THE CRAZY GOOD SERIES - Rachel Robinson Page 0,41

his call and text Gretchen to come get me. I hear rather than see when Maverick blazes out of the building. A loud bang resounds and a string of profanities travel to my hiding spot. His car revs to life only a few moments later.

Gretchen the fairy and Benji the pirate pull up in her car fifteen minutes later. I rip off my devil horns.

“Take me to Jess’s house for the night, please,” I command quietly the second I slip into the back seat. I adjust my position when my vagina burns in protest. Gretchen doesn’t ask or say anything. She just drives. She knows something went horribly wrong and the fact that she nearly dismembered my lady bits tonight gives me the trump card. She won’t even ask.

I flip on the silent button on my cell, which has been blowing up non-stop with texts and calls from him.

“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m sure she thinks I’m thanking her for rescuing me. I’m actually thanking her for more than that.

CHAPTER TEN

Windsor

I HAD TO shut off my phone. I also had to move from Jess’s house to Morganna’s on Sunday because Maverick found out where I was. Morganna would never, in a million years, rat out my hiding spot. Stone was too scared of Morganna to go against her wishes. Or so I thought. Gretchen brought me a suitcase full of everything I listed in a text, because I had to leave for my training trip today.

“Take her suitcase for her, Phillipe,” Morg barks to her assistant. I’m dumbfounded at the early morning hour he arrived at their house. I haven’t slept well, so I was up drinking coffee and surfing the web on my iPad when he came in at the ridiculous hour of five a.m.

“Sure,” Phillipe says, rolling my bag down the long, beautiful corridor that leads to their garage. We hid my car in there, at Stone’s suggestion. I also called the hotel early to request early check-in so I could leave here super early to try and avoid any contact with Maverick. Stone stops me in the hallway.

“He knew you were here, Win. I can’t keep shit from him. He’s my brother. He stayed away because he knew it’s what you wanted. Please give him a break. This is all new to him. If you saw him when he found out you left…well it probably wouldn’t have been a good thing for you to see,” he says, pausing. “I’ve known him his entire life. I’ve never seen him struggle with anything…except with whatever this is he’s trying with you.” All I can do is close my eyes and try to keep the image of a heartbroken Maverick out of my mind.

“The women. This life he’s cultivated. All of it. I’m not sure I can deal with it,” I tell him honestly.

“Did you know he walked away from his entire family. All of them? They haven’t spoken since he made the decision to become a SEAL. They’re against everything Mav represents. It’s like he doesn’t even exist to them. Walking away from them was easy for him,” he says and my heart does break a little…for him.

I can’t fathom a person who doesn’t respect his career path. I mean, the lifestyle might be a little much, but the profession? Serving and protecting America is the most prestigious and respectable job possible. A tear slips down my face. I know exactly what it feels like to be outcast from a family, but not for the same reasons.

Stone interrupts my tormented thoughts. “But walking away from you is impossible for him,” he whispers.

“Why me?” I ask. Morganna is already dressed to impress when she waves from the other side of the hallway. I give her a small wave and smile back. She yells at Phillipe to bring her something and she’s off to conquer the world.

“Because you’re something he thought he’d never get. You’re someone he thinks he doesn’t deserve,” he says. And I think he’s lying, except the truth that shines in his brown eyes is blatant. He cares for Maverick a lot. “You can’t question everything. Sometimes a spade really is a fucking spade, Win.”

“I want to believe you, I do. Because I don’t think I’ve ever been so completely had by someone who refuses to have me. It’s maddening. Can someone like Maverick really change? A tiger changing stripes and all that.” All the girls. His fan club will always be there waiting in the wings. Waiting