MAVERICK
My life was just getting better and better. My father was a notorious criminal, and my brother just shot a human being like a target practice. What could be better than that? Maybe that was why secrets should just be kept buried.
“When are you going to leave this house?” Nana had her hand on her hip, leaning against the doorjamb, wearing an annoying look.
“I’ll be out of your hair sooner, Nana. Jeez. It’s only been three days.” I scrubbed the sink and poured a generous amount of liquid soap into it.
“Three days? It’s been a week, Ricky. If you are scared someone will come and kidnap me again, don’t worry about it. Your ex and those guys involved are already locked up behind bars. You’re safe now, and I’m sure your husband has ordered some people to watch this house. And Terzo is probably keeping tabs on you.”
“Since when did you become Team Lake?”
“You cleaned that thrice today, Ricky. What you’re doing is not healthy. You kept cleaning the house, but you barely took care of yourself. When you wake up, you go to school, work at the Bazz, and come home to sleep. This is not living.”
“Nana, please. I’m still processing everything.”
She released an audible breath as she dragged the chair noisily and took a seat. “I figured your mother was entangled with some dangerous people. She kept looking outside the window when her pregnancy was growing. She stopped going out but became paranoid, double-locking the doors and windows.”
“And you did not tell me about this, why? And here I thought you knew nothing about my father.”
“Your father is a dangerous man, Ricky. When you were weaned from breastfeeding, she left. I think she knew her life and yours would never be safe when you were together.”
“Yet she made me feel unloved like I did not come from her.”
“Your mother has a hard time raising you. She was only eighteen when she had you, and your father threatened her to have an abortion. When he found out she did the opposite, he had gone mad, but he knew he could not raise another girl, and he and his wife might have reconciled.”
“Great. I was born from cheating.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She looked at me for a moment. “The other day before I was taken, your husband paid me a visit. He told me you didn’t know he was coming.”
“Did he?” I was surprised he didn’t tell me, but I guessed he used to keep things to himself.
“He told me not to abandon you like your mother did, and you will always choose me over him.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Don’t do this, Ricky. Marriage is not something you can leave because you want to get out of it. You vowed to be with each other. Marriage is sacred. Your grandpa and I fought many times, but because we loved each other and knew life wouldn’t be easy, we always found each other, and I will always cherish what we had. You two barely married for two months, and you’re already giving up.”
“He will lie and lie to me over and over again because I’m tolerating him.”
“He kept the truth from you to protect you. Gaetano Siciliano is a dangerous man. You’re better off without him, and you shouldn’t have dug what’s been buried for years.”
The doorbell rang. Our gazes met.
“Go open the door,” Nana ordered me.
“It’s not him.”
“Of course, he’s not. You left him. You two will get back together only if you go back to him. You need his money, remember? And you still have an obligation to fulfill.”
I cringed at her words. I pulled out the gloves and washed my hands before leaving the kitchen. The doorbell rang again. “Just a minute.”
I opened the door. To my dismay, it wasn’t really Lake.
Cooper was grinning at me. “Hey, best friend.”
“What do you want?” I left the door open. I knew he would follow me.
“Get dressed, and we’re going out for a coffee.”
“No thanks. I have coffee at home.” I sat on the couch, pulled my legs, and rested my chin on my knees.
“You don’t answer his call. You don’t reply to his texts, and now I become the bridge, and he starts to annoy me. This is his last voicemail.” He played.
“Cooper, tell my wife.” That was the first time I heard his voice in days. “If she will not show herself in the penthouse, I will call my attorney to file the divorce and let her suffer the consequences.”
“Did he just give me an ultimatum?”
Cooper shrugged. “I think so. And it’s been a week, Mave. You should go home, and I missed the funny, outgoing friend I have. I don’t like this person. You’re like her evil twin. A nasty and stinky evil twin.”
I glared at him. Since it was Saturday, it may be the time to go out. “Let’s grab a coffee.”
“First and foremost, shower and change. You stink.” He crunched his nose as I rose to my feet.
I did as he told me to. I showered and changed into a white top and denim shorts. We used his car since I didn’t have mine.
We went to the nearest coffee shop, where Terzo and I had coffee. I ignored his calls, too, but at the same time, I wanted to know more about him.
Our coffee arrived, and I ordered a slice of Tiramisu. The fork was halfway to my mouth when Terzo walked inside the coffee shop.
“You set me up?” I put the fork down and glared at Cooper.
“What do you mean?” He looked confused.
Terzo joined our table, sat beside me, and called the waitress.
“Why are you here?” I turned to his side and narrowed my eyes at him.
“You ignored my calls. I was just checking up on you.”
“Who’s this guy, Mave? Don’t tell me you already found a replacement for Lake. No offense, but I like Lake more, and this guy is scary.”
We stared at Cooper. While Terzo was giving him a dead man’s glare, the intensity made him uncomfortable as I cringed at him.
“Oh, my God. Ew. That’s disgusting.” I winced even at the thought of it. “I’m still married, Coop.”
“Don’t talk to my sister like that again, Cooper Greene or I will kill you in your sleep.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop it. You can’t just show up, sit with me, and threaten my friend.”
His eyes softened. “You should have at least texted me.”
“Why? Tell me why?”
“Wait a minute.” Cooper finally found his voice. “Did he just say my sister?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.” I sighed and enjoyed my Tiramisu.
“How’s your grandma?”
“Why do you care? You knew and met Nana, yet you never told me.”
“Did she?”
I paused for a moment not to burst out my anger. “You threatened her, did you?”
“I respect people who know how to respect others, Maverick. I would never hurt you and your grandmother. I did not threaten her. Papa made her promise not to tell you, and it’s to protect you.”
“What is going on?” Cooper asked, looking worried. I only told him about what my ex did, but not the details about Terzo.
“This is a family drama. Stay out of it,” Terzo said, and I became protective of Cooper.
“One more mistreatment of my friend. I swear I will never talk to you again. Do you understand me? I don’t care if you saved my life. I don’t owe you shit.”
“Of course, you don’t owe me anything. That’s what big brother does- protect his sister. And just so you know, I would take a bullet for you, and I would die for you.” Terzo caught me off guard, and he just simply sipped his coffee when it arrived, ignoring the look I gave him.
He sighed and said, “You should go back. You can’t just hang around here without a bodyguard.”
“I don’t need one. He’s the rich and not me.”
“And look what happened.”
“Don’t care,” I said stubbornly.
“Maybe you should. Do you know how valuable you are? If someone abducts you, it could cause a security disaster for Winston and Braddson?”
“You’re exaggerating it.”
“Sis.” That was the first time he called me that.” He turned and faced me. “Winston, just your husband’s net worth is thirty billion dollars. I won’t include his son of a bitch father. “Moses Braddson alone is worth two hundred thirteen billion dollars. Imagine if your abduction went public, the damage you cause would be disastrous.”
“Did he call you to come and talk me out?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I just don’t want you to be out alone.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.”
He didn’t like what Cooper had said. “You keep an eye on my sister. If something happens to her, I will pull out your eyeballs and feed them to my dogs. Do you understand me?”
“You’re unbelievable.” I shook my head.
“I mean it.” Terzo just rose to his feet, kissed the top of my head, and walked away.
“Is he for real?” Cooper asked.
“Oh, yeah. You have no idea.”