CHAPTER 47
Maverick
We walk into the clubhouse hand in hand.
I glance over at Kaya and she is beaming the widest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen on her face.
It’s relaxed, proud, and confident. Maybe she needed the commitment as much as I did.
I think we’re both skeptical people. I’ve been afraid for months of losing her, only to find out she felt the same way, which is a wild thought.
She’s so goddamn amazing that it blows my mind that she’s choosing me out of every other man in the world.
It takes Sophia less than a minute to notice the ring on her friend’s finger. She jumps from the couch and rushes toward us as soon as we enter.
“What took you guys so long? How was the appointment?” She pauses as she notices the ring. “What is that?”
Kaya laughs and holds her hand out showing off my grandmother’s ring. Lexi runs over from the bar with Hannah and Nora right behind her. I step back.
“We’re engaged!” Kaya screams. Happiness is literally oozing from her.
I grin watching as the women fuss over her and admire the ring.
Kaya’s smile is frozen in place. She keeps glancing over to me with so much love that I feel like an asshole for ever questioning why she was with me. You can’t fake that look.
The guys at the bar are watching us over their shoulders in confusion. I leave the women who are now hearing about the appointment and the house as Kaya goes over every detail. I approach the bar trying to wipe my own smile from my face.
“What the hell is all that about?” Leo asks, as I take the stool next to him.
Nick passes me a beer before I even ask. I take it and give him a chin lift in thanks.
“We’re getting married,” I say simply.
“Are you serious?” Grayson asks.
Rebel raises his beer to mine. “That’s awesome, man! Congratulations.”
I clink my bottle with his.
“We’re also having a baby and just bought a house,” I add.
Leo laughs. “Damn brother, you don’t fuck around when you claim a woman.”
“Congrats, brother,” Deuce says.
I take another swallow from my bottle. “Thanks. Baby’s due in November so we want it to happen before then.”
“Where’d you buy a house?” Grayson asks.
I look past Leo to Grayson. “River Road. The bi-level at the end.”
“No shit? That place is beautiful. I was checking it out online. Nice private property.”
I nod. The house is great, but the property is why I jumped on it. Three acres on a dead-end road can’t be beat as far as privacy goes.
Leo’s eyes widen. “So, I guess that means we’re gonna have to have a patch party then!”
“Oh shit, that’s right!” Rebel says excitedly.
I nod again. I always knew I’d settle somewhere, but never once did I think it would be in New Jersey.
I’m from Tennessee, so I assumed I would either end up back there or would finally decide to stay in Texas.
New Jersey was never in my plans, but then again neither was Kaya, a baby, or getting married.
I glance over at her only to find her eyes already on me.
Her lips turn up in a grin, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushing as if she’s embarrassed that I caught her looking.
I grin back and not giving a fuck who’s around me, kiss the air in her direction.
Her smile grows even bigger before she returns her attention to Lexi.
Deuce smacks me on the back. “Jesus, buddy. You’re fucked.”
I stand. “Fucked and happy,” I say, before heading back in Kaya’s direction.
She moves away from the girls and meets me in the center of the room. “I need to get back downstairs. Do you want to come with?”
“After I order a pizza.” I drop a kiss on her forehead.
“Mushrooms and onions. Oh! Maybe half garlic. Ya know what you should probably get two. One with half mushrooms and onions and the other half garlic and then whatever you want on the other one.”
I raise a brow. “You’re gonna eat a whole pizza?”
She shrugs. “I’m eating for two. I have no limits.”
I pull my phone out but before I can even slide the screen open, Ace comes flying in the front door with Vincent D’Amato behind him, followed by six of Vincent’s guys. What the hell is going on?
Ace does a circle in the air with his finger as he walks through the room. “Church now! Kaya, you too sweetheart.”
Kaya nods and starts heading toward church. All of us pile into the room with a few guys noticeably missing. Shade. Dom. Cipher. Tank. Flip. Riker.
Ace picks up the gavel and bangs it on the table.
“Well, we know who the fucking leak is.” Ace lifts his chin to Vincent.
Vincent opens his phone, tapping it a few times before laying it on the table. The tension is so thick in the air you could cut it with a blunt spork.
Deuce picks it up first. “Mother fucker!” He then slides it to Bunker who grunts when he sees the image.
One by one each guy checks the photos and either yells a curse, a groan, or some other sound of derision.
When it gets to me, I pick it up. Flip. The image is clear as day.
Flip talking to three men. He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, obviously trying to hide his identity.
The diner doesn’t look familiar so it’s not the one in Dogwood Creek or Edgemere, which are the only two I’ve been to.
I pass it to Kaya and her jaw drops. She quickly passes it along to Rebel. Who shakes his head. “Leak? Is that what the secret meeting was about the other day?”
Ace turns to his son. “There was a setup on the last run to Brennan, thankfully thwarted by Brennan’s paranoia. I had Vincent helping me with figuring out who the rat was. He sent a few of his guys to keep eyes and ears out for any fed activity in the area.”
Vincent laces his fingers together on the table in front of him.
“My nephew Rocco got word that three feds had stopped into the state police barracks in Warren County. He followed them into Washington where they stopped at a diner. Rocco went in…” He waves to the phone indicating that the photos were the result.
“Well, where the hell is he? Let’s grab the motherfucker!” Leo yells.
The brothers yell in agreement. Punches hit the table as calls for Flips dead body echo from the room.
Ace raises his hand. “He’s gone. Must have felt the heat or got wind that we were looking for a leak. Dom and Shade are over at his place now. It was cleaned out in a rush. Clothes grabbed, and just left a mess.”
“WitSec?” Rebel asks.
Deuce shakes his head. “Doubt it. There’s no cases against us. If we had been taken down and he was going to testify, maybe, but they aren’t going to hide him just because he’s a pussy.”
Riker pushes the door open and comes in. “Hey, sorry. I was working on the box truck and missed the messages.” He turns to Vincent and then to the rest of us. “Aw shit, what’s going on?”
Ace quickly fills him in and he takes his seat. Ace turns his attention to Kaya. “I need you to dig into every single aspect of Flip’s life. Everything. I need to know why in the hell he decided to turn on the only family he’s had for the last five or so years.”
She sits up, straightening her spine. “I’ll stay on it until I figure it out.”
“When Cipher gets back he can help. Him and Tank did end up going to see their mom. They should be back sometime tonight.” Ace says.
Deuce turns to Vincent. “So, you came all this way to report on our leak?”
Vincent chuckles. “No. I have news about Max Sullivan. I’ll need to speak to his children when we’re done here.”
Grayson instantly comes to attention. “Is he dead?”
Vincent shakes his head.
Grayson lets out a relieved breath.
“Why the hell would Flip do this?” Rebel asks.
Ace closes his eyes for a long second. “No fucking idea.”
“He hasn’t been acting any different.” Leo glances around at everyone. “Any of you guys notice anything off with him?”
The guys shake their heads. I have nothing to say because I don’t really know the guy. I’ve probably spent the least amount of time with him than anyone else since I got here. “How long has he been a member?” I ask.
Bunker leans forward. “About four years now?” He looks to Ace who nods in agreement. “He started hanging out at the Petal and became buddies with Dom and Brick. He started prospecting a few months later.”
I turn to my girl. “Nothing stands out about his past yet?”
“Not really. A shoplifting charge when he was 18 or 19, a few speeding tickets, and one assault charge when he was 23.”
Ace bobs his head. “Yep, and all of those we knew about.” He knocks on the table with his fist twice. “Keep at it, girl.”
Kaya smiles at him. “Will do.”
“I want him found. Every one of you that aren’t assigned to anything else, get out there and look. Ask around. If he’s still in the area, I want his ass. We have enough to worry about with Bishop and his guys to have Flip hanging over our heads.”
Ace bangs the gavel and everyone starts to rise. This is going to be a long night.