Maverick

MAVERICK PIPER STONE CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Afterword Books of the Missoula Bad Boys Series Books of the Montana Bad Boys Series Books of the Eagle Force Series Books of the Dangerous Business Series Books of the Kings of Corruption Series Books of the Sinners and Saints Series Books of the Benedetti Empire Series Books of the Merciless Kings Series Books of the Mafia Masters Series Books of the Edge of Darkness Series Books of the Dark Overture Series Books of the Club Darkness Series More Mafia and Billionaire Romances by Piper Stone Books of the Alpha Dynasty Series Books of the Alpha Beasts Series More Stormy Night Books by Piper Stone About Piper Stone Copyright © 2023 by Stormy Night Publications and Piper Stone All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC. www.StormyNightPublications.com Stone, Piper Maverick Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. PROLOGUE Brothers in arms. Bad boys, cowboys, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. We’d been labeled delinquents, incapable of redemption. And we’d gone our separate ways. Heroes. Monsters. Sinners and saints. Above all we were men honoring our country even while a terrible secret loomed just below the surface. There were those who would never forget, praying we’d never return. Others would stop at nothing to prevent us from doing so. We were intent on finding salvation by protecting those we loved. But demons from a single act would never allow us to forget. Six men determined to right the wrongs from our past. Six men prepared to do what it took. No matter the cost. Together in life. Together in death. CHAPTER 1 Amelie My bad day just turned into a nightmare. I’d found my piece of shit ex in my bed with my now ex-best friend. I’d had a flat tire. I’d lost my waitressing job. Now this. Being summoned to my father’s house was never for a happy reason. And it wasn’t about giving me a Christmas gift. We didn’t live a Hallmark card kind of life complete with festive celebrations and heartfelt emotions. There was nothing but animosity between us, which had been the only thing I’d felt for as long as I could remember. He’d made it perfectly clear from an early age that I was nothing but a nuisance in his life and that he was doing me a favor in allowing me to grow up near him. While most children would crumble from his harsh words and prison-like rules, I’d grown strong and wise, capable of ignoring his rants and demands. Once I’d turned eighteen, he’d ignored me altogether other than the required twice a year dinners where nothing but business was handled. Checks written for tuition. Doling out an allowance like I was a five-year-old asking for money for candy. And the same lecture on how I was wasting my life giving a shit about animals. But today was entirely different. I sensed it in my bones. The meeting had to do with the release of my trust fund, money he hadn’t been able to get his grubby hands on. My mother had done her best to protect me, even while falling under his spell. The executor was an attorney, a friend of my mother’s family. I was certain the man who’d professed to love my mother had conned her into marrying him, funding his unprofitable company. I’d been too young to remember anything but arguments. How many times had I heard their harsh words, screaming battles that had lasted for hours? My mother had taken me on a special trip to get away. I’d returned alone, my mother killed in a crash. But I’d never believed the reports. My gut told me he had something to do with her death. As hard as I’d tried, I hadn’t been able to pin her murder on him. But one day I would. So help me God. I was still alive for a reason, and I was determined to find out what that was. He’d rarely talked about her, finally acting as if she’d never existed. One day I would learn the truth. I doubted that would happen today. This was a turning point. I was certain of it. Something was very wrong. Carmine Rathbone didn’t have a decent bone in his body as far as I was concerned. He was a con man, someone not to be trusted. Today, he wore a smile as if he’d just won the Mega-millions lottery, only he’d consider that chump change given his worth was well over two hundred million dollars. But he’d been antsy, his stock dropping. I was no business major, but it was obvious he’d lost millions. I’d continued to dig and would do so until I found justice for my mother. He needed my cash. I was certain of it. Without interference, it would be in my hands in three months. By the look on his face alone, I could tell he was worried. I was leery, on edge, which hopefully I’d find the opportunity to take out on my father. Be smart about this. “Come. Have a seat,” he told me the moment he ushered me into his office. As I usually did when I arrived at the house I’d grown up in, I wrapped my fingers around my locket, sliding it back and forth on the gold chain. Almost instantly, my father noticed my actions, scowling as he did every