Page 8 of Protecting Maggie
“Is there such a thing?” Smiley asked.
“No clue. Probably.”
“Can we stick to the topic at hand?” Kevlar asked.
“We are,” Smiley told him without missing a beat. “Math. Preacher brought it up.”
He shared an amused grin with his teammate. “Beyond my math ability, or lack thereof…are we gonna do something about her situation?”
Kevlar took a moment to think about his answer before sighing. “Remi really liked her. I’m not sure it’s in her best interest to keep doing what she’s doing though. If her probation officer gets wind that she’s impersonating Adina and using her license to work, that could be bad for her.”
Preacher nodded. “We know a lot of people. I’m guessing we can get her some help. Maybe find her a job.”
“You think she’ll accept our help?” Smiley asked.
Preacher turned to look back at Maggie. She looked so dejected. As if she was just waiting for something bad to happen. He met his teammate’s gaze. “Yeah, I think she will. She’s pretty much at rock bottom. She needs proof that not everyone is out to get her.”
“After I verify with Adina that she’s allowing Maggie to live in her apartment, I’ll give Wolf a call.”
“I’ll do it,” Preacher told his friend.
“All right. You want to see if the car’ll start? If it does, just go with her, in case anything else happens to the vehicle on her way home. We’ll head back to the base, and I’ll bring your vehicle to you. Just text me the address of the apartment complex where she’s staying,” Kevlar told him.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” What hereallyappreciated was his friends not telling him that he wasstupid for involving himself in Maggie’s life. Yes, Kevlar warned him that it might not be a good idea, but he would’ve blatantly told him he was being a bonehead if hereallythought Preacher was making a mistake.
But Preacher had a gut feeling that she needed someone in her corner. The story of her arrest for drug smuggling sounded almost too over the top to be true, but he wasn’t an idiot; he was well aware that plenty of people were put in prison for things they didn’t do or on trumped-up charges.
Smiley clapped him on the shoulder and Kevlar gave him a chin lift, then they turned without another word and headed back toward the base and their vehicles. Preacher headed to the Accord and got in. He held out the keys. “Let’s see if she’ll start, shall we?”
Maggie sniffed and didn’t hide the fact that she’d been crying. Preacher’s heart lurched in his chest. He hated that she’d been crying but didn’t comment on it.
She wiped her cheeks with her shoulders and reached for the keyring. She stuck the key in the ignition and for a second, he didn’t think the engine was going to turn over, but it finally did…with what he imagined was a long groan from the overworked car.
“So?” Maggie asked, turning to look at him. “What now? Are you going to turn me in?”
“No.”
She looked surprised. “No?”
“Nope,” Preacher confirmed. “Right now, I’m going toescort you home. My friends will bring my car to your place.”
Maggie stiffened and she sat up straighter. “If you think you can fuck my life up even more than it is already because I’m at a disadvantage here, you’re wrong. I can andwilldefend myself, and I might go back to prison for assault but I’m not going to let you touch me.”
Preacher was genuinely horrified that she thought he might blackmail her or otherwise hurt her. He leaned back against the door, away from her, and shook his head. “I just want to make sure you get home all right. That’s all. I swear.”
Neither said anything for a tense moment. Then Maggie asked, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you care? I’m nobody to you. A felon. A convicted drug dealer. Why in the world would you do anything to help me?”
“Because Remi likes you,” Preacher said simply.
Maggie frowned.
He tried to explain. “Remi is…she’s like a sister to me. She and Kevlar went through some shit, and she came out the other side the same sunny, happy person she was before. And believe me, that’s a freaking miracle. We’d all do anything to make sure she stays that way. And given how she talked about you to Kevlar, it was clear that you made an impression on her.”
When he paused, Maggie said, “I liked her too. She was…nice. I haven’t experienced much of that lately.”
