Page 119 of Faith and Fury

Hey man - sorry I know it’s late

If he’s about to confess to having Faith at his place, he shouldn’t bother. Caleb already passed on the memo.

The bubbles roll as he types.

MAVERICK

I thought you should know

Faith is having a real hard time right now

Something painful claws at my throat—rage, or regret, I’m not sure.

Your head alpha’s an idiot

Jax isn’t any better

But I figured you might be able to do better

Nervously, I pick up the phone, daring to type back:

What would be the point?

She doesn’t want us.

He answers immediately, almost angrily:

MAVERICK

Of course she does

Then, following a begrudging pause, adds:

She’s in love with you

My heart falters. She’s … what? There’s no way Faith would’ve said that—or certainly not in those words. If Maverick’s just trying to play matchmaker, I’m not sure I appreciate it.

He starts typing again.

MAVERICK

Believe me or don’t - up to you

But i’m not giving you guys a chance like this again

Faith is hurting

Either you fix it, or I will

It strikes me in that moment—Maverick has nothing to gain by telling me this. Though we were never close, we’ve always had a solid working relationship built on mutual respect. And it’s no secret he’s been interested in Faith from the beginning, just like us.

So I believe him when he says this is our last chance.

I type back, resoundingly, Understood.

With that, I leap out of bed, my unsteadiness trickling away as I make a beeline for the master bedroom.

The door flings open exactly as I get there. I guess Caleb hasn’t been sleeping much, either.

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