Chayton's Tempest (7 page)

confused as she asked, “What
are
you up too, James?”

Shaking her head, she did her nightly meditation and

climbed into bed. Sliding between the cool cotton sheets she

allowed the gentle scent of her fabric softener to surround her,

helping her to relax even more.

There was no sign of James “Maverick”
Chayton

Lonetree
in her bar for the rest of the week. More disgust filled

her as she imagined he’d discovered he had a child and ran

again.

Tempest struggled to not let it affect her, but having

seen him after all this time did funny things to her. Her body

seemed to be at odds with her heart. She might be furious with

his behavior in the past, but she wasn’t dead; and she’d reacted

to his masculine good looks.

Pouring all her energy into work, Tempest was

determined not to let his memory swarm her every thought.

She worked until she dropped and on her time off, she made

sure to stay busy.

Her house had to be one of the only places in the desert

that didn’t have any dirt. She scrubbed and cleaned until she

was exhausted. But, still, every time she closed her eyes or had

a free second, Maverick’s handsome face had stared at her with

that bewildered expression as if the impossible had happened.

As if he
hadn’t
known about their child.

Five

The motorcycle roared up the driveway and screeched

to a halt. It seemed the large man on the bike was off it before

the engine had completely shut down. Long strides took him

up the five steps in two.

His pull on the screen door was so forceful one of the

hinges gave under his yank. It didn’t stop the thirty-six year

old man, however. He didn’t care about the damn door.

“Where is everyone?” he hollered as his steps took him

farther into the living area of his youth.

Maverick was beyond pissed.
Five weeks before I left, you

got me pregnant
. Tempest’s words wouldn’t leave his

subconscious. Could it be true? He thought back to the slip up

that
Talli
had said about him having a child. And how his own

mother had been quick, desperate almost, to change the subject

when he’d broached what
Talli
had told him.

Receiving no answer, he began to search the entire

house. It was empty, no one. Frustrated and filled with the

need to do something, Maverick ran out of his parents’ house

and climbed back on his bike.

He drove across town to the small house he remembered

Sarah Whitehall living in. The driveway was full of vehicles

and so he parked his bike along the street. Carrying his helmet

with him, Maverick strode up the front steps and knocked on

the door.

“Yes?” An older woman asked as she opened the door.

“Mrs. Whitehall?” he questioned. She looked a bit

familiar, but he’d never really known them that well.

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, that’s me. Something I can do

for you?”

He could hear the sounds of a party going on behind

her. “Yes, actually there is.”

She waited a moment and said, “And that would be?”

“I think it would be best if I could talk to you and your

husband in private,” he tried.

She shook her head and snorted. “I don’t think so. I’m

having a party.”

“I know that, ma’am; I just need a minute of your time.”

God, I want to smack that damn smirk off her face.

“I don’t want to give you anymore time,” she snapped.

And I’ve had enough of your rudeness.
In a voice loud

enough to carry to the others, he demanded, “Tell me why you

never told me your daughter was carrying my child. And why

you tossed her out.”

Carol Whitehall formed a perfect “O” with her mouth as

her dark skin lost some color. Inside, the party fell totally silent

as her husband, Mitchell, appeared beside her. He was much

older and frail looking, “Did someone say something about my

daughter?” he asked as his rheumy eyes looked over the tall

man in his doorway.

“No,” Carol hissed. “No one said anything about

anyone. This man was just leaving.” She tried to shove the door

shut, but Maverick wedged his foot in there. The woman didn’t

stand a chance against his strength.

“I know you disowned her; just tell me if it was true.

Was she pregnant?” he pled, desperate to know the truth.

Brown eyes narrowed in anger, “Yes, the bitch was

pregnant when we tossed her out. I don’t know why you

would think it was yours. She was such a slut.” The venom in

her voice was enough to almost make Maverick wince.

“I know because I took her virginity. And thanks to you

and your callous attitude I lost out on twenty-one years of my

son’s life.” Black flames raged in his eyes. “Twenty-one years!”

Mitchell stepped a bit closer. “I have a grandson?”

“Shut up and get back inside, Mitchell. We have guests,”

Carol ordered. Pinning her evil glare back on the man before

her, she snarled, “Go away and don’t ever come back here. I

don’t have but one daughter and she is inside this house right

now.” She slammed the door in his face.

Standing alone on the porch, Maverick wanted to hurt

something, someone, hell, anything. A rage began to burn deep

within his gut. Could his parents really be that callous too?

With a military spin, he was headed back to his

motorcycle and his parents’ house. This time when he pulled

into the drive, he remained seated, trying to control his anger.

Turning off his bike, he moved towards the door. Like

the previous time he’d been here, he didn’t bother knocking,

just went right on in. He knew they were home, for he could

hear his mother singing as she cooked.

His father was carving a statue out of wood and looked

up when the door opened. He opened his mouth to speak but

stopped as Maverick roared, “
Ina
, I need to talk to both you

and
Ate
.”

“Why are you yelling in my house, James?” Dawn

Lonetree
asked as she came into the living room.

“Tell me,” he ground out, his teeth clenched as he tried

valiantly to control his temper. “Tell me you didn’t keep the

fact I possibly had a child from me? Well?
Amayupta
yo
!

Answer me!”

The looks that flickered between the two of them

answered his question. Overwhelming anger flooded him only

to be replaced by sadness. “Why? Why would you do that?

How could you do that?”

His father, Rodney, stood. “It was for your own good;

she was a liar and we didn’t want her to hook you into her

schemes just because you had been nice to her a few times in

town.”

“Besides, you deserve so much more than someone like

her
,” his mother added. “We were thinking of your future.” She

crossed her arms over her bosom and asked, “How did you

find about her ruse?”

“Ruse? It wasn’t a ruse. I know that because I was in

New Mexico
and I ran into
my
son and his mother.” His black

gaze pierced their bodies, stripping away their skin and seeing

the dark hearts that lay beneath. “My own son, who is
twentyone

and thinks I didn’t want him or his mother!” he shouted.

“Imagine my shock when I’m in a bar and I find a woman who

hates me; and then, much to my surprise when I find out why, I

can’t say I blame her. What gives you the right to do something

like that?”

“We were thinking of your future in the tribe—” his

father began.

“Enough!” Maverick slashed his hand through the air. “I

want nothing to do with you or
your
schemes. I’m not quitting

what I’m doing to come live here and be with the tribe. I am

proud of my heritage but I’m not going to be your pawn. I have

to find a way to become a part of my son’s life.”

Rodney sneered. “She probably slept with someone and

blamed you for it.”

“We were just trying to protect you from her,” his

mother insisted. “She is a liar. Is she demanding money? Take a

paternity test.”

“Shut up,
Ina
,” Maverick groaned. “Just shut up. She

doesn’t want a damn thing from me; she hates me. And I know

he is mine. I’m not even going to ask what you mean by
her.
”

“Don’t talk to your mother that way!” The deep voice of

Rodney
Lonetree
filled the room.

“Jesus, I can just imagine how scared she was coming

over here. All you two did was yell and scream at people. And

yet, you never told me she was here.” Maverick ignored his

father.

“It was a lie!” Maverick’s mom hollered at him.

“No!” he shouted right back. “
I
took her virginity,

Mother. Me. No one else. I did. And I would have taken

responsibility for the results if I had known. You took my son

from me. Your own grandson.”

He began wearing a hole in the floor as his body

digested the information he’d received. “You took everything

from me, his first step, word, everything. I never got to hold

my own baby. You know what I got from him? A fist to the jaw

because I was an ass who made his mother cry.”

Maverick rolled his head on his shoulders as he tried to

calm down. “You two are despicable. I can’t forgive this.

Goodbye.”

A perfect about-face and Maverick was out the door

with both his parents hollering after him to stop.

“We did it for you, James!”

“Don’t you walk away from us—get back here!”

Nothing deterred him. When his father grabbed his

shoulder in a bruising grip, he reacted. Within seconds, his

father was kneeling on the hard ground before him. “Don’t you

ever
think you can lay a hand on me in anger again,” Maverick

told him in a deadly calm voice. His eyes were unreadable as

they stared down his father. “I’m not a scared little boy and I

don’t like to be grabbed.”

Just as quickly as it happened, it was over, and Maverick

was straddling his bike as the powerful engine roared to life.

Without stopping, he backed up his ride and took off down the

road.

At the outskirts of town, Maverick slowed down when

he saw someone along the road. With a wave of

acknowledgment, he pulled off the road and rolled his bike to a

stop beside the old truck that sat there.

Shutting off the engine, he remained sitting on his cycle.

His eyes were cold and calculating as he watched the roadside

individual approach.

“Thank you,” the voice was raspy with age and