“Your parents? Where are they?”
He crossed his arms behind his head. “My dad died when I was a little kid in a car accident and my mother still lives in Florida. I have a brother who’s a pain in the ass and a bunch of cousins. We’re all real close though, so it’s all good.”
“What’s your brother’s name?”
He hesitated and then exhaled slowly. If Charlie didn’t know better, she’d think he was hiding something.
“Cooper,” Rick said, watching her closely.
“Huh,” she replied. “I like that name. It’s different.”
He tugged at the edge of the blanket, fiddling with a loose thread. “Actually Rick is short for my full name.”
Ah. Finally. She was getting something good. Charlie inched forward, a grin on her face. “And that would be?”
“Maverick.”
For a moment she didn’t know what to day. She knew a Maverick. But the Maverick that she knew was a little grey and white schnauzer with a mean growl and an attitude to match.
Charlie studied Rick closely, angling her head. “You look like a Maverick. I like it.”
“Maverick Simon. That’s me.” His eyes were dark and the way he was looking at her was intense. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that something was up. She was just about to ask him another question when his cell phone rang.
“Really?” she said sliding off the bed. She rifled through his jeans and tossed him his phone. “Black Sabbath?” She was teasing, but Rick didn’t seem to notice.
He grabbed his phone and she set her mug down and tried not to eavesdrop.
“Any news?” he asked, sliding off the bed and grabbing up his jeans. “What? Are you kidding me?” He swore and sat back down on the bed.
Okay. Charlie was made no effort to hide her eavesdropping. Who was he talking to? Why did he suddenly seem so upset?
For several long moments, Rick listened to whoever was on the other end, his shoulders hunched forward, his forehead resting in the palm of his hand.
“Yeah,” he eventually said. “I’m on my way.” He slid his jeans on, not bothering to look for his boxers and put his cellphone into his back pocket as he turned around to face her.
Every trace of their evening was gone. Instead of that sensual smile she wanted, his mouth was grim, his eyes dark and worried. Charlie handed him his shirt and stepped back as he pulled it over his head. She was cold and wrapped her arms around herself, waiting…
Nobody stays.
The thought echoed inside her head and she shivered, pushing it away. This wasn’t like that. They weren’t there yet. They couldn’t be there yet.
“Charlie, I gotta go,” Rick said slowly, running his hands through his hair. “I have to go home.”
She swallowed hard, nodding. Isn’t this what she’d been expecting?
“Home as in your brother’s place? Or home as in…” She searched his face, her head full of so many questions but too afraid to ask. It wasn’t her business.
“No. Home as in Florida. There’s been...” He blew out a hot breath and shook his head. “Something’s happened. It’s a family thing and I wish I had time to explain it all but I don’t.” He strode toward her and buried his hands in her hair, pulling her close for a bittersweet kiss that made her stomach flutter and her knees weak. She sagged against him and didn’t care because suddenly she felt like crying.
Her. Charlie Samuels felt like crying over a guy.
“I’m sorry to leave like this, but my family needs me.”
“I know. Go be with them.”
I’ll call you in a couple days and explain everything. I promise.”
“Sure,” she said softly, attempting a smile.
Nobody stays. Everyone leaves.
With one more urgent kiss to her lips, Rick once more whispered that he was sorry and walked away, leaving her alone in her bedroom. A bedroom that still smelled like them.
Charlie hugged herself, trying to find some kind of comfort. She didn’t want him to leave, but she had no reason to make him stay. They weren’t a thing. Hell, they weren’t even close to being a thing. She’d only just found out his name.. Yet she couldn’t stop wondering…
Was he coming back?
Chapter Seventeen
After taking care of a few things at his brother’s place, Maverick headed to the airport. His seat had already been booked, courtesy of his cousin Jack, and several hours later he landed in Miami. The flight had been uneventful and the only person besides him in first class had slept the entire journey.
Even though the flight attendant kept looking his way, and most probably knew who he was¸ she didn’t bother him beyond asking after refreshments. He’d taken a double scotch but had nursed it for most of the flight.
“Have a good evening, ” said the flight attendant, Rose according to her nametag, as he rose from his seat. He smiled and gave a curt nod before exiting the plane. As he disembarked down the jet way, he pulled his ball cap low over his forehead and reached into his pocket for his aviators. Damn, they were in his carryon and he didn’t feel like fishing through the bag.
If he were in any other airport in the country (other than LA but that was a whole other ballgame), he wouldn’t worry. But here in Miami the Simons were well known and sightings of them were common. With the recent turn of events Maverick decided to play it safe—he sure as hell didn’t feel like talking to anyone, especially about his cousin Teague—and kept the ball cap tugged low.
He wasn’t going there. Not yet.
Maverick walked through the airport wearing only jeans and a T-shirt and he wondered how cold it was back in Fisherman’s Landing. Funny how in the space of a few weeks, the place had grown on him.
Or rather, one woman had managed to get under his skin.
Shaken from his thoughts by his vibrating cellphone, Maverick fished it out of the pocket of his jeans and narrowly avoided a collision with a woman and her rambunctious toddler.
“Sorry,” she said with a smile as he passed.
“No problem.”
The kid darted in front of him again and she pulled the child back, her expression one of exasperation. Maverick offered a small smile before glancing at his cell to see who was trying to reach him. It was his brother Cooper.
“Hey, aren’t you…” Her words faded to nothing as he held his cell to his ear, issued a curt shake of the head, and picked up the pace.
“I’m out front,” Cooper said.
“I’m in the terminal. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Just look for the pink Volkswagen.”
“Pink as in pink?”
“Is there any other kind? Bright fucking pink.” The level of annoyance in his brother’s voice was high, so high that for the first time since he’d left Charlie, a genuine smile broke open on Maverick’s face. He maneuvered around a group of teens, his eyes on the exit. “I can’t wait to hear the story behind this.”
“You have no idea.”
“It better be good.”
“The details don’t matter, but Grace better watch her back because payback’s gonna be a bitch.”
Ah. That explained it. His cousin, Grace. She was a hellion with a heart of gold and was always on Cooper’s back about something.
Maverick’s grin was still firmly in place when he exited the airport and spied the car. It wasn’t hard to miss, the damn think stood out like a pink flamingo among a crowd of crows. He walked over and slapped the window before tossing his bag into the back and sliding into the passenger seat. It was a miracle that both Simon men could fit inside the car because it sure as hell was small.
“It’s not so bad,” Maverick quipped as Cooper pulled away from the curb.
“Sure. If you’re a hobbit with a fetish for pink.”
Maverick tossed his ball cap behind him and sighed, sinking into the seat and taking a moment to relax. He glanced at his brother, noting the tight mouth and grim look on his face. Guess there was no relaxing to b
e had.
“Thought you were in Belize,” Maverick said. “When did you get in?”
“Last night. I got Jack’s message and since I was on my way home anyway, I detoured to Florida.”
“Anymore news?” Maverick asked quietly. He hadn’t heard anything from Jack since the phone call this morning. He’d tried Donovan’s cell, but she wasn’t picking up—but then the woman lost more cell phones than the average person and last he heard, she was waiting for another new one.
Cooper stopped at a red light and sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing other than what Jack learned late last night.”
“So it’s confirmed. Teague is being held.”
Cooper nodded. “I still can’t believe it.” The light changed to green and they took off, speeding onto the highway as they headed for the Keys and the Simon family compound.
“Yeah,” Maverick murmured, eyes looking to the red and orange glow in the distance as the sun began to set. “So they don’t know who these clowns are or what political affiliation they have?”
“No.”
“Jack said that they’re not even sure what country he’s being held in right now? “
Cooper swore and hit the steering wheel, his face a mask of anger. “How the fuck are we going to get Teague back if we can’t even nail down his location?”
Maverick didn’t answer his brother because there was nothing to say. Cooper was pretty much voicing the same thing he’d bee thinking the entire flight home.
“I haven’t tapped into any social media or watched any news. Does the press know that he’s a confirmed captive?” Maverick asked.
“No. Jack’s guy filled him in on the condition that it remains confidential. The government doesn’t want this to become a media shit show, although because of the initial leaks, they’re behind the eight ball on that one. But so far they’re just rehashing the original story that he’s missing and presumed taken. They don’t know that it’s Teague’s reality. Right now all they’ve got is speculation, but how long before another leak gets out? Once they know for sure Teague’s one of the guys taken they’ll have a field day.”
“I hate to point this out, brother, but if we’re all at the compound, they’re going to know something’s up.”
“That’s why we’re going in by boat.”
That made sense. “How are Eden and Noah handling everything?” His aunt and uncle were like parents to him. In fact, Maverick had pretty much grown up at their house.
“They’re about as good as you’d expect. She’s holding everyone together. Cooking food like we’re battening down for a hurricane and fussing over everyone. But I’ve never seen Uncle Noah look so…so damn lost.” Cooper glanced over to Maverick, his blue eyes intense. “By the way, Mom’s here too.”
That was a surprise. He thought she was still in the Bahamas. “It will be good to see her.”
Cooper laughed. “Just remember you said that when we get there, because she didn’t come alone.”
“Great,” Maverick murmured. That wasn’t a surprise. “Who’s the new guy?”
“His name is Theodore, but he told me I can call him Theo. I’ve been calling him Teddy.”
Maverick snorted.
“He’s from somewhere in Europe—Monte Carlo I think—and apparently descended from royalty.”
“Impressive.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Cooper said with a grin. “He’s also about fifteen years younger mom.”
Maverick groaned and rubbed his temples. A nasty headache was creeping up the back of his skull, and he wanted nothing more than a cold beer, a turn in the hot tub and a quiet evening with his cousins.
He loved his mother, but Jesus Christ she was high maintenance. The woman was never happy. To Maverick’s way of thinking, she seemed lost. She’d been married and divorced more than once and never seemed satisfied with what she had.
She’d once told Maverick that none of the men she married could hold a candle to his father. And when Maverick had asked her why she would marry a man she didn’t love, she’d shrugged and said that it was better than being alone. That having a little bit of happiness, even for just a while, was better than a lifetime of loneliness.
The thing of it was, what his mother called a little bit of happiness was nothing more than a Band-Aid. It was called settling for less and it never lasted.
He thought of Charlie and the life she had, running the family business and raising a young brother on her own. She was so damn strong.
A slow smile curved his mouth. She was the kind of woman who would never settle.
He wondered what kind of man she would accept into that life, and he frowned, not liking the thought of her and someone else.
“What the hell is up with you anyway?” Cooper asked. “And don’t bullshit me, because I know it’s more than Teague. You’ve got this weird look on your face.”
Startled, Maverick jerked his head to the left and knew that he was busted. Cooper had an insane ability to pick up on stuff. There was no point in deflecting or denying. The guy’s bullshit meter was bang on.
“I met someone.”
Cooper whistled. “Now we’re talking. Where?”
Maverick shot him an irritated glance. “Bogota. Where the hell do you think?”
The look on his brother’s face was comical. “You met someone in Maine? In Fisherman’s Landing?”
“Gotta say Coop. You’re on the ball today.”
His brother exited the highway and they continued onto the Keys. “Who is she?” Cooper asked, ignoring Maverick’s sarcasm.
Maverick clamped his jaw tightly. There was history here, between the two of them, and some of it wasn’t pretty. To put it bluntly, his brother was a man-whore and, up until a few years ago, would screw anything that moved, including his brother Maverick’s girlfriend.
Of course that was water under the bridge now, but at the time Cooper claimed he’d been doing Maverick a favor (which he had, apparently the girl in question had a hit list that included all the Simon boys and had already slept with Teague). It had happened when Maverick was twenty-two and his brother was twenty-five. They’d settled it like guys generally do. The settling had involved alcohol, fists, a broken rib (Maverick’s) a broken nose (Cooper’s) and about two thousand dollars of damage done to a hotel room.
When the dust had settled, the girl was long gone and the brothers were drunk, sore, and—the score was settled—they were stuck with each other.
“What’s it to you?” Maverick shot back.
Cooper shrugged. “Just curious is all.” His brother grinned. “Is she hot?”
Maverick swore.
“So she’s hot.”
“What she is, is none of your business,” he retorted.
“Well she kinda is if she’s involved with you.” Cooper’s voice changed and there was some edge to it. “Maine is my retreat. It’s my place to go and disappear and I sure as hell want to keep it that way.” Cooper glanced his way. “Does she know who you are?”
“No,” Maverick barked. “At least I don’t think so.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does she or doesn’t she?”
“It means that I told her my name and as far as I can tell, it means nothing to her. Hell, it’s not as if either one of us is Beau-the-movie-star or Jack-the-politician. We’re just the cousins.”
“Well when you put it that way,” Cooper said dryly.
Maverick swore and glanced out the window. America had been fascinated by the Simons for decades. Whether it was their wealth, their looks, or their political aspirations, they were known as the Southern Kennedys—a comparison that was getting old. And even though Maverick or Cooper weren’t in movies or making policy, they attracted their share of attention.
The only good side was that Maverick’s name wasn’t nearly as recognizable as Beau’s or Jack’s. He liked it that way and these days most of his notoriety came from his association with Donovan James and—
“Yeah, well it
wasn’t my naked ass plastered all over the Internet. Trust me, Elle Mason is milking that for all it’s worth. Which reminds me. She called the other day.”
“What? Who?” Maverick turned back to his brother with a frown.
“Elle. She’s pissed that you aren’t returning her emails or text messages.”
Christ, that woman never gave up. “She’ll be waiting until hell freezes over.”
“Something tells me that as long as the publicity machine keeps turning, she’ll be willing to wait that long.”
Maverick didn’t want to talk about Elle. “Look, you don’t need to worry about Charlie. Even if she knew who we are, or who we’re related to, she wouldn’t talk. It’s just not the way she is. She’s not like that.”
“I guess we’ll find out sooner or later,” Cooper replied as he pulled into a marina about a half an hour from the family compound. He parked and nodded toward the water. “I’ve got Jack’s boat. Let’s head out.”
Maverick grabbed his bag from the back of the car and checked his cell phone before following his brother to the boat. There was a message from his mother. A missed call from Cooper.
And nothing else.
Not that he’d been expecting something from Charlie. Mainly because he’d said that he would call her, but mostly because it wasn’t her style. She wasn’t the clingy type. He debated whether to place a call before heading out, but Cooper shouted at him to hurry the hell up. Maverick pocketed his cell and decided that he’d call her later when he had some time. And better yet, when he was alone.
He strode toward the boat, glad that he’d be seeing his family in less than an hour, but sad that one of them wasn’t going to be there. He glanced up at the night sky as he hopped on board The Donnie. The stars were just beginning to show their faces and he wondered if Teague could see them.
Wherever the hell he was.
Chapter Eighteen
By noon Charlie knew that her day was going to run late. They’d closed the shop Saturday because of the sled run and subsequently were overbooked. That was a direct result of several sleds that had come into the shop with varying degrees of damage, all caused from the run. All of the bays were full and there were two cars and three skidoos parked outside.
Maverick Page 12