CHAPTER 26
Maverick
While Kaya didn’t spend the night crying, she did toss and turn quite a bit.
I don’t understand it, but I guess that’s because I’m not really close to anyone like that.
I have friends. I have club brothers I vowed to fight with and die for if needed, but I don’t really think I love them or anyone else for that matter.
I loved my grandmother and my sister and they are the only two people I’ve ever cried over.
But Gretchen isn’t dead, she left. I’m trying to be there for Kaya because seeing her hurt, breaks something inside of me.
It’s terrifying what she does to me. The way I want to care for her, protect her, and brush her fucking hair has me believing I might be losing my mind.
At first it was just her body. From the moment I saw her, I pictured her legs wrapped around me while I fucked the shit out of her.
I wanted her pouty lips on my cock, wanted to be inside her, wanted to lick every inch of her skin, but when I talked to her?
Her wit and sarcasm drew me right in. She turned out to be intelligent, sassy, and full of spunk.
The fact that she pushed me away may have even been exciting at first, but that shit got old real fast. I found myself being scared that she really didn’t feel what I did, that she really did just want to have sex and nothing else and I hated every fucking second of it. It felt like a sick kind of torture.
I pace the floor in the living room with my coffee in hand.
Kaya has a job this morning that I said I would take her to and then I have to go to the garage.
I told Ace I would help out over there but I’ve ended up spending more time with Kaya this past week than doing any work.
Once she’s working for the club, this will be a lot easier.
I won’t need to worry so much about her safety if she’s there.
Then she won’t have jobs all over the damn county with strange uptight office guys that I don’t trust.
“What’s wrong?” A sleepy voice asks from the hallway.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about what I have to do today,” I say as I approach her. I drop a quick kiss on her head.
“If you have stuff to do, I can drive myself. The job’s in Dogwood Creek.”
I shake my head. “I’m not letting you out of my sight with those two assholes around.”
Kaya shrugs and makes her way to the coffee pot. “I think I want to go help Cipher today. My job this morning should only take about an hour or so.”
“How do you make so much money if you only work for an hour or two a day?” I ask, honestly curious.
“I usually do quite a bit remotely too. I just haven’t logged on the last few days. I’ve been forwarding things on to my co-workers. I figured since I’m going to work for Carnage anyway, why bother?”
“You tell the people you work for yet?”
She nods as she takes a sip from her mug causing her dark hair to fall in front of her eyes. “Sent out emails last night while you were in the shower. Already heard back from two of the firms I work for. They’re not happy.”
“You’re good with that?”
Her eyes connect with mine and her head tilts. “Yeah. I don’t care that they’re not happy.”
I let out a laugh. A guttural laugh, that bubbles up from down deep.
The look on her face is so straight, so nonchalant, that her words just didn’t fit.
Her eyes sparkle in amusement at my reaction and a grin spreads across her face.
She starts laughing too and after a second, we’re both cracking up like a couple of idiots.
It feels weird to me, because I don’t laugh much, not like this anyway.
“Shit, we have to go,” Kaya says as she jumps up. “We’re only going down to the Gas and Go.”
“What do you need to do there?”
She quickly throws on jeans and a t-shirt. “Two of Marty’s cameras are offline. Probably just needs a reboot.”
And that’s exactly what was wrong. She rebooted the system, checked some settings, reconnected Marty’s app, and after a test, everything is back in working order. We grab a few gas station breakfast burritos that Marty tells us not to pay for and get back on my bike to head to the garage.
I pull into the parking lot of Dogwood Motors and park next to Tank and Rebel’s bikes.
With Ratchet coming back tonight, Ace wants to make sure the place is cleaned up.
According to him and Deuce, the garage is Ratchet’s baby, but since he’s been gone for a few months, it hasn’t been treated with the same respect as it is when he’s around.
Not that it’s all our fault. Everything with Bad Blood and the D’Amatos also happened during that timeframe, so we’ve been a bit busy to worry about sweeping the garage and keeping tools in order.
“What do you want me to do?” Kaya asks as we walk to the front door.
“There’s probably something you can help with, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, but I do want to work with Cipher today too.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t be here too long.” I say as I pull the door open and hold it for her. The bell above the door dings as we enter.
Tank rushes out of the bay toward me. “Thank God, you’re here!
Would you mind finishing the brakes on that Kia?
Some guy just dropped off his pickup and said he needs it back as fast as possible.
I guess he’s traveling overnight but says the engine is knocking pretty good, so he wants it checked out beforehand. ”
“No problem, brother,” I say.
“Everything’s off and the pads are in the box.” Tank says as he heads out the front door.
I watch Tank jog toward an older model Dodge Dakota.
He pulls the door open, lifts his leg to get in, but seems to realize he forgot something.
I glance to the counter and see a set of keys so I grab them and head to the door.
As I reach out to grasp the handle, the truck detonates.
A bright orange fireball lit up my entire field of vision as a deafening blast pierced my ears.
I have no idea what’s happening, but I dive toward Kaya, knocking her to the ground.
The windows around us explode inward causing glass to fly through the air like shrapnel.
I climb on top of Kaya, covering her like a full body blanket as shards of glass land on and around us. Car alarms go off. Tank screams.
“Holy fuck!” Rebel yells. “You guys ok?”
“I think so.” I mumble as I roll off Kaya. “You okay, baby?”
She sits up looking around with eyes as wide as saucers. Her breathing is coming in hard pants. “Yeah. Holy shit!” She stares at her arms turning them when I see blood.
“Fuck! Come here. You’re bleeding.”
“Tank!” Rebel yells as he runs outside.
“I’m fine!” Kaya says quickly. “Go check on Tank!”
I eye her for a second before standing and running out the door. Tank is laying face down in the parking lot. Not moving. The truck is still on fire and black smoke is lying heavy in the air. Rebel and I approach Tank and carefully turn him over. Thankfully, he lets out a groan.
His hair is singed, and his face is covered in blood. A giant egg is protruding from his forehead. He looks like shit, but alive and breathing on his own. Sirens wail in the distance, getting louder as they near us.
“What hurts?” Rebel asks.
“My goddamn chest,” Tank gasps out.
“Help is coming, brother.” I say, trying to calm him.
Kaya joins us with a paper towel wrapped around her arm. “Is he ok?”
I ignore her question, because I don’t want to lie to her. Plus, I don’t know the answer. My gaze settles on her arm. “Are you?”
“I might need stitches, but I’m ok.”
Rage burns through me. “Who the fuck brought that truck here?”
“Erik something. Everything is on the work order.” Rebel says.
Within ten minutes there were three firetrucks, three police cars, an ambulance, and every member of Carnage on scene.
Tank is being tended to by four EMTs who are checking his vitals and bracing his neck.
The firemen are spraying what’s left of the pickup which is now basically a black, burned-out frame.
Smoke and steam are rising from it as the stream from the fireman’s hoses drench it.
“The name on the work order is Erik Higgins. Likely a fake name.” Ace says. He turns to Kaya. “We’re going to need a closeup of the motherfuckers face from the security footage.”
Kaya meets his eyes. “Will do.”
“I need to take her to get stitched up first,” I say.
She places her hand on my arm. “It can wait. It’s not that bad.”
I take her arm and peel back the paper towel. She winces as a four-inch gash is revealed on the underside of her forearm. It’s no damn papercut. It’s pretty deep and seems like a prime location where an infection could settle.
“Let’s go,” I say, not leaving any room for argument. I turn to Ace. “Be back as soon as we can.”
Ace gives me a chin lift. Kaya follows behind me to my bike, which thankfully wasn’t damaged in the blast. We turn to watch Tank get loaded into the back of the ambulance on a stretcher with his eyes closed and an oxygen mask in place.
Cipher climbs in with his brother before the back doors are closed.
Kaya gives me a worried look before placing the helmet on her head. I help her climb on as she holds her injured arm close to her body. Not that bad my ass. “Just hold on with your left hand. I’ll take it easy. Okay?” She gives me a nod and I climb on in front of her.
I start the bike and rumble out of the parking lot heading in the direction of the Urgent Care.