“Still hunger over, Will?” I poke.
“Yeah.” He grunts as Maverick pulls his knee from Will’s back. “You stay put, partner.” He warns.
Maverick tucks his gun back into his boot and inspects the gun that Will had.
“Ellie, I really need to puke. All this shit’s gone to my head.” Will says, and I truly believe him. His voice cuts when he’s going to throw up.
“Fine. Go to the guest washroom. It’s just over there.” I whine, gesturing towards the powder room just off to the side wall. He jolts into the bathroom, diving, headfirst into the toilet. While he retches, Maverick has the sense to close the door so that we don’t have to listen to him.
“Boy ain’t got the stomach to be a criminal.” Maverick comments, looking out the front door. “Looks like his friend abandoned him at any rate.”
“Either that or he’s gone to get backup.”
“He’d call it in, darlin’.” Maverick says, walking towards me.
“Where were you?” I ask. “How did you even know that Will was in here with me?”
“I saw the car up the street and my gut told me something was up.” He explains. “Came in through the back door.”
“But I didn’t even hear you walk in.” I comment, in awe.
“That’s years of sneaking in late and getting past my mama on the couch that’s done that.” He taps his temple. A minute later, Will emerges from the bathroom, looking as pale as a sheet. “You get it all up, partner?” Maverick asks.
“Yeah.” Will says, sounding weak. But then a fleeting look crosses his face, and the next thing I know he’s got me by the neck, holding my haircutting scissors up to my jugular vein. The blades are open, and he’s got the sharp end on my flesh.
Maverick places a hand on his hip. “Just how far do you think you’re gonna get with that.” He says, unimpressed. With a swift move of his hand, Maverick’s got Will by the back of the head, and he forces him to the floor. “Now, see, I gotta send y’all to jail now, since I can’t trust you as far as I can throw you, you sumbitch.”
Defeated, Will says nothing. He just relents, resting his cheek against the floor.
“Go ahead and get the sheriff on the phone, doll.” He says, looking up at me. Then he addresses my ex-husband.
…”I think I might just feed y’all to my hungry brothers, anyway, just for that stunt.”
***
“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” my sister, Sloane, asks, after I explain why the sheriff just left, with Will in the back seat.
“I’m fine.” I wave. It seems like as long as Maverick is here, I’m always okay. “How did it go with Jacob? Did you tell him that you’re pregnant?”
“Of course I did.”
I look around. “Did you scare him off?”
Maverick kisses me on the lips. “I’ll see y’all later, darlin’. Give you and your sister some time alone.”
“You don’t have to leave, Maverick.” Sloane says. “Jacob got called into the office for a little while with Terence. He won’t be long. I just thought I’d come by, since we left so abruptly earlier.”
“It’s okay, doll. I’ve got to take care of something at home.” He says to Sloane, and then he looks at me. “Y’all give me a call if you want me to pop back over later.”
“Okay.”
We watch Maverick jump inside his truck and pull out, giving me a wink on his way out of the driveway. “Well? You want to come inside for some tea?”
“Sure.”
I grab the mugs out of the cupboard and put the kettle on. “So, how did Jacob take it?”
“Very well, actually. Way better than I did.”
