Page 1 of Widow Mayker

MAJA STORM

PROLOGUE

I woke up groggy and fighting a pounding headache. The beeps sounding off reminded me that I was in the hospital…or somewhere that resembled one. Brows furrowed, I glanced around the clean room, looking for anything that would tell me where the hell I actually was. A television was directly in front of me. It was on cartoons and down low. Teddy bears sat on top of a dresser drawer, along with balloons and vases of flowers.

Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling window. However, it wasn’t overbearing. Glancing down at my hand, I winced at the IV still placed there. My hand was becoming sore.

This was day two of me being here. Although the unusual staff were inviting and friendly enough, I had no idea who the hell these people were. Plus, the doctor… Adir Bell, he said his name was, wore a gun the size of my arm in his waist band—that scared the shit out of me. If I never saw another gun again, I was fine with that.

What I wasn’t fine with was losing the only person I had in this ugly world. Tears welled up in my eyes. Watching my mama be tortured by the man, who was supposed to always protect her, would never leave my mind. The sound of her cries, and the sound of his yelling would forever haunt me.

The door to my room opened; in walked the doctor. He studied me the same way I studied him. Absent was his weapon. I breathed a sigh of relief as tears streaked down my face.

“Are you hurting?” he asked.

Slowly, I nodded. Within seconds, the male nurse, his name was Sean, entered my room. He pushed something into my IV, then was out of the room again, leaving me with Dr. Bell. He pulled up a chair and sat next to my bed.

“Where am I?” I questioned.

“Dr. Bell & Associates. It’s like a hospital without all the red tape.”

“Does anyone know I’m here?”

“Are you talkin’ about ya father?” he questioned.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

“He’s no longer with us,” he informed me, stoically.

“What’s going to happen to me?” I was only sixteen and wasn’t ready to know life without my mama.

“You’re gon’ be just fine, May. I can promise you that.”

Something in his tone was so sure that I believed him. Whatever Sean put in my IV caused me to doze off minutes later. Even in slumber, I registered the trickles of tears sliding down my face.

Two years later…

“Please don’t stand here and cry.” I chuckled at Maddie wiping her tears. She was so dramatic.

“You know how she gets,” Heir stated with a shake of her head. “Consider this a sign that she loves you.”

My face relaxed into a solemn smile. “I’ve never doubted it,” I said, causing Maddie’s eyes to tear up even more. I hugged her tightly. “Thank you for everything.” If it wasn’t for Dr. Bell, Maddie, Cooley, Heir, and the rest of the Bell family, I would’ve likely never survived the last couple of years. Instead, I was a thriving eighteen-year-old, starting my collegiate journey.

Cooley and Maddie took me in and spent countless hours making sure my past didn’t destroy my future. They spent time with me, listened to me, nurtured me…and loved me, unconditionally.

I kissed the top of Genesis and CJ’s heads. My baby brothers cheesed so hard, I pinched both their cheeks. “I’m going to miss you knuckleheads.”

“Are you sure you want to be this far away from home?” Maddie questioned.

I understood she had separation anxiety, especially after I learned a little of her and Heir’s past. If my husband and son were killed because of their disloyalty to the family, I would’ve been cautious of building new relationships. However, Maddie and Heir took me in as if it was nothing. It meant a lot to me.

“I’m not sure,” I answered, truthfully. “I want to try, though.” This was a test run for me. If I could make it without falling apart, it would be a feat. Plus, my mama would have been so proud of me for standing up to my fears and facing the world just as she had before my dad took her life.

“At least let security—”

“No, no… Mama Maddie. You know I don’t like having them around.” Unlike the rest of the Bell family, I hated security, even though I understood why they were needed. Although adopted by Poppa Cooley and Mama Maddie, I was still a Storm by name and blood. Poppa and Adir couldn’t lovingly boss me around like their own blood. The stuffiness of it all was too much. “Poppa and Adir made sure that I can protect myself.” Poppa and Adir made sure that I could always protect myself. From the time I was sixteen, they’d trained me on how to do shit that a girl my age shouldn’t even be thinking about. Between the two of them, I knew a thing or two.

“Oh, okay. I guess I have to be okay with that.” Mama hugged me again. She took a look around my apartment and cataloged everything. I was sure she was looking for any reason to stay a little longer or spend more money on me.