Ride Rough

  “Aw, hell,” Martin said, planting his hands on his hips. “You can’t go accusing Grant Slater of anything without proof. He’s one of the mayor’s best friends and one of the richest and most influential men in town. If he was behind it—and that’s a big if—he certainly wouldn’t have dirtied his own hands with it, so you’d be hard-pressed to connect it directly to him anyway.”

  “He’s right,” Caine said, palming the knit cap covering his shaved black hair. He shook his head. “He’d hire this out.”

  “Probably,” Mav said, nailing Martin with a hard stare. “But what we can a hundred percent prove is that he’s blackmailing Alexa to keep her from calling off their wedding next Saturday. Slater’s an abusive, controlling prick, and there’s no doubt in my damn mind that this bullshit is part of what he’s trying to do to her.”

  Martin’s gaze cut to Alexa, and she gave a nod to confirm what Mav had said. “Damnit,” Martin said on a sigh. “Okay, I hear you. I’ll dig into this as much as I can.”

  “Do it,” Maverick said, his vision going red the more all the implications of this penetrated his thick skull. “Because if you don’t get to the bottom of it, we’ll have to. But I’m guessing the fucking body count will be lower if you take the lead.”

  The sheriff held up his hands and arched a brow. “Let me get out of this conversation before we all regret me being in it.” The guy was a friend to them, but he drew the line at knowing anything that might cross a line. And all kinds of lines were going to likely have to be crossed to right this mess. Because shit had gone seriously sideways. “I’ll get down to the station and keep an eye on your guys. Get a lawyer and get down there.” He rounded the back of his squad car.

  “Take care of them, Martin,” Maverick said, eyeballing the other man. “Anything happens to either of them and there’s going to be hell to pay in this town and you know it.”

  Martin nodded as he opened his door. “Just keep your goddamned heads about you.” He got in and drove off, passing a tow truck rumbling into the lot as he did. Slider rushed out, his expression making it clear that he’d heard the news. Phoenix started catching him up as Mav made a call.

  James Walter was a personal attorney who Doc had known forever. When Walter answered, Mav quickly explained the situation. The guy agreed to meet them at the station without having to be asked. Next, Mav left a message with the business lawyer they used for matters related to the track.

  When he hung up, he turned to the assembled group. The pissed-off expressions on the faces of Caine, Phoenix, Slider, Blake, and Bear looked like Maverick felt. And the worry and sadness he saw on Haven’s and Alexa’s faces ratcheted up his anger by a factor of about a thousand. “I want a detail up here to guard the women and people at the ready just in case something else happens. Assemble as many Ravens as you can. Caine and I will head down to that goddamned station.”

  “I’ll let everyone know what’s going on,” Phoenix said, pulling out his phone. “But I want to come, too.”

  “No, Phoenix. We can’t have people losing their shit and possibly making things worse,” Maverick said. Because the last thing they needed was more men behind bars. Phoenix gave a tight nod.

  “I want to come,” Haven said.

  “No,” Maverick said, feeling bad for her but resolved. “Dare won’t want you anywhere near the place. I can guarantee it.”

  “But—”

  “Haven, if he even thinks you’re there, it’ll make him feel worse,” he said, forcing his voice to gentle. “The best thing you can do ’til we get him home is stay here and stay safe.”

  “We don’t know what else might be coming at us,” Caine added. Mav nodded.

  “Damnit, okay,” she said, her voice cracking. “I just . . . if you get to see him . . .”

  “He knows,” Maverick said, remembering his cousin’s words about how close they’d gotten. No doubt Dare was already going out of his mind worrying about how Haven would handle this situation.

  “I’m so sorry,” Alexa said, shaking fingers pressed to her lips. “This is my fault.”

  “No, it’s not,” Haven said at the same time that Maverick said, “No, it’s fucking not.”

  “But Grant did this to get back at me,” she said, her hazel eyes a little wild.

  Maverick got right in her face. He couldn’t tolerate her feeling one more ounce of guilt for what her bastard sleazeball of an ex had done. “That’s right. Slater did this. Not you. And he did it to get back at us for showing up at the restaurant. I’d put money on it.”

  “That’s what my gut says, too,” Caine said. “Look, I’m gonna get down to the station now.”

  “I’m ready, too,” Mav said, nailing Alexa with a stare. “Stay strong for me.”

  A quick nod. “I will.”

  “We’ll take care of each other,” Haven said. “Go. Don’t worry about us.”

  Mav kissed Alexa’s forehead and made for his bike.

  “I’ll get things organized,” Phoenix called, his cell pressed to his ear.

  Waving, Mav mounted the NRS and brought it to life on a roar. He gave Alexa a look and she nodded. And then he took off.

  Way he felt, he was ready to take on the whole goddamned world if he had to, so he’d handle Slater in a fucking heartbeat. One way or the other.

  CHAPTER 24

  Stunned didn’t begin to describe how Alexa felt. Shocked. Horrified. Those got a little closer. “I’m so sorry,” she said again as she watched Maverick tear out of the parking lot like a demon made of flesh and steel.

  “Hey,” Haven said, tugging her hand. “Maverick was right. What your ex has done isn’t your fault. In fact, to the extent you believe it is, you’re falling into the trap he’s trying to set for you. He wants you to feel guilty because then maybe you’ll do what he wants. Giving in to his effort to manipulate you would be your fault, but this isn’t.”

  Alexa blinked, surprised at the vehemence of Haven’s words. She came across as soft-spoken and easygoing, but the younger woman had a fierceness about her that Alexa hadn’t seen before. And that she really admired.

  “Okay?” Haven asked.

  “Okay,” Alexa said with a nod.

  “Can you take care of them?” came a gruff voice from behind Haven. She and Alexa turned to find Slider talking to Cora, two little boys standing close by. Boys who had been much, much smaller the last time Alexa had seen them. “I know I said I didn’t need you today—”

  “I’ve got them,” Cora said. “They’ll be fine. But just so you know, Maverick didn’t want anyone else going to the station.”

  Slider’s dark eyes flashed. “Well, he isn’t here to stop me.”

  Cora nodded. “Then go do whatever you need for however long it takes. Right, guys?”

  With their brown hair and hazel eyes, the two boys bore a striking resemblance to their father. “Yeah, Dad,” the older one said, his forehead set in a wrinkle. “You gotta help Dare and Jagger.”

  Slider gave Cora a nod and a look, like maybe he wanted to say more, but then he just turned away, gave the boys’ hair a ruffle on the way past, and jogged to the tow truck.

  “Ahhh, oh, no, it looks like you two are stuck with a bunch of icky girls today,” Cora said in an exaggerated groan that made the littler boy laugh. “Sam, Ben, this is Maverick’s friend, Alexa.”

  The boys said hello, and Alexa found herself glad for the distraction they might offer her and Haven. “You know, I’ve met you guys before. You wouldn’t remember, because you”—Alexa pointed to Ben, who must’ve been six or seven—“were just starting to walk. And you”—she smiled at Sam—“were about his size.”

  “Then why haven’t we seen you since?” Ben asked in that way little kids had of asking uncomfortably pointed questions.

  “Maverick and I just stopped seeing as much of each other,” Alexa said. The boy shrugged, satisfied.

  “I think this day is going to require lots of cookies,” Haven said on a troubled sigh.

&n
bsp; “Awesome!” the boys yelled, barreling up the steps.

  “Nothing like kids to offer perspective,” Haven said, putting on a brave smile. If she could do it, Alexa would, too.

  Phoenix came jogging out. “All right. Blake, Joker, and Meat are here. Mike Renner will be here in a few. Don’t leave the clubhouse. Just stay put.” He gave them all a look.

  Standing next to him, Cora crossed her arms. “We got it. Go do whatever you need to do. And please keep Haven posted if you can.”

  “Will do,” he said, taking off in a rush for his bike. And then he was gone, too.

  A few minutes later, the women had gotten the boys set up with a snack and the TV and game console in the rec room, and the three of them took a plate of cookies and a pitcher of strawberry lemonade out onto the big back porch. It was a crystal clear, sunny day, the air fresh and clean, the sky bright blue. The beauty of the day seemed to mock the chaos that had just unfurled out front not a half an hour ago.

  Settling into a group of cushioned lounge chairs, they just lay there quietly for a long moment.

  “I’m glad you guys are both here,” Haven said.

  Alexa appreciated the sentiment so much. “Me too. Can I admit something else embarrassing?”

  “Something else?” Cora asked, tucking her shoulder-length blond waves behind her ears.

  “Something else besides the fact that my ex-fiancé is a controlling psychopath . . .”

  “Ah, right. Honestly, there are too many of those running around,” Cora said, grabbing a cookie.

  “For real,” Haven said, turning her bright blue eyes on Alexa. “What’s your confession?”

  “I haven’t had any real friends in a long time.” Saying that out loud made her heart race. It sounded so ridiculous, but it had been her reality for years now. She always thought of Christina and the other girls at the office as her work friends. It wasn’t like she could talk about Grant with them, and since he’d become her whole world, that left her mostly with superficialities. Which defined most of her relationships until these past few days, didn’t it? And she wasn’t even sure exactly when or how it had happened, only that it had.

  Haven reached between their chairs and squeezed her hand. “Cora’s pretty much the only friend I’ve ever had.”

  “And I’m, like, totally awesome.” Cora smirked.

  Haven grinned, and so did Alexa. “And she’s totally awesome, obviously. But I just mean to say that I’m very glad to have another.”

  “Me too,” Cora said.

  “Me three,” Alexa said, taking a cookie of her own.

  They sat there in silence for a while, enjoying the cookies and the breeze. And Alexa couldn’t stop worrying about Dare and Jagger and what Grant might do next. If he was willing to frame the Ravens for something, what the hell else would he be willing to do? She blew out a long breath and tried to gather her spiraling thoughts. She looked from Haven to Cora, and blurted a question. “Cora, how did you come to babysit Sam and Ben?”

  Cora and Haven exchanged a look, and Cora chuckled. “It just kinda happened. When we were first here, Slider was in a bind one day and we agreed to watch the boys for him because we didn’t really have anything else to do.”

  “This was before we knew we were going to stay here,” Haven said.

  “And then once we knew we were staying, Slider asked a few more times and I agreed. So now he’s hired me to work for him part-time when he needs. At some point I have to figure out what the heck I’m going to actually do with my life in the long term, but until then, I’m happy to help him out.” Cora took another cookie.

  “He’s changed a lot since I last knew him,” Alexa said, biting into a big chocolate chunk. “Not that I knew him that well, but he was always so outgoing and laid-back.”

  “Slider?” Cora asked, her mouth dropping open. “Like, my Slider? Well, not mine, but you know what I mean.”

  Alexa nodded, not at all blaming the guy, given the way grief had torn her life apart, too.

  “Aw, that’s even sadder,” Haven said, stretching her legs out on the lounge chair. “Dare said his wife died of breast cancer and the poor guy was just devastated.”

  Cora shook her head. “He’s definitely not outgoing and laid-back now.”

  Haven eyed her friend. “Is he too hard to work for? I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable, and no one would expect—”

  “No, no,” Cora said. “He’s fine. He can be gruff and non-communicative, but he’s never mean. It’s almost like he just doesn’t have it in him to talk or interact. Except with his boys. He must save what he does have for them, because he can be really sweet with them.”

  “Yeah,” Haven said. “Whatever he’s going through, he’s good with Sam and Ben.”

  Alexa listened as the friends went back and forth, admiring their closeness, wishing she had a friendship of her own that was as tight as theirs. And of course that made her think of Maverick, who’d been a friend before he became a lover, then more. She couldn’t help wonder what was happening down at the police station. She just hoped Maverick managed to keep his temper reined in so he didn’t end up sitting next to Dare in a cell.

  “So, what are you thinking you might like to do in addition to babysitting?” Alexa asked Cora.

  The blonde exchanged a glance with Haven and shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I was a waitress back home and never expected to leave there, so I never let myself even imagine much before,” Cora said, brushing the crumbs off her lap.

  “But you’ve had time to imagine now,” Haven said.

  Cora nodded and stared off into the distance for a long time. “Okay. So, there’s something I always thought would be cool, but I’d just ruled it out as an impossibility for me.”

  Haven sat forward in a rush. “Really? What is it? I can’t believe you haven’t said anything.”

  “It’s not like it could happen tomorrow, Haven,” Cora said, chuckling.

  “So? Tell me.” Haven hugged her knees to her chest and stared at her friend.

  “I’ve always loved animals. If money and time weren’t any object, I’d love to go to school to become a veterinarian. Even though that would take like a million years since I’d have to go to college first.” Cora looked at them from under her hair, like she was afraid they’d laugh at her idea.

  “I think that sounds awesome,” Alexa said. Cora’s plans made her think of the schoolwork she wasn’t doing, but in the midst of everything going on, it suddenly seemed so damned unimportant. She pushed the thoughts away. “I love animals, too.”

  “Oh, Cora, I think that would be amazing,” Haven said.

  “We’ll see,” Cora said, clearly uncomfortable to be the focus of their attention. “I did find out that the local animal shelter takes volunteers, so I thought maybe I’d check that out. Just to get a feel for working with animals. See if I really like it. In the meantime, I can keep babysitting for Slider. Or get some other part-time job.”

  “You totally should volunteer.” Haven took another cookie. “This is so exciting.”

  Cora laughed. “Simmer down. It’s just an idea.”

  “It’s a good one,” Haven said, arching an eyebrow.

  “So is you opening your own bakery,” Cora shot back. They looked at each other for a long moment. “Okay, here’s the deal. I explore the volunteer position and start looking at schools if you seriously look into opening your own business. You have your dad’s money coming, so you don’t even have lack of start-up funds as an excuse.”

  Haven’s mouth dropped open, and the woman looked to Alexa for help. “She’s bribing me.”

  Al held up her hands, so glad she wasn’t alone right now, so glad to have friends. “I’m not getting in the middle. Although I think you’d both be crazy not to do those things.”

  “Okay, then.” Haven nodded slowly, like she was coming around to the idea. “Deal.”

  Grinning, Cora nodded, too. “Fine. Deal.” They shook hands.

  On a sigh, H
aven flopped back against her lounge chair. “Now that we have our lives sorted, I just need my man out of jail and back by my side.” The longing in the woman’s voice made Alexa think of Maverick. She wanted him by her side, too. And so many things he’d said recently gave her hope that he felt the same exact way. His voice played in her ear.

  I. Fucking. Want. You. Us. A future. Our history, even the fucked-up parts. All of it.

  Alexa’s heart squeezed at the memory of the promising words, the rough determination in his voice, the hot fierceness of his expression.

  “I like hearing you call him ‘my man,’” Cora said, waggling her brows.

  “I do, too,” Alexa said. “Never thought I’d see Dare in a relationship. But he obviously adores you. It’s really good to see.”

  Pink filled Haven’s cheeks and she chuckled, but it was clear how much she enjoyed hearing it.

  Suddenly, Alexa’s cell buzzed where it laid on the seat next to her.

  Please, let it be good news from Maverick.

  It was, quite possibly, the exact opposite.

  GRANT: Come home, Alexa.

  The words were innocuous enough, but they still made her stomach drop. Because he just wasn’t getting it, was he? And on top of what’d happened to Dare and Jagger today, that seemed . . . problematic. Purposely obtuse, at least. Disconnected from reality, at worst.

  “Is that Maverick?” Haven asked, hope flaring in her bright blue eyes.

  “No,” Alexa said, blowing out a breath. “My ex. Asking me to come home again for like the millionth time.”

  “Home? What part of you having moved out doesn’t he get?” Cora asked.

  “For real,” Haven said. “I thought this guy was supposed to be some high-powered businessman. Because the more I learn about him, the more he kinda seems a little unhinged.”

  Unhinged . . . suddenly seemed like a really good description of Grant. She thought back over her recent interactions with him. All the little manifestations of his compulsiveness, the mood swings, the paranoia, the refusal to accept reality, the anger. She recalled him stammering and the way his eye had twitched. Alexa shook her head. “He is, but I don’t know. It’s like me standing up to him pushed him off the deep end.”