Page 41 of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

“Hey, Extremists! We arelivefrom Enchantments!”

Maverick was huge, broad, and powerful through the chest, towering over Adele, hands like bear claws, skin dewy with youth, eyes rimmed with fatigue. He moved like things hurt him,and Adele remembered those fail reels that Blake loved so much—all those falls, body bending, thrown, landing hard. Life. It takes its toll, leaves its scars.

“Malinka Nicqui, the youngest woman to climb all Seven Summits and the founder of the Yes I Can clothing line, a portion of proceeds devoted to empowering women and girls all over the world. Welcome to Extreme Hide and Seek at Enchantments.”

“Hey, Mav,” Malinka said to him. “Long time. Congrats on all your success.”

Was there something icy there? An edge to her tone and her gaze?

“Thank you so much,” he said as if he’d said it a million, a billion times. Not insincere but practiced. Malinka kept an unreadable stare on him, but he didn’t seem to notice, talking directly to the camera. “I don’t have to ask if you’re ready for the challenge. You were born ready, right?”

Malinka stuck her chin out, put her hands on her hips. “That’s right.”

“Do you have any strategies or plans?”

She smiled, her eyes narrow. Was there history? Did they know each other? “If I did,” she said, falsely bright, “I wouldn’t share them with you and the Extreme team, would I?”

His laughter boomed. “Fair enough. I’ve seen you compete at the Tough Be-atch competitions. No matter what the haters say, Malinka is the one to beat.”

Was that a dig? Malinka seemed to think so, her expression going dark, even though she managed to hold on to a tight smile. Adele remembered reading that some people felt that her summits shouldn’t count because her father had helped her. Knowing what Adele knew as a parent and a school counselor, she knew that Malinka’s relationship to her father must have been complicated. A teenager driven to achieve what she had must have had someone behind her pushing hard.But she didn’t have time to contemplate Malinka’s history.

“Adele!” Maverick turned his attention to her.

If she hadn’t witnessed him being tackled to the ground by those men, she never would have guessed something so traumatic had happened just minutes before. She’d seen that before, too. Children of abuse or neglect were often good at hiding their pain. Was that his story? “Your kids wanted you to apply for this challenge, right?”

The question reminded her that Extreme knew just about everything there was to know about her. Thinking back to the scare in the hotel last night, she realized that it wouldn’t have been hard for them to cross-reference, to discover what Miller’s favorite book was. He’d certainly mentioned it in interviews. Maybe the cigarettes were a lucky guess, or maybe she’d said something to Dr. Garvey and didn’t remember.

“They did.” She matched his tone, keeping it light and easy. “That’s right. My son is a big Extreme fan.”

“You were quite the runner, right? Back in the day.”

“That’s right,” she said again with a smile.Back in the day. Before half your viewers were born.Gustavo had his camera trained on her. “Then life got in the way. Marriage. Two kids.”

A lying con man of a husband who was currently on the run from federal authorities.

Maverick gave her a bobbing nod. “I hear you. I know how it is.”

No. He really didn’t. Maverick—was he even thirty? He knew literally nothing.

“And look at you now,” he went on. “Killing it. I’ve been watching your WeWatch channel. All those half-marathons, climbing walls, the Tough Be-atch wins. You went from Lunch Mom to Super Mom in like a year.”

It wasn’t condescending, exactly. It was just that he was young and privileged, and he didn’t know how painful adult life could be.He couldn’t understand how hard she had worked, and what was at stake for her now. Maverick Dillan seemed to float on a cloud of arrogance, looking down.

“It was hard work,” she said, holding her smile. “But worth it to be here.”

“Not everybody could overcome the things you have. Your husband—he left you, is accused of embezzlement and other crimes, and is still on the run from the law, is that right?”

She found she didn’t trust her voice. Why were they talking about this?

Finally, she managed, “We can’t always control what happens to us. But we can control how we respond.”

“Hey,” he said, clapping her on the shoulder. “Ilikethat attitude. Maybeyou’rethe one to beat, Adele.”

“Thanks for the opportunity.”

He laughed. “Don’t thank me yet! You might want to punch me out before we’re through here.”

In fact, thought Adele still smiling,I’d like to punch you out right now. But he was already turning his attention away.

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