MAVERICK
I felt like I gave my trust to people too quickly.
I just realized that Terzo had a lot of skeletons in his closet, and he couldn’t share them with me. And it was a red flag.
We couldn’t be friends, and the way he reacted earlier was darker and scarier, and I had this feeling that he knew me better than he let on.
“Mrs. Winston.” Owen startled me as I walked away from the restaurant.
I stopped to a halt, staring at Owen. “That was fast.”
The door to the backseat opened. Before I could get in, someone just called my name.
I turned around, but Owen was blocking my view.
“Maverick,” Terzo called my name again. “You left your bag.” He followed with my bag in his hand.
“Oh. Thanks.” I took it from him.
“I’m sorry our dinner didn’t go well. I hope I did not ruin your night. I’m still up for a second dinner if you give me a second chance, and I’m willing to tell you my story.”
“Yeah. Raincheck for the second dinner?”
He nodded. “Of course. Good night, Maverick.”
I watched him walk away, crossing the street until his back was gone in the dark alley.
“Get in the car, Maverick.”
My heart jumped at Lake’s voice inside the car. I climbed in, and Owen shut the door after me.
I turned to Lake, but I’d never seen him look angrier. He didn’t even look at me. I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, but it felt like I was kissing a stone.
“Why are you upset?”
Owen pulled the car into the main street, and I was still waiting for Lake’s reply, but it did not happen. I latched my seatbelt and sat in silence.
A few minutes passed, and I still didn’t hear anything from him, and he remained stoic in his seat.
So I turned and faced him. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
“You don’t know him more than I do,” he said bitterly.
“Oh, so you know him. Does that mean he knows you, too? Business rivals, perhaps?” I asked calmly because I wanted to know more about Terzo, and I couldn’t piss off Lake.
One thing that didn’t add up was that Terzo never mentioned that he knew Lake. Was he pretending not to know Lake or me all this time?
“He’s not the good man that you think he is.”
“I need more than that.”
“That’s all you can get for meeting that man behind my back. Stay away from Terzo Siciliano, Maverick.” He still did not even look at me.
“Siciliano?” My curiosity piqued. “He told me his name was Terzo Manuele and helped me jump-start my car months ago. I met him after I went to see Nana. We had coffee together-”
“And how I didn’t know about this?” He finally turned his head to look at me. His eyes narrowed, icy cold, yet his gaze was blazing.
“You don’t tell me who you meet every day. I suppose it’s normal that we don’t talk too much work-related because we trust each other.”
“So “you just go drink coffee with a guy you didn’t know?”
“The coffee shop was just around the corner where I parked my car.”
“And do you think it’s a coincidence? That happened when your car broke and you were upset, and suddenly, he was there.” He made a point.
“What the hell is going on, Lake?” I was confused and terrified about something I didn’t know, and maybe that was why I was scared. I didn’t know what I was facing, and they barely told me anything.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you met outside when you saw a man stalking you?”
Crap.
“We’ll talk at home. I can’t breathe in here,” I said dismissively. As stubborn as I was, I turned away from him, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I don’t like it when you keep secrets from me.”
“Well, the feeling is mutual. You certainly know more about Terzo than you’re telling me. There’s a deeper meaning to it with the words he’s not a good man. I need more than that, Lake.”
“Or what?”
My head snapped in his direction, and he was staring, challenging me. “It’s freaking annoying, isn’t it? When you don’t get what you want. You don’t trust me enough more than I do. You don’t trust my judgment. I get it. Sometimes, I’m gullible.”
“You should be careful who you’re meeting, Maverick. You’re not an ordinary schoolgirl anymore.”
“I know that. I face it every day. I don’t belong in your circle. I don’t know how it works, who will stab me, who’s the true friend. And it will always be like that, but keeping me in the dark doesn’t do any good to me either. If you want this relationship to work, then we should tell each other’s secret, and I want the truth. Why are you so mad? Who is Terzo to you? Did he steal your girlfriend? Did he sleep with your ex? Is he your previous business partner? I could go on, but the honest answer should come from you, Lake. Who is he?”
The car slowed down and entered into his parking lot. I had a feeling that I would not get the answer I was looking for. Maybe I should ask Terzo instead.
I opened the door and got out before someone could do it for me. I walked towards my car, unlocked it, and got in.
“Maverick!” Lake called out my name. He was undoubtedly pissed off, but even he, my husband, could not stop me. I started the car while he was knocking on my window.
“Back off, or you’re going to get hurt, Lake.” I slightly rolled down the window. My eyes narrowed at him, and he challenged me, so I challenged him back.
We stared at each other for seconds, and I knew he would not back down, and I would not bow down willingly.
“Open this damn door so we could talk,” he barked his order.
I rolled the window down completely. “Will you tell me everything?”
He swallowed first and nodded, but his nose was flaring in annoyance. He was not going to tell me the truth.
“You’re lying. You won’t tell me everything.”
“Why the fuck is it so important to you? What did that man tell you, Maverick? What lies did he feed you?”
My jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. Do you think he told me shit? It is you who can’t tell me shits. I’m your wife, for God’s sake. Don’t treat me like a kid. If you want me to stop seeing him, convince me that what you said is true and that he’s a bad guy.”
There was just some unexplained deeper connection between me and Terzo, and it was nothing romantic. There was some common denominator between us that I could not explain, and I trusted my gut on it.
“You’re not ready for the truth,” he said aloud.
“Well, shit. I’m outta here.” I was ready to drive off when he stopped me.
“Wait.”
“You and Terzo obviously have deeper issues and history here. Tell me now, or I’m going. I’ll stay with Cooper or book a hotel room.”
He drew a deep breath, and I saw the deep hesitation in his eyes, and I was losing my patience.
“Well-”
“He’s a mafia.”
I stared at him incredulously before I barked out laughing. I was slightly exaggerated, slamming my palm against the steering wheel to piss him off. “That’s the best thing you can come up with? Try, he’s an alien walking among us. I might believe you.”
When he seemed not amused, keeping his serious and angry face. I stopped laughing and looked at him.
“Wait. You’re serious.”
“He’s the son of one of the most dangerous men in the world. The man you met is Terzo Manuele Siciliano of the Siciliano Organized Crime family.”