Maverick (Devil’s Deviants Book 1) Read online

  PROLOGUE

  Harper

  Growing up in the small town of Beaufort, North Carolina, my dreams as a little girl were no different than anyone else’s. I just knew one day I was going to meet my Prince Charming, have a big beautiful wedding; where I of course would wear a princess style wedding dress. My father would proudly walk me down the aisle and then my prince and I would ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. Our home would be the one with the white picket fence surrounding it of course… or maybe even a Moët.

  But then I grew up… and reality set in.

  I did meet a man I thought was my Prince Charming. But being as wrong as I was about Owen Roberts had left my heart broken and guarded. So, I decided that fairy tales were for the weak and naïve.

  There was no such thing as Prince Charming.

  Instead, I put everything I had into my schooling and ended up with a full scholarship to NYU to study advertising. I just knew I was going to make it big one day. But, halfway through my second year I was given another hard dose of reality. I guess God decided that I hadn’t had my heart broken enough.

  I got the call late one night while I was in my dorm room studying, both of my parents had been killed in a boating accident. The feelings that flooded my heart that night were not even describable in the human language. Definitions like pain and loss didn’t even begin to touch what I was feeling. At hearing about their passing, I did what I needed to do. I packed it all in and moved back home to take care of all the responsibilities that came with laying both of them to rest. Followed by weeks of sadness and loneliness as I tried to keep my head above water.

  I had nothing, and no one.

  All my friends tried to do everything they could to console me and cheer me up, but I just pushed them all away, not wanting to feel any sort of connection with anyone. I was terrified that the second I cared about or loved someone God would decide to take them away from me too.

  That first day I stepped back into my parents’ diner though was when it all came crumbling down and hit me in my heart with brutal force.

  No longer would I look over the counter and see my father smiling with bright eyes at the sight of me, yelling “Hi sweetheart.”

  And no longer would my mother be there to run out and sweep me up in her loving arms with a tight hug.

  They were really gone.

  CHAPTER

  1

  6 months later.

  Harper

  Walking into the diner, I now ran in my parents’ place, this morning I spot old Burt sitting on his usual stool. He was in his eighties now and had been a fixture in my parents’ diner since before I could even walk. He was a sweet old man that I never made pay a dime for what he ate here, just like my parents never did. They always treated old Burt as if he was family and I continued their tradition because I knew it would make them proud.

  Setting my stuff down on the counter, I headed over to grab the coffee pot. “Good morning Burt. Is it time for that refill on your coffee yet?”

  “Well, hey there Harp. Sure is. You just always come in at the right time, don’t ya?”

  “Oh well, you know I try,” I smiled back. “So, how’s things out on the docks this morning? Catch anything?”

  Looking up at me with irritation set in his eyes, he said. “Oh, I caught something all righty. Early this morning I caught a couple of them biker bastards pulling something off a boat I knew for a fact didn’t belong in these waters. Damn bastards have taken over this whole town with their corruption. Can’t even feel safe walking down the streets at night around here anymore,” he made fist made a tight ball on the counter.

  Hoping he didn’t mess with them, knowing just how dangerous they can be, I asked. “Please tell me you didn’t confront them Burt.”

  “You’re damn right I did. I told them both to get.”

  “You really should be more careful. The last thing you want to do is go and anger a bunch of bikers.” If those guys truly wanted to, they could really hurt old Burt. But I had a feeling that they saw him as more of a nuisance than a threat. Thank God, for his sake. I had heard too many stories of the things they did to people for just looking at them the wrong way. There were apparently a lot of worse things than death. It’s why I stayed far away from the other side of town, where they were known to have a clubhouse. But there were times I’d seen a few of them in here, not that they ever paid for a meal. No one in this town made them pay for anything, it was the only way we could all avoid any trouble from them.

  “I may be old, but I can still whoop their asses any day,” he showed me his balled fist to make his point.

  “I’m sure you could. I just want you to be careful, ok Burt?” I patted his hand, trying to hit my point home that I truly did care about what happened to him.

  “All righty, I’ll try. Can’t make any promises though if they tick me off.”

  Chuckling a bit at his tough guy manner, I leaned over and kissed his cheek as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “That’s all I ask. Besides, without you here, who would I have to greet me in the mornings.”

  Smiling up at me, he started to get up. “Well, I best be getting along. Shane is supposed to meet me down on the docks this morning so we can head out and do some more fishing. You have a good day Harp.”

  I smiled back at him. “I will. Be safe on those waters out there, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Waving back, he headed out the door.

  “I see you were chatting it up with your sugar daddy,” Ava sassed, walking up behind me.

  “Ha, ha,”

  “So, when are you going to come with me into the city so you can meet a real man?” looking around the diner, she finally said. “Under the age of fifty.”

  Ava was a beautiful tall statuesque blonde with blue eyes, a stark contrast to me with my raven black hair, hazel colored eyes and five-foot seven frame. She had always been outgoing ever since we were little girls. I used to be that way too, but after Owen broke my heart, and God decided I no longer needed parents, I had become withdrawn and stayed more to myself. Ava was probably the only friend who didn’t give up on me even after I tried to push her away. She even went so far as to come work here at the diner to try and help me keep things going the way my parents did. It was definitely a two-woman job, and I loved her for it. “I don’t know. With running this place and fixing up my parents’ house to put on the market, I’m really tired after the long days.”

  “That’s why you need to take a day off and come out with me. Jesus Harper, you’ve been at this for six months now, it’s time to take a break and have some fun. I know your parents wouldn’t want you working yourself to death like this.”

  Hearing anything mentioned about my parents always caused the break in my heart to bleed a little more. A break I feared would never heal, no matter how much time went by. “I know they wouldn’t, but I can’t stay still. If I stay still for even one minute all I can think about is all the times we shared together and all the things in my life they will never get to be a part of. I miss them.” A tear broke away and slid down my cheek.

  Ava reached out and pulled me in for a hug. “I know you do Hon, but you can’t stop living your life just because theirs was taken too soon.” Setting me away from her, she grabbed onto my shoulders. “Now, do you want to run down to Craven and pick up our supplies? Or did you want me to?” Leave it to Ava to distract me, just like she always seemed to when I got upset about them.

  I had completely forgotten I was supposed to do that yesterday. “No, I’ll go. I just totally spaced it yesterday.” I grabbed my purse and jacket that I’d set down earlier. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

  “Ok, you know w
here I’ll be,” she winked at me before making her way back behind the counter.

  Getting in my mom’s Infiniti SUV, that I had been using to drive since I arrived back in town, I got on the road and began the hour-long drive down to the city of Craven.

  After I’d picked up all the supplies we needed, I bid Betty goodbye then got back on the road again and started the drive back home. With nothing but silence filling the space around me, those hurtful memories began to creep in on me like they always did any time I was still, so I turned the volume up on the radio for a distraction to drowned them out.

  As I was driving down the freeway, I heard a dinging sound in the car. Trying to figure out what was going on, I looked around the dashboard only to see that I had forgotten to put gas in the car.

  Forgetting things seemed to be my forte these days.

  Spotting a gas station at the next exit, I put my blinker on and got off the freeway.

  Pulling into the gas station, I parked the car and got out and began the process of fueling up. Getting back into the car, I sat and waited for the gas pump to click off while I scrolled through my emails on my phone. It was after I sat there for a few moments, reading through some messages that I heard them, the roar of pipes growing closer. The fear that started to take over at the sound of them had me shutting my car door and locking it. Looking in my rear-view mirror, I watched as what looked to be about ten or twelve motorcycles pulled into the station. After they had all parked, about six feet away from my driver’s side window I might add, their engines cut off one after the other as one by one they moved to dismount their bikes.

  Watching them closely, trying not to be caught staring, I looked to see if any of them were coming any closer in my direction. I became so engrossed in staring at them in my passenger side mirror that I gasped, startled by the sound the pump made when it clicked off, alerting me that the gas tank was now full. While I sat there for a moment, biting my nail, I tried to decide if it would better to wait until they were gone to get out, or to just get out and do what I had to do, then back in as fast as I could. Going back and forth with myself, I didn’t see the large tattooed man that had walked over and was now standing at my window.

  “Hey there pretty thing, I think your gas is done pumpin՛.”

  Letting out a shrill that hurt even my own ears, I grabbed my chest to keep my heart from leaping out of it and running for the hills. “Oh my God!” I finally got out as I looked up at the large, rough, tattooed and very scary looking man. He had a long scar running down the side of his face and was now taking up the whole driver’s side window.

  “You’re not scared to get out of your car now, are ya?” He flashed what I think he believed was a flirting grin at me. “Come on now, I won’t bite ya,” getting closer, he grinned wider, showing his yellowing teeth. “Not unless you want me to, that is,” he wiggled his brows to punctuate his words.

  Frozen at the sight of him so close to me, all I got out was the word “I” several times before a second man’s deep voice cut in from behind the scary guy at my window. “Come on Vulture, leave that poor lady alone. You’re probably scarin՛ the shit out of her with that fuckin՛ ugly ass mug of yours.”

  “Aw, come on Mav, I have a beautiful face and you know it. That’s why you’re always so jealous of me, ˋcause I get all the pretty ladies.” I listened to them both chuckle at their exchange of words, but I’d been too damn frightened to find any of what they were saying funny right now.

  “Come on, let’s go get somethin՛ to drink and leave her be before she has a fuckin՛ heart attack from you harassin՛ her and then pisses herself.” I heard the second guy say, who I still had yet to see.

  “Fuckin՛ fine then. She looks too strait laced for my likin՛ anyway. See ya around sweet thing,” he winked and flashed those yellow teeth of his at me before they both turned and walked away towards the Quick Mart. Looking at the backs of both of them, I could see the second guy was just as tall and broad as the first guy was, but he looked more muscular with dark brown hair that was cut closer to his head than the shaggy looking mess the other guys dirty blond hair was. And if I dare say, looked to have more tattoos on his arms. Reading the backs of their jackets or ‘cuts’ as I know they call them; I saw that they were an MC just like the ones in Beaufort. “Devils Deviants,” I mumbled to myself.

  Waiting until they were all inside the Quick Mart, I quickly slipped out of my car, took the pump out of my tank and turned to latch it up. In my haste to rush and be gone before they returned, I dropped the gas pump hose on the ground. “Shit!” I grumbled as I scurried to pick it up as fast as possible, but I knew I wasn’t quick enough when I found a tattooed hand wrapped around the handle as it’s pulled out of my grip.

  Swallowing down the fear I felt slithering over my pounding heart, I slowly looked up at the man in front of me as I moved to stand up. “You looked like you could use a hand.” His deep voice vibrated through my whole body with his words.

  Again, all I seemed to be able to get out of my mouth as I stared at the most beautifully dangerous looking man in front of me was the word “I.” This man looked nothing like the bikers I had come to fear in my town. No, this guy looked like he could have been on the cover of GQ in a rough rider’s issue or something. His eyes were as blue as the sky, and they stood out against his suntanned skin and brown hair. He had a bit of scruff on his face, but it was neatly trimmed, not scroungy looking. I didn’t know whether to run away screaming or jump him like all the hormones in my body were cheering me on to do right now. But I knew better than to go gaga over this man’s fine exterior because when I looked deep into those eyes, I could see the darkness there lurking below them. No, this man was dangerous, maybe even a killer, and I needed to pull my head out of my vagina and get the hell away from him. And fast! “T-thank you,” I said as I turned away from him and tried to get the gas cap back on as quickly as I could. When I finally got my fumbling hands to work right, I screwed it on tight and turned to leave. “Oh,” I breathed out when I saw that he was still holding the gas handle and staring at me. Or dare I say devouring me like I was his favorite dessert.

  Did he just really lick his lips?

  Invading my personal space, he latched the gas handle up, and turned to open my car door. Watching him intensely, I couldn’t seem to get my freshly cemented feet to move towards my salvation, that would envelope me once that door was shut and locked behind me. Hearing a throaty chuckle, it drew me out of my head and back to the tall tattooed man holding my door open in front of me.

  So many contradictions with this picture right now.

  The intensity coming from his eyes made my skin feel like it had just gone up in flames. “I can assure you; I’m not goin՛ to hurt you if that’s what you’re thinkin՛.”

  “O-okay.” Was all I could squeak out before I swallowed down another emotion sneaking up on me. Arousal? Oh no you don’t, you pesky little bitch! Are you trying to get me killed here?!

  Moving closer to the door, he shifted his body, so it was almost blocking me from getting in, and that’s when I noticed his patch on the front of his cut. President. Probably the deadliest one of them all too. I couldn’t imagine how many people you had to kill to get that position in that kind of gang. “You’re not from around these parts, are ya?”

  Sucking in a breath, I tried to force myself to relax. “N-no, I’m not.”

  There, that sounded pretty confident. Now if I could just get my knees to stop knocking together.

  Looking at me like he’s waiting for more, I just sat there and tried not to look him in his eyes for fear he’d think I was glaring at him and kill me. “You been roughed up by a man before or somethin՛?”

  Jerking my head in his direction, my mouth dropped open at his question. “What? No!”

  “Then why are you actin՛ so scared with me standin՛ here just talkin՛ to ya? You act like any second, I’m goin՛ to try and hurt you.”

  “Isn’t that what men like you do? Hurt peo
ple?”

  Oh shit! Did that really just make it all the way from my head and out of my mouth?

  God, I’ve got to really learn to school my temper!

  Letting out a pfst sound, his hand dropped away from my door, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever ramifications were coming my way for mouthing off to him. “Figures, you see a man on a bike with a cut and automatically he must be a killer, right?” Shaking his head, he turned to leave.

  “So, you’re saying you’re not?”

  God damn it mouth! What the hell is wrong with you today?!

  Swinging his whole body around, his legs ate up the distance between us two quick strides. He was so close to my face now that I could tell you the flavor of gum he was chewing was cinnamon.

  “Listen lady, despite what you may think of a man like me, I do what I have to do to protect me and mine. So why don’t you just get in that pretty little car of yours and take your ass back to wherever the hell it is you came from.” When he turned to walk away, I let out a relieved breath.

  Getting in my car, I immediately locked the doors just in case he changed his mind and decided to come back and kill me. Leaning my head against the steering wheel, I took a couple of deep breaths before starting the car. When I pulled away from the gas station, I could feel his eyes on me like a fire burning right outside my car window. I turned my head just enough and found his glare leveled at me, just like I knew it was. “I really need to learn to just shut my mouth sometimes,” I scolded myself as I got back on the freeway and got the hell out of here and back home.

  CHAPTER

  2

  Maverick

  “Shit Mav, I thought that old fucker was goin՛ to kick your ass back there,” Butch laughed as we mounted our bikes and got ready to head out and meet up with Dekes, so we could turn over the drugs we took from the guy on the boat this morning.

  “Yeah, that old fart still has some fire runnin՛ through his belly, that’s for sure.”