The sleek black Bentley Continental came to a halt at the entrance of the neighborhood. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out, offering Sean a polite thanks.

What I hadn’t anticipated, not by any stretch, was Maverick—who at this hour should still have been buried in work at the office—waiting here at the gate.

Parked there, he sat in his car with the driver’s side window partially rolled down. I couldn’t tell how long he’d been watching, but his ...