Page 66 of The Cleaner

His brown eyes meet mine, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“Dinner’s ready,” Orna yells from the kitchen.

We make our way to the kitchen, where Orna has set out the slightly charred roast alongside an array of side dishes that look much more appetizing. As we take our seats, I can't help but feel a mixture of nervousness and excitement. This is it—my family and Maverick, all together. All the people I love dearly in one place.

"I hope everyone's hungry," Orna says, her voice still a bit shaky as she begins to serve the food.

"It looks delicious," Maverick says smoothly, flashing that charming smile of his. "Thank you for having me over."

Orna visibly relaxes at his words, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "It's our pleasure to have you here."

During dinner, Orna keeps glancing between Maverick and me, her eyes full of questions she's too polite to ask. Devin, on the other hand, is eating his weight in food. I’ve never seen someone eat as much as he does.

Maverick is determined to break the ice. "So, Orna," he says, his voice soft. "Lisa speaks highly of you. How long have you been a foster parent?"

Orna's eyes light up at his question. "Oh, about eight years. Lisa was my first foster child until Devin came along a few years later," she says, but I can see the pride in her eyes. "Giving children a home is one of the most rewarding things in this world. Being able to watch these two grow up into beautiful and amazing people is without a doubt the best thing ever."

God, Orna’s the fucking best. She’s always been sweet and welcoming. I shouldn’t have been worried about her meeting Maverick.

"That's truly admirable," Maverick says, his voice filled with genuine respect. "It takes a special kind of person to open their heart and home like that."

Orna beams at his words. "Thank you, Maverick. It's been a blessing, really. These two have brought so much joy into my life."

"Even when Lisa was being a little shit?" Devin pipes up, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Language, Dev," Orna scolds, but there's no real heat behind it. "But yes, even then. Lisa kept me on my toes, that's for sure. I just pray to God that Devin doesn’t follow suit."

I can’t help but laugh. “I’ll teach him how to joyride,” I quip.

Orna’s eyes narrow in on me. “You’ll do no such thing, young lady. I’ve had enough grey hair thanks to you and your need to chase thrills. Devin is not going to do that.”

Devin chuckles, and I know that he’ll push the limits, but he’s been with Orna for a long time now. He’s been able to heal from what that monster did to him. He won’t need to find an outlet for the rage and hurt he feels.

Maverick leans back in his chair, a grin on his lips, and starts to ask question after question about Devin and me to Orna.Mamaí smiles and answers every single one. She’s so relaxed now that it makes it easier for me to breathe.

Maverick's hand finds mine under the table, entwining his fingers with mine as he talks to my foster mam. He has no idea just how much I love him. God, I got so lucky finding him. I couldn’t imagine my life without him.

I’m praying that when the truth comes out, we can work through it.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

MAVERICK

Five Months Later

I am joltedawake by a sharp kick to my leg, and my eyes snap open to see Lisa writhing in distress. She clutches at her throat, gasping for air as tears stream down her face. Her body shakes with sobs, the sound of her ragged breaths filling the room. I knife up from the bed, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch Lisa trying to fight off the imaginary assailant.

I gently shake Lisa awake, watching as her chest rises and falls with ragged breaths. Her eyes snap open and widen in fear as she realises where she is. Tears stream down her flushed cheeks as she tries to catch her breath. I wrap my arms around her trembling body, feeling the heat of her skin burning against mine.

"You were having a nightmare," I whisper, trying to calm her. But as she clings to me, her grip tight and desperate, I can feel that there's something more going on than just a bad dream. “Talk to me, baby. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t want to do it,” she whispers. “I was so lost after Ma died, so fucking lost, but she hated me,” she sobs, her body bucking against mine. “Dad didn’t give a shit. He only cared about himself and her.”

My body tenses at her words. Fucking Ben and Tanya. “What happened?” I ask, glad that my voice isn’t as hard as I had expected it to be.

“Are you going crazy like your mam did? She laughed when she asked me that. She hated me. She said that the world would be a better place without either me or Ma. She told me I should do something about it.”

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