Maverick (Carter Brothers Book 5)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  She nods, seeming more relaxed. She climbs off my lap and helps me turn her lights on, lighting the room with a soft pink glow.

  I smile to myself as I watch her tuck herself into the bed, making sure to do the same to Elsa. There’s nothing in this world I love more than watching her. God, every time I look at her, really look at her, and see what I created, my heart feels so full, filled with so much love and happiness that I feel as if I could explode from the sheer intensity. There are times when I let myself think of what it would be like to lose her, and even the thought breaks me. The pain I feel from just that will be tenfold if I ever did lose her.

  I give her one last look before walking back out into the living area. I smile when I realise Tish cleaned up after us.

  I’m about to start on Faith’s milk when a paper on the table catches my eye.

  I love you too, girl. Always. T. X

  A wide grin spreads across my face at Tish’s note. I’ve never known anyone so reluctant to express their feelings before. Well, Maverick is similar but you can read the emotions in his eyes, no matter how hard he tries to mask it.

  Walking into the kitchen, I pin it to the fridge. I’ll make sure to tease her relentlessly over it. Hell, I may even get it framed.

  Taking the saucepan out of the cupboard, I place it on the side, ready to pour milk in it, but as I go back to the fridge, there’s a knock at the front door.

  Grinning like a fool, I make my way over. It’s probably Tish coming back to take the note, hoping I haven’t already seen it.

  I’m still grinning like the Cheshire cat when I open the door. The grin falls when I see the person on the other side.

  Dressed all in black, I recognise the goon from Lynn’s meeting last week at my nan’s flower shop. The hairs on my arms rise and an alarming chill snakes down my spine at the sneer on his face.

  Thinking quickly, I go to slam the door, fear worming its way under my skin, causing me to shake uncontrollably. The door doesn’t even make it into the wood before it’s flying towards me with such force that it sends me sailing through the air. I land with a sickening thud, sliding across the hardwood floor before finally coming to a stop when I smack into the sofa.

  I’m too stunned to make a sound, my attention focused on the pain in my hip from taking the brunt of the fall.

  I lift my head, a scream freezing in my throat as a hand comes towards me, punching me in the jaw.

  Everything seems to happen slowly, yet quickly at the same time. When he moves towards me again, a frightened squeal slips past my lips. He pulls me up roughly by the scruff of my shirt. My head is barely off the ground but it feels like three feet when he slams my head against the floor. The force causes my vision to blur and a silent gasp of pain to slip free. My eyes water when the pain in my head becomes too much.

  The ringing in my head gets louder and I groan. Then he shakes me, my teeth rattling. I bite my tongue, blood filling my mouth.

  “Boss lady is gonna give you one last chance to get her money,” he sneers.

  Shaking my head, I glare up at him. I hate that woman now more than ever. “It’s not her money,” I bite out, clenching my teeth through the pain.

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” he says, an ugly smirk on his face.

  I try to fight out of his grasp, but his fist rises once again, landing on my right cheek.

  This time, I can’t stop the scream from tumbling out. The pain is too much for my already swollen face. “Please, stop,” I whisper, feeling pain explode in my stomach.

  He grins, bringing his arm back for another hit. I scream. He’s going to kill me and there’s not a damn thing I can do about. Fighting is pointless; I’m not getting anywhere and he’s too strong.

  My eyes widen when I realise Faith will have heard me. She’ll come to investigate―it’s what she does―and he’ll use her against me or worse, hurt her.

  I can’t let that happen.

  A battle cry escapes my mouth and I kick out at the same time as I bite his hand, drawing blood. He cries out, smacking me harder across the face.

  “Mummy,” I hear Faith cry, and my heart pummels out of my chest.

  The goon on top of me lifts his head, looking over the sofa. His eyes light up like he’s just won some big prize. The distraction causes him to loosen his hold on me, giving me the open I needed.

  “Run, Faith! Run! Go!” I scream, tears running down my face. He goes to make a move after her but I move, digging my fingers into his eyes. His scream fills my ears, deafening me.

  I don’t see if Faith makes it out the door because a burning pain in my ribs causes me to choke, fighting for air.

  My eyes are barely open when I see him bring his fist back once again.

  Faith!

  Her name is the last thing I remember before everything goes black, the goon knocking me out.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  MAVERICK

  EVAN: Still no last name. It’s like this woman doesn’t even exist. Does Teagan remember anything?

  MAVERICK: Do you have that picture? And no, she doesn’t.

  EVAN: Yeah. Shit copy, but it’s the best we could get. I’ll email it over now. And damn. Let me know if she ever does.

  MAVERICK: Cheers, mate.

  Running my hands through my hair, I let out a groan. Whoever this bitch messing with Teagan is, she’s fucking good at hiding and covering her tracks. We couldn’t even get a picture of the men Teagan said were with her that day at the store. It’s like they knew where every camera would be.

  I’m just relieved I can trust Teagan not to fuck me over. She didn’t have to tell me about Lynn, or the fact that she asked her to take money from me. She could easily have protected herself and taken it, but she didn’t, and that shows me what a good person she truly is. It’s something not many women in my life have shown me.

  Speaking of Teagan, she’s got the girls over tonight to look over some flower arrangements for Harlow and Malik’s wedding. They all seem to have taken to her well, which please me to no fucking end. I’m only worried about the shit they could be telling her about me.

  Opening our last messages, I go to text her to see how her night’s going. My finger hovers over the screen when the door to my office flies open.

  “What the fuck, Max?” I growl, gripping the phone tightly.

  “What the fuck is about right. Why won’t you let me hire the new waitresses?” he demands.

  “Max, we’ve been through this once already. Fuck, even Lake has been through this with you. You had your chance,” I remind him, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  “I’ve got nothing to do until September when I can finally start college. I’m fucking bored.”

  “Get a job,” I growl.

  “Let me find you some new staff, or at least narrow it down to the best three,” he whines.

  “No!”

  “Why?” he snaps.

  “You know why,” I tell him, giving him a pointed look.

  “Oh my God, Mav. I asked questions you needed to know the answers to. It’s not exactly a crime.”

  “You were asking them to pee in a cup,” I growl. I can’t even think about the lawsuit I could’ve gotten had Lake not stepped in.

  He rolls his eyes. “Bit of a good job I did. The one girl was pregnant. Pretty sure I did her a fucking favour.”

  Frustrated, I lean forward, ready to rip him a new asshole. He always seems to know how to get on my nerves, and as much as I love the annoying fucker, sometimes I wish he’d act like a grown-up.

  My mouth opens, but instead of me shouting at Max like I want to, a gasp escapes from the scream I hear echoing down the hall.

  My eyes widen when I realise who it is. I fly out of my chair, jumping over my desk and knocking everything off in the process. All of this happens before Max even has a chance to blink.

  “M-maverick,” Faith screams, her sobs becoming louder.

  My heart hammers in my chest when I reach the hallway. Before she can
crash into me, I pick her up, holding her close.

  “Faith, what’s wrong? Where’s Mummy?” I ask, trying not to show my panic. I feel Max behind me but I ignore him, concentrating on the little girl breaking apart in my arms.

  “He’s hurting Mummy,” she cries, pointing down the hall. As hard as it is, I push her into Max’s arms before racing down the hall and out of the building.

  The rain is coming down in fucking sheets and it causes me to slip a little on the stairs as I race up them, taking two at a time.

  I’ll kill them if they’ve touched her.

  The door is wide open so I rush straight in, coming to a barrelling stop when I see Teagan lying on the floor, unmoving.

  I fall, skidding across the hardwood floor on my knees, stopping next to her. I go to touch her, but her face is covered in bruises and blood. I’m scared I’ll only cause her more pain. The right side of her face is red, with purple mixed in around the edge of the swelling.

  My hands shake as they hover over her. My breathing comes in hard, sharp pants, accompanied by a feeling inside my chest I’m not accustomed to. How my brothers coped when their other half’s were hurt, is beyond me.

  I’m scared for Faith.

  I’m scared for Teagan.

  But mostly I’m scared of fucking losing her.

  Gently, I take her shoulders, shaking them. “Wake up, baby,” I call out, my voice scratchy.

  A noise from outside has me shooting to my feet, ready to attack. I’m by the door, hiding from view, when someone rounds the top step.

  I move quickly, pinning them by their neck against the wall. My eyes widen when Max reaches through my blurred vision, his eyes filled with fear.

  “Fuck, I could’ve killed you. Where’s Faith?” I ask, ready to kill him if he’s left her alone. We don’t know if the person is still out there, looking for her.

  He starts coughing, holding his throat. “I locked her in the office with Lake. She won’t calm down. Where’s―” he starts, his eyes rounding when he sees Teagan. “Holy fuck!”

  I grab both the blankets she has folded on the back of the sofa, wrapping one over her body whilst placing the other under her head.

  “C’mon, wake up,” I plead, kissing her forehead. She stirs, and a painful breath escapes me.

  “Faith,” she whispers before falling unconscious once again.

  “Call an ambulance,” I tell Max, finally getting my head together.

  “I’ve already called for one. They’re on their way, along with the police. From what Faith was screaming, I knew it was going to be bad, just not this bad.” He waves over Teagan, his eyes horrified at the sight of her.

  “Thanks.”

  “Who would do this to her?” he asks, moving to stand by the door to look out.

  “It’s because of me. I’m bad blood,” I whisper.

  “What the fuck has this got to do with you?” he asks, looking back over and trying to read me. I blank my expression, not wanting him to see how guilty I feel for the sins I’ve made.

  “It’s no coincidence that she was hurt right after she was threatened because of something someone wants from me. I should’ve had someone watching her but I’m fucking stupid, thought I could protect her. I was wrong―again.”

  “Seems like you’ve been holding out, brother,” Max grits out, looking at me through hardened eyes.

  “Fuck,” I breathe out, not taking my eyes off Teagan. I promised Max and the rest of my brothers that I’d never keep anything from them. Little do they know, I hold back a lot more than they’ll ever realise. They can never know the truth. It would break them.

  “Yeah, we’ll be talking about this later,” he says as we hear sirens off in the distance.

  I look down at Teagan, watching her chest rise and fall. It’s the only thing keeping me from going postal on everyone around me, knowing she’s still breathing. She’s still here.

  “Ambulance and police have just pulled up,” Max announces before running out into the rain to greet them.

  “C’mon, Teagan. Faith needs her mum,” I tell her, stroking her knotted hair.

  The paramedics rush in after Max, coming straight over to Teagan. Another set of feet echo up the stairs, and by the time I pry my gaze away from Teagan’s bloodied face, I see Evan rush in. His eyes widen when they land on Teagan before turning to me.

  My hands ball into fists, my jaw clenching as I move towards him, my expression deadly.

  “Who did this?” I grit out, holding onto my anger by a thread. I’m likely to attack him and he’s not my enemy.

  “I don’t know, man. I scanned the picture through my database and had a friend at the station do the same with no such luck. It’s why I emailed the picture we got to you. I wanted to see if you somehow knew her,” he says, running a hand through his hair.

  “How did you know?” I gulp, flicking my head towards Teagan being transferred to a chair, still unconscious.

  “I heard it over the police scanner. I came when I heard an ambulance was called to the scene. I knew it was you.”

  I nod. “I need to find these fuckers. And when I do, I’m going to fucking kill every single last one of them,” I hiss.

  “You need to stay with your woman. Wait to find out what she knows first before you go and do something half-crazed,” he says.

  “She’s not even conscious. Some fucker has beaten the shit out of her. I’m not gonna be some fucking pussy who sits around and does nothing. It’s not in my nature. I want blood and I want theirs,” I threaten, raging mad now.

  All I see is red and the anger inside me―anger I try so fucking hard to keep at bay―surfaces, sparking brighter than ever before.

  “Calm down. You can’t lose it now,” Evan warns me, his hands on my shoulders.

  “Mav, they’re ready to take her―” Max is cut short when his phone starts blasting “Too sexy”. “Ello? Yeah. Fuck! K,” he says, sighing and ending the call. “You need to go sort Faith out, bro. Lake can’t calm her down.”

  I look to the paramedics, strapping Teagan in.

  “I can’t leave her,” I tell him, torn. I know Teagan will hate me if she finds out I left her daughter in distress, but I also don’t want to leave her when she needs me the most. Just the thought has my chest tightening.

  “We need to go,” the paramedic announces and I growl, wanting to rip his head off for interrupting.

  “I’ll go with her. Sort Faith out and meet us there,” Max says.

  I can count on one hand how many times Max has taken something seriously. Lake is one, and now this is the other.

  “Go.” I move out of the way, making sure I don’t glance Teagan’s way once. If I do, I won’t go. The image of her battered face will be forever ingrained in my head.

  At the bottom of the steps, I’m stopped by two cops. I sigh, wanting to plough through them. I just want to get Faith and get back to Teagan.

  “I’ll talk to them,” Evan says, and I give him a grateful expression.

  I move to the back door of the club, but when I get there, a thought occurs to me.

  “Evan, Teagan’s door is covered by a camera. You know the password,” I call out. He nods, confirming her heard before turning back to the cops.

  Rushing down the hall, I knock on the door. Faith’s cries turn into scared screams from the other side.

  “Who is it?” Lake answers, her voice shaky.

  “Me, Mav.”

  There’s a relieved sigh through the door before I hear it unlock. The sight of Faith crying and clinging to Lake breaks my fucking heart.

  “Come ’ere.” I tell Faith softly. Hearing my voice, she turns, throwing herself at me. I barely catch her in time, but when I do she cries harder, her tiny fingers digging into me.

  “Is Mummy in heaven? I don’t want her to leave me.”

  Her sobs and words rip my heart wide open, and tears of my own fill my eyes. I clutch her tighter against me, kissing her head.

  “No, squirt. Mummy is
going to be just fine. You need to calm down for me though. I need to get back to Mummy, so I’ll need you to be a brave girl for a little longer. Lake will take you to my―”

  “No!” she screams, clutching me tighter. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

  Fuck! She’s breaking my fucking heart.

  “I need to go to your mum, squirt.”

  “I’ll come. I promise to be a good girl. I won’t be naughty at all. I don’t want you to leave me and I want my mummy,” she rushes out, hiccupping at the end.

  “I’ll come with you. I’ll keep an eye on her,” Lake says, tears filling her eyes.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” I tell her, leaning over to wipe her tears.

  “We were just there. I only went into town to get you and Max some food. When I got back Max shoved me in here, telling me to lock the door and not let anyone in,” she says, more tears falling. “We could’ve helped her.”

  “I’m glad you weren’t there. C’mon, Max has gone in the ambulance with Teagan. I want to be there for when she wakes up―if she hasn’t already.”

  I grab my keys off my desk, Faith still in my arms crying.

  “Wait, was Tish still there?”

  “Tish? I didn’t see her,” I tell her, worried. Not for the woman in general, but for Teagan. For some strange reason she loves the crazy chick and treats her like a sister. It would hurt Teagan something fierce if she knew she’d gotten hurt and I didn’t do anything to get her help. “Faith, was Aunt Tish with Mummy?”

  “No. I didn’t see her there.” She hiccups, burying her face into my neck. “I only saw the evil man hurting Mummy. I wanted to save her, but I was scared. Then she shouted at me to run.”

  Jesus fucking Christ. She saw it all.

  “You are one tough cookie,” Lake tells her softly.

  “But I didn’t save Mummy.”

  “Yeah you did, squirt. You helped her by coming to get me. Now, shall we go see Mummy?”

  She nods, her bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked face turned to me, trusting me to take care of her.

  After I find the fucker who hurt her, I’m never letting either of them out of my sight.

  *** *** ***