Page 66 of Maverick
“You don’t know that.”
Reaper sighed. “We’ll march into Hell for you, brother. You need only say the word. But if we do this, if you choose her as yours, your ol’ lady, we bring war to our club. Mannix can help, but he doesn’t have the support to outwardly be on our side yet. He will be, in essence, our enemy until he can turn it around.”
“We come so far, only to be pushed ten steps back.”
Reaper half chuckled. It was something Pope always said when we all signed on as prospects. It kept us loyal, strong and resilient.
“Are we going into war?” Reaper asked.
“Yeah, Prez. I need my ol’ lady back.”
Reaper nodded. “Good fucking answer. Get inside, bring our latest prospect in with you. It looks like he’ll be in leather and needing his own Harley soon.”
I smiled down at Van, snoozing away on my chest, his little mouth open as he dreamed. I hoped I could offer him the comfort he needed to keep the nightmares away, while I could. Who knew what I would find when we breached Bainbridge’s mansion.
As we sat back down in Chapel, Trojan smiled over at the gathering crew. “Looks like this’ll be easier than I thought.”
“How so?” I asked.
“The fucker’s getting cocky. He hosts a charity event, all the high rollers in one place, at the same time.”
“Seems too easy,” Reaper added.
Mannix cleared his throat, standing up. “It’s not. That’s how untouchable he thinks he is. He really does put on acharityevent every year for all the most corrupt and fucking powerful men in Sydney. And they all turn up, because it’s not just about the gambling, the poker games and shit you think it is. He’s running drugs, and sex trafficking through the casino. It’s a front for what he truly makes his money on, and it’s why he’s got unlimited support from the men. He supplies them with whatever they want. Young, international, or whatever floats their boat, and they give him money. He stays at the poker table, running cards with his high roller friends, to look legit, but for the most part, he’ll have a woman ‘for sale’ rather than chips.”
“Are you saying we could take out the entire building, and we’d rid Sydney of the underbelly that’s been plaguing our streets?”
“Not just the underbelly,” Mannix added. “Half the Ironborne still operating under my father’s legacy, corrupt officials, judges, cops, politicians, businessmen who all pay out the nose for the Ironborne protection. You’d cut off a limb, and snuff out half the people who’ve been throwing up objections to my changes.”
I looked at Reaper, then to the rest of the boys. It couldn’t be this easy. Could it?
“What’s stopping us?” Trojan asked him the question we were all thinking.
“If I know him well enough, and since we were best mates growing up, I do, he’ll have Tavi there. Show her off, maybe even pimp her out to some of his friends to make a show of his power, and to punish her. It’s not going to be easy.”
“You said he’s at the poker table all night, right?”
Mannix nodded. “Yes, what of it? He’s a skilled poker player, there won’t be anyone who can best him.”
Reaper’s eyes moved to mine, and we both smiled.
Yes, there is.
“Get a seat at the table,” Reaper ordered Trojan. “Tonight, we take back one of our own, and cut off the head of the snake that’s been threatening our peace treaty.”
Tomorrow, I’ll have my woman back.
One way or another.
Tavi
“Baby,” Maverick’s strong voice echoed throughout my ears, followed by his rough hands on my body, waking me from my sleep. My eyes shot open to look into those dark eyes I had fallen in love with. “I’m here, it’s me. Can you walk? We need to get out of here.”
“How did you get in? How did you find me?”
His hands were on my face, drying my tears from my cheeks, as he smiled down at me. “Did you really think I wouldn’t come for you? You’re mine, Tavi.”
I felt fresh tears fall down my cheeks as I pulled myself out of the cot they’d been keeping me on in the basement. My body shook with the shock of everything he’d been doing to me, to keep me awake, before finally letting me pass out, the meals I could eat before he would come down here and punch me in the stomach until I threw it all up, so I “didn’t put any weight on”. It was psychological warfare, and all because I wouldn’t bow down. I wouldn’t be the perfect little victim for him.
