“You’re meddling in my life! Everything was fine until you started meddling!”
“What was fine? He’s been here for two days. How is that fine?”
“Three!” She corrected him. “Three,” she said and sat in a chair.
“Three days, and you’re pissed at me? For what? You don’t know the man. You hate the man, remember?”
Delilah didn’t say a word.
“Okay, can we talk now? Really talk. Because since he’s arrived, you have been avoiding my calls. Plus, I got some new news on Goodiva. A lead, I think she’s in Mayfair. I’ve convinced the fed’s to go up on that mountain and serve a warrant. We’re going up there before the state is on lockdown.”
“I can’t discuss this now. I’ll be late.” Delilah stood.
“What do you mean, you can’t do this now? I’m talking about finding Goodiva. Our best friend remember her? The one you can’t live without? Since when is that not the most important thing in the world to either of us?”
Delilah wanted to scream. She and Goodiva always came first. Charles second, and then her poor dear son came last. She was never on the priority list. That’s how screwed up her priorities were. Not anymore. It was killing her to be the Delilah they wanted. She needed to be something more. “I have to go.” She hurried past Queen before she could stop her. She went to the dining room for her purse and found it on the table.
“Everything okay, sweetie?” her father asked. He was making himself a sandwich and drinking the Heineken she typically kept in the fridge for Queen.
“It’s fine. I won’t be long. Maverick is at the cottage. Please don’t disturb him, daddy. We’ll talk when I get back.”
Her father smiled. “Better tell that to your mama. She’s the busy body, not me.”
“Delilah, wait, let’s finish this,” Queen said. Delilah ignored her friend and got her coat off the coat hook. She pulled on the heavy winter white floor-length trench with a single focus—Mother Abigail. The driver waited outside of the limo for her. He tipped his hat when he saw her. She went down the front steps to her ranch fast to the open door of her chariot. Before they pulled away she glanced back to see Queen standing on the steps watching. Delilah dropped her head back on the seat and released a deep breath of frustration. Mother Abigail was her priority tonight, and then she’d handle the rest. She often did.
MAVERICK PLOPPED DOWN on the sofa. The lady was under extreme pressure. He needed to show her he had extreme patience. But he had his limits. So far, it had been her way or no way. That couldn’t work for him or last much longer. He picked up the remote and turned on the television to CNN. A press conference with the President and his council of advisors went on and on. He’d been so caught up with his visit he hadn’t thought about the world outside. New York and New Jersey death toll numbers were coming in, and the virus had ravaged his city.
There was a knock at the door, and the sound was like a cannon boom in his mind. Startled, Maverick had to release a deep breath before he calmed himself. He had no one left in New York; still, the thought of the city collapsing under pandemic made him itch to return. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The knocking persisted. He got up and went to the door to find Queen under his snow covered porched. She held up a six-pack of beer. “I come in peace,” she said.
Maverick stepped aside. Queen walked into the guest house like she owned it. She went straight to the television room. Maverick closed the door behind her and waited before following. She set the beer down on the coffee table and removed her coat. She was quite comfortable in doing so as she tossed it over to the floor.
“This is only the beginning. Every state and federal agency is on high alert. We fucked it up in February. Could have stopped it. Now it’s expected to spread like wildfire.”
“A pandemic?” he asked and sat down. He plucked a beer, and Queen took one for herself. Queen nodded her reply.
“You might want to check in with your people in New York. You could be stuck here or sometime,” Queen glanced to him. The Governor up there held a press conference. He’s threatening to shut down travel back into the city.”
“So, you and I haven’t had a chance to speak,” Maverick said.
“Been looking forward to it,” Queen agreed. She picked up the remote and turned off the television.
“You have questions?” Maverick asked.
“You have answers?” Queen replied.
Maverick shrugged. “Depends on the question.”
“Okay, what do you think about Dee?” Queen began.
“Dee? Is that their nickname?”
“That’s what we call her,” Queen said.
“I think she’s a great mother,” he said. “I’m surprised you asked.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I thought you wanted to talk about my record on the police force? Not my feelings.”
“I know your record. I know what kind of cop you were. I know what you did that destroyed your team. Why would I want to talk about it?” Queen shrugged.
“To hear my side? To give me a chance to explain,” he said.
“I’m a detective. So were you at one point. We know how this goes; we give sides, put forth the facts, and finesse the truth if we have to. I don’t care about your truth Maverick. I care about Dee. She’s acting differently since you came, and it’s only been four days.”
Delilah Montgomery was perfectly imperfect for Maverick, but her friend saw the change and disbelieved it.b Maverick didn’t want to get into any debate about his lady. And he did consider Delilah his. Four days or four years from now, he’d doubt that consideration would change. Delilah was faithful and loyal to those she trusted. And so was he.
“I saw the way you looked at her when she came down the stairs today,” Queen smiled.
Maverick left brow raised. “You saw?”
“I noticed,” she said and sat forward. “The way she acts around you is flirty. And I heard the little argument you two had about you keeping Noah while she goes to the brunch. You threatened her.”
“You were eavesdropping?” Maverick frowned.
“Dee isn’t illogical. She is the most logical person I know. It’s illogical for Dee to trust a stranger with a violent record to be alone with her son. Yet she was going to do that if I didn’t bring her parents here today. Wasn’t she? She would leave Noah with you, alone, for hours.”
Maverick drank his beer.
“What’s your game?” Queen asked. “Who are you working with?”
“What’s yours?” he countered.
“So we play it this way? I know more than she does about how you got in that chair. It wasn’t just Yasar Fikrit and that terrible Eve’s Promise clinic. It was Armand Al Jabaar. He’s a cousin, more like a brother to Jaxon Price. So here’s what I’m thinking. Jaxon Price’s father chose your sperm because he knew you were a crooked cop. Someone who could be bought. And Jaxon figured that information left to him by his father is how he could drag you into Dee’s life by exposing the clinic. All of this was so he could set up this paternity thing and get you to distract Dee and keep us off his scent.” Queen drank the last of her beer and then reached for another one. When she spoke, Maverick listened but didn't comment. It was evident that Queen had more knowledge on the subject than him. He wanted her to continue.