Bounty(187)
“I was taken care of,” Jussy replied.
Joss’s eyes flicked to Deke before they went back to her girl and she returned, “I’m seeing that.”
“Jussy, who did this shit?” Maverick demanded to know. “And where are they? Did the cops catch him? What the fuck?”
“It’s taken care of, Mav.”
“What the fuck?” he repeated.
“It’s over. I’m healed. Breathing. Safe. It’s all good.”
“What the fuck?” he repeated, his last word emphasized at the same time it broke.
Deke went still.
Jussy shifted closer into his side.
“What the fuck?” Maverick whispered. “You didn’t call me? Some fuckwad strangled my sister and you didn’t call me?”
His gypsy pulled at his hand, Deke let her go, and then she was gone. To her brother. In his space. Both her hands to either side of his head, pulling it down so his forehead was to hers.
“Breathe, baby brother, look at me. I’m right here.”
“I miss Dad,” he said suddenly, his voice hoarse.
“I do too, Mav,” Jussy replied, her voice husky.
“I miss you,” he kept at her.
“Me too, Maverick,” she whispered, pulling him into her arms. “I missed you too, brother.”
“You got hurt and you didn’t call me,” he said on a croak.
“I’m seeing I probably should have done that,” she kept whispering.
He shoved his face in her neck, Deke saw his shoulders heave and he looked to Rembrandt.
The man gave him a chin lift, pulled himself out of the chair, and with a tug on her hand, pulled his wife to the back door.
Deke followed them and with a look to tell Chace he was off duty, he took Chace’s place, leaning against the counter, arms crossed on his chest, eyes out the glass watching Jussy with her brother.
She got him to sit down with her.
And Deke watched.
They started talking.
Deke watched.
The men and Twyla came in the front door, everyone started cleaning up.
And Deke watched.
Joss and Rod took care of dealing with everyone leaving.
And Deke watched.
Finally, Jussy and Maverick got up from the chair and moved to the door.
Deke got out of the way but he didn’t move far.
She came in, eyes to him.
“We’re gonna go out and get Mav’s bag, honey. He’s gonna break in one of the other guest rooms. You cool with that?”
He examined her face.
She wanted that.
She wanted her brother near.
“I’m cool with that,” he said.
“Can you turn off the pit?” she asked.
“Yeah, gypsy.”
“Dude, I was—” Maverick started, looking younger than his already young, the guilt heavy on his face, grief weighing there too.
“It’s done. Let it be done,” Deke stated.
Maverick stared at him a second before relief started to slide in and he nodded.
Jussy moved him into the house.
Deke watched them move through to the front door.
His body jerked in surprise when Joss sidled up the counter beside him.
He looked to her.
“Full approval,” she whispered, stared into his eyes, did it a long time.
Then she winked at him and glided away.
Deke watched her go.
Then he went out and turned off the fire pit.
* * * * *
“I think something’s happened with Roddy and Joss,” Jussy whispered into his throat late that night in the dark while they were lying in her bed, front to front, limbs tangled. “I’ve never seen them like they were tonight, dealing with Mav.”
She stroked the skin of his lower back and kept whispering.
“On the outside, he’s the quintessential rocker. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, the more of all of that, the better, in his case, drugs being booze. But he loves her. He loves her so much, honey. And he’s never even looked at another woman, as far as I could see. He’d never step out on her. I think she sees that. I think she sees how deep that feeling goes for him. I think she understands how precious it is. I think she finally gets it.”
“Yeah,” Deke murmured, drifting his fingers through her hair.
“It worries me,” she went on. “What she said, making it sound like she should have stood by Dad even though he shredded her trust. She’s not that woman. No woman should be that woman. She believes in herself enough to know she doesn’t have to take that.”
“Love is strong enough to find forgiveness, gypsy,” Deke told her. “Even in extreme circumstances like that. Bubba cheated on Krys repeatedly. Let her down so many times, hard to count. She got shot of him, he loved her enough to turn that around. Loved her enough to prove that to her. Pulled out all the stops. And she loved him enough to find it in her to forgive. Been years now, those two are as tight as Tate and Laurie. Lexie and Ty. They put it behind them and now they got that. Your mom, lookin’ back, maybe she’s seein’ what could have been if she was strong enough to forgive at the same time seein’ what she got out of that, realizin’ it’s far from a raw deal.”