Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Hendrix
"I didn't know you knew how to cook," Maisie teased me from where she sat at the island watching me boil water. Her chin in her hands and a soft smile on her face. She was freshly showered after a long day baking; I was quickly informed she couldn't do anything until she washed away the sweat.
Her words, because I thought she smelled great.
"I wouldn't consider boiling water for pasta cooking. It's more like a basic skill."
"Don't forget the Texas toast."
I pointed the wooden spoon at her. "Ah, yes. How could I forget the toast? Also a basic skill in my mind. Preheat the oven, put the toast on a tray, and bake for the time recommended on the box. A toddler could do it."
Maisie giggled. "I'm pretty sure a toddler shouldn't be playing with an oven."
Huh. That made sense. "Fine, a teenager could do it."
"Glad to know you first compared yourself to a toddler and then a teenager."
I gave her my dazzling smile. "If the shoe fits and all that."
Maisie giggled again. I liked seeing her this way; hair still wet from her shower, makeup-free—not that she wore much of it, my clothes hanging off her body. But it was the carefree vibe she was giving off that I loved the most.
"Well, if I forget to tell you later, thank you for dinner. I have a tendency to skip it most days because I just fall into bed."
That explained why she was so tiny. "You're welcome. Now tell me about your day."
"Oh, shit, I almost forgot!"
I braced for bad news but the mischievous smile on her face allowed me to relax some.
"I might have let it slip to the town-gossip ladies that we’re moving in together." She scrunched her nose up in a cute way. "Actually, there's no might about it. I absolutely told Ms. Dixie I moved in with you."
“Kati’s neighbor, Ms. Dixie.” I just wanted to be sure I had the right lady. When Maisie nodded her head, I mentally rubbed my hands together. This was perfect.
"That's fine by me. Pretty sure that was my goal this entire time."
She stuck her tongue out at me before taking a sip of her water bottle. "Yes, but that led to a conversation with Janie about my apartment."
"Okay . . ." I wasn't sure where she was going with this, so it was always best to wait to get all the information.
"Janie needs a place. She's twenty-four and still lives with her parents. I told her I would talk to you about when we can get my stuff out and then she can move in."
"We can grab all your shit tonight and have her moved in tomorrow if that's what you want."
"Who's this we you speak of? Do you have a mouse in your pocket I don't know about because I'm too tired to grab stuff from my apartment tonight."
"Cheeky woman, and no, I don't have a mouse in my pocket. Not that I know of anyway. I meant me and the guys."
Maisie held up her hand. "No. I like your friends, I really do, but there's no way I'm letting them pack up my stuff. I don't need anyone touching my panties."
Like I would let anyone else near her intimate items. "No one but me would touch your panties, but you tell me the day and I'll make sure we have help."
"It's just some clothes and a few other things I've collected over the years. I figured the furniture can stay for Janie. We don't need it here."
She turned around and glanced toward the living room. "Okay, maybe we could use more in there but what I have is too small for the space."
She was still turned around, so she couldn't see the huge smile on my face at her using the word “we” when talking about our house.
"Feel free to pick and change whatever you want."
That got her attention back on me. "You don't mind me changing things?"
"Sweetheart, change everything if that's what you want. I'm not attached to any of it."
Her eyes softened. "Hurry up and finish dinner so we can finish this night in bed."
I didn't have to be told twice.
"You know, when you said you wanted to finish this night in bed, I didn't think you meant watching TV."
After we finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, Maisie dragged me down the hall to the bedroom for what I thought was going to be some sexy time. Apparently, I was wrong.
"It's been weeks since I've watched my true crime documentaries. I'm behind and need to catch up.”
I didn't think now was the time to tell her she lived through her own true crime documentary during that time. I preferred my balls intact and had hopes that there would still be time for some sex after her show was over.
We were ten minutes into the episode when Nolen called. I knew even before I answered, any plans I had for the night were about to go to shit.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Is Maisie with you?"
I looked down at the woman in question who was no longer watching the show but whose attention was on me. At some point she had hit pause on the TV.
"Yeah, she's right here. Hang on."
I put the phone on speaker and set it down on my lap.
"Okay, you got both of us. Now tell me why you're interrupting our night."
"Maisie, did your brother spend a lot of time in trouble with the law before you left?"
Her eyes doubled in size as she looked at me for help. I nodded for her to go ahead. Nolen likely had a good reason for asking.
"Yeah, he had a few run-ins. Some more serious than others."
"Breaking and entering plus grand theft auto are pretty serious. I see here that he was on probation up until the week before Atlas's death. He got popped for stealing a car, but instead of going to jail, he was released from probation."
That didn't make sense. Committing a crime while on probation was usually a head-straight-to-jail kind of thing. Don't pass go. Don't collect two hundred dollars.
It wasn't a way to get released from probation.
"Yeah, I thought it was weird at the time but Matty assured me it was just a misunderstanding and he was done with probation anyway."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but from what I read on the police report, that wasn't the case."
The more Nolen spoke, the more I didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Spit it out, Nolen."
"I can't say for sure, but this screams a deal."
"You really think the police made a deal with Matty to take out Atlas?" I asked Nolen, disbelief laced my tone. Then I spoke to Maisie. "Whose idea was it to get rid of Atlas? Yours or Matty's?"
"Mine. Matty was insistent there was another way to deal with him. He even freaked out when I stabbed Atlas. He mumbled something about everything going to shit but then he pulled himself together and told me he would take care of it. That's when he explained to me I needed to leave and go on the run."
Something wasn't adding up.
"What else did you find?"
"Most of Matthew's crimes appeared to be committed with the same person. Sarah Jones."
"That was Matty's girlfriend at the time. I wasn't a huge fan of her. I always said she was the reason he was constantly getting into trouble. He would do anything for her, no matter how illegal it was."
"Where is Sarah now?"
"She disappeared off the face of the planet around the time Matthew's probation ended."
Well, that was awfully suspicious. "So you can't find anything on her?"
"Nope. She's either dead or in witness protection."
What were the chances that witness protection was the reason Matthew got off on probation? Backdoor deals were more common than people realized.
"I know I asked you to back off looking into what happened to Atlas, but I think we need the big picture here. Something is going on."
I looked at Maisie for confirmation. It was her brother who asked us to stop, so it should be her decision as well.
"I agree. I want to know what's going on. If there's another reason Matty has taken over for Atlas, then I would like to know what it is. I can't wrap my head around the fact that he's doing it because he believed in Atlas's teachings."
I hoped for her sake that what Nolen found wouldn't put a negative light on her brother. She needed him to be the hero in this situation.
"Let us know what you find. In the meantime, we're going back to enjoying our night."
"Have fun, kids. Don't do anything stupid."
I hung up the phone and reached for the remote. I shut the TV off before Maisie could say anything.
"Enough of that. I have other ways I want to spend the rest of our night."
I slipped my arm around her lower back and slid her down so her head was resting on the pillow and I was looking down at her.
"Oh, yeah? What did you have in mind?"
I traced my fingers up her leg. "I would rather show you."
And I did exactly that until she passed out from the three orgasms I gave her.