Page 47 of Maverick
I made it down the stairs and stepped out the front door. I hit the trunk release on my key fob. As I lugged the suitcases into the trunk, I heard footsteps behind me.
“You heading out too, Katie girl?” Dad walked up, carrying a small bag of his own.
“Yeah, I thought I might find Mom and whisk her away for a few days. Maybe get an Airbnb in the Outer Banks.”
Dad’s eyes crinkled as his lips turned upward. “Smart girl. That will keep her plenty distracted and away from this.” He reached into his wallet and handed me a twenty-dollar bill. “Dinner’s on me.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure she knows.”
I fought back tears as he climbed into the giant pick-up truck with Noodle and Stitch and they drove off. I should be taking him with me. I was his daughter. But I’d proven time and time again I wasn’t cut out for this.
I pressed the button to close the trunk, wishing I’d gotten a lesser model without this fancy button because I really needed to slam something.
“Didn’t think you’d leave without saying goodbye, did you?”
Did slamming my heart into the ground count?
“Mav.” I was gutted by the thought of leaving this man, too.
Remember the rules.
We were temporary—a situationship that became more complicated every day between my confused father, a dead body, and a handsy club girl.
“Come here, Kitty Kat.”
I melted into his embrace. Just one last time. I adored the way we fit together, the way his chin rested against the top of my head. His hands rubbed along my back, infusing me with a calm I desperately needed.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll take care of everything.”
I nodded, the action causing me to rub against his hard chest. “I know.”
“I’m sending you away for your protection. Not because I want you gone.”
I huffed out a laugh and pulled back. “Are you sure? Seems like your life has been full of chaos since I showed up.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, and his brown eyes shined as he looked into mine. “I don’t mind a little chaos. Besides, Larry’s one of ours, and we take care of our own.”
I stiffened, placing my hands on his chest to step away. Mav would handle this whether I was around or not, because the club loved my dad. It had nothing to do with me.
“How long do you think he’ll need to stay with Tracker? He doesn’t do well in new spaces.”Just ask the poor orderlies at the hospital.
Mav shrugged. “The house will be cleaned up tonight, and I’ll go through it again to make sure there are no more guns stashed anywhere.”
“Thanks. My company found an aide who can start tomorrow. They sent the information over just before all this happened, so I haven’t had a chance to look at it. But that’s an option if it doesn’t work with Tracker.”
Mav folded his arms over his chest. “Sounds like they really wanted you on that project. How many days is the nurse scheduled for?”
I shrugged. It was open ended. The company was paying through Thursday, but after that I had the option to take over the contract. I wondered how much of a bribe they’d offered to get someone in so fast. But however they’d made it happen, Dad didn’t need me to stay any longer.
“How long, Kat?”
“As long as they’re needed.”
“So not just a few days?”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly becoming very dry. I wish I could wake up and discover this whole day had been a terrible dream.
“I don’t know.” Tears filled my eyes. “I came to help my dad, but I only made things worse. He doesn’t remember me half the time, and whenever he gets into trouble, it’s your MC that fixes it. I’m in the way. Maybe it’s time I accept how things really are, not how I wish they were.”
