Mav frowned. “She tell Rocket?” he asked of Chloe’s ol’ man.
Steph snorted. “Uh, no.”
“What? Why the fuck not?”
She straightened away from his shoulder with a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No? Why wouldn’t she tell him?” Genuine confusion bled from Mav’s voice.
“Uh, because he’s a fucking assassin who goes apeshit whenever someone even looks at Chloe sideways. He’d probably ride down to Florida and choke the life outta Scott just for making Chloe cry.”
“He made her cry?” Now Mav’s voice had a hard edge to it.
Rolling her eyes, Steph pointed at him. “That. That’s the reason she didn’t tell him. You guys get so freakin’ overprotective. She’s a little concerned because Scott is acting mildly out of character. After more than a decade in special forces, he just got out of the military. I’m sure it’s normal for him to be going through some shit in his head. If it becomes a real concern or she feels he needs professional help, she’ll talk to Rocket. She just needed to vent to the girls about it because he’d been an ass to her on the phone. Nothing she couldn’t handle. Nothing to go all Terminator over.”
“Hmm.” Mav’s eyes narrowed, and he rubbed a hand across his chin.
Something about his lack of surprise had her suspicions rising. “Maverick?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“What do you know?”
He flicked the truck’s signal on then shifted lanes. “What do you mean?” he asked while glancing over his shoulder.
Oh, hell no. It had been a few years since she’d worked for the FBI, but some things were so engrained that they never left. Like her innate sense of curiosity and wariness. “I mean, what aren’t you saying? And don’t play dumb with me. I have plenty of tools in my arsenal to make you talk.” She grabbed his nipple ring and gave a slight twist, something that drove him fucking nuts during sex but didn’t feel so great otherwise.
“Shit, woman!” The car swerved. “You trying to get us killed?”
Releasing him, she raised an eyebrow.
“Fucking vicious,” Mav mumbled as he rubbed his nipple. Then he flashed her a lurid grin. “Makes me hot as hell.”
Stephanie laughed. Every day with Maverick was full of laughter and excitement. Her husband made life more fun than she’d thought possible. Most of the time, that entertainment came in the form of irreverent jokes and naughty innuendos—which he was more than qualified to back up with action.
“Come on,” she said around her giggles. “I’m serious. You know something, and I want to know what it is.”
With a growl of annoyance—that was totally fake—Maverick grabbed her thigh and pulled her flush against him again. “Fine, you nosy woman. I’ll tell you, but I want you all snuggled up against me again.” He kissed the top of her head. “Love having you close.”
Sigh.
She settled in where she belonged. Was there a woman out there whose man made them feel more wanted? More loved? More cherished?
“It’s true Curly wanted me to come down to help him get some security protocols in place, but I can get that done in less than a day.”
“Okay, so why are we spending three with the club? Not that I’m complaining. I’m excited to see Brooke.”
“I know, babe. Curly recently expressed some concern to Copper and Rocket about Scott’s behavior as well.”
She frowned. “What’s been going on?”
“Nothing major yet. Mostly a flash-fire temper, bar fights, and shit like that. He’s gotten a little overzealous a few times during business shit.”
“Overzealous?”
Mav glared, then rolled his eyes. “Shoulda known you’d want every damn detail, woman.”
With a toothy grin, Steph said, “Yep. Keep talking. Feed my curiosity.”
Mav snorted. “I guess he’s been aggressive to the point of violent several times. And in cases where the situation didn’t call for it. So far, he hasn’t made any messes Curly couldn’t clean up, but it’s bound to happen soon.”
“It sounds so different from the Scott we’ve gotten to know.” The man she’d met numerous times had seemed so even-keeled and rational, but then, she didn’t know the man beyond surface level.
Maverick nodded. “Exactly, which is why Curly is concerned. Of course, Rocket wanted to be the one to come, but Copper thought it’d be better if he and Chloe kept some distance until we check things out.”
It’d crush Chloe if her brother was indeed suffering from invisible demons. “Hmm, do you think he’s struggling with leaving the military?”
Another nod. “I do. My guess is something happened at the end. Something to make him leave earlier than he planned. Now his head is fucked over it.”
Sadness gripped Stephanie’s heart. If anyone knew the effect a traumatic event could have on a person, it was her. She and Mav had met under horrific circumstances, both kidnapped by a psycho gang leader and held captive in his basement. Mav had mouthed off and drawn their captor’s attention to himself to save her from being violated in the worst of ways. He suffered greatly for it, enduring agonizing torture they’d forced her to watch. Eventually, the bastards had dragged Mav out of the basement, leaving her panicked and fearful for his life.