Page 50 of Kept

“Just you and me this morning, Zella,” he says. “We have some things to discuss.”

My gulp is audible, and I stare after him as he leaves.

Breakfast with Maverick.

This is fine.

As I stumble down the stairs a few minutes later, my stomach swirls with uncertainty. Something about Maverick puts me on edge. It’s almost like he has a switch. Sometimes, he comes across as incredibly polite and distant, and others…

He makes me more nervous than Enzo.

Something is definitely wrong with me. I woke up in adungeonwith Enzo leaning over me, and I didn’t feel as nervous as I do now.

Maverick is sitting in the same seat as yesterday when I sidle through the door, and we follow the same routine as he stands and pulls out a chair. As soon as I’m sat, a silent signal triggers the arrival of breakfast dishes. I watch as steaming plates of eggs, toast, meats, and fruit are laid out in a sumptuous banquet. The staff disappear as quickly as they did last night, and I turn to Maverick. “Where do they live? Those people?”

He glances at the door. “Mostly in the city. They work in shifts. If you’re worried they’ll tell anyone you’re here, don’t be. We pay very well for their silence, and they know it.”

Brushing that aside, he picks up a plate and again selects a variety of foods before laying it in front of me.

“Are you going to feed me again?” My voice comes out a little more breathlessly than I intended, and his fingers tighten on the black ceramic.

“Not today,” he murmurs. “Eat.”

I lift the cutlery perfectly set out in front of me. Maverick moves over to the wall, and when he turns, I gasp at the delicious scent that wafts over. “Coffee!”

His lips twitch as he places the cup next to me, and I scoop it up, inhaling the fresh scent greedily.

“You enjoy coffee?” he asks, taking a seat with his own cup as I nod.

“Very much.” Staring down into the dark liquid, a flash of Ethan holding it over me slides into my mind, and my fingers shake. Carefully, I place it down before I spill it.

Maverick watches, but he doesn’t say anything. After a moment, he pulls a notebook towards him.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you last night,” he says as I take a mouthful of fluffy eggs, “but I’d like to know more about your background, Zella. Specifically, your life in the apartment and your relationship with Ethan Moore.”

Any appetite I had flees out the door. The food in my mouth turns to dust, and I force myself to swallow it down. Of course, they want to know about Ethan. That’s why Ryder and Enzo were there, in the apartment.

I was just an unexpected bonus.

Maverick is waiting for a response, so I reach for my coffee and take a slow sip, trying to buy time. Whatever is between Ethan and I… I don’t want to betray him.

Any more than I already have.

“Zella?” Maverick pulls me out of my own thoughts, and I smile at him awkwardly.

“Sorry,” I offer. “It’s just… I don’t know what you want with him.”

He tilts his head. “You’re not worried about yourself, being here with us, but you’re worried about him?”

I shrug, my finger tracing circles in the white tablecloth. “I’m responsible for my own actions. I asked to leave, so whatever happens, that’s on me. But Ethan… I don’t want my words to bring him harm.”

“Even though he had you locked up, with an iron band around your ankle?” Maverick’s words hit like bullets, and I hunch in on myself.

“It wasn’t like that,” I whisper, before I look up at him. He looks disbelieving, and I shake my head. I need him to understand.

“He raised me,” I tell him. “Since I was a baby. He’s the only parent I’ve ever had, really.”

“What about your real parents?” Maverick presses, his tone even. “Where are they?”

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