Maverick (Devil’s Deviants Book 1)

by C. M. Allen

  I guess this is what I get when I hope. Lesson most definitely learned.

  Knowing I couldn’t stay here and face him after humiliating myself in front of him, I headed back into his bedroom to quickly pack up my stuff. I needed to call Ava, and then get the hell out of here. Now, I just had to figure out how I was going to go about doing that. Getting past everyone without being seen was definitely not going to be easy.

  The first thing I did was call Ava. I felt so bad waking her up at two in the morning, but once I told her where I was, she was more than willing to make the drive out here to pick me up. Now, the next task was going to be getting out of here undetected.

  Grabbing my flats and putting them on, I grabbed my pillowcase/bag and walked to the door. Cracking it open, I listened for any voices or sounds, but didn’t hear anything. Slipping out the door, I softly closed it behind me before quietly making my way down what now seemed like the longest hallway ever made, and then headed for the stairs. Reaching the top of the stairs, I could hear the sound of a woman giggling. Holding my breath and my body flat against the wall, I tried to listen and figure out which direction it was coming from. Realizing it was coming from the last room I just passed, I breathed a sigh of relief and started down the stairs. The first step I took caused a loud creaking noise to sound under my foot. The sound was like a gunshot going off in the silence, causing me to freeze every muscle in my body. Waiting a few minutes to see if anyone came around to check out the noise, no one showed up.

  Looking back down the hallway and then down the stairs in front of me, I inhaled a deep breath. “Fuck it. If I’m going to do this, I just need to do it, and fast,” I whispered to myself just before I tucked the bag close to my body and quickly but quietly descend down the stairs. Once I hit the bottom step, I plastered myself up against the wall again, and then I waited for anyone to come but thank God no one did. From this vantage point I could see the front doors. Determining it was all clear, I tiptoed across the floor towards my escape. Halfway there, a woman’s voice stopped me cold in my tracks. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Virgin Mary. Sneakin՛ out so soon, are we?”

  Roxy.

  Shit!

  Turning around, I found Roxy glaring back at me with an evil sneer on her lips. “Are you going to tell Maverick about this?”

  “Honey, I don’t know what you’re talkin՛ about, I never saw your scrawny ass sneakin՛ out of here.” Walking towards me with her arms crossed over her chest and that permanent snotty ass look on her face, she stopped in front of me before giving me a once over. “Besides, it’s better you realize it now that you don’t belong here, and you sure as hell don’t belong with a man like Maverick. You’re not cut out to make it in this kind of life.”

  Hearing Maverick’s words turn over in my mind again, I answered. “Maverick and I were never together.”

  “All for the better,” uncrossing her arms, she moved back a step and swung her arm towards the front entrance. “The doors are open. Try not to let them hit you in the ass on your way out, ok sweetie.”

  “Thanks,” I answered in my snarkiest tone before turning my back on her.

  Reaching the doors, I pulled one open and jumped through it without even a backwards glance at the bitch. But then I found my next hurdle staring back at me. A Doberman Pincher had put himself right in my path to the gates of freedom. Crouched down and ready to attack, his eyes locked on mine as he bared his teeth and began to growl.

  Shit!

  “Oops, looks like I forgot to warn you about ole՛ Lucifer here.” Roxy announced from behind me somewhere.

  It wasn’t hard to tell that she was enjoying this whole situation immensely right now. “Would you mind calling him off. Please?”

  “Well, now, I guess that depends on you.”

  “What does?”

  “The fact that you’re goin՛ to stay away from this clubhouse and especially away from Maverick. He. Is. Mine. Got it?”

  “Fine. I will. Now c-call him off.” I stuttered out as the dog started to inch his way closer towards me.

  “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe I should really think about this.”

  Bitch!

  “You know, if the dog attacks me, I’m going to scream and wake everybody up in this clubhouse. Then Maverick will know you tried to help me escape.”

  Letting out a huffing sound, she said in a smart-ass tone. “Oh, well, I guess when you put it like that.” When I glared back at her, she rolled her eyes at me. “Fine. Lucifer come here baby boy. Come on,” she called out to him as she clapped her hands for him to go to her. A few seconds later he reluctantly went. “Better hurry up now, he can be a real bitch to keep a hold on to.”

  Taking that as my only lifeline the evil wench is going to give me, I took off in a sprint for the gates. Just as I cleared them to the other side, Lucifer was right there barking at me as I watched Roxy snickering to herself when she turned to walk back inside, but not before she got in one last snide remark. “Nighty night Virgin Mary. Try not to get eaten up by the coyotes now.”

  God, I hate that bitch!

  After about a forty-five-minute wait down the road in the dark of night, not something I really enjoyed after Roxy’s mention of coyotes, Ava finally showed up.

  CHAPTER

  16

  Maverick

  When I woke up this morning, it took me a few minutes to realize I was on the couch in my office. And then a few more to remember why.

  What I did to Harper. Shit!

  Sitting up, I grabbed a hold of my aching head, it felt like someone was taking a jackhammer to my cranium, so I tried not to move too much. A loud banging noise on the door killed any relief I felt sitting here in the quiet. “What?!” I shouted out before grabbing my head again.

  Fuck me!

  The door opened, and Axle strode in. “Damn, you look like shit.”

  “Thanks, I feel like shit,” I said flatly, squinting up at him in pain from the sunlight glaring through the window.

  “I figured I’d find you in here when I went to your room and found it empty.”

  Jerking my head up, and regretting the action immediately, I asked. “What do you mean empty? Where the fuck is Harper? She wasn’t in my room?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “No, she wasn’t. I have no idea where she is, figured she was in here with you, but I can see that’s not the case now.”

  Gripping my hair, I got up and headed for the door. “God damn it, I fucked up!” I shouted as I made my way out the door towards my room.

  Axle following behind me asked. “What are you talkin՛ about? Fucked up how?”

  Not wanting to get into this shit with him right now, I kept heading down the hallway. “Just help me find her.” Walking into my room, I headed straight for the bedroom in search of her bag and came up empty. “Fuck!”

  “Mav, what the hell is goin՛ on? What happened?”

  Rubbing my head, I turned around to face him. “I was shit faced when I came up here last night, and instead of goin՛ to the couch like I was supposed to... I ended up in bed with Harper.”

  “Oh man. You fuck her?”

  “No. But that’s probably the only thing I didn’t do to her.” When I saw the look on his face, I quickly added. “I didn’t force myself on her Axle if that’s what you’re thinkin՛.”

  “Wasn’t thinkin՛ that shit Mav. So what happened?”

  “Right. Ah shit, she was asleep when I came in… and then what happened between us happened. And it wasn’t until she said my name that I realized it was her I was in bed with. She said she thought she was dreamin՛ the whole thing, but then realized she wasn’t and called out my name.” Sitting on my bed, I tried to piece together everything I remembered about our conversation last night. “She told me that what we did was somethin՛ that she had thought about doin՛ with me, but I told her I wasn’t the man for her and that it couldn’t happen again.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then nothin՛. I left and went to
my office and passed out where you found me.” Getting up off the bed, I walked into the bathroom. “We have to find her. She’s in a shit ton of trouble and out there all on her own because of me.”

  “Maybe you should just let this go Mav. Save yourself and the club the headache.”

  Walking back out of the bathroom, my fists tighten, ready to hit something, or Axle himself if he didn’t backtrack on that shit he just said. “What the fuck did you just say?”

  “Come on man, that chick has done nothin՛ but brought trouble to our doorstep ever since you saw her ass at that gas station. Now we’re goin՛ into Slayer territory, narrowly missin՛ contact with two of its members I might add. You, puttin՛ your life on the line for a fuckin՛ purse she left behind? She’s goin՛ to bring a shit storm of troubles our way if you continue to keep her close. Hell, you said it yourself that you’re no good for her. She’s not Nicole man, she can—.”

  In the blink of an eye I’m in his face. “You even say that fuckin՛ name in my presence ever again and you can find a new club to be in, you got me?” I growled at him, a few mere seconds from throat punching his ass for just thinking about… her. “Get the fuck out of my room! I’ll deal with this shit myself since she’s such an inconvenience to you.”

  He turned to head towards the door, but then stopped short of going over the threshold and turned back to face me. “Shit! I’m sorry, ok man. I… I know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have said that shit about her. It’s just with everythin՛ we’re doin՛ to take this club legit, I just worry this thing with Skull and the Slayers suddenly takin՛ an interest in this woman is goin՛ to somehow backfire on the club and bring the law knockin՛ on our door again.” Letting out a heavy breath, he chanced stepping closer to me. “And I’m sorry for even mentionin՛… that other thing, wasn’t right of me.”

  Grabbing a clean T-shirt out of my drawer, I threw it on, sat down on the bed to put my boots back on from the night before, then stood up. “Let’s get the hell out of here and go find her then. But I’m goin՛ to warn you right now, we will be goin՛ back into Slayer territory to do that. Can you handle that?”

  “Where you go, I go.”

  Slapping him on the shoulder as I passed by, I couldn’t help the smirk on my face, knowing he really wasn’t trying to be the complete prick I wanted to throttle only minutes ago. He really had good intentions of protecting me and this club, but sometimes we gotta do shit that we don’t always want to do.

  Like push someone away when all you wanted to do was pull her in closer.

  “Tell Roman to meet us out front.”

  A half hour later we pulled up to Harper’s diner. After not finding her at her apartment, this was the next logical choice. I looked around for her SUV in the lot but didn’t see it. Parking my bike, I slid off and turned to head inside. “I’ll be right back. I’m just goin՛ to run inside and see if she’s here. And if she is, I’m takin՛ her back whether her ass wants to go or not.” I informed Roman and Axle. “Keep an eye out for any visitors.

  “Got it.” Roman answered.

  Walking into the diner, the first person I spotted was that old man who yelled at Butch and I down on the docks a few weeks ago, and by the look on his face he was thinking that I was one of The Satanic Slayers. “Good mornin՛.” When I greeted him in a friendly manner, the look on his face was priceless. It was like he couldn’t actually believe someone who looked like me would have any kind of manners.

  “G… good mornin՛ to you.”

  “Have you seen Harper around at all this mornin՛?”

  Before the old man could answer my question, a woman’s voice I recognized all too well shouted at me. “What is it you want with Harper?”

  Ava.

  “Good mornin՛ to you too Ava. Is she here?”

  “You didn’t answer my question Maverick, so let me repeat myself, just this once though. What do you want—.”

  Moving in closer to her, I growled in a low voice. “Damn it Ava, I don’t have time to get into this shit with you today. Harper’s life is in danger and I need to find her first before someone else does. So, I’ll ask you again, is she here or not?”

  Wiping her hands on a towel, she let out a huff in frustration. I could see she was struggling between being a loyal friend to Harper, but at the same time wanting to keep her safe. Motioning for me to follow her back to Harper’s office, we both entered, and I shut the door behind me. Rounding on me with her arms crossed and a deadly glare in her eyes, I knew this woman was about to take me to battle over this whole situation. “How do I know you’ll protect her? I mean you have some real shitty friends Maverick.”

  Confused all to hell about which friends she’s referring to, I asked. “What the hell are you even talkin՛ about right now?”

  “That red headed bitch who almost let one of your dog’s attack Harper when she left last night.”

  Her words caused two things to travel through my boiling blood when she told me this. One: Roxy and I were going to have one hell of a serious come to Jesus talk when I saw her next. And two: Harper was going to learn just how high handed, as she referred to it, I could fucking be when she did stupid shit that put her life in danger.

  “I will handle Roxy. Now, are you goin՛ to tell me where she is or am I just goin՛ to have to tear your place apart bit by bit and find her myself?”

  Letting out another frustrated breath, she stepped closer to me. “If anything happens to her because of you I will hunt you down, MC bad boy, murderer, or whatever the hell it is you are, I don’t give a shit. I will kill you myself.” When she pushed her finger into my chest to emphasize her point, it took every ounce of control I had not to break it the fuck off.

  “Fine Ava, are you done with your threats now? Because the longer we sit here tradin՛ bullshit remarks the more time Skull has to get to Harper before I do.”

  “She’s at her parents’ place just outside the city limits. The address is 1653 Chester Grove.”

  “Thank you.”

  When I turned to leave, Ava grabbed a hold of my arm. “I know you think I’m just some country bumpkin՛ that can’t back up empty threats Maverick. But just know that I can, and I will make hell rain down on you and that club of yours if you so much as hurt one hair on her head.”

  “I have no doubt you will try your best Ava—.”

  Roman barging into the office cut my next words off. “Mav, we’ve got to get movin՛. The punk kid I paid to watch down the street for any Slayers just texted me and said he just saw a few of them headin՛ our way.”

  “Thanks again.” Was all I said before I turned to head out of the office, dragging Roman’s ass behind me with his tongue hanging out at the sight of Ava.

  “Shit! Who’s that?” he asked as we made our way through the diner and outside to our bikes.

  “That’s Harper’s friend, Ava, I wouldn’t even go there, brother. She’s a real ball buster that one.”

  “I like the rough bitches.”

  “She’s more on the crazy side. And call her a bitch and you’ll no doubt find out just how rough she can be,” I chuckled as I mounted my bike and we all rode off in the direction of Harper’s parents’ place.

  CHAPTER

  17

  Harper

  Waking up this morning, my heart ached when I opened my eyes and looked around at my surroundings. I hadn’t meant to come in here early this morning when Ava dropped me off. I was just on autopilot after being so tired. I hadn’t been in this room since they died, I just couldn’t bear to come in here, knowing all these memories awaited me in my old bedroom. My parents kept everything the same just in case I needed to come back here and stay the night, including all the pictures of us during the holidays and birthdays. Pictures of us at my graduation and of us out on the very same boat they died on. It was just all too much and I needed to get the hell out of here before the last dangling thread to my heart snapped like an icicle.

  I practically ran from my room and down the hall, trying my b
est to ward of the hysterical panic attack that threatened to take me into its grips and pull me under the weight of the sadness I felt. Making my way to the kitchen, I sat down at the bar and put my head between my hands, taking several deep breaths as I wiped away the tears that just wouldn’t seem to stop falling. Finally getting my breathing to calm down, I looked at the time on the clock and noticed that it was eleven in the morning already. “I haven’t slept this late in forever,” I mumbled to myself as I wiped away more tears. But then I started to remember everything that took place last night with Roxy and that damn dog that almost chewed my ass off thanks to her. And then everything else that happened with… Maverick. The pleasure he had given me, followed by the swift kick in the gut he delivered afterward.

  Getting up, I moved around the counter to make myself some coffee when there was a knock on the front door. Panic had my heart rate beating out of my chest thinking that it had to be one of the Slayers coming to hurt me. But then I realized I hadn’t heard any motorcycles pull up. “Must be Ava,” I mumbled to myself, feeling a relief knowing she was the only person who knew I was out here as I made my way to the door.

  Now, ever hear that old saying, you need to look before you leap? Yeah, well that also applies to looking through the damn peephole before you open your front door. Otherwise, you might be in my position right now; standing in the wide-open doorway in nothing but a white tank top and pink night shorts, staring down three rather large, angry looking bikers. My first reaction? Shut the door. But Maverick just pushed his way through, and it was clear that all I had done was pissed him off even more.

  Stunned, I peered up at all three hulking bodies that now stood in my parents’ home, none of their eyes on my face. “Go put some damn clothes on.” Maverick barked out at me. And that’s when I remembered what I had on, or lack thereof.

  Shit!

  Turning on my heel, I headed for my bedroom mumbling, “Not like I invited you in here in the first place.”