Chapter 18
Eighteen
MADDOX
My knuckles ached, the skin raw and red from busting a few too many heads in. But if Agent Bones dismissed us one more time, I’d find it within myself to break his nose, soreness be damned.
“Bones.” The word came out in a hiss, my emotions clear as day about how I felt. The agent in question glanced over his shoulder and lifted one finger. I saw red.
With my fists balled at my side, I charged forward. Darcie stepped into my path, and I had to jump aside to not bowl her over. She glared, her arms crossed and her brow raised as she waited for me to calm down. The woman looked too hot for me to stay mad too long. I tipped my head back and stared at the sky until I slowed my breathing. When I had it under control, I met her eyes again.
“Good. Let’s go for a drive.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
Again, she lifted her brow, daring me to question her. It was infuriating how sexy her confidence was. Dipping low, I gestured gallantly with my arm toward the bikes in a passive aggressive move.
“By all means, let’s take a drive. It’s not like my sister’s whereabouts are unknown.”
All right, that might have sounded more petulant than I’d intended. My cheeks heated, but I’d already committed to the bratty stubbornness, so I didn’t back down.
Darcie chuckled, patted my chest as she passed, and swayed her hips, drawing my eyes straight to her ass. Fuck.
She didn’t wait for me to pick my jaw off the ground as she straddled her bike and flicked the throttle into position to start it. She gave me one glance over her shoulder before she donned her helmet and took off. Cursing, I jogged to catch up and mounted my lowrider. Agent Bones yelled after me as I sped out of the compound, but I’d learned my lesson already. Darcie was the boss.
I caught up with her at the stop sign, where I assumed she’d waited. Once she heard me, she took off, and I followed. Hitting the Bluetooth in my helmet, I waited until I heard hers connect.
“Where are we going?”
“You ever hear you catch more bees with honey?”
I grunted. “I’m sick of playing his game.”
“That’s why we’re playing mine now.”
Her sweet voice was at odds with the venom in her words. I swallowed. “And what game is that, Princess?”
“For one, I need to see the others. Bones said everything was fine, but I trust him about as far as I can throw and I’m done with being apart.” She let out a long breath. She didn’t say it, but I could feel the tension in her words. She’d been able to focus on doing her part of the plan, but she hadn’t liked being separated. It had been necessary, but I knew it had come at a cost. Keeping her there longer than required to wait on Bones had been cruel on his and my part.
“I’m sorry, Princess. I didn’t think.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Maddox. Well, maybe for that sarcastic as fuck bow, but I’ll let it slide because we both know I like you bowing to me.”
I smiled. I loved her sass. “I’ll gladly bow to you for the rest of my life, Darcie.”
“Big words, Maddox King.”
“Nothing but the biggest for you, Princess.” My chest felt lighter, and I knew we’d find Becca together. Darcie wouldn’t let Bones keep her hidden any longer. How easily I’d forgotten to trust my woman. I’d do better.
“Good. I’m glad we got that squared away. Now, the second thing. Bones wants us to bend to his rules, but that’s not how we play. Especially after what Agonizer disclosed.”
“Fuck. Okay. You’re right. I’m just?—”
“Worried about Becca. I know, Madd. We’ll get her back.”
“I know. Fuck. I think everything has caught up to me. I don’t remember the last time I slept for more than three hours at a time.”
“And yet you still knocked out four guys on your own,” she teased.
“Well.” I chuckled. That had been mostly adrenaline and knowing the quicker I got through them, the faster I could check on her. I didn’t like her being alone with Agonizer. Too many thoughts of not being fast enough last time haunted me.
“Once we’re all together, we’ll deal with Bones. We have to keep believing she’s safe for now or we’ll go mental. We’re running on coffee and adrenaline at the moment, but we both know we’ll crash. We can’t afford to risk her safety.”
“You’re right. I just hate knowing he’s taken her.”
“I know, Madd. But we know he had a purpose, and for all intents and purposes, he appears to be on the ‘good side’ if that exists. I don’t believe he’ll hurt her. He’s gotten what he wants, so now we wait.”
“That’s the part I hate. I don’t like him having something over on me. What if he keeps asking for more? I’m done letting him dictate my future.”
“Trust me, Madd. I’m working on it.”
“Okay. That’s the easiest thing to do.”
“You know what?”
“What?” I asked, chuckling. Damn, between my bike and her words, I already felt calmer.
“After a week of living in crappy motels, I’m dreaming about a big fluffy bed with room service and jets in the shower.”
I could practically hear the drool in her voice as she spoke. “That sounds like heaven, Princess. We’ll make it happen. That’s my promise.”
It went quiet for the rest of the drive, and I knew Darcie was preparing herself for whatever we’d enter when we got to the Dizzy Arrow. We’d divided into three groups to conquer as much territory at once.
Darcie and I had taken Agonizer, hoping he didn’t know about the other Royals. Leaving Brooks, Grayson, and Bubba’s team to cover the bar while Kiki’s team led those not built for fighting to the Sweetbutt’s house to offer them an escape. We knew not everyone would want it, but Darcie wanted everyone to have the chance.
It would take a while to comb through all the members and identify those who were true Mavericks and who weren’t. I didn’t have much hope that the Mavericks could survive this, but maybe that was a good thing. Too much had happened here. The scars were deep, and those wounds would take a long time to heal. They’d need to go through their own metamorphosis much like Darcie had.
The Dizzy Arrow was eerily quiet as we pulled in. The lights were still on, but there wasn’t a single soul outside. Rows of bikes glistened under the neon light, but it did nothing to tell us the state of affairs inside. I spotted Brooks and Grayson’s bikes, and Tank’s—the one Bubba had borrowed. They were at least inside.
Darcie frowned as she stepped off her bike, securing her helmet to her motorcycle. I took her hand, neither of us speaking as we headed inside. I debated if we should head around back first, but Darcie was already opening the door before I could stop her.
The main area was empty, completely devoid of customers. The jukebox played music, pitchers of beer sat full on tables, their pint glasses discarded, and a haze of smoke still hung in the air. It was like there was life one minute and gone the next.
“If this was the rapture, surely a bar full of patched men wouldn’t be a hot spot. Right?”
Darcie snorted and shrugged. “Beats me. Let’s check out the fighting ring.”
I followed her blindly in a daze, confused about what the hell was going on. Darcie pushed open a discreet door, and sound immediately permeated our ears. It was wall-to-wall bodies, cheering and urging on whoever was below. Darcie’s brow furrowed, and a pit opened in my belly.
Fuck. Had Bones lied to us?
Darcie ducked and weaved her way through the crowd, leaving me to barrel through them. The hard glint on my face kept anyone from saying much, or they were too eager to return to the scene below. Once I cleared the crowd and met Darcie at the railing, I understood why.
“What? Is that…?” I stuttered.
Darcie beamed. “Brooks? Yeah.” She sighed wistfully, leaning against the bar with hearts in her eyes. Hell. I was even a little impressed.
Brooks wasn’t fighting. No, the shy cowboy had enraptured a gang of motorcycle thugs with rodeo tricks. He had a rope over his head, spinning it around before tossing it quickly around a calf and wrestling it to the ground. Once he had it secure, he jumped up, mounted a horse, and went through a series of obstacles as he roped barrels. Witnessing it in a bar setting was utterly ridiculous, but it was impressive.
At the end of the run, he hopped off and bowed to the crowd. They roared with applause, shaking the floor and walls with their rowdy praise. Grayson sauntered out into the middle of the floor with a big smile on his face, waving to the crowd.
“What did I tell you? Amazing, amirite?”
The crowd responded with foot stomps, and I didn’t completely cross out the possibility of rapture. This. Was. Weird.
“Our lovely Queen has arrived. Come on down and greet your people, darlin’.” Grayson pointed at Darcie, and heads turned, the noise stopping as they gawked. A passageway opened, allowing Darcie and me to make our way to our group.
“What’s going on?” Darcie whispered.
“Just follow my lead,” Grayson said, wrapping his arm around her. “Our beautiful Queen!” The crowd roared again, and wolf whistles echoed around the enclosed space. Darcie waved, smiling as she soaked in the applause. “And on that note, we got some celebrating to do. We’ll be back tomorrow to make things official. Have a good night, folks!” Grayson tipped an imaginary hat and escorted us to a tunnel toward Bubba.
He motioned for us to follow him, and the sound evaporated the further we went, but no one said anything; we just kept walking. A door loomed ahead, and I said a quiet prayer that Bubba would take it. I didn’t like being underground with no escape. It felt too much like prison.
Once we exited the underground, I took a deep breath of the hot and sticky air. I didn’t care that it was humid; it was just a relief to be free.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Not yet,” Bubba mumbled, heading toward his bike.
We followed and climbed on ours. He didn’t waste any time starting it and peeling out of the parking lot. A few people had made their way outside but ignored us as they lit their cigarettes. The five of us were on the road and away from the bar within minutes, and I sighed a breath of relief. Everyone was quiet as we followed Bubba, somehow understanding this wasn’t a conversation to have while riding.
He pulled into an empty parking lot a few miles away, and the four of us followed suit, making a circle. The instant Darcie had her helmet off, the three scanned her from head to toe. She’d changed her shirt, but there were still spots of blood splatter in her hair and skin. She painted a terrifying picture.
“What happened?” Bubba barked. “Why are you covered in blood?”
Darcie looked down, almost like she’d forgotten. “Oh. It’s not mine. I severed Agonizer’s penis, and I got sprayed.” Bubba paled, Brooks choked, and Grayson smiled. Darcie rolled her eyes, waving them off. “Enough about me. What was that? Why are we here?”
Grayson recovered first, his face taut with nerves. “Things didn’t go as planned. Turns out, most of those folks like being in Agonizer’s gang. So, they weren’t too thrilled about our supposed takeover. When I realized the tide wasn’t going our way, I improvised. I said you were marrying Agonizer to join our clubs.”
“And they bought it?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” Brooks said. “They wanted a fight. So Tiny challenged Brewer while Mack and Cueball got the true Mavericks out. When that fight ended with Brewer knocked out, the crowd wanted more. They wanted us to show our commitment. This one,” he said, pointing at Grayson, “decided it would be fun to show off and challenged someone to bring in a horse and cow.”
“I didn’t think they’d actually do it,” Grayson admitted sheepishly.
Bubba laughed. “One of the guys knew where a farm was, and they were there and back within ten minutes with a horse and a few cattle. The crowd had grown antsy, after noticing some of the members missing.”
“So we set up an exhibition so I could distract them while they got the people in the sex club out. It’s a good thing you showed up when you did,” Brooks said.
“Yeah.” Darcie wrapped her arms around the three of them, holding them tight. Something didn’t add up.
“Why did Bones say they were good then?” I asked, looking at Darcie.
“Because he’s a duplicitous prick. He was working with Stanley, but when Agonizer recruited his son, he realized the monster he’d signed himself to. My best guess since he couldn’t control him, he used us to take him down. He couldn’t get to him straight, or Agonizer would blow his cover as a double agent.”
Fury engulfed me, anger vibrating through every inch of my body. “Why the fuck did we leave him there then?” Darcie shot me a withering look, and I instantly checked myself. Fuck. I wasn’t mad at her. “Sorry.” I held my hands up and took a deep breath, letting the anger roll out.
Darcie’s shoulders relaxed. “Trust,” she whispered, killing me. I nodded, shaking out the last of my rage.
“To sum it up, Agonizer is dickless, Bones is considered a hero, we have no idea where Becca is, and the bar’s a cesspool of angry thugs. Did I miss anything?” Grayson asked.
“And Hank’s dead,” Darcie whispered.
Brooks’ brow furrowed. “No, he’s not. I mean, not yet. He’s not in good shape, but Tiny carried him out first.”
“Wait, you’re saying my father is still alive?” Darcie gasped. Tears gathered in her eyes, and I felt my own relief. Despite his faults, he’d been a dad figure in my life.
“What’s next?” Bubba asked.
Darcie wiped her eyes and checked her phone. “We deal with Bones, check on my dad, and then stay the night in a 5-star hotel. I want a hot shower, fluffy robes, and room service.”
“Fuck, Sunflower. You’re gonna make me come,” Grayson teased, groaning at her description.
“How are we dealing with Bones?” I asked.
Darcie grinned. “I called in my favor.”
My breath halted. Why had I doubted my girl? I was such an idiot. In two strides, I had her in my arms and lifted her off the concrete. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I kissed her. Hard.
“Anyone else lost?” Grayson asked.
“Who cares? This is hot,” Brooks replied.
“You’re both idiots,” Bubba said, followed by two slaps.
Laughing, Darcie and I pulled away. “Good gravy, I love our family.”
“Me, too.” My smile threatened to crack my face; it was so big. “Thank you.”
“Always, Madd.”
I nodded, kissing her one more time before setting her down.
“So, what’s the favor?” Grayson asked, bouncing on his feet. “Is it sexual? Do we get one?”
“Technically, yes,” I said.
“Wait, it’s sexual?” he gasped, stopping.
“No.” Darcie laughed. “But you get one. All Mavericks do when they pass the program.”
The three men across from us smiled wide with pride. “All right then.” Grayson nodded, slapping his brothers on the back. “Let’s get this list done so I can learn how to use my favor.”
“Ten bucks he uses his within a week,” Brooks said.
“Twenty, it’s within forty-eight hours,” Bubba countered.
They slapped their palms together, and Grayson snorted, ignoring them.
We all climbed back on our bikes and followed Darcie. The change in her was astounding. We’d all been so afraid when we came down here. We’d constantly kept her in the middle, protecting her from everything we feared. Now, she led our convoy, and we eagerly followed, trusting her judgment.
She was meant to lead us, to be our queen. I’d never seen her look more regal as she dismounted ten minutes later and walked up to the booth Agent Bones sat in.
“Fancy meeting you here, Reginald .”
The agent sputtered, coffee going up his nose at using what I assumed was his first name. She plopped down into the booth, and we surrounded it. There was no escape for Agent Bones. She smiled, took a french fry off his plate, and ate it.
“Darcie, Maddox,” he said, recovering. “You left before finishing the debriefing.”
“Did we? Hmm.” Darcie tapped her chin, her red lips a straight line as she stared at Bones. “Because from my standpoint, you forgot to mention you’d kidnapped an innocent girl and were working with the enemy this whole time, Reginald . That wasn’t very nice of you to lie to us.”
His face turned a deep purple at the use of his name. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No? Huh.” Darcie moved out of the booth, stopping once she stood. “Good luck convincing Director Farrow that then.”
Agent Bones’ face went white at the name, starkly contrasting his earlier hue. His eyes bulged at something over my shoulder. It took all my concentration not to turn my head at the intimidating presence I felt at my back.
“Yes, Reginald. I’m very interested in why there’s a young girl in protective custody far from where I placed her.”
The weight of that statement settled in me. This man was important. He’d been the one to help Becca when I’d been in prison. I owed him so much. Fuck, I owed Darcie. I really needed to trust the people around me more.
“It’s a misunderstanding, Director.”
“Hmm. It sounds like the only misunderstanding is how you joined a federal agency. We’ll talk about this again at the office. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know every detail.”
Agent Bones began to sweat, his pallor changing to a sickly color. “Yes, sir.” He climbed out of the booth and followed the agent I hadn’t noticed on that side.
Despite my better judgment, the director stepped up beside me, and I turned to meet his eyes. Warm brown orbs stared back, surprising me. He gave me a nod of respect before giving Darcie a hug. “Don’t be a stranger, Darcie. Bella’s already itching to whip up her famous banana bread for the occasion.”
“Will do, Uncle Pat. Thanks for coming down so quickly and securing Becca in a new place.”
“Any time. And please, think about my offer. We’d love to have you as an agent.”
“Even after I chopped off Agonizer’s dick?”
The director froze, then barked out a laugh. “You did not!”
“Oh, I did. Even got it in a jar as a souvenir.”
He laughed again. “For fuck’s sake, Darcie. That only makes me want you more.”
“I’ll think about it. But right now, I just want to check on Dad and shower. I need to wash the asshole off.”
“I thought…?” he said, his voice catching.
“Apparently, Tank’s still kicking for now.”
“Well, good. Tell him to give me a call. I don’t care about his pride. It’s time to put that aside. With everything he had on Stanley in that box of yours, he’ll be locked up for several lifetimes. Tell him to call home.”
“I’ll pass it along.”
“All right. I better go take care of that mess. Be good, kiddo.”
“Hey! You get one slip-up, but it’s Queen now. Even to uncles who run the country.”
He smiled fondly at Darcie. “Fair enough, Queen.” He kissed her cheek before nodding at the others and slipping out of the diner.
“So, Tank, now?” she said, smiling. “Only one more stop until my shower!” She skipped out of the diner like she hadn’t just rocked our worlds. The guys looked at me, expecting me to have an answer.
“I had no clue. I didn’t know. That girl is a freaking wonder.”
Grayson beamed. “And we get to spend the rest of our lives with her.”
“That we do.”
Grinning, the four of us followed Darcie to the parking lot and back to the barn where Hank was. Life would always be exciting with her. And I couldn’t wait to discover all the fun we’d have.