Deliverance (The Maverick Defense #1) (24 page)

I
watched as Joy ushered this Sherri chick toward the sofa and forced her to sit down, taking up the spot beside her and reaching for her hands.

“What’s happened? What problem?”

“It’s Donnie; the shit has really hit the fan. He’s out for blood.” Her eyes made contact with mine, and I saw the fear in hers for a quick second before they hardened. From what I could work out, Sherri was a tough cookie who knew exactly how to mollify Donnie. She was also close to Joy and protected her, for which I was grateful. If she thought we were in trouble, then I believed her.

“What’s he planning?” I asked from my spot in the armchair. Joy, her body angled to Sherri, turned to look at me.

“I don’t know. All I know is he’s mad as hell. At you, at Joy, even me for helping Joy leave.”

Lex appeared and offered Sherri a glass of amber liquid. After a tight smile of thanks, she knocked it back in one go and handed him the empty glass. Lex arched an eyebrow and nodded at her, impressed.

“I can’t stay long, in case I’m missed, but I had to warn you.” Her hand tightened in Joy’s and offered her what I assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it fell flat.

Without saying a word, I pushed up out of the armchair and left the room. Ignoring the calls of ‘Dawson,’ I climbed the stairs. Inside my room, I rummaged in my closet until I found my duffle bag. Carefully, I pulled out the rolled-up t-shirt and unraveled it so the revolver pistol landed in my hand. I checked the clip, and satisfied it was full, I laid it on the bed while I shrugged into my shoulder holster and slotted the revolver into the left side. My hoodie lay on the end of the bed and I pulled it over my head, shoved my hands in the pockets, and felt Mikey’s keys. They would do.

I had bounded down the stairs and out the back door before anybody realized I was gone or could stop me. Mikey’s truck was last in the drive, and Sherri had been kind enough not to block him in. Climbing in, the truck roared to life and I began to reverse down the drive. Lex appeared at the top of the drive, the headlight illuminating the pissed-off scowl on his face. He took a step toward me, but I backed out onto the street and drove off before he could get any closer. I would need to deal with him and a lecture when I got back, but for now, I had to take care of more important things.

On the ride over to Shakers, my rage grew, and by the time I pulled up in front of the building, I still didn’t have a fucking clue what I planned to do or say when I confronted Donnie. But I had to do this. I jumped out of the truck and slammed the door. Transferring the pistol into the waistband of my boxers, I checked to make sure the hoodie disguised any lumps. I didn’t want to have to use it; there would be too much explaining to do, and Lex would give me shit for it, but I would if I had to.

I walked straight past security not giving them a second glance. The heavy beat of the music assaulted my eardrums and it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting. I scanned the club laid out in front of me. A girl danced on the stage entertaining half-wasted men, and I cringed thinking about Donnie forcing Joy to dance on the stage for any and all to see.

I made my way over to the bar, all the while keeping an eye out for Donnie or any of his men. I was trying to think sensibly and I reckoned asking to see him was the best bet. If I stormed in there, chances were he’d get his men to throw me out again. This way, I could ask to see him and if they refused me? Well … then, I’d storm into his office. For now, I hadn’t seen him or any of his men.

When I leaned on top of the bar, the server looked up from the glass he was drying and arched his eyebrow in question.

“Where’s Donnie?” I asked raising my voice over the beat of the music.

Not flinching as I glowered at him, he set down the glass. “Who wants to know?”

Through clenched teeth, I answered, “Just tell me where the fuck your boss is.” I slapped my fist down on top of the bar, which earned me a sneer. He moved to the other side of the bar and picked up the phone and spoke into it. Never taking his eyes off me, he nodded a couple more times and then hung up. Sauntering over to me, he picked up another glass and resumed his drying.

What the fuck?

“I’m not in the fucking mood, dickhead,” I growled. But he ignored me and jerked his head, his attention shifting over my shoulder. With one last look of contempt, I turned to see a huge man in a smart black suit, black shirt, and black tie standing behind me. He’d planted his feet shoulder width apart with his hands clasped in front of him. His expression was unreadable as he nodded to me. It was the guy from earlier, the one with Sherri and Joy.

“You wanted to see the boss?”

“For fuck’s sake, just take me to Donnie.”

“This way.” He jerked his head and turned away from me and all I could do was follow him.

As he led me down the darkened hallway, I kept throwing glances over my shoulder, coiled and ready for anything. This wasn’t the best idea and I could hear the grief I would get from Lex when I got back. How I shouldn’t have gone in there alone, how I should have consulted him before I did anything so we could come up with a plan. Of course, he was right. This was what I got for being an impulsive hothead who let his temper get the better of him. But if Donnie was going to come after us, he needed to know he wouldn’t get away with it. That I wouldn’t let him hurt Joy again.

Donnie’s guy stopped and turned to me. “He’s been waiting for you, Dawson.”

It sounded like a warning, and I saw a flicker of sympathy in his hard gaze before he rapped sharply on a reinforced door, waited for a second, and opened the door. Stepping aside, he allowed me to pass and then the door closed, leaving me alone with Donnie.

Donnie sat behind his desk, elbows rested on the dark wood and his fingers pressed together. Neither of us uttered a word as I walked toward him and we sized each other up.

“Wondered when you’d show your face,” he drawled; a glass of something sat in front of him. He looked a little buzzed; not wasted, but not as stone cold sober as I was. “You’re nothing if not predictable.” My fists tightened at my sides, but I remained quiet.

“Thought it was time for us to talk.” I stopped at one of the chairs in front of his desk and paused. He inclined his head in a slight movement and I took a seat.

“You think you’ve won? Did you seriously think you could come back here, Dawson, back to my town, and take what is mine?” His weight shifted so he was leaning, hunched over the desk. Dark eyes glittered dangerously. It was a different side to Donnie, one I had never witnessed until the night in Shakers. But he didn’t scare me.

“I’ve not come to do anything. I came back for my mom’s funeral.” I marveled at how calm I managed to sound when inside I was anything but.

“Bullshit. You came back for her. Why now?”

Shaking my head, I smiled. “I didn’t come back for her. I truly thought she was long gone.”

“You think she’ll stay with you? I’ve got what she needs,” he sneered, and I knew exactly what he was referring to.

“She doesn’t need that shit. And she doesn’t need you,” I burst out, leaning forward in my seat.

“And you think you’ll be enough for her. With your track record? How long will you stick around?” I wanted nothing more than to reach across the desk and wipe that smug fucking smile off his face, but I needed to bide my time. Keep him talking. But he knew which buttons to press to piss me off.

“I went to prison, for you and for her.”

The bastard had the nerve to smirk. “It would have been better if you had stayed away. I had her; she was mine. Like she always should have been.”

My eyes bugged out at the crazy things coming from his mouth. “You’re fucking kidding me. Is that what you think? You disgust her.”

Donnie leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him, and smiled wider. Dammit, he knew he was getting to me, and I was making it too easy. I needed to rein it in.

“Joy should have been mine, but instead, she fell for you. Fuck knows why. You weren’t going anywhere.”

My scoff cut him off. “And you were?”

His cheeks colored a shade darker. “I was the one set to take over the family business-”

“The one you never wanted,” I interjected. “What the hell happened, Donnie?” I stood from my seat and his gaze followed me as I towered over him. Unconcerned, he remained seated. “Seriously, I want to know what made you turn your back on our friendship and go to work for your uncle.”

Donnie tipped his head backward and pushed up from the desk. Turning to a cabinet at the side, he refilled his glass and took a long swallow. Eventually, he turned to me with a bored expression on his face. Unhurried, he set the glass down and took his seat again. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he looked over at me and started to laugh. A high, maniacal chuckle that grew louder. The more he laughed, the more my unease grew. I began to think Donnie was off his fucking head. More like all the power and money had gone to his head.

I shifted my weight and without drawing attention, felt for my gun, reassuring myself if was there, should I need it.

The laughter stopped abruptly and Donnie pinned me with his dark eyes. “Dawson, you did me a favor getting locked up. My uncle found me after the deal had gone wrong and you had told us to run. I hid out at my grandmother’s, shit scared of what he was going to do. He laughed at me, said with you out the way I could finally step out of your shadow and start learning the family business.” Again with the smug smile, he really believed the bullshit he was spouting.

“Out from my shadow? That’s bullshit. We were best friends. I took the heat for you and you never came to see me. You left me.”

To my surprise, I saw a flicker of regret in his gaze, which vanished in a flash and left me to wonder if I had imagined it or maybe it was wishful thinking.

“I looked up to you, Dawson, always went along with your crazy schemes, didn’t matter what trouble we got into. Then Joy and you started. It should have been me. I’d known her longer. But she fell for you and I was friend zoned. After a while, I realized that’s all I could hope for.” He knocked back the remainder of his drink and sucked a breath through his teeth. “After what happened to you, my uncle said it was time to step up. ‘Grow some balls’ were his exact words. He showed me what life could be like. The power, money, the girls. I’d been scared, but he showed me I didn’t have to be. And with you out of the way, I could swoop in and claim the girl and the power. Two birds with one stone.” He shrugged.

“You’re a fucking lunatic,” I exclaimed, which made him laugh again, harder this time.

“No, it made perfect sense. And I had her and she was fucking sweet as-”

I’d heard enough and lunged around the desk for him. But he was quick, I’d give him that. He pushed back from the desk and stood as my hands grabbed hold of his lapels.

“You fucking c-”

“Ah-ah, Dawson.” His hands gripped my forearms while I still had a hold of his jacket. “Do you honestly think you can win? Against me?”

“Too fucking right I can and I will.”

“Is she really worth it?” He taunted me and I couldn’t stop it. I wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp, to hell with the consequences. One thing was clear; this was not the same Donnie DeLuca I had known growing up. This was a totally different animal, and I couldn’t do anything as foolish as fight with him here in his club. Within minutes, his men would swamp this room. No, I needed to be smarter, like Lex had been telling me from day one. I needed to go back to the house, hammer out a solid plan, and take Donnie down.

“You know she is. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

“She’s a junkie.”

“Don’t you fucking talk about her like that.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “She’s always been your weakness.” When I didn’t respond, his smile grew. “It must cut you up knowing I’ve been with her. Made her do things that would make your toes curl.”

I fought to keep my face an expressionless mask despite the revulsion I felt inside.

“You’ll regret this,” Donnie promised and stared at me, his gaze unflinching. I gripped the edges of his suit. My fists tightened and I dug deep, finding the strength in me, and pulled him closer until I was right in his face. How dare he threaten Joy and me, Lex, my brother, and whatever chance at happiness we had?