“Fuck, Maverick! You need to stop thinking so damn much. Since we lost Hailey, you’ve been …” he started.
“We? What the fuck are you talking about?” I shouted, stepping closer to him. “We didn’t lose Hailey. I’m the one that loved her, and I’m the one that lost her. Hell, I’m the one that got fucked over by all of her damn lies!”
“You weren’t the only one who lost her, Maverick. You know I cared for her, too. More than you know.” His eyes flickered with a hurt that I didn’t quite understand.
“What are you trying to say here, Gavin?”
“I’m saying get your head out of your ass and realize that you weren’t the only one that got hurt by everything that happened with Hailey. It was hard on all of us to lose her, but it’s time to move on. You’re twenty-six years old, but you’re acting like your life is over,” he explained as he dropped his tools on the table. “It’s time for both of us to move on. Moving to Tennessee …”
“I said I’d think about it, Gavin. That’s all I’m willing to give you right now.”
We spent the next few hours working in the garage in silence. I thought about everything he said, and I honestly couldn’t find a reason for him not to go. Working with the Devil Chasers would be a great opportunity for him, and I knew they’d take care of him. I hated that it really was the best option for him. I wasn’t ready to let him go, but I couldn’t hold him back.
Once we’d finished disassembling the engine, I turned to him and said, “I’ll call Goliath in the morning and see what he thinks about you coming down.”
“Thanks, Maverick. I’ll do my best to make you proud…”
“Gavin, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t proud of you.”
I’ve talked to him several times since the day he packed his bags and left. He truly seemed happy. As hard as it was to admit, he was right. He was already making a name for himself in their garage, and I was proud of him for taking the risk. That didn’t mean I didn’t miss him.
Chapter 4
Henley
?
When I pulled up at the convenience store, it was already almost midnight, and there were no other cars in the parking lot. Even with my shorts on, the heat of the night instantly brought a light sheen of sweat on my skin when I got out of my car. A chime rang out when I opened the store door, and the cashier briefly looked up from her magazine as she watched me walk inside. Once she’d acknowledged my presence with an unappreciative sneer, she looked back down at her magazine. When I reached into the refrigerator for my soda, the bite of the cold air from the freezer brought goosebumps to my skin. I quickly closed the door, and tried to shake off the chill by rubbing my hand up and down my arm.
I walked down each and every aisle looking for something decent to eat. When I couldn’t make up my mind, I just started filling my arms anything and everything that looked like it might curb my growing hunger. By the time I made it up to the counter, my hands were loaded with an embarrassing amount of drinks, chips, and chocolate.
“Did you find everything you need?” the lady asked without ever really looking up at me. She obviously wasn’t happy that I was interrupting her reading time.
“Yeah, I think so,” I told her as I looked around the store, feeling slightly ashamed at the enormous amount of junk food sitting in front of me.
After an excruciating amount of time, she finally said, “That’ll be $24.96.”
I swiped my debit card, and when the receipt printed, I quickly grabbed my heavy bag of goodies and headed out into the empty parking lot. As I walked towards my car and started to open the door, I heard a loud thud coming from the side of the store. At first I ignored it, but then I heard it again… louder. I knew I should have just gotten in my car and left, but my curiosity got the best of me. I threw my bag in the front seat and crept quietly over to the dark side of the building. I knew dumb shit like this was what got people into trouble, but I honestly hoped there’d be nothing to it. I just kept thinking that the sales clerk must have decided to pull herself away from her magazine long enough to take out the trash. Little did I know, I was wrong… terribly wrong.