LAKE
The moment Maverick came out of the Chinese restaurant wiping off the tears from her face, I knew it didn’t go as she planned.
“Maverick.” I helped her get in the car and pulled her in my arms.
“He’s the most vicious man I’ve ever met. I’m even ashamed that that man was my father. I am disgusted that I tried to find him. Maybe I should have just left him alone.”
“I’m so sorry, baby, that it didn’t go as you planned.” No matter how I tried soothing her, she still continued sobbing against my chest.
I felt the immense pain coming from her. It was also my fault that I dug deeper to know the identity of her father. Now, she was paying for what I’d done.
“Take me to Terzo.” She pulled away, grabbed the tissue I offered, and blew her nose after her apology.
“We’re going there now. I know I shouldn’t ask this, but are you okay?”
“No.” Her reply was instant. She drew a deep breath and glanced at me. “He said he has to make a good example of what loyalty means to the organization. What does that even mean? Does the life of his son mean nothing to him? He’s a disgusting piece of pig. He’s a waste of air.”
I let out a sigh and kissed the top of her head. “I should have kept the identity of your father to myself. Terzo warned me not to tell you. Maybe this is the consequence he’s been avoiding. That’s why he kept his distance from you.”
“This is not your fault. Terzo was arrested last year. My question is, how did Gaetano find out about the deal? It doesn’t make sense. I’m sure this deal is top secret, right? Yet somehow he found out about it.”
“He has a lot of connections, Maverick, in the government, politicians, underground, and, of course, thugs, triads, lowlife criminals. That’s how his money works. He buys loyalty.”
“Yet he can’t save his son. Unless he threw his son to the agency to test his loyalty.”
“I don’t think so.”
“He said, I have no idea what I get myself into, and there’s a lot at stake here. Oh, my God. He is a heartless, ruthless man,” she spat out in anger.
“Uncle said so. Family means a lot to him, but betrayal is intolerable even coming from his own.”
“Thank God he did not raise me because he can’t ever brainwash me into tolerating that kind of life, that he’s the good guy here. He disgusts me.”
We arrived at the Osmium with another black SUV following us.
“Wait. Where’s Linden?”
“He got called out. He’s needed here. I didn’t ask for the details.” I helped her out of the car.
She stopped crying, but I still felt her pain. She should be enjoying her life, celebrating finishing college. Yet, here we were, trying to save Terzo from his impending death sentence from his father.
I shouldn’t have called him to come. Maybe we could have avoided all this from happening.
Linden met us outside his office, looking like he had just received terrible news.
“Where’s Terzo?” Maverick was the first to ask.
He sighed hard before he replied, and I had a feeling this was not good. “He left.”
“What do you mean he left? Where to? Was he alone?”
He shook his head to Maverick. “No. When I came, he was already leaving. I couldn’t stop when two SUVs were parked outside and he went with them without a fight. I couldn’t exactly order my men to risk their lives when Terzo was too willing to go. He surrendered himself.”
“Why the fuck did he do that?”
“To prevent the bloodbath. Maybe my men could get him out alive, but this is a private agency, and I couldn’t let my company get involved with the mafia like the Sicilianos. You know how they work if I kill one of them. They play dirty and will come after every family of my men. I’m sorry, Winston, Maverick, but I chose to save lives.”
Maverick cried again, wiping off her tears. “So meeting me was a distraction?”
Linden nodded.
“Shit.” I sighed as I closed my eyes briefly.
“That son of a bitch! Maybe I can still stop him,” she said with a hopeful gaze.
“Baby, I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything anymore.”
“That’s not true! Don’t ever say that.” She hit me in the arm, and I let her if it made her feel better.
I shut my mouth. I was as hopeless as she was. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do anymore. I’d never been in this kind of situation, and I lost all options.
“Maybe your uncle can help us.”
“Honey, I’m sorry, but Boss can’t do anything anymore. They’re probably on their way to Italy right now,” said Linden regrettably.
“Then I will tip the FBI.” She stomped away towards the elevator.
“Shit,” Linden and I said in unison. “Here, give it to her.”
I took the paper from Linden and followed her.
“Maverick, don’t do this. You’ve done everything you could. Terzo might have saved us all, and this is his choice. You have to respect it.”
“I can’t believe that you just said that to me.” She hit me in the chest before she shook to cry. “You have no idea how it hurts me, knowing he’s gonna be dead once they landed.”
“I know how you feel, baby. Trust me,”
“No, you don’t.” She glared at me. “I would have been dead by now if it wasn’t for him. If he were only late in three seconds, I wouldn’t be here today. And he is my family.” She punched the elevator button.
“So do I, Maverick. I’m your family, too. You’re not alone in this.”
“I feel like I’m alone right now. Leave me alone.” Not this again.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I joined her inside the elevator.”
We ended up at the Bazz. Rocco and Genesis shared a look. They just closed the bar, and no one was left except us.
“What’s wrong with her?” Rocco watched her grab a whiskey and poured at least two shots into the glass.
“Family.”
“And you will just watch her get drunk to intoxication?”
“Let her drink. She needs it.”
“That bad?”
I looked at Rocco and nodded.
“Worse than breakup. She’s never done that but cursed the hell out of that pig.”
I sighed as I slid to the stool and watched her mix something. “Can I have one from whatever you’re making?”
“No. Get your own drink. It’s a free country!” She shook whatever was inside that shaker harder, and I bet it would make her drunk.
“Just easy on that, okay?”
She put that thing down, hands on the counter, and narrowed her eyes. “Why the hell do you care? This is my way of mourning.”
“Baby, I’m sorry I can’t help, but this is not what he wants you to do.”
“You don’t know what he wants. Oh, what he wanted. What he did was stupid. He just went on his suicide and did not even say goodbye to me. So it hurts. It fucking hurts. I wish I didn’t have met him. At least I didn’t have to cry for his stupidity.” She grabbed a glass and poured that light yellow liquid into it.
“That’s dumb to say, baby.” I grabbed the paper from my pocket and gave it to her. “Linden gave it to me. It’s for you.”
She just stared at the paper with her name written on it. “What the hell is that?”
“I’m sure it’s from Terzo.”