Page 9 of Maximus

Besides, Eva admitted she’d sink a knife into my back if I made the wrong move.

And I believed her.

Chapter 3

Tex needed to hurry up and call me back. Max had to leave.

His presence took up all the space in my small living room. He sucked all the oxygen out of the room and made it hard to breathe. The man was larger than life, and the way he stared at me made me nervous.

He didn’t like me, that much was obvious. Not that I could blame him, I’d done some horrible things in the past, things I was trying to atone for, but I knew I’d never achieve salvation. There was no way to erase the black marks on my soul. Even knowing that, I didn’t regret saving my boys. But I did regret having to hurt two innocent people in the process. I’d never forgive myself for that.

Zoey and Mark.

Thank God, they were alive.

But then, I figured they had a better chance than most. Mark Wright was a Navy SEAL.

Max’s cell rang and I held my breath. Please, let it be Tex.

“Tex,” Max greeted, and relief washed over me.

“Thank God,” I mumbled, and Max cut his icy blue eyes to me.

Sweet Jesus, his stare was lethal.

Even as he listened intently to Tex, his gaze never left mine—alert, assessing. Full of condemnation.

In his mind, he’d already tried me, convicted me, and there’d be no changing the guilty verdict. Not that I cared, but I still felt the wrath of his censure.

“Right,” Max spoke. “We already went through all of that. She’s got nothing useful.”

Of course I don’t, because I’m useless.

“Sure.” Max pulled the phone away from his ear, tapped the screen then continued. “You’re on speaker.”

“Eva?” Tex’s voice boomed.

“Yeah.”

“I want you to go up to Maryland with Max. His team has a safehouse—”

“No, Tex. The boys finally have stability—a routine. You know that. I can’t just disrupt that. No one has been bothering me here.”

“I get it. Why don’t you come up to my place and stay with me and Melody?” he volleyed.

“Melody?”

“My wife.”

“I didn’t know you were married.” Though the thought made me smile. Tex was a good man, very kind and giving. “I like that for you.”

“Listen,” he sighed. “I wouldn’t be telling you to move your boys unless this was serious. I have two kids of my own. I know how important stability is.” Tex is a dad? Wow. That kind of explains some of why he helped my kids. “Trust me.”

His last two words hung in the air—trust me—I didn’t trust anyone.

I’d blindly trusted two men in my life, both had fucked me over. One royally. The other had screwed me over in a way that I’d never forget—my boys would never forget.

“Tex, I hate to sound like a broken record, but—”