Chayton's Tempest (2 page)

setup for his
iPod
.

Pulling into his parents’ drive, he sat on the bike and let

the engine idle. His black boots were planted firmly on the

ground as he stared at his childhood home. It didn’t contain

very pleasant memories for him, but he’d had a roof over his

head and food in his belly.

When he’d told his parents he was joining the military

instead of taking a more active position in the tribe, they’d been

furious, but he hadn’t buckled under his parents’ screams.

Even at eighteen, his folks had been intimidating to him. His

father was a huge barrel of a man—not fat, but just big. His

mother could freeze a 747 with her glare and knock it out of the

sky with her screech.

Still, he’d left. Over the years, they’d softened a bit

toward his decision. Not that they’d ever told him they were

proud of what he was doing, but according to rumors around

the reservation, they bragged about him.

And now at thirty-six, he was still nervous about telling

them no. A damn near fearless SEAL, he had gone into

situations that most wouldn’t make it out alive and had

thrived. He loved his job and all that came with it, but the mere

thought of telling his folks “no” had him hesitating.

The front door swung open and his father stepped out

onto the porch, stopping on the edge of the top step and

crossing his big, muscular arms. He opted to stare instead of

coming down to greet him.

Swallowing one more time, Maverick shut off his bike

and swung gracefully off it. His smooth movement took him to

the bottom of the five steps where he stopped and looked up at

the man who had raised him, a man who was still in excellent

shape despite his age. “
Aho
, Ate
,” he said automatically.

“
Aho
,” the man responded. “Your mother is inside

waiting for you. Dinner is ready.”

Nodding, Maverick headed into the house. He was taller

than his father now, but at well over six feet he’d been so for a

while. The men settled for a stiff handshake as opposed to a

hug. They silently walked into the home.

A meal sat on the table upon entering the kitchen. His

mother had plumped up, her hair was streaked with silver

now, but she was still beautiful to him. “
Aho
, Ina
.” His words

were gentle as he embraced his mother.

“
Aho
.” She placed a kiss on his face before looking at her

husband of forty years. “Let’s eat.”

Silence reigned as they began to eat the meal. A while

later, Maverick ate the last bite of his fry bread and cast a

glance at his mother. “That was one of the best meals I’ve had

in a long time. Thank you.”

“Well,” she said slyly. “Thank you. And don’t worry;

when you marry
Talli
she will cook like this all the time for

you.”

I knew the truce was too good to last.
“I’m not marrying

Talli
.” His announcement went over like a ton of bricks.

His parents exchanged glances. “It is time for you to

come home and do something more for the tribe. You are

looked up to here; you could teach the children, be an officer,

anything,” his mother insisted.

Maverick shook his head as he drank some water. “I am

not
resigning my commission. I love my job.”

Her harping continued as if he hadn’t said a word. “You

need to get married and have a child. We want some

grandchildren!”

“I like being single.” He set his cup down. “And even if I

were ready to marry,
Talli
is not my type of girl.”

“Well, if you slept with her there must be something

between you.” His mother’s words were cutting.

His own eyes narrowed in warning. “I only took what

she offered. It’s not like she was a virgin or anything.”

His mother slapped her hand down on the table. “Don’t

be vulgar!
Talli
has wanted to marry you since you were small

children. We all knew it would be a wonderful match, much

better than…” She trailed off as if realizing she shouldn’t have

said that.

“
Hiya
! No! I am not marrying her. I went out with her

because you asked me to. That’s the only reason.”
Better than

what?
his mind wondered.

“Don’t yell at your mother!” his father ordered.

“Then quit trying to run my life. I am thirty-six, not six.

I’m grown and I will not be dictated to by either of you. There

is no chance for
Talli
and me to be married. Accept it.” He

stood in a flawless motion, but his father did the same with an

angry jerk.

“We are trying to think of your future and that of the

tribe. You need to do your part.”

Barely managing to control his eye roll, Maverick shook

his head. “The tribe is doing fine, and I can take care of my

future. Now, I’m leaving. I have somewhere to go.” The fire

raging in his mother’s eyes prompted him to add, “Unless you

would care to explain what
Talli
meant when she said I had a

child? I’m not accepting responsibility for someone knocking

her up. We used protection.”

A blind man could have seen the panic on their faces as

they fought to control their emotions. “She must have been

mistaken,” his mother quickly assured him.

“Right. I better not get a call saying she’s pregnant and

I’m the father.” He spun around and walked into the living

room, furious over the fact they were trying to set him up.

Well, it would explain why
Talli
said he didn’t need to use a

condom.

“Wait,” he heard his father say.

At the door, Maverick turned back to face his father.

“What?” he snapped, losing control of his temper.

“You need to think of marrying her.” Mr.
Lonetree

crossed his arms and tried to look commanding.

“That stance and that glare may have worked when I

was younger, but you won’t scare me into doing anything I

don’t want to do. And I
don’t
want to marry
Talli
. Forget it.”

“It is your duty,” the older man insisted.

“My duty is to my country, not to marry a girl of your

choosing. This is a pointless conversation and so I am going to

leave. Goodbye, Ate. Tell Ina I said farewell.” Maverick walked

out of the house before he could be drawn into an impending

long and heated argument.

Two

Albuquerque
,
New Mexico

“Well, take care of yourself, man. Give us a call if you

need anything. Catch
ya
later.” Click.

Maverick sat on his motorcycle and shut his phone. His

friend Hondo had given him a call to find out where he was

and what he was doing. Ever since the shrink had decided

Maverick needed some down time, his teammates had been

calling him to check up on him.

He loved the members of his SEAL team and he wanted

the okay to go back to work. The therapist had determined he

needed about a month off; in fact all of them got the required

time, but the others had spouses, children, and family to enjoy.

Maverick had no one and now he was alone in Albuquerque.

There was neither rhyme nor reason for him to be here.

All he’d done was climb on his bike and it brought him here.

He hadn’t had a destination in mind when he’d hit the open

road; but now that he’d arrived, the part of his soul that had

told him he needed to find
something
was telling him he was in

the right place.

Maverick might not want to do as his father wished, but

he did believe in the customs of his people and fully intended

on listening to his inner voice. “First order of business…find a

place to stay.”

It didn’t take him long to find a place, and soon

Maverick was standing at the window of his hotel room. He

had a direct view of the
Sandia
Mountains
. It was beautiful. For

that moment, he was content; but soon the earlier restlessness

came to the fore again. He spent the rest of the day learning the

area he was in. Taking a trip to
Old
Town
, he played the tourist

thing to a tee.

Around nine that night, Maverick hooked up with a

group of single men who were on vacation and went to some

bars. They had a great time drinking and shooting pool.

As they were walking back in the direction of the hotel,

a light hit on the weathered sign that was in front of an
olderlooking

building. B’s Quarry, it read. With a glance at the guys

with him, Maverick and the guys headed for the door.

An assortment of vehicles were in the parking lot out

front, everything from motorcycles, to trucks, to cars, and even

fancy SUVs. Maverick wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

They walked through the door, Maverick bringing up

the rear. For a brief moment, he took in the layout of the bar, an

instinctive habit from his career.

There were tables placed throughout the whole place.

The floors were wooden and they shone in the neon light from

alcohol logos. On each side of the establishment were two pool

tables and two dart boards, all being used by the patrons.

Along the right wall was a raised stage and there was a small

open space near it for dancing. A jukebox was next to the stage

and right now it was the only thing offering up music to the

bar.

Against the back wall was a long bar, and as far as he

could see there was only one woman behind it, a beautiful

black woman who didn’t seem to have any trouble handling all

the hollered orders. The restrooms were to the right and left of

the bar.

The place was jumping; for a Tuesday evening he would

have guessed it would be quieter. But then he didn’t even

know the establishment, so who was he to judge? There were

very few tables left and his group grabbed one. A waitress

came by shortly to take their drink orders.

Tempest had been behind the bar, in her usual place,

when the door had swung open. A group of five men had

stood there illuminated by the lights of her business. There was

a man in the back of the group who gave her pause. He was

gorgeous with flawless skin and jet black hair that was

tastefully messy. His face was chiseled and held massive

determination. She immediately identified him as Native

American; but at the same time, a shiver went through her

body, one she couldn’t quite understand.

He’d stood tall, proud, and frozen as his eyes swept the

place. Normally if people did that, she’d assume they were