Deke heard the door open again, he tensed again, but he didn’t hear Jussy’s voice so he sought patience and kept at the kid.
“Like I said, you are not gettin’ anywhere near your sister unless I got an understanding what you’re doin’ here and I’m down with you gettin’ to her. She’s havin’ a good night. You been shovelin’ shit at her, what I can tell from what she tells me, since you came out bawlin’. But the shit you’ve been shovelin’ since you all lost your old man is not on. And no way in fuck I’m gonna let you upset her more than you already have just showin’, no notice. You tell me what you’re doin’ here, I’ll tell her, she decides if she wants you in her space.”
Maverick opened his mouth but Deke leaned in, the kid’s eyes widened, but his mouth shut.
“I’m not repeating myself and I’m not negotiating. It goes like that, no choice, or you got men who’ll walk you to your car. You put up a fight, man who opened the door is a cop. He’ll have Carnal officers escorting you off the property and do not,” he leaned deeper, “fuckin’ test me. You fuck with Jussy, you resist attempts to remove you, your ass is in a goddamned cell.”
He stared in Deke’s eyes several beats, swallowing, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then his gaze shifted to the side and his face went hard.
Deke’s body got even tighter when he felt a light hand on his forearm.
He looked down and saw Joss standing there.
Her face was harder than the kid’s, brittle, the anger in her profile so intense, just looking at her Deke tasted it in his mouth.
“Do as you’re told, son,” she said quiet, her voice as brittle as her face.
“Not talkin’ to you at all,” he spat. “And I sure as fuck am not your son.”
She nodded, curled her hand firmer on Deke’s forearm and pulled at it like she was telling him to step aside.
He didn’t move.
She did, looking over her shoulder at whoever was standing behind them.
“The man who lives in this house doesn’t want this boy here. I think it’s time he’s shown to his car,” she said.
Deke felt the men move and he started to move with them but Joss kept her grip fixed on him.
He looked down at her, but before he could say shit, she did.
“Jussy will not like you being involved in what those boys might have to do,” she said softly. “That kid’s a stubborn ass. Let your friends play that out.” She tipped her head to the drive. “You go talk to Chace. He’s in with Rod and some of the girls, got Jussy in her music room.” She got closer and went up on her toes. “And she’s watching, Deke.”
He nodded, indicating her message was clear, but he didn’t go in.
He looked to the folks hustling Maverick to his car and saw he was right, Tate, Ty, Decker, Twyla and Ham.
“Fuck you!” Maverick shouted, pushing off on Tate.
It was like the kid didn’t touch him. Tate’s body didn’t even sway.
“Get off me, man!” Maverick yelled, scuttling away from Ty.
“Deke, this may need the cops,” Joss warned.
“Got Johnny in him,” Deke muttered.
“What?” Joss asked.
He looked down at her. “Kid’s got Johnny in him. He’s here for a reason. He’ll get his head right and we won’t need the cops.”
Joss studied him as the situation escalated loudly in the drive.
Then she whispered, “My Jussy girl. Always had hope for that boy. Gave that to you.” She shook her head as if this made her sad.
“Fuck you! Fuck! Fuck all of you!” Maverick shouted. “Right! Fuck! Okay! Goddamn shit! Okay, I’ll tell you what I wanna talk to Jussy about!”
Deke and Joss looked his way.
The men had him pinned to the driver’s side door, not deep in his space, but he had nowhere to go but in his car.
He was looking over the roof to Deke.
“I…God!” he yelled angrily. “We don’t got any money, man. Froze our assets and Granddad’s royalties don’t come but every six months and they don’t…for Mom and me they aren’t…” He shook his head like he was trying to keep in the dickhead but was losing hold on it and Deke knew he lost hold when he said, “I gotta talk to my sister.”
“You gonna hit her up for money?” Deke asked.
“I…” He shook his head again. “No, man. I just need…I can’t lose what I was supposed to get.”
“So you’re gonna drop the suit,” Deke surmised.
Maverick took a few beats to answer. “I just can’t lose what I was supposed to get.”
Deke’s voice was a warning when he repeated, “So you’re here to share you’re dropping the suit.”
Maverick was silent and this time it lasted longer.
Then he said, his voice a lot more calm, “Just tell her Mom doesn’t know I’m here.”
Deke looked down at Joss. “That good enough for you?”
She was looking up at him so he caught her mouth going slack at his question.
“Joss, Jussy’s probably pissed as shit in there. Answer. Good enough for you?” he prompted.
She nodded.
He turned on his boot and prowled into the house.