AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Alright, Meyer crew. You have your assignments,” Merc, our faithful leader, says. “Roll out.”
* * *
Waiting in Eddie’s box suite has got to be the most nerve-wracking part of this whole operation. Maxwell might not even show.
“Stop pacing, kid.”
“Since when does talking to a villain work? This isn’t going to work.”
“I doubt it will, but by then, the captain will have Jack and Rhett, and they’ll be long gone. It’s win-win, okay?”
Loud rapping on the door interrupts my anxiety fest. It opens and Maxwell freezes. He really hoped Eddie would be here, didn’t he? Stepping inside, he shuts the door behind him.
“Congratulations, you succeeded in getting me here. I knew I wasn’t likely to find Eddie here, but … well, it doesn’t matter. Can I assume this is a distraction of some kind? Or do you think you can reason with me?”
Eddie did send the text, but the rest is up to us.
There are so many similarities between Rhett and his dad, my heart aches.You’ll be with him soon.Game face, Lo.
“You don’t know what you have. Rhett loves you despite how horrible you are. You can’t come back from this,” I say.
“Ignorance of the young. I’m his father. Fathers have to make decisions that are best for our families, which means making hard decisions. We’re seldom liked or thanked, but Rhett’s intelligent enough to recognize what I’m doing for him. Guess I can’t hold it against either of you—you’re barely more than orphans.”
“I get that you don’t consider me part of the Great Fathers Club, but I’ve been raising kids since I was ten. We don’t have to be perfect. We can be wrong sometimes, Maxwell,” Mercy says, unaffected by the low blow Maxwell tried to deal.
Ha! We’re Meyers, we have insult competitions for breakfast, and we know our parents suck. He’s going to have to do better than that.
“I do, Merc,” I say, even though it’s so not the time. But it should be said, more often, too. “Best brother-dad a guy could have.”
He squeezes my shoulder, smiling. “Thanks, kid.”
“Is this what you called me in for? To scorn my eyes with your after-school Full House moment? This is worse than every nineties sitcom.”
“They were stalling until I could get here,” Eddie says, striding quietly in the door like a ninja. I do my best to hide my surprise. He wasn’t part of the plan. Hell, I’m not even sure he’s here just for us. Does he think things with Maxwell are salvageable?
“Eddie,” Maxwell breathes and his demeanor shifts. Everything softens and he gives the impression that he might have a heart under all that murky tar, gurgling in his chest.
“Hey, Max.”
“I told you not to call me …” He sighs. “What do you want?” All his hardness returns.
“I’m here to beg you to stop whatever it is you’re doing.”
Maxwell’s focus rivets and Eddie’s the only thing in the room. It gives Merc the opportunity to check his phone. He shakes his head, which means he hasn’t heard from Team Bravo.
“I can’t,” Maxwell says. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Maybe not, but Rhett’s an adult. If it’s a mistake, it’s his to make.”
“Oh, I’m convinced. The foibles of youth are worth letting Rhett risk his future for.” But Maxwell doesn’t know what to do with his hands, squeezing them, restraining his body from doing what it wants.
Mercy takes out his phone again, this time he only stares at it. I don’t like his frown.
“Not for the foibles of youth, for the man he loves. Isn’t love worth it, Maxwell?” Eddie pleads.
Maxwell’s hand rubs over the place on his chest where the heart usually sits. For Maxwell, it’s probably just an empty cavern. “Are we still on the table?”
Eddie’s hand meets the wall, the slap reverberates through the suite. Below, on the ice, the third period’s about to start. If all went according to plan, Jack and Rhett won’t be on the ice.
