It’s my father.
Of course it is. News must’ve gotten back to him that his casino was busted, and he may not have much time before the authorities show up on his doorstep. He’s probably making the rounds and calling all of his children right now despite the fact that it’s four in the morning here in Vegas.
Shit. Shit!
I know it’s about this same situation. It has to be.
But what if it isn’t?
What if something happened to my mom? What if she’s declining or even worse and he’s calling to let me know? I can’tnotpick up.
“Dad?” I answer.
“Everleigh, I need your silence. I need you to promise you’ll put our family first. Our legacy. Promise me, darling.” He’s begging me. I’ve never heard his voice like this before. Never. “Listen, if you tell anyone that I’m tied to that place, I’ll go to jail. It stays between us. Promise me.”
I don’t know what to do. I can’t put him through whatever it is he’ll have to go through if his secret comes out, not when we’re all worried about my mom.
“I promise,” I say softly, my eyes on Maverick as I watch his shoulders physically deflate at my words to my father.
“Is Mom okay?” I ask quietly, turning away from Maverick.
“She’s the same. But I suspect seeing her family in ruins wouldn’t help the situation,” he says. “I know it’s early there. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”
He cuts the call, clearly satisfied with my response, but Maverick clearly is not.
“What do you want me to say?” I ask quietly. “You’re asking me to choose between my family and—”
“And my reputation,” he finishes flatly. “The very thing you moved across the country to fix.”
“I can do both,” I protest.
“Can you? Because it would save me a hell of a lot of trouble if I could give the police your father’s name.” He shakes his head and clenches his jaw as he walks toward my door. He opens it, and he turns back toward me before he walks through it. “How are you going to clean it up when my citation becomes a misdemeanor and it’s on my record because you’re protecting a man who never showed you any loyalty?” He slams the door closed, and I stare at it as tears start to tumble down my cheeks.
He's right. I did move across the country to fix his reputation, and we were on the right track. Things were getting better. He was starting to earn back the respect of his teammates, his coaches, his colleagues around the league. He fell for me, and I fell for him. We were in this together. We were ready to take on the world as we did our finger breathing on the roof the other night.
But now he has a citation, and things could get worse once the DA reviews the case. They’ll try to make an example out of him—especially when he won’t talk. And he won’t…because he’s protectingme. He’s protectingmy family.
And I can’t do the same goddamn thing for him.
Two hours later, I’m showered and ready for the day as I sip my second cup of strong coffee. I’m getting ready to head to the practice facility when I hear more pounding on my door.
Thank God. I was worried Maverick was going to head to practice without seeing me first, and we definitely need to talk.
I whip the door open without bothering to peek through the peephole, and I say, “Thank God.”
“For what?” my brother asks.
“Dex,” I say with surprise in my voice. “What are you doing here?”
His brows dip. “Who did you think would be knocking on your door at six in the morning?” His eyes edge to the front door on the other side of the hall, and he narrows his eyes at me.
I realize then that Dex doesn’t know everything that’s gone down between Maverick and me.
“What are you doing here?” I repeat instead of answering his question. I open the door to let him in and turn away from him.
“Did Dad get to you?” he asks.
I nod. “He called earlier begging me to promise I wouldn’t associate his name with that place. But Maverick was there, and if he names him, he’ll get off easier.”
