“For what?” Dailey asked.
“I know you met with Detective Douglas and told her about my record. But you didn’t tell her everything. The things that aren’t on the record. You didn’t have to keep me clean.”
“I can’t prove any of the things I think you are guilty of. Trust me, I’ve checked on that.” The Chief said.
Maverick gave him a half-smile. “If you wanted to, you could have, and that’s the danger of the brotherhood. You may not have agreed with my tactics, but when Jose Garcia killed one of our own, you honored the code like the rest of us. What does that make you?”
The Chief stared at him. He didn’t bother to deny it. The rules ran deeper than what anyone knew. Robert Daily had been under the fraternal order’s thumb for twenty years. Struggling to make a change and right a system from within. He made some progress, but never enough. And there was a price he paid. They all paid.
“My gratitude comes with a reward,” Maverick continued. “There’s information you don’t know. Things that I kept in case you changed your mind about me, Dailey, and came after me. Cases, names, photos, and recordings. Things that can’t ever be traced to me.” Maverick bent and opened the leather satchel to pull out the package he’d wrapped for the Chief. He tossed the thick bundle on his desk and threw a set of keys to a storage locker. “I want this to be over. You investigate where you want but keep my name out of it.”
“What am I looking at?” The Chief asked.
“A storage unit. The Renegades files that my chief thought was destroyed when the A.D.A. did her investigation. Cops we kept tabs on. Follow it, and it’ll lead you to something important people. Also, I want to make sure Javier stays clear of this shit. He doesn’t even know how far down this goes. Deal?”
Dailey didn’t respond.
“I’m doing this for Javier. I’m doing this for my family. I’m just trying to make things good. I know you want and need this information. And I know you knew I had it all along,” he said.
“You’re right. I did.” Dailey put on gloves and opened the package with his letter opener. He checked the contents, removed a few, then put everything in a bag to set inside a drawer on the side of the desk. “I intend to hold up our agreement.”
“Javier? Is he protected?” Maverick asked.
The Chief smirked. “The Renegades. By any means necessary. I will need to speak to him, Maverick. He’s still on the force.”
“Leave him out of it. You know you can,” Maverick insisted.
“Or?” Chief Dailey asked. “C’mon, I know you haven’t played your final card.”
“Or, I’ll share some of the things the Mayor and Governor both know about our operations. Irrefutable things with the Feds. My baby-mama has a direct line to them.”
Dailey chuckled. “There he is.”
Dailey pointed at Maverick. “There’s the man I know and remember.”
“I’m doing the right thing here!” Maverick reasoned.
“You sure? Are you?” Dailey asked. “Sounds to me like we’re having the same conversation we had before I cut you loose.”
“I’m doing the best thing for everyone,” Maverick said. “Leave Javier alone. He has a lot of shit to live with. Neither one of us is walking away clean.”
“If you ever join a police force again, I will come for you,” Dailey warned. “I will release to the press all of the things I buried on you. Fuck the Mayor, fuck the Governor, it’s personal for me, Dailey. So I’m going to say this one last time. Walk away, Maverick. Start over. Be a better man if you can. But don’t look this way again. We clear?”
Maverick nodded. “Crystal.”
He headed for the door. He stopped and looked back at the Chief. “We all start out wanting to do what’s right. It’s just so much easier to do what’s wrong.”
“No, Maverick. It’s not easy to do wrong,” Dailey said. He picked up his pen and started writing again. “You fuckers never get that point.”
Maverick left and didn’t look back.
FALCON COVE, COLORADO - Three Weeks Later
“Hi, Maverick?” Queen looked over to Delilah. The sound of his name made her feel stiff. Delilah had changed her number, so Maverick’s communication only came through Queen. She pretended to not care, but she listened to the one-sided conversation as she folded clothes. Noah slept in Goodiva’s arms resting against her round belly.
“Yes, I told her. No. I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her today, but she knows. Okay. Yes. Oh, he’s good. If I get over there today, I’ll call you and put him on the phone for you to talk to him again. Yes. She’s good. We’re all good. How are things there? Oh, yeah, okay. Well, that’s good news. Should I tell her? Okay. Yes. Maverick, she’s fine. She’s just stubborn. I agree.” Queen looked over at Delilah. She kept folding clothes and pretended to ignore the one-sided conversation. “Okay. I’ll try. No promises. Okay? Bye. Yes, bye.”
The call ended.
“You need to stop it,” Goodiva sighed.
“Shut up,” Delilah said. She glanced to Queen. “What did he want?”
“I’m not telling you this time,” Queen said.
“What?” Delilah frowned.
“I’m done with this back and forth between you two. Goodiva is right. It should stop. It’s been a month. You need to talk to him,” Queen said.
“I’m not talking to him. He was the one that left. And stayed gone. I’m over it,” Delilah shrugged. The women exchanged looks with each other. She knew they didn’t believe her, but she didn’t care. Her heart was heavy with his betrayal. Leaving her was painful enough, but his staying gone hurt her and Noah even more.
“He loves you,” Goodiva said. “What’s wrong with trusting that? You and your mom made up. You know people aren’t perfect. Why not give him a chance.”
“I’m fresh out of chances,” Delilah sighed. “What kind of man makes my son fall in love with him and then abandons him?”
“He didn’t abandon Noah. He makes me drive over here almost daily so he could FaceTime with him. He left you. Not his son. And you want to punish him for it.” Queen said. “I get it. You have every right to be mad. But is this what you really want?”
Delilah carried the basket of clothes with her to take them upstairs and left her friends to continue their speculating. It wasn’t some romantic attempt on her part to be saved. She was done with men breaking promises and her heart. She didn’t want Maverick back because she believed she didn’t need love. Not that kind of love, anymore.
“What did he say?” Goodiva asked Queen.
Queen shook her head as she watched Delilah disappear up the stairs. “He’s finally found a buyer for his property and the garage. He should be closing in two weeks. Apollo said he can stay with him when he returns.”
“So he’s coming back?” Goodiva asked.
Queen nodded. “He’s really hurt that she won’t talk to him. Keeps asking me if I explained to her what he was trying to do. If she read the letter.”