Page 69 of The Cleaner

I take a step back, my voice trembling with raw emotion. "My dad, Maverick. He's...he's dead," I choke out, the words heavy with grief.

Maverick's expression darkens as realisation dawns on him. His jaw tightens, his fists clenching at his sides. "Lisa—" he says gravely, stepping closer to me.

I shake my head in disbelief, tears streaming down my face. "How could you? Why would you do this to me?" I cry out, my heart torn between the love I have for him and the pain of his betrayal.

“What am I missing?” Ciarán asks.

“Meet the Cleaner, Ciarán.” My voice drips with venom. I’m so hurt and angry. I never expected this from him.

“Shit,” Ciarán grunts, his face slack with shock. “Fuck, I didn’t know.”

“How long have you known?” Maverick questions, shoving his hands into his pockets and clenching his jaw.

“Months,” I reply, my tears falling thick and fast. “I didn’t care. You’re more than the Cleaner. You were my Maverick.”

Maverick's eyes soften as he takes a step closer to me, his hand reaching out tentatively, but I step away. I can’t let him touch me. "Lisa, I never wanted this life to touch you," he begins, his voice pained. "I kept you separate to protect you."

"How can you say that?" I choke out, my voice barely above a whisper. "You killed my dad!"

"That fucker hurt you. He let that cunt almost destroy you. I’m not a man who’ll let that slide, baby. I fucking love you. I won’t ever let that happen. Someone hurts you; they’ll pay for doing so."

Pain slashes through me. No, he can’t love me. Everyone who has loved me has gone, has left me.

“I can’t—” I breathe, my heart pounding, my body trembling with fear. “Please,” I beg, unsure of what I’m pleading for.

“Baby, listen to me,” he rasps torturedly. “Please, just hear me out.”

“You killed him, Maverick. You killed my dad. How do we get past that?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but I do know that we can.”

I find myself staring at Maverick, my eyes wide with disbelief. Could he really be so heartless? My dad was a piece of shit, but he was still my dad. How could Maverick take that away from me?

"Maybe we can't," I say finally, my voice barely a whisper. "Maybe some things can't be forgiven."

Maverick's face is a mixture of anger and pain. "I know you don’t agree with what I’ve done, but I can’t change it," he says, his voice full of pain. "I’d do anything to ensure no one ever hurts you. When you love someone, baby, you want to protect them. You want to make sure that they’re safe."

“Stop saying that,” I scream. I can’t listen to it. I don’t want to fucking hear it. It’s too much. All of this is just way too much.

“What?” he asks with a raised brow. “That I love you?”

"I don't want to hear it!" I yell, my voice breaking with emotion. “Don’t you get it? I’m not worthy of love. I fuck up everyone’s life.”

His face contorts with rage and pain. “Fuck no,” he growls. “You don’t fuck up anyone’s life. Your father was a cunt, Lisa, one of the biggest fucking assholes I’ve ever come across. Killing him was a fucking privilege, baby. I’d do it over and over again. That motherfucker made you doubt how amazing you are.”

“Stop,” I beg, sinking to the floor, unable to take this anymore.

Maverick crouches in front of me, his touch soft as he runs his thumb along my cheek, swiping away the tears that won’t stop falling. “You are more than worthy of love, baby. I fucking love you. My world was bleak until you walked into it. I fucking love everything about you.”

“Please,” I rasp. “Stop. Please, Mav, please go. I can’t do this right now.” My body bucks as sobs rip through me, tears streaming down my face. I can't take this. The pain is too much. I feel like I'm going to shatter into a million pieces.

Maverick's face is a mixture of pain and anger, but he nods, wiping his hand across his face, trying to regain control. “I’ll go, just for now, but I’m not leaving you, baby. Not now, not fucking ever. I’ll be back,” he promises me. He presses a kiss against my head. It’s soft and lingers for a moment. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispers.

I close my eyes as he stands up. I hear low whispers and know that he’s talking with Ciarán, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. My body is still trembling as my sobs continue. The moment the door closes, my cries get harder.

He’s gone. God, he’s gone. What have I done? I sit here, broken and lost, sobbing, trying to catch my breath as I try to hold on to that tiny glimmer of hope that he’ll be back. That Ihaven’t ruined everything. That I haven’t pushed away the only man I’ve ever loved and lost him forever.

Chapter

---