Page 2 of Maverick

My stomach growls audibly. It's cake-hungry, but chicken wings will do in the meantime. "Yep. Good plan. Let's go." The buzzing in my pocket is distracting and I know I have to deal with it. "I'll meet you in the garage."

I excuse myself, waving at the ladies. My phone's persistent alerts keep me from heading over to sniff the top of baby Noah's head, so I'm grumpy by the time I head down the stairs and push into my apartment. I needed a baby fix.

I pull open my texts, and scroll through all the messages I've missed from Alexis.

He can’t do this can he

He can't just decide to take her whenever he wants right?

He still hasn't dropped her off

How can he just keep my baby?

Ah fuck.

I might wait to call some of my other pro-bono clients, but not Alex. She's not just a client. She works for me, and plus…she's got that cute little kid.

Who’s not at home safe and sound, where she should be.

No, I'm not going to wait to call her. I'll find the time.

I hit call, and she picks up right away. She's crying and in the background, so is the baby. She's home, thank fuck.

"When was he supposed to have her back?" I ask, rubbing a hand over my chest trying to loosen the ache there.

Alexis sniffles. "He brought her back ten minutes ago. She won't stop crying."

"How late was he?"

"Almost two hours. I was so scared. All I could think about was what if he takes off with her, and I never get to see her again? I can't live without my baby Mav. I just can't. Maybe I should take her and run somewhere he can't find us."

"No! Don't do that, Alex. Promise me. That would be an epic fuck up. If you do that, you'll lose Melanie. You have to give this time to play out. We've got a date with a judge next week. In themeantime, I'll report that he's late. It's going to look bad for him. Just let him keep fucking up, Alex."

"But…what if the judge decides that she's better off without me? I'm a stripper. It's not like I'm a good person."

"That's complete bullshit, Alex. You're a great person, you're a wonderful mom, and you're providing for your daughter. No judge is going to penalize you for that."

And if they try to, then we'll take the less legal route—not that I'm going to involve her in that.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Honey, I'm sure. Just trust me a little longer, okay?"

Another sniffle, then a heavy sigh. "Okay. I'm sorry to bother you. I really appreciate all your help."

"It's not a problem. Try to get some sleep okay? Cuddle that baby and just breathe."

"Okay. Goodnight Boss."

"Goodnight."

I drop into a chair at the dining table, head sagging. I'm tired. Really tired. Though that's not anything new. I think I've been tired for the last thirty years. It's tempting to just stay here, bow out of going to the club, hit the sack and sleep until next year.

But I won't.

Not just because they're going to my club, but because I like my family. I like being around them and I don't want to miss what's sure to be a great night. It's always a weirdly fun time when my brothers get together.

John and Abby getting together would be a really good thing. They both deserve happiness. And watching Nick lay some truth down on him could be fun, too. John's not the most communicative guy, but I know he feels deeply. It was there in the way he'd ask after his brother every time I went to visit him in prison. In the way he’d watch him when he figured no one was looking.

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