Low Sided by A.J. Downey (best detective novels of all time txt) 📕

kingdom like that? To put your fate in her hands?” he asked, turning the cross in the light.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Already trusted her with my life once,” I reminded him.

He grinned, shook his head, and said, “This is a mite different, bro.” I felt my expression darken with the seriousness of it and nodded.

“Yeah, I know.”

“There a reason you didn’t hand it to her right after the deed was done?” he asked.

“We all got our trust issues, I guess,” I said coolly.

He nodded slowly, absorbing what I said.

“Now’s not exactly the right time,” I said, turning to face the wall of liquor bottles behind the bar and taking a pull off my beer. “She’s pissed at me, I fucked up… and I don’t know that there’s any fixing it.”

Maverick sighed and pocketed the cross. I didn’t say anything. I trusted Mav with my life. He was a crafty bastard, sure, but we weren’t in any way crossways with each other. I had no plans or designs to cross him, either. If he felt better hanging onto it, then let him.

Besides, I felt my shit was precarious enough with the club. I’d made a bad decision keeping Mav out of the loop, but I didn’t regret it – plausible deniability and all of that. I think he knew it, too. Otherwise, the beatdown would have been Fen or Dump Truck and I’d be doing a hell of a lot worse than a sucker punch when I was hungover.

“You’re a good man,” Mav declared.

“Thanks for saying so,” I said, and he looked over at me sharply. I looked back, and he raised an eyebrow like he took offense at my disagreeing with his notion.

“Fine, then I take it back motherfucker.”

I laughed, and the mood lightened, the heaviness dissipating.

“Prospect!” Maverick bellowed, and we laughed as something banged outside and Sauley cursed. He came in the door coughing, half a second later the smell of some of Major’s dank ass weed wafting in behind him.

“Yes, sir,” he spat out between coughs and Mav raised an eyebrow.

“Put Mace out of his misery,” Maverick said. “Tell him how things went with his girl.”

Sauley slid up onto the stool on the other side of me, and I turned my head raising my eyebrows. The kid blushed faintly, and I wasn’t surprised he harbored a crush. It was hard not to. Raven was beautiful, smart, funny, kind, all the things you could want in a woman, her only flaw, her deeply held insecurities, which I found beautiful too. She was this wounded bird and it was hard to fucking resist, the combination intoxicating.

She looked at you and you felt every inch the man you were supposed to be. Her veneration a palpable thing, those stars in her eyes as I moved inside her. I felt every inch a god amongst men when she looked at me like that, and I knew it was just a part of her. That while I was special, she looked at anybody and they felt seen, you know?

She was oblivious to it, and it lent to her charm.

“All’s not lost, bro. She’s still just as nuts for you as she’s ever been. She’s just hurt. Her trust has been broken, but I don’t really think it’s as bad as all of that, you know?”

“No, he don’t know, which is why he sent you to make sure she was good,” Mav said and he made the remark slightly cutting. I knew he was just razzing the prospect, but the look on Sauley’s face said he wasn’t so sure. Good. He needed to keep on his toes if he was going to hack it in this life.

“She still pissed?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded. “She’s got a lot on her mind. She’s a smart cookie, and I think part of her deal is she’s worried this life ain’t for her.”

Mav laughed at that. “The fuck it isn’t. She handled the situation with Mace like a fuckin’ pro. Like she was born to this life.”

“She doubts herself too much,” I agreed.

“I’m right there with you on that one,” Sauley said, and I cocked an eyebrow.

He ducked his head. “Sorry. Just my observation. I know you didn’t ask for it and it doesn’t count for shit.”

“No, it does,” I said. “Just wondering, did I make a mistake sending you over there so much?”

He shook his head and looked dead-ass serious when he said, “No way, bro. I like Raven but consider her the little sister that I never had.”

“She’s older than you, dipshit,” Maverick said, and I laughed a little.

“It’s cool, I get your drift, Sauley.”

He nodded and a silent understanding passed between us. He loved her. Maybe like I did, maybe not, but he knew to stay in his lane.

I nodded back once and took another drink of my beer.

“I told her you got your ass kicked,” Sauley said, and I frowned.

“Too bad Major’s already got the name,” Maverick muttered. “If he didn’t, you’d be the club’s major pain in the ass for that alone.”

“Major sure lives up to that road name,” I agreed. “But Sauley here?” I shook my head. “I ain’t mad, bro, just tell me, what’d she do?” I focused my attention full on Sauley.

“Asked if you were alright,” Sauley answered. Maverick clapped me on the back.

“You two lovebirds are gonna be fine,” he declared, and I felt a knot in the middle of my chest loosen up some.

“Yeah,” I agreed, relieved. “You’re probably right.”

“Just give it some time,” Mav said, and I nodded.

“Yeah,” I agreed, and we switched topics to bike mods and the next big ride. I knew Mav, though… the wheels in his head were turning. I just didn’t know what road they were on, if they were chewing up asphalt or dirt, or where he was headed. Still, Mav was always the man with a plan, and he hadn’t let any of us down yet.

24

Raven…

True to his word, Mace left me be. He never showed up himself,