Page 46 of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

But she’d blown him off.Look, let’s just get through this challenge, and we’ll have a serious financial meeting.

He’d given her a look that she didn’t understand. Now that she was thinking about it again, she realized that it was pity, maybe also anger.

“What happened?” she asked, squaring off to Maverick.

He kicked his right foot, kept his eyes down like a boy in the principal’s office.

“We argued after the meeting with Anton,” he said and rubbed a nervous hand over the crown of his head, something he did when he was upset.“He didn’t want to make the donation. He wanted to pull the plug on this. I said no. And he like lost it a little.”

Angeline felt a dump of dread, like the only other adult chaperone had left the summer camp, and she was alone with the kids, outmanned, outgunned.

“He can’tquit,” said Angeline, a rise of desperation making her voice shrill. “He’s a partner.”

“Yeah, we have to work that all out,” said Mav, with a wave of his hand. “Whatever. His loss. We don’t need him.”

He wore the Mav mask, the one he donned when he was hurting.

“When were you going to tell me this?” asked Angeline.

“I’m telling you now.” That was so Mav, to pretend that he hadn’t omitted critical information from her.

“Whendid he leave?”

“This morning. Before we left the hotel, I tried to talk to him. We fought again. He said he was leaving.” Maverick offered an elaborate shrug, palms raised.

“So we don’t have a CFO.”

“You know as much as Alex does, right?” said Mav to Angeline.

Did he really think that? That anyone could just step into the role of chief financial officer of this shitshow? Did he not know that Alex had been holding them together for the better part of a year with a financial shell game that Angeline could barely follow, while Maverick continued to spend unchecked? The goddamn jet was costing them around a hundred thousand a month.

“No,” she said. “I don’t. At all. Like not even close.”

“Look how well you managed that Quench asshole.”

“That is not the same thing.”

She saw it then. In Mav’s eyes. Fear. He knew how fucked they were. On some deep level, he knew. But the look was gone quickly.

“It’s fine,” he said, with a deep exhale. “We’ll deal with it when we get back.He probably didn’t even mean it. He’s just mad. He’ll cool off.”

Gustavo leaned against the trailer wall, watching her darkly. He’d stayed silent, but she could feel his eyes.

She took her phone from her pocket and called Alex again. No answer. She hung up, frustration and anger rising like bile. How could he do this to her? What would she do without him?

“We don’t need him for this,” said Mav.

Hector put his head down on his arms. Gustavo looked off into the middle distance.

“Guys,” said Mav into the uncomfortable silence, “wecannotaffordnotto do this challenge. And it’s going to be so epic. When we’re done, all our problems will be handled.”

Angeline was aware of a vein throbbing in her throat, heat in her cheeks. Nobody said anything. Outside, the sky grew light, then fell dark again. Was that lightning?

“Look,” said Mav finally. He walked over to Angeline and took both of her hands. “I know things have been bad. But I promise you, when this is over, and we’re flush with cash again, we’ll go home and fix everything that’s broken at Extreme.”

She could see in his face that he really believed it. He thought that the problems Extreme had—falling revenue, lawsuits, the disappearance of Chloe Miranda, the upcoming IRS audit—he could just charm his way out of it. Part of her wanted to believe it, too.

The bill is about to come due for Maverick. Save yourself if you even can.

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