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I’d been a fool to come back here. Too bad the excitement rushing through my veins didn’t agree. Nothing had given me a high like Maddox just did for a very long time. It could only end with both of us in bed together or one of us in the ground.
CHAPTER TEN
MADDOX
Beating the hell out of the punching bag in my basement did fuck all to ease the emotional storm that had plagued me since I saw Maven. Last night’s bathroom conversation played on repeat in my head. Her sudden departure had left me reeling. Stunned. Betrayed. Her return was no different.
Soaked in sweat, I gave up hitting the inanimate object. I needed to hit someone who could hit back. I snatched my phone up from the weight bench, scrolling through a message I’d received earlier that morning. According to one of my people, Archer and his cronies were getting a delivery tonight. Of what I didn’t yet know. Could be anything from drugs to counterfeit goods. It didn’t matter. Intercepting and hijacking said delivery sounded like a good way to purge myself of the conversation with Maven.
She’d been a constant subject of focus in my thoughts since she ran from the bathroom and hid upstairs, refusing to come down as long as I remained. Having to return to the dinner table without her felt a little like taking a walk of shame. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hart carried on as if nothing had happened, polite masks plastered in place. Rumer’s searching stare had been like a spotlight shining in my damn face. I’d made some hasty apology and beat it the hell out of there.
As many times as I’d thought about what I would say to Maven if she came crawling back to River City, it had done nothing to prepare me for being face to face with her. She still weakened me with a mere look. Those dark lashes fluttering over green blue eyes held far too much power over me after all these years.
It almost felt like she never left. Except she did. Instead of giving me the chance to fix my mistake, she’d severed the tie between us and run. I would have let her torture me in return if that’s what it took to show her how goddamn sorry I was.
Did I fuck up when I made a move against the Archer organization on the day of my father’s funeral? Without a doubt. I’d never have done it if I knew they’d go after her. I should have known though. That’s why she was so pissed at me still, and I didn’t blame her.
But I was pissed at her too. She owed me more than a silent goodbye. She could have looked me in the eye and told me to my face that she was leaving. Except she wouldn’t have been able to follow through with it then. And I’d never have let her go.
“Ruthless,” I called on my way up the stairs. “Archer delivery in thirty minutes. Let’s go hit it for some kicks.”
My brother had always been the suit wearing crime boss type that preferred to sip bourbon and charm his way into the wallets of the unsuspecting. Even though I had a lot of people willing to do any job I asked of them, I enjoyed a hands on approach. Especially when I needed some bloodshed therapy.
“Why don’t you send Willa and her crew?” Beer in hand, Ruthless barely glanced up from where he lounged on the couch. His latest sci-fi Netflix binge played on the TV screen.
“Sounds good. We’ll bring them along. We’re going to need backup anyway. Archer always sends at least six on these jobs.” I swept past him and into the open kitchen to fill a glass with ice water. “I’ll grab a fast shower first. Tell Willa to meet us in fifteen minutes at the diner on fifth.”
Ruthless paused his show and turned to nail me with a tight frown. “Is that really necessary? We’re not needed on a job like that. You’re just wound up because of Maven and looking to make someone else sorry that she still gets under your skin.”
“Yeah, so? Since when are you not up for making trouble for Archer’s people and getting your fists bloody?” I shrugged, unwilling to be talked out of my decision. I needed to feel someone bleed.
“I don’t know, man. My show is getting pretty good.” Ruthless’s lips quirked into a lazy half grin. “You know I’m up for just about anything, but this isn’t a regular job. This is because you’re pissed and looking for trouble. Are you sure that you want to do this?”
Crossing through the living room, I started climbing the stairs to the top floor, pausing halfway up. “Of course I’m sure. If I don’t find trouble then it finds me. I’ll be down in five.”
Fifteen minutes later we were tucked into the gap between a strip club and a liquor store. The strip club was owned by Archer and was where their drop would take place. We had a perfect view of the parking lot. On the other side of the lot, in the alley behind the building, five of our people waited to make a move only when we did.
Vehicles came in and out as dancers showed up to work and patrons came by to drink and leer at them. The shoulder holster beneath my leather jacket hid the semi-automatic I carried. Using it was always a last resort. A fist to the throat or a six inch blade to the gut often did the job with a lot less noise. All it took was one shot fired to get every asshole carrying a piece to fire as well.
My hand rested on the hunting knife hanging in a sheath from my belt. I couldn’t help but flash back to Maven pulling that blade, taking a swing in the small bathroom. It had been a half-assed attempt at best. She could have jabbed that sucker into my abdomen and left me there holding my guts in. She’d held back.
As much as Maven wanted to hurt me, she didn’t want to kill me. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.
Right on schedule, a white van pulled into the parking lot. My plan wasn’t to merely steal the contents the van carried but the whole van itself. Much faster than trying to unload the thing.
The driver was alone. He pulled out his phone to alert the Archer crew to his arrival. I sprang into action.
Striding quickly up to the van, I raised a hand, a gesture for Willa and her team in the alley to surround the vehicle. Ruthless followed a few paces behind me, watching my back. I tapped on the driver’s window, waiting impatiently for him to roll it down.
“I’m going to need you to get out of the van,” I said, ignoring the confusion on his face.
“Get out of the van?” he repeated. “Isn’t Mr. Archer sending someone out to unload like usual?”
I shook my head, motioning for him to hurry up and vacate the van as Willa and her crew emerged from the shadows to surround it. That’s all it took to set him off. He frantically tapped at his phone, but I reached through the open window and swiped it from his grasp.
“Not today, my friend. We don’t want to hurt you. That doesn’t mean we won’t. I doubt Archer pays you enough to make it worth risking your life.”
Despite nobody having pulled a weapon yet, the guy threw both hands in the air. “All right. I’m out of here. Just don’t hurt me.”
