The man let go of her quickly, looking up at the mirror with a nod as he stood. Becky wrapped her arms around herself, not knowing what had just happened or what to expect next. He went to move, but stopped, taking off the black leather jacket he wore and tossing it onto the table. That was when her eye caught something very familiar.
Without thinking of what she was doing, she grabbed his tattooed arm turning it before he could pull away. She gasped, seeing her name tattooed over a thick bold infinity symbol. Only one man she knew had that tattoo.
“Maverick?” she whispered, confused as her eyes shot from the tattoo to the man who remained rigid until he pulled his arm away and walked out of the room.
******
Taking his hat and bandana off, Maverick passed all the rooms heading straight outside, his steps quick. Bursting through the door, bright sunlight blinded him, but he didn’t care. He needed to get the fuck out of there.
“Fuck!” he cursed, slamming his fist against the concrete building. Welcoming the pain, he did it again.
The door opened behind him, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he closed his eyes trying to calm his emotions.
“I had Dusty take her to a holding cell,” Dale informed him. “We need to decide what to do with her now that she knows who you are. I’ll call in a scrubber.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” Maverick tried to keep the growl out of his voice.
“Then we’ll figure something else out,” Dale replied after a minute of hesitancy.
Maverick turned, his eyes narrowed on his boss. “She will not be harmed in any way.” It was not a question, but a fact that he vowed to see through.
“She will not be harmed.” Dale nodded in agreement. “We are not in the business of harming innocents, Maverick, and you know that. I think your feelings for this woman are clouding your judgment.”
Maverick watched him go back inside. His feelings for Becky had always clouded his judgment, but not in a bad way as far as he was concerned. Leaning against the wall, he looked down at the tattoo on his arm, remembering the day he got it. He remembered every single second of that day.
But things had changed, he had changed, his world had changed, and he would not bring her into his dangerous world. He’d fought himself every single fucking day not to bring her into the hell he lived daily and yet, there she was, more beautiful than he ever remembered, right smack in the middle of it.
With another curse, he pushed away from the wall and went back inside. Walking into the watch room, he glanced at the interrogation room, his jacket laying where he had tossed it. Grabbing his phone and wallet, he headed out then stopped.
“Make sure she has a blanket, food, and water,” he told Dusty and didn’t wait for a response. He knew Dusty would make sure his orders were followed; he just didn’t want to hear Dusty’s mouth. He wasn’t in the mood.
Chapter 4
Becky lay on the hard bench numb to everything and not because she was in a jail cell. Instead, her reaction was focused on being face-to-face, so to speak, with a man she never thought she’d see again. Despite her secret hopes she would see that man again, now that she had, her heart hurt more than ever.
A tear escaped and she wiped it away angrily, tugging the blanket under her chin. The man who had taken her to the bathroom earlier had brought her a blanket and food; the latter still sat by the door. Her stomach rumbled, but she refused to eat anything. He had come in a couple of times to see if she needed to use the restroom and told her she needed to eat, but Becky ignored him. Screw them. She wanted to go home. She’d answered their stupid questions.
They even had some guy come in, grab her by the head with both hands, and place his thumbs on her temples. When she’d started fighting him, two others came in to hold her down. Obviously, whatever they were trying to do didn’t work because the guy walked out pissed off. Good, ‘cause she was pissed off too.
She knew Sandra had to be freaking out. She had been locked up for at least twelve hours or possibly more at a guess. The door opened, light spilling into her face. Squinting, she looked up without moving her head, and there he stood with no bandana or hat hiding his face.
“You need to eat something.” He glanced down at the untouched food. Immediately, she knew why he hadn’t spoken earlier. There was no mistaking his deep raspy rumble.
“I want to go home.” She stayed exactly where she was. Hunger made her stomach ache, but his betrayal cemented her stubbornness.
“Dammit, Becky!” He huffed, walking closer to her. “What in the hell were you doing at Vamps dancing with that scumbag?”
As pissed as she was by his outburst, she couldn’t help but notice how damn handsome he still was. His raven black hair was longer than she had ever seen it, his face more masculine, but his fangs were brand new. “How long have you been a vampire?”
“I’m asking the questions, dammit.”
“Well, I have questions of my own.” She sneered, sitting up. “Like what in the hell was that guy trying to do to me with his hands on my head? Or what in the hell have you gotten yourself into? Better yet, what in the hell have I gotten myself into? Or how about why after two months of being missing, did you send me a text saying get lost? Hmmm, how about you answer those and then I’ll answer yours.”
“There are only certain things I’m at liberty to discuss with you.” Maverick stared down at her. “And we tried to scrub your memory.”
“Excuse me?” Becky stood. “You tried to do what to my memory?”
“Calm down, Becky.” Maverick sighed. “It didn’t work.”
Becky took a step and slapped him across the face. “How’s that for calm, asshole.” That anger was too much for her to take. Once one tear fell, the floodgates opened. “Damn you, Maverick.”
******
Never in his life had he ever felt this helpless. The brave, smart-ass Becky he could handle, but the broken, crying Becky was damn near killing him. “Becky, listen to me.” He reached out, but she smacked his hands away, so he dropped them. “I never wanted to hurt you and believe it or not, I’m trying to keep you safe.”
Swiping angrily at her tears, Becky stared up at him. “I don’t understand any of this.” She flipped her arms out.
“I know you don’t, hon—” Maverick stopped himself, wondering what in the hell he was doing.
“Don’t you dare call me that.” Becky glared at him, her eyes red from the tears. “Don’t you even dare.”
Maverick decided then and there, no matter the consequences to him, she deserved the truth. “Sit down,” he ordered, noticing her swaying.
“Don’t tell me what to do.” She frowned up at him.
“Still like to argue, I see.” Maverick actually grinned. “Sit down and I’ll answer your questions.”
Surprise mixed with doubt flitted across her face, but she sat on the bench and wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver.
“You’re also still hardheaded as hell.” Maverick reached for the blanket and the water. Wrapping the blanket around her, he handed her the bottle, which she took.
“I haven’t changed.” Becky shrugged. “I’m still the same person I was a year ago.”
Maverick had to disagree. She was more beautiful, but he kept that to himself. Her red hair, highlighted by the summer sun, still looked soft and framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were still as sea green as he remembered, but the sadness he saw reflected in their depths stabbed at him.
“The night I was supposed to pick you up at work I was attacked.” Maverick felt telling her what happened was a much safer topic. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted to take her in his arms. He missed her touch, missed being inside her, missed everything about her. He craved her and it had only grown worse over time. There had been no other women and he seriously doubted there ever would be. “I don’t remember it. The only thing I remember is waking up with fangs and a thirst for blood.”
With wide eyes, Becky stared at him, wrapping
the cover around her tightly. She didn’t say a word as she listened.
“The first man who talked to you found me and brought me here.” Maverick crossed his arms and leaned against the bars of the cell. “I was so angry after I found out what happened to me that I joined with him and the others. We are known in the vampire world as Enforcers. We protect innocents and humans. The man you were dancing with is someone we’ve been hunting for a long time. He’s responsible for over a hundred human women being turned into vampires. Once they’re turned, they are sold as high-dollar whores, slaves, or whatever the buyer wants them for. We hide our identity because many times we go undercover in order to buy women.”
“So it was that easy to walk away from me?” Becky tilted her head, her question asked point-blank.
“Yes, because I had nothing to offer you,” Maverick replied without hesitation, yet he knew that was a lie. It killed him to walk away from her, but it was better that she believed otherwise. There was no future for them.
Chapter 5
Becky’s mind spun. Maverick was a vampire. He totally walked away from her and what they shared because he had nothing to offer her. He was an Enforcer—not that she knew what that was—and he protected innocents and humans. And she was nothing to him. It cut like a knife. It hurt worse than his unfeeling text, and all she wanted to do was fall into his arms and beg him to hold her, but she’d slit her own throat before admitting to any of that.
“When can I go home?” She removed the blanket, tossing it to the ground. “There are people who are worried about me, and I have a job.”
“The reason we had to try to scrub you is for your safety. The less you know, the safer you are.” Maverick ignored her question and statement.
“Honestly, Maverick, I’m going to forget this whole situation as soon as I leave this fucking building, so no worries there.” Becky ran her hand through her hair, trying her best to act like someone who didn’t give a shit, but what a lie that was.
She wanted so badly to see some kind of emotion from him, but he talked to her as a stranger, not like a man who had known her every secret, her every fear, and her every dream. A man who had touched every inch of her body with those large hands, and who she had given her virginity to. No, this man was a stranger with only a familiar face. She knew for a fact her heart would never mend. This break could never be sealed.
Before either one of them could say anything else, the door opened and this time, the man who she’d first met walked in without his bandana. “Ms. Adams, thank you for your cooperation,” he said, glancing at Maverick then back at her. “I’m sorry for your inconvenience, but until we knew for sure that you had no connections to James Marshal, we couldn’t let you go.”
Becky wanted to snort at that but held it back. She was too numb to even be sarcastic at that moment. “Am I free to go?” was all she said.
“Yes, we have someone ready to take you home.” He frowned. “But to protect our agents, I’d like to ask that you refrain from talking to anyone about this.”
A sad smile slid across her face, her eyes landing on Maverick. “It’s already forgotten.”
The man cleared his throat but nodded. “Thank you.”
Becky didn’t say anything else. She grabbed her bag and phone he handed her then followed him out the door without looking at Maverick. However, she felt his eyes on her and wished she felt nothing, but she felt too much. Biting her lip hard, she tasted blood.
She followed the man down the hallway and out into the night, knowing she had left the rest of her heart in a cold jail cell with a man who didn’t care.
******
Maverick stood in the cell watching her go, the emptiness overwhelming him. Once she was out of sight, he continued to stand there, his mind and heart at war with each other. Being turned into a vampire had in no way changed his feelings for Becky. Nothing short of death could do that. She was the love of his life; he knew that, accepted that, yet his choices after being changed had taken him far away from her.
He had been so bitter that his life had been altered by no fault of his own that if it wasn’t for Dale and the rest of the Enforcers, he would probably be one they hunted down. He had taken an oath to serve and protect. What they did was dangerous and few Enforcers had relationships.
He refused to put Becky through the hell, and even though he had to fight to stay planted inside the cell instead of running after her, he knew it was for the best. When he’d seen her dancing with that bastard, he’d wanted to kill him for just having his hands on Becky, and that was exactly the reason he’d never sought her out. She was a beautiful woman, and any man would be lucky to have her, but he knew himself well. If he found her with another man, he would more than likely kill the son of a bitch.
“You okay, man?” Dusty stuck his head inside the door.
Maverick didn’t reply, just gave a short nod.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have disrespected your lady like that.” Dusty’s apology was sincere.
“She’s not my lady.” Maverick growled, yet he knew she would always be just that in his mind.
“Yeah, well… bullshit.” Dusty walked the rest of the way in. “I always knew something was off with you, and now I know what it is. Her. So why are you letting her walk away? You’ve gotten your revenge on the bastards who turned you. You have a job making a shit ton of money, and you’re crazy about her.”
“What the hell is this?” Maverick turned to glare at Dusty. “It’s Your Life, Oprah Edition?”
“I knew you had a sense of humor.” Dusty snorted. “But no, I’m a hell of a lot smarter than Oprah. This is a ‘get your head out of your ass’ speech.”
“Dusty, I appreciate… whatever the hell you’re trying to accomplish, but back the fuck off.” Maverick started past him before he killed him.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of your woman… just sayin’,” Dusty called out before Maverick could completely walk out of the cell.
Maverick stopped with a frown. “What?”
“Well, I know you’ve been preoccupied with your head up your ass—”
“You have no clue how close you are to having your head shoved up your own ass,” Maverick warned, taking a step toward a smirking Dusty.
“Hey, I’m just saying, depending on who else was at the club, it’s very likely we weren’t the only ones who saw her dancing with James.” Dusty turned serious, all joking aside. “If that’s the case, others may think she has a connection. James owed a lot of people money and with him dead, they may go after anyone connected to him.”
Maverick cursed. Dusty was right; his head had been up his ass because he knew this, but failed to see it. “Hit our connections hard to find out who, if any, of our scum on the lists were in that club,” Maverick ordered, his mind already racing and his protective instincts kicking into high gear.
“Already on it, big guy. I also have her address, place of employment and well, pretty much her entire life. Awesome what you can find with good old Google. Unless you already have that information.” Dusty held up a small memory stick.
Grabbing the memory stick, Maverick frowned. He didn't have anything on her because he knew if he had searched her out, he wouldn’t have been able to walk away again. He had stayed away knowing she was better off without him.
Chapter 6
“Are you sure nothing happened to you?” Sandra watched Becky bring back another plate of food. “You never get orders wrong.”
“He didn’t say cheese,” Becky replied, putting the plate back up. Even Earl, the cook, shot her a strange look.
“Come on, Becky.” Sandra grabbed a plate Earl put in the window, setting it on her tray. “You haven’t been acting right since last night. I’ve been a mess since then, and I wasn’t taken away by undercover agents.”
Becky’s agitation grew. She hated keeping anything from her best friend, but talking about it made it more real. That was the last thing she wanted because if it was real, it
meant Maverick would never walk back into her life and sweep her away. Yeah, that had been her secret dream for a year and it was sad, so very sad.
“The food is getting cold.” Becky nodded, still waiting for the cheese to get slapped on the hamburger she’d brought back.
“Ugh!” Sandra took off with a hiss.
Becky straightened the counter then turned to look around. The dinner crowd had come and gone, only a few regulars remained. She loved working at the Country Inn Restaurant. She earned enough money for her small apartment, few bills, and food while her tips went into savings to someday buy the restaurant from Marcy Reynolds.
There weren’t many places of work to choose from in her small town of Alexandria, Kentucky. She had worked here part-time in high school, decided against college and continued at the restaurant where she was happy. She loved to cook and did all the cooking on the days Earl was off. Marcy had taught her everything she knew about the business and was just waiting on Becky so she could retire and sell to her. Becky hoped in the next year she would have enough for a nice down payment on a loan.
“Order up, Becky,” Earl called out behind her, breaking into her thoughts.
Grabbing the plate, she headed for the table, setting it down in front of the customer with an apology. She glanced out of the window which ran the whole front of the restaurant. The black Mustang GT she had admired earlier in the day during the lunch rush still sat there. The windows were tinted and with night approaching, she couldn’t tell if someone was in there or not. Only two customers remained, and she knew they didn’t drive the Mustang. With a frown, she turned back to the counter.
“Do you know who owns the Mustang?” Becky asked Sandra and then Earl.
“No, but I wish I did.” Sandra grinned, glancing that way. “That car is the shit.”
The Enforcer Page 2