“NOAH’S SLEEP. WHAT do you want me to say to him?” Delores asked. She stood at the window peeking out as the truck headlights were shut down. It was close to nine at night. She regretted asking her parents to come and stay with her. It was childish. The reunion should have been just him and her. She’d give security a heads up when Queen said Apollo had given Maverick his truck. Maverick arrived without incident.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Delilah said.
“You have?”
“When Maverick comes in, send him upstairs to Noah’s room. I’ll be there waiting for him.”
“Do you think that’s wise? I mean, he’s been in New York, the virus? Maybe it best he quarantines before he sees the baby.”
“Just do it. Okay?” Delilah asked in a patient tone. She was up the stairs before she heard the knock at the door. Her son lay in the bed with his favorite truck to his left. She picked it up and smiled. Noah had struggled with her when Maverick first left, but they learned to adjust to life without Maverick after a while. Delilah secretly never did. She didn’t want that to be the new reality for her boy. He deserved a father like Maverick. That should be her focus.
“Hi?” A voice spoke from behind her.
Delilah closed her eyes to the sound of Maverick’s voice. She felt her chest constrict against her lungs. She released a deep breath and turned to see him standing like a mirage before her. He was no different. Maverick wore the same black leather bomber jacket and a baseball cap. He stood there with his hands in his pockets—a thing he did when he seemed unsure. And the mask on his face was a sign that he respected the boundaries and wanted to keep them safe.
“Hi, Maverick. Welcome back,” she said.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
MY CONFESSION
“You look beautiful,” Maverick said. Her hair was different. Very curly in its natural state of puff and locs, it brushed her shoulders. She wore a green silk shirt and matching silk pants. Her curves were flattered by the fabric, but nothing fit too tight. He found her even more seductive when she was more conservative. And he could smell her the moment he entered the room. The perfume that he could never get enough of. He’d missed her so much it rocked him to his core to be in her presence.
“Sorry, but he’s asleep,” she said.
Maverick looked at his son. He stood a good six feet from them both. He wanted desperately to touch his boy, but he decided against it. “I had to come tonight, I just had to—.”
“To see him? I know. He talked about you all day. Between you and his new turtle, he’s so excited. He will be happy to wake up and see you’re here.”
“Delilah, wait—.”
“I’ve already made the guest room downstairs near the terrace for you. My parents are here. So you have to stay downstairs. Well, you’re not staying in my bed. You lost that privilege when you left.” Delilah announced.
Maverick swallowed a smile at her generosity wrapped in anger. If she felt anything for him, it gave him hope. He was warned by Queen that she was deadly serious about ending their affair.
“I’m not staying,” Maverick informed her.
Her righteous look of indignation melted. He could see a gleam of hurt in her eyes. “What?”
“I’m going to quarantine myself at Apollo’s,” he hurried to explain.
“Oh? Yea. Okay,” she agreed.
“And while I’m there, I’ll look for a place of my own,” he added.
“A place? Away from us?” she asked.
“There is no us, remember? You made that clear. You changed your phone number. I couldn’t come back here and just assume you would forgive me so easily.”
“I don’t forgive you.” She crossed her arms. “You know what. Spend time with your son and then get out.” She started toward the door. Maverick stepped in her path. He could see so much confusion and hurt in her eyes. If she had just read the damn letter, it wouldn’t be so hard for him. Now he’ll have to confess it all to her in person. She carried too much distrust of him. “Can we talk? Really talk?”
“You never talk, Maverick. You just shrug and walk away. You never tell me anything. I’m tired of you. I won’t stop you from having a relationship with Noah as long as it is here and on my terms. I just don’t want this. Not anymore.”
“Don’t threaten me,” Maverick sighed.
“It’s not a threat, I mean it!” Delilah said.
“Fine. I’m not taking the bait. This won’t turn into a fight,” Maverick said.
“Then what do you want? Why did you come back? Huh?”
“I sold my garage, my trailer, everything I had,” he said and silenced her. “I went to New York to close out my life. For Noah.”
She rolled her eyes. She walked away from him shaking her head.
“And for you. I made some bad decisions, and the truth is I’ll continue to make them. I’m learning how to be different. I want to tell you everything. I trust you. And I know you need to trust me. Can we talk about it?”
She shrugged her shoulders in the way he often did.
“Good enough.” Maverick took her hand and pulled her in closer, and she didn’t resist. To be closer was progress. Together they left his son's room and went inside her office. It was the best meeting space for them. Private and out of earshot of others. Delilah had a sofa that sat two. Maverick chose a chair across from her. And he made sure to keep his mask on for her protection. Once they were settled, and his gut wasn’t cramping with anxiety, he explained himself by starting from the beginning. In doing so, he confessed everything. He explained how his team formed, who they were, and who they weren’t. The drug task force was just a title. They considered themselves Renegades and justified everything they did to catch traffickers with the approval of high officials in the city—all the way to the governor. The team he commanded performed illegal searches, roughed up suspects so severely until they got confessions, and even used blackmail to turn others into informants. In his career, he faced several disciplinary hearings. It almost always ended the same. He walked away with his offenses dismissed, discharged, forgiven. It was a power greater than anything he’d ever known, and he truly believed himself above the law. So he broke more rules. The last mission cost him the most. It was Maverick who sent his team to that warehouse against his Chief orders. And the gangs knew his plan. The takedown was one of the most brutal retributions against the NYPD in decades. And the thirst for revenge sent him on a dark spiral. He confessed more to her than he’d ever admitted to himself—all of this he had said much better and neater in the letter. For him, it was a raw mix of rambling excuses and stuttering confessions through his guilt and shame. There was no escaping her critical stare and the deep breaths of disbelief she gave after hearing some of the worst of it. But she listened. She asked a few questions. When he was done, he told her about New York and the evidence he kept in a storage locker. The conspiracies that would be proven true would make national news if used the right way, and Maverick had no doubt that Dailey would use it the right way. There was nothing left to explain. He’d handed over his life, his future with his son to her. Delilah could destroy him with everything he shared, just as he could destroy her with the information he knew about her childhood participation in the murder.