Lily

I MADE A run for my house, unlocking the door in record time, disarming the security system, and rushing up to my room. I snagged the duffel off my floor, but when I turned around, I was lifted off my feet and gently thrown onto the bed. I grinned as Maverick’s mouth covered mine and his hand slid under my T-shirt to cup my breast. I arched into his touch, gasping as his nail scraped over my already hard nipple. Now that chemo was over, I’d been able to go back on the Pill, which meant no more condoms, and I relished every moment with him bare.

“Hurry, Möosh,” I panted.

“Nuh-uh,” he countered, standing and prying off my boots. “I’m gonna make this last a little while.”

He’d just tugged off my jeans and panties and was doing amazing things to my clit when the sound of glass shattering had us both up and off the bed. “Ohmigod, I didn’t reset the alarm,” I whispered, yanking on my underwear again. “I thought we were just going to be a minute.”

“Where does your dad keep his gun?”

I gave him my ‘are you serious’ face. “In the safe in his bedroom.”

All us older kids knew how to handle guns, and we were all pretty good shots, but we’d been taught what not to do even as young kids, because gun safety was paramount in the life of the Club. Guns were always locked up unless they were on one of our parents, and none of us were allowed to carry our own until we’d had years of training. I personally didn’t carry one. I hated them. Mav did, but only when we were going to places that he felt I might need protection.

More breaking glass.

“Shit!” Maverick whispered and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Text your dad. I’ll text mine.”

As glass was breaking, loud thuds, and male shouts sounded downstairs, I texted Dad, but I also texted Mom, Cassidy, Poppy, and Devon. One of them was bound to see the message if Dad didn’t.

Maverick moved to the door, but I grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to see if I can see anything.”

“Ah, no you are not. You’re going to wait here with me until we have backup.”

“I’m not hiding in here like a pussy.”

I yanked on my jeans and hissed, “You are if you want access to my pussy in the near future.”

“Lil,” he ground out in irritation.

“What the fuck are you doin’ in my house?” my dad bellowed from downstairs.

“Backup,” I said but grabbed Maverick’s arm again. “But wait a sec, okay? Let me get my boots back on.”

“Lily!” Dad yelled just as I got one boot on. “Lily!”

Maverick pulled open the door, and I stepped into the hallway and called, “We’re okay, Dad.”

Ace crested the top of the stairs, and I saw him relax. “All good, Hawk.”

“What’s going on?” Maverick asked.

“Let’s get back to Hatch’s,” Ace said.

I nodded, giving Maverick a look of disappointment. I didn’t think we’d get to leave for our beach trip anytime soon. With a bolstering smile, he grabbed my bag and followed me downstairs.

I gasped and moved closer to Maverick as we walked into the family room and found four men in leather cuts and jackets, face-down on the floor, zip-tied and bloodied. My dad was standing over the man who was probably the leader, aiming a gun at his head. The logo on the backs of their cuts was for the Gresham Spiders, and I gulped. This was not good. The Spiders were a one-percent, nasty-ass MC that had a beef with the Dogs. Truth be told, they had a beef with everyone, but since Dad’s club was clean, they hated them the most.

Booker, the Dogs’ club VP, and Mack, Club Secretary, had guns steadied on the other three. Hatch was rifling through pockets, “accidentally” slamming heads against the floor.

“Watch the hardwoods,” Dad warned. “The old lady’s gonna raise hell if she has to clean blood off these floors tomorrow.” Dad looked my way and gave me a once-over. “Head on back.”

“I’ll walk ’em back,” Ace said.

Dad gave a chin lift, and we headed out.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Club business,” Ace clipped.

“That bled over onto us,” Maverick pointed out.

“Wrong place, wrong time.”

“Dad, they broke into Lily’s house. What if she’d been alone?” Maverick snapped.

“Your choice not to be part of the club, bud. I respect that choice,” Ace said, “But it also means you have to respect that you don’t get information.”

“Bullshit when it touches my woman,” Maverick snapped.

I took Maverick’s hand and squeezed. I always marveled (and sometimes hated) how our dads could switch personalities from loving parents to hard-ass bikers in zero-point-two, but Ace was right. Maverick didn’t want to be a recruit for the Club, and there was no grief for that decision, but our dads had made it clear that Club business stayed inside the Club.

“Get outta town and put this outta your mind,” Ace directed. “We’ll handle it.”

Ace pushed open Hatch’s front door and let out a whistle. A different whistle response came back (probably Knight), and he let Maverick and me inside. “Don’t go anywhere until I give you the all-clear.”

Maverick nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about sitting by and doing nothing.

Mom rushed into the foyer, her gun in her holster on her hip, and pulled me in for a hug then grabbed Maverick. “Are you two okay?”

I nodded, although now that the adrenaline had left my body, I suddenly felt a little shaky. Mav wrapped an arm around my waist, and I leaned heavily against him.

“Who’s watchin’ everyone?” Maverick asked.

“Knight, Flea, Buzz, and Train are here,” Mom said. “Devon and a couple of the others are out searching for anyone else. Grizz grabbed his gun and ran off toward the green space.”

The land behind our house (actually, all the houses on our street) was protected green space, and it was about twenty-five acres of trees... a person could hide in there for a while if they wanted to.

“What about Donnie and Steve?”

“They left right after you,” she said. “I thought you saw them.”

At least, they were missing all the drama.

“It was the Spiders, Mom,” I said.

“Well, shit!” she hissed.

“Do you think Jenny...?”

“Don’t go there, honey. Dad’ll deal with it.”

I bit my lip and nodded, but I still worried. Jenny was my bio mom, a club whore, and a vicious piece of work. She’d had it out for my dad ever since he’d dumped her when I was a baby, and she’d been passing herself around to different Clubs, finally landing a top “Old Lady” position with the Gresham Spiders. She was the proud property of one of their nastiest soldiers, Brick, and the only reason I knew that was because I’d overheard my parents talking about it a while ago.

Mom headed back toward the kitchen, and Maverick kissed my temple. “Stop.”

I relaxed into him.

“As soon as they give us the all-clear, we’re out of here. But for the moment, stop obsessing about your egg donor,” he said. “She’s not worth it.”

I turned to face him. “It’s like you know me or something.”

He dropped my bag on the floor and kissed me gently. “Come on. Since I didn’t get to feast on your pussy, I need sustenance.”

I glanced around, my face heating. “Why do you say things like that when people might be able to hear?”

“Because it makes you squirm.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re evil underneath that sweet exterior.”

Maverick kissed me again. “Evil, horny, and totally in love with my girl.”

“Okay, maybe slightly less evil.”

I followed him through the house and into the kitchen where Buzz, Flea, and Knight stood guard. Maisie and Mom were in the kitchen looking busy but not really doing anything.

“Where’s Train?” I asked.

“Downstairs,” Mom answered.

After downing a soda and two bottled waters, I needed some relief, so I headed to the bathroom, and just as I washed my hands, the not-so-distant sound of gunshots echoed. All I could think was to get down, but Maverick appeared in the doorway and crouched low with me.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked.

“Shit’s going down,” Maverick said.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I retorted.

Maverick ignored me. “Hatch wants us all downstairs.”

I took his hand, and we headed down to the basement.

Because Hatch is a badass, and because he’s seen the worst of the worst, he modified his lower floor to be a glorified safe room. There was over twelve-hundred square feet of impenetrable living space—bulletproof glass, doors, and windows. The whole deal.

I flopped onto one of the sofas in the movie room while Maverick spoke with Train for a few minutes, but when Maverick looked like he was heading out, I followed. “Where are you going?”

“Gonna go help, Lil.”

“I think you should stay.”

He slid his hand to my neck. “I won’t be long.”

Kissing me gently, he walked up the stairs and through the door, locking it behind him.

I headed into the home theater and sat next to Mom. Hunter and Case were playing video games on the big screen along with Tillie and Liam.

I couldn’t really sit still, so I walked back out to the kitchenette and tried to find something to do, but all I could really focus on were the hands on the clock above the sink.

I had been pacing the basement for about thirty minutes when Maverick came jogging down the stairs.

I rushed to hug him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good, baby,” Maverick said. “Hatch and the guys are heading over to Blush with the Spiders. We’re free to go now.”

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” I asked.

“Yep, but if we’re going to go, we need to go now.”

I followed him up the stairs, and after he had grabbed my bag, we climbed into his truck. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s get on the road, Lil.”

I fastened my seatbelt and waited until we hit the freeway entrance before I started in again. “It’s Jenny, isn’t it?”

Maverick took my hand. “Kind of.”

“Damn, damn, damn,” I breathed out.

“Ace said—”

“Oh, it’s ‘Ace’ now? Not ‘Dad’?” I bit my lip. “This must be serious.”

“Dad said,” Maverick corrected and squeezed my hand, “the Spiders have been leaning on Prez to let them sell guns through the Club.”

“And Crow said no, right?”

“Right. But Brick’s not letting up. And Jenny thinks she has leverage.”

“Me,” I deduced.

“Yeah.”

“I should call my dad.”

“No,” Maverick countered. “We’re going to enjoy the weekend, and you’re going to let the Dogs deal with this shit. This doesn’t touch you, Lil.”

I rolled my head to smile at him. “I will enjoy this weekend because I can’t wait to get you into bed and fuck you uninterrupted for three days, but if you think for a second this doesn’t touch me, you’re high.”

Maverick laughed. “Sometimes, your biker chick mouth makes me hard.”

“Sometimes?” I challenged.

He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “One hour, baby doll.”

I squeezed my legs together. “Can’t wait, Möosh.”