“Because. I talked her into going out with one of the guys from town. They hit it off, and she’s been seeing him most every day for the last few days. Last night she didn’t come home, but she sent a text saying she was staying over because they’d been drinking, and she didn’t want herself or anyone else to drive. So she stayed over.”
“At his house?” Maverik demanded, his voice beginning to rise again.
“No! They’re in New Orleans. At a friend’s house. They went to see the lights in City Park,” Valerie answered.
“Where in New Orleans?” he yelled again. “And who the hell is this damn boy?” Maverik demanded.
Valerie raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms, tapping her foot while glaring at him.
“Don’t give me that crap, Valerie. She’s alone, with a guy that we don’t know, in New Orleans.”
“She’s not a child, Maverik. And she’s not stupid — she’s your daughter! And she’s not lying in bed sobbing anymore either. She’s out, going places and making new friends.”
Maverik clamped his jaw shut, grinding his teeth. On the one hand, he knew Valerie was right, and he hadn’t thought about it from that point of view. On the other hand, Valerie didn’t know what he did about Riley claiming there’d been no other woman. And now Maia may have done the exact thing she accused Riley of, not realizing Riley might not have done anything wrong.
Just then Maverik heard the rumble of a vehicle in need of a good tuneup to say the least. It had turned onto their dirt road and was making its way toward the houses. Maverik shot Valerie a look, “I know you were just trying to help, but damn, Valerie. We don’t know this kid.”
“She does, she went to school with him, and his younger brother is in her class. He’s the one that was looking at her at the festival last week.”
Maverik didn’t answer, but he went outside on his porch to watch the old 1980’s black TransAm with what remained of the gold eagle painted on its hood come to a stop right in front of his house. The windows were completely blacked out, and he couldn’t see who was driving. The door opened and he waited, his arms crossed to see who the hell was interrupting his first real argument with Valerie since they’d been married. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline when Maia climbed out of the piece of shit car, slamming the door behind her.
“Maia!” he said, relief clear in his voice, as he hurried down the front steps to get to her.
“Hey, Daddy,” she answered, none-too-happily.
He’d planned on reading her the riot act for not telling him or Valerie where she’d been other than New Orleans, but he could tell she was upset.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Then he heard another vehicle drive onto their dirt road, and head their way.
“I wanted to leave, they were wasted and didn’t want to bring me. So, I brought myself.”
“Whose car is this?” he asked.
“Jude’s,” Maia told him.
“Who’s Jude?” Maverik asked, his eyes watching for the new vehicle to come into sight.
“The guy I’ve been dating. He wouldn’t wake up, so I took his car and came home. He’s alright, but I don’t like his friends.”
As soon as the vehicle came into sight, Maverik cursed. “Son-of-a-fucking-bitch!”
“What is it?” Valerie asked from the porch.
“Ricky? The guy we had to save Janie from — the guy Riley saved Janie from?” he said with a pointed look at Maia. “That’s his supplier. That guy’s the biggest drug dealer in Jefferson Parish, Orleans and St. Tammany Parishes combined. What the hell is he doing up here?” Telepathically, Maverik sent a message to the rest of the clan letting them know they had company.
“Valerie, go back inside, baby,” Maverik said, not taking his eyes off the big, silver Range Rover as it came to a stop several feet behind the piece of crap Maia had brought home.
Maia moved from the side of the car to stand beside Maverik.
Kaid came out of the main house across the way and was standing on his back porch.
Daniel came out of the back door of his and Avaleigh’s home, moved silently to the corner of the house and was standing in the shadows, waiting to see what would happen and if he was needed.
Goldy had been at Bane’s home playing with Daisy, and he and Bane sent immediate messages back to Maverik, “On our way.”
“Come quietly,” Maverik sent back.
The passenger side door opened on the Range Rover, and a tall, blonde-haired boy got out, “Maia! Baby, what the fuck? You just left with no word! And you took my car!”
The driver’s side door opened and a very preppy-ish, brown-haired young man who looked like he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, got out. He had a split lip and there was a purplish discoloration to his lip and his eye.
“Don’t you ever fucking hit me!” he shouted at Maia.
“Les, you promised you were going to go easy on her. Tone it down, dude,” the blonde told him.
“You fucking tone it down. The ungrateful bitch punched me! Twice!”
“Well, you shouldn’t have touched her. She was there with me.”
“And I decided she should be with me, you and her should realize how fucking lucky you just got.”
Maverik was on a slow simmer. He looked to his right, where Maia stood with a slight smile on her face. “You hit him, baby-girl?”
Maia nodded, “Yup, twice.”
“Good for you. Now, let Daddy deal with this.”
“Can I help you two fuck-heads?”
“You better watch who the hell you’re speaking to, old man,” the driver, Les, snapped at Maverik.
“Naw, naw, naw, YOU better watch it, you little prick. You don’t try to put your hands on a female that don’t want you. Then follow her home to threaten her into realizing how lucky she was that she caught your eye. And you most especially don’t fucking follow my daughter home. Not for any fucking reason on any fucking day of the week.”
“I’ll wipe that fucking sneer off your face, old man. You may have been something once but it’s my world now…”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because Maverik had used his shifter speed to cross the distance between them before the kid even noticed that he wasn’t standing there any longer. He grabbed Les by the back of his neck, forced him over the hood of his Range Rover, kicked his feet apart and slammed his head twice into the hood. “What’s that you were saying, boy?” Maverik’s Wolf snarled low and deep right at his ear.
“Let me the fuck go!” Les demanded.
Maverik looked at Jude across the hood and smiled before slamming Les into the hood again, hard enough to have the young man wheezing.
“Want to try it again?” Maverik asked. “Or not, I could do this all afternoon. Your choice.”
Les didn’t answer, he was wheezing.
Daniel stepped into plain view and was watching, waiting for his chance to join in.
Kaid moved from his back porch to a halfway point in the yard between his and Maverik’s house.
Goldy and Bane had emerged from the wooded path and were approaching from behind the cars.
Jude looked around at all the very large, very imposing men. Then back at the one holding his friend across the hood of his ride. Maverik’s face even looked scary; it looked like it was sprouting hair and the angles were different than when they’d first gotten there.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean no harm, sir. He was just upset that his lip was bleeding.”
“Oh, so, now I’m sir?” Maverik snarled.
“I’m Jude, sir. And I would not ever disrespect Maia, sir. I like your daughter, a lot. She’s cool, and hot, oh so hot,” he said, stroking his chin as he looked her up and down. “And I’m gonna take her out again tonight, just like we planned, huh, Maia?” he asked.
Maia didn’t answer, so Jude spoke again, “And I promise we won’t go to Les’ house again. We’ll go have a few drinks somewhere else and hang out just the tw
o of us. Have some private time.”
Maverik looked at Maia who actually seemed to be considering it.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Maverik asked, slamming Les into the hood of the Range Rover again and kidney punching him to make sure he stayed down. Maverik dropped him to the ground and walked around the front of the vehicle to get to Jude, “You get so fucking wasted you can’t even protect my daughter from your friend’s fucked up ideas, much less drive her home when she decides she wants to go, and you expect anybody to trust you with her safety again? What kind of fucking male are you for my daughter to even let into her life?”
“I got money,” Jude started, “I can take care of her better than anybody else can. And Les just wanted her to show a little appreciation.”
“Son, she don’t need money. She needs a man whose first concern each and every fucking day is her happiness and welfare. And you ain’t that man. Now load your happy little ‘I am so wonderful’ ass back in your car and take it the fuck out of here,” Maverik shouted from the other side of the car where he’d returned to stuff Les through the back door of his own Range Rover.
“You can’t keep her from me. I tried being respectful to you, and you are disrespecting me. That ain’t right.”
“Go!” Maverik bellowed, rapidly advancing on him around the front of the car.
“Baby!” Jude yelled as he hurried to circle around the back of the vehicle and climb in the driver’s seat. “Baby, I’m ‘a call you later and tell you where to meet me. Just keep my car, so you can drive to me later on. Just be nice to Les a little, and everything will be alright. Then it’ll just be me and you. You understand, right? Your old man can’t keep you from me.”
“What did you say?” Maverik yelled.
“Jude!” Daniel called.
Jude, who was busy trying to lock the doors and secure himself inside Les’ car, whipped his head around to the tall, dark stranger who’d moved closer. Daniel allowed his Dragon to see through his eyes, making them glow, and a small flame and puff of smoke to leave his left nostril. He allowed his body to grow enough to be noticed and rumbled, “We can’t wait to see you again.” Daniel lifted his lip to display a huge fang and blew Jude a kiss.
Jude’s eyes got round and he gulped, firing up the Range Rover and slamming his foot onto the accelerator after he’d thrown it into reverse.
Bane and Goldy jumped to the side to avoid the now-panicked Jude as he haphazardly rushed from their property. They all watched until the vehicle was out of sight; then, Maverik turned to Maia, “Go inside and pack your shit.”
“What?” Maia asked, shocked. “I came home as soon as I knew I shouldn’t have been there.”
“I know that, Maia,” Maverik answered.
“Then why are you kicking me out?”
“I’m not kicking you out. I’m taking you where you belong. It’s apparent to me that there’s no good to come from you hanging around here. Wasting your damn life away. Now, you heard me, go inside and pack whatever the hell you need to have with you and put it in Mom’s car.”
“Why?”
“Now!” Maverik bellowed.
Maia shot him a glare and marched inside the house, slamming the door behind her.
Then he looked to Valerie, “Baby, are you going to be okay for a couple days if I take care of something?”
“Where are you taking her, Maverik?” Valerie asked.
Maverik said, “To where she belongs. This shit ain’t happening,” he elaborated, waving his hand in the air behind him to indicate the two boys that’d just left.
“I’m sorry, Maverik. I thought he was a nice guy,” Valerie said.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You were trying to get our daughter off her ass and make her take an interest in something. I get that.”
“I asked where you’re taking her,” Valerie said.
He was walking into the house and stopped long enough to kiss her lips and whisper in her ear, “To Riley.”
Valerie looked at him, a question in her eyes.
“I been talking to him, and Kaid has, too. It’ll be okay.”
Chapter 17
It was well after dark before Libby finally noticed the flashlights of the guys in the distance flickering this way and that as they came in from the acres and acres of trees they’d been routinely working their way through. There had been flames in the distant sky all day and even now were still burning, though not quite as high as throughout the day. She and Cristie had spent the day in and around Travis’ home. When Cristie had gotten tired, they’d napped in Travis’ bed. Then they’d made dinner. Libby was no gourmet, but she could cook.
“How much more do you think we have yet to inspect?” Riley asked Travis.
Travis looked surprised, “Really?”
“You think we spent the whole day fighting these damn beetles just to let them win tomorrow?” Riley asked. “Of course, really.”
Travis nodded, looking down at the ground before raising his eyes to meet Riley’s, “I don’t know what to say, Riley. But I thank you.”
Riley smiled, “You’re welcome. Now, how much more?”
“Another day like today, maybe two, tops. With everybody helping and working as fast as we did today, we should get it all covered.”
“Consider it done, then.”
They were approaching Travis’ front door, and all paused while he reached out to turn the door knob, so they could enter. Immediately the smell of chili and cornbread wafted out to tease their noses. “Oh, man. That smells wonderful,” Scotty commented.
“Hey, guys. I hope you don’t mind. I made dinner,” Libby called as she came around the corner from the kitchen into the living room.
Travis stood where he was, watching her standing in his home with a child on her hip, the smell of fresh cooked dinner in the air. His eyes picked up the room around him. She’d cleaned his house, too. His Tiger purred. Is good. Is right. Our female home.
Travis was readily agreeing. Then he took a step toward her and felt the difference of the step he took, or rather, didn’t feel the step he took. And he remembered why he’d pushed her away. His face pinched in frustration, and his Tiger snarled at him before retreating to the back of his mind.
“Don’t mind at all, Libby. Thank you, very much. I really appreciate it,” Travis said.
“Is that your famous chili I smell?” Scotty asked, stuffing his gloves in his back pocket.
“Sure is, and homemade cornbread slathered in melted butter. And I got sour cream and cheddar cheese if you like it that way, too.”
“Smells amazing, Libs. Thank you,” Riley said.
“What, no dessert?” Lucas teased her.
Libby smiled at Lucas and winked at him. “As a matter of fact, Cristie and I made banana pudding, complete with vanilla wafers and whipped cream.”
“Aw, Libby. You’re breaking down my walls here, honey. I may have to marry ya!” Lucas said, grinning.
Libby laughed at the big man teasing her. Since he’d met them all, and spent enough time around them to see that there was no ulterior motive, his sense of humor had begun to make itself known. Though he still held a little back, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Well, thank you for the offer, but my standards are high, you know,” she teased back. “Ya’ll go wash up while I serve dinner.”
Travis said, “There’s a bathroom here down this hallway, and another off my bedroom.”
Scotty said, “Alpha Riley, come with me, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”
Travis went to his room to clean up, Riley and Scotty went to the hall bathroom to wash their hands, and Richie and Lucas went to the kitchen to clean up.
Richie said, “You just want to piss him off, don’t you?”
“Travis? Naw, but somebody needs to kick him in the ass, or she’s gonna be swept away right under his nose.”
Lucas, his hands still in the water, scrubbing at all the sap and insecticides they’d been in contact
with that day looked over his shoulder at Libby who was filling heaping bowls with chili. “She’s a sweet girl, pretty, kind-hearted. But she’s got a fire to her. She won’t be alone long. He better get off his ass.”
Richie looked over at Libby as well. “She’s protected now. Riley’s allowed her to join our Pride. Whoever she chooses better be good to her.”
Travis stomped into the bathroom off his private bedroom. He was wearing a scowl. The damn Kodiak Bear was obviously flirting with Libby, and it pissed him the hell off. Problem was, the male was not a bad male. He’d been working just as hard if not harder than the others to help him and Scotty save their farm. And Travis had not done a damn thing to indicate that Libby was off limits. He had no one to blame but himself.
He looked at himself in the mirror, the green of his Tiger’s eyes flashing at him momentarily while one word rang through his head at him from his Tiger - dumbass.
Travis could hear the others sitting down to dinner. He realized he liked this. He felt warm. He’d been living in a sort of self-imposed isolation. Now his home was filled with friends. His female was in his home, and his brother… his brother was smiling and agreeable. Happy to be helping rather than resentful as he’d been lately when it was just the two of them. There was a lot to consider. This new Alpha was not the standard he’d come to expect over the years. He had a lot of new ideas on how things were to be run. Maybe it was possible to keep your individuality and have the benefits of a Pride at your back at the same time.
He smiled — in spite of himself — he smiled when he heard laughing coming from his dining room table. This house had been quiet for too long. He flicked off the light and made his way to the table to share dinner with them.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Riley brought his truck to a stop right at the front gate of his house. Everybody piled out, smiling but tired. They’d left it with Travis that they’d be back at dawn the next morning to hit hard again. Riley took Cristie out of her carseat and cradled her against his shoulder as he locked the truck and started for the house. “Libby, can you watch Cristie again tomorrow?” Riley asked. “I didn’t even think to ask when I promised Travis we’d be there tomorrow.”
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