rejects had taken us out as planned, Larry would have been easy picking. But when that didn’t pan out, maybe they tried to get his land and move in that way. Having access to his property would certainly have made it easier to get the jump on us.”
“Makes sense.” Baller nodded. “That fire wasn’t meant to kill, but maybe they were trying to scare him?
Or Kat. Larry’s never going to leave that place, no matter what happens.
But scaring the daughter into selling her dad’s property?
That’d be a hell of a lot quicker than waiting out probate after a double homicide. ”
“Watch your mouth,” I warned, enraged he’d speak so callously about Kat’s death.
Baller had the good sense to look sheepish but didn’t take back his words. And he shouldn’t. He was right.
Blade nodded. “Has Kat or Larry mentioned any offers to buy the property?”
I shook my head. “But that doesn’t mean they haven’t.”
“Let’s assume they have, and the answer was no.” Blade looked around the table. “If the Volkovs can’t buy the property and the fire didn’t work, what will they try next?”
My heart stopped. Fuck.
Baller grabbed the picture of the man with drip torch.
“This guy was pretty well covered, but there was one image where you could see a tattoo on his right hand. I’m running it through some programs to see if I get a hit.
With this new Bratva information, I can narrow down the search. Might get something sooner.”
I nodded and reached a hand to Baller’s shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”
Baller smiled. “Anytime. I’ll text as soon as I get something.”
“Well, if that’s all, I could use a beer.” As I led the guys to the bar, I couldn’t help but run through the final words of the Diablos’ leader before we killed him months ago: “We’re the first wave. He’s got so much planned, just you wait.”
Is this what he meant? Some Volkov guy wanted to turn our town into a drug factory? At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. We got rid of the Diablos, and we’ll get rid of this guy too. And for threatening my woman, I’d make it hurt.