AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I smirk. “Good to know. In that case, you can take as many as you like.” She raises her cell to take another, and I stick my tongue out at her, making her laugh. Then I spin, walking for the exit to find her brother. All humor from the moment is now gone, my anger building at the fact Maverick hasn’t noticed she’s crying out for attention and help.
Walking through the clubhouse searching for Maverick, I spot him talking with Swift under the mezzanine level by the machinery. I quietly approach, and with their backs to me, they cannot see me. I step in closer behind them and hear their voiceslowered, so I try to listen, moving behind the stairs.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, Mav?” Swift urges.
Maverick pulls out his cell to show a video, and I lean a little more forward to try and see the screen, but I can’t. Swift’s bulky frame is in the way. “See? Haven was up all night. The entire night, working on her laptop.”
Swift shakes his head, shoving the cell away as I widen my eyes, jerking back and hiding completely from their view.
“Recording her without her consent is a violation, Maverick,” Swift berates.
“But what if she’s up to something? I mean, what do we really know about her?”
Swift grunts. “Loki ran a detailed background. There was nothing suspicious. What if she has insomnia? We know she liked to do a lot of studying in the past. What if she is doing an online course, and because she works here throughout the day, the only time to complete it is at night? I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation. Don’t you fucking start trouble, Mav. Alpha is finally coming out of his shell. Life around here is good. Don’t go rattling any chains unnecessarily.”
Maverick sighs like he’s unsure of how to take Swift defending me. I’m a little taken aback by Swift’s stance, but I will take the wins where I can.
It’s good to know I have someone on my side.
But I am kind of saddened that the affinity I felt with Maverick is being tested.
“Don’t get me wrong, VP. I like Haven. I do. There’s just something I can’t quite put my finger on. A feeling I get when I’m around her. I just don’t know what it is. It’s unsettling.”
I step back from the stairs, take a wide birth, and walk over to them. “Hey, guys, did you see the Lakers and UCLA play last night?” I call out like I had no idea they were talking about me.
Maverick spins so fast, he almost loses his balance as I sip mycoffee like nothing is wrong.
Swift casually smiles. “Heard they were both good games. Gotta love that March Madness,” Swift replies.
I widen my eyes at him. “Right? I got so lost in basketball last night after watching the two games that I stayed up all night researching the players and watching old clips of past players. Man, Shaquille O’Neal’s individual accolades are massive. The guy’s won the 1999 to 2000 MVP and the 1992 to 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Not to mention, he is one of only three players to win the NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP awards in the same year! Talk about freaking legendary. He’s also one of the league’s greatest players of all time, having been named in the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. The list goes on with many more accolades, but I don’t want to bore you.” I let out an impressed laugh.
“Guy’s a machine! No wonder I need this coffee today, but I need tonotget so lost in research. It’s my brain, you know? When it locks onto something I find interesting, I just keep going down that damn rabbit hole. That’s probably why I do numerous courses and learn so many different things. It’s a problem I’m trying to deal with it.” I shake my head. “Anyway, I’m blabbering. How was your night?” I focus on Maverick. He studies me intently, and I see the shift in him.
He believes my story.
Fact is, I did have the games on last night while doing my research. That part wasn’t a total lie. And I have gone down the Shaq rabbit hole before because, let’s face it, the guy is a total badass. It made it easy to pull those facts out of my ass to sell my story. Though it most definitely wasn’t Shaq I was researching last night.
Swift glares at Mav, and he dips his chin. “Glad you have that coffee to help get you through the day. When I stay up all night, I am like a zombie the next day. Poor Clover usually cops thebrunt of my bad mood.”
I point my finger at him. “Actually, she is why I came here to talk to you.”
Maverick narrows his gaze on me, and Swift slaps Mav on the back. “I’ll let you two talk. Come chat with me later if you want to follow up with me about what we discussed, Mav.”
Mav dips his chin. “Will do, thanks, Swift. Appreciate it.”
Swift gives me a head bob as he goes and a warm smile. I smile back, then turn to Mav.
He focuses his attention on me. “So, Clover. Something I should know about?” he asks.
“Yeah, actually, I was just talking with her in the kitchen. Me and Navy were, to be fair. Clo feels like she’s struggling at school.”
Maverick inhales like he’s annoyed and folds his arms over his chest defensively. “She’s only got a couple of months left this year, then she’s going into her senior year. She needs to apply herself.”
I try to hold myself back. “Mav, I know she’s your sister. You’ve been taking care of her by yourself for a while now. It’s just you two, and I know how difficult that must be, but Clover isnota normal seventeen-year-old girl. She has insulin-dependent diabetes, and that gives her side effects that other teenagers her age don’t have to deal with. Lethargy, memory issues, attention span issues, learning difficulties, these areallthings she is struggling with and doesn’t want to tell you about because you’re riding her ass about finishing school. You gotta cut her some slack, man.”
Maverick drops his arms to his side, his face falling with concern. “She’s really struggling that much?”
“Yeah, and because she’s too scared to say anything, the kids and teachers are picking on her too. She wants to leave school when she is this close to the finish line. I’m hopeful that I havetalked her into staying, but I promised her that you and I would talk to the school and get them to pick up their motherfucking act.”
