Page 53 of The Cleaner

Ben's eyes widen as he takes in Maverick. Being over six feet with broad shoulders and muscles, Maverick is an intimidating sight.

"Who the hell are you?"Ben demands, trying to pull his arm free from Maverick's iron grip.

"I'mthe man who's going to make sure you walk out that door and never come back," Maverick replies coolly. "Now, are you going to leave on your own, or do I need to assist you?"

Ben's eyesdart between Maverick and me, a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. "Lisa, who is this guy? You can't be serious about this."

I step closer to Maverick, drawing strength from his presence. "This is Maverick," I say, my voice steadier now. "He's my...." I pause, unsure of what to call him.

“Her boyfriend,” Maverick says smoothly. “She’s asked you to leave, so do so, otherwise you won’t like the way I remove you.”

Ben's jaw drops, his eyes widening in shock. "You’re datinghim?" he practically sneers.

"That's none of your business," I reply coldly. "You lost the right to know anything about my life the day you walked out on me."

Maverick's arm wraps protectively around my waist, and I lean into him, grateful for his support. "You heard her," he says to Ben. "It's time for you to go."

Ben's face contorts with a mixture of anger and pain. "Lisa, please. I know I screwed up, but I'm still your father. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I feel tears stinging my eyes.

"A father doesn't abandon his child,” Maverick hisses. “Now fucking leave,” he snaps.

He pulls me closer to his body, wrapping me tightly in his arms as he pushes me further into the house and slams the door closed.

The sound of the door slamming echoes through the house, and I collapse against Maverick's chest, my body shaking with sobs I can no longer hold back. His arms tighten around me, one hand gently stroking my hair as he murmurs soothing words into my ear.

"It's okay, baby," he whispers. "I've got you. He's gone now."

I cling to him, burying my face in his shirt as years of pent-up pain and anger pour out of me. Maverick just holds me as I fall apart.

Just when I thought I had overcome everything that happened, he shows up and tears apart everything I’ve worked hard for.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

MAVERICK

She’s tremblingin my arms and it’s taking everything in me not to go and follow that motherfucker. I heard enough for me to understand that he’s her father, but I also heard what she said. That he left her for dead. It’s bringing up a fucking lot of questions for me, and right now, the way that she’s trembling and struggling to breathe tells me that she's not ready to answer them. I hold her tighter, feeling the tension in her body slowly ebb away as she clings to me for support. Her sobs quiet down to soft hiccups, and I stroke her hair gently, trying to offer some sort of comfort when all I want to do is kill that motherfucker.

Once her tears subside and she’s able to breathe again, she lifts her head from my chest and looks up at me with tear-streaked eyes. My heart clenches at her tears. Fuck, I hate them.

“You okay, babe?” I gently run my hand over her hair, feeling the silky strands slide between my fingers.

"Yes," she says on a shaky whisper. "I’m sorry," she apologises, her voice quivering with emotion.

“You never have to apologise,” I reassure her. “Never. You up for talking?”

Her body stiffens against mine and she takes a deep breath, steeling herself before speaking. "I... I don't know if I can talk about it yet," she admits, her voice still shaky.

I nod understandingly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me," I reassure her. “But I’d like to know what you meant when you said he left you for dead.”

She closes her eyes briefly, and I get the feeling that she's not going to share the details with me. But when she opens them again, they hold a mixture of determination and vulnerability. "If I do, you’ll see me differently."

“That’s not going to happen,” I growl. No fucking way.

“We had a happy family. Or so I thought. Everything was going so well, until my dad had an affair and broke our family apart,” she whispers, her voice laced with heartache. “I don't know what happened, but my dad changed. He became distant and absent. My parents got divorced, and my ma spiralled into depression. She had always struggled with mental health issues, but after my dad left it got worse.”

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