“He is pretty great.” Max was gruff and he was a tough son of a bitch, but he loved his family the way a man was supposed to, with all his heart. He was willing to protect it with his body and his heart. It didn’t matter what he did, Max was a good man. And that was what I wanted. A good man.
Virgil could be a good man too.
“He is. And he saw the beauty in me, past this stupid scar. And that meant a lot to me. We were both so broken at the time.”
“I think you’re beautiful, Jana. I barely even see your scar and even if I did, so what? That means you survived some awful shit, and that matters.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around herself. “God, I wish I’d been as bold and brave as you are when I was your age. I would have enjoyed my twenties a lot more.” Her smile slowly faded and she studied me, a little too closely. “Have you fallen for a guy you shouldn’t?” There was no judgment in her tone, only a hint of bemusement.
“Not necessarily fall for, but I am interested enough to want to know more about a guy I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t even be around.” I waited for the lecture about appropriate life partners and stability and all that crap, but it never came.
“Maze, honey, you’re a beautiful young woman. You’re bold and fierce, but just because you like a guy today doesn’t mean you’ll like him tomorrow. Enjoy him today and go from there. It doesn’t have to be your whole life, does it?”
“No, I guess it doesn’t.” I didn’t tell her that I was worried because simply dating a man like Virgil could put me in harm’s way. When I was growing up, I had memories of the women in my uncle’s lives, Aspen and Henny and Dr. Annabelle had all found themselves in danger because of the men they chose to love.
This wasn’t love, but in the underworld, it didn’t matter. A weakness was a weakness. Someone could think I was a weakness and that wasn’t a good thing in my book. “Don’t look so sad. Get to know him and decide. Or don’t.”
“Thanks, Jana. Where is everyone?”
“Charlie and Jamie are at the clubhouse where they’re testing out some new guns that just came in at the shooting range. Max is in the house waiting on me. You know what that means?” I snapped my eyes shut and wished my ears had the same ability before Jana spoke. “It’s sexy time!”
“Ugh, please for the love of all that’s holy woman!”
Jana tossed her head back and laughed. “Sexy time, Maze. That means I’ve got to go! You know it isn’t easy with a full house.”
I hadn’t given it much thought, that my being here along with their sons Charlie and Jameson, meant they had to work hard for private time.
“I can be gone in twenty minutes,” I said. I had no clue where I might go, but there was a good chance Bonnie was free tonight.
“Thanks, Maisie. You’re the best.”
Yeah, yeah, I was a real peach, leaving the house so that my aunt and uncle could get laid.
Meanwhile Virgil’s family kept cockblocking me at every turn.
Chapter Eleven
Virgil
“You look like shit bro.” Jasper’s words brought a reluctant smile to my face because I knew what he saw when I snuck into his office. I was exhausted, my hair was matted to my head with sweat and a drop or two of blood I had missed cleaning up.
Thankfully, the back entrance to Midnight Mass was a private alley owned and protected by the Ashbys.
“Thanks, Jas,” I said giving a nod to his friend Terry. “I’ve been up all fucking night cleaning up another mess. Why do you look like shit?”
He flashed a smile and raked a hand through his thick brown hair and let out a sigh as he leaned back in his plush leather chair.
“Sadie?”
I nodded. “Who else?”
The woman had a hankering for vengeance that might end up being the death of us all. And her messes were becoming harder to clean up.
“That’s not why I’m here actually.”
Jasper blinked, his green eyes instantly all business again. I could see why Ma let him handle so much of the day to day business matters.
“Then why?” he said.
My gaze glanced between Jasper and Terry Manning. We’d known the Manning boys, Terry and his younger brother Emmett, since before my father died. Terry had always been a good friend to Jasper, even saving his life a time or two, which had earned him the role as Jasper’s, and therefore the Ashby’s, fixer.
“Crusaders. Cal cleaned up the footage as best he could.”
“Cal?” Jasper’s dark brows turned thunderous. “I really don’t wanna hear Sadie’s mouth, Virgil.”
“He was with me when you called and volunteered some of his gadgets, which came in pretty fucking handy. See for yourself.” I handed over the flash drive I’d grabbed from Calvin and dropped into the empty chair beside Terry.