The Wolf and His Wife (Wolf 2)

She kept her fingers around her glass as she watched me. “He told me he asked for a divorce when everything went down. Said you betrayed his trust. But the fact that he trusted you to begin with was interesting. That was how I knew you were special…because you are special.”

She was definitely the kinder sibling, the observant one who could see past the hostility to the goodness underneath. “He and I have a good relationship. In the beginning, it was hard for us because neither one of us wanted to get married…especially to someone we didn’t know. But we’ve become friends…started to trust each other. I lost my father and have felt so low, but he’s always there for me. Sometimes, he pisses me off, but he always makes up for it.”

She smiled. “It seems like my brother is more than just a friend to you.”

“Of course. He’s my husband.” Now I used that term literally because it was the best way to describe our relationship. That was exactly what we were—husband and wife. We were friends; we were lovers. We worked together and supported each other.

She continued to smile. “I know he cares about you. He doesn’t actually say those words or give anything away…but he does.”

I’d known that for a long time. “I know this is a lot to ask, but do you think you could help me with something?”

“With Maverick?” she asked with a slight laugh. “That guy is so stubborn… I don’t think there’s anything I can do. You’re the only one who has any effect on him.”

She had a lot more effect than she realized. “The reason why Maverick and your father are at odds is because of me…and I want to fix that.”

“I don’t see how you can.”

“Maybe if I could get him alone, we could talk about it…and I could make him understand how he’s treating Maverick, how he’s lost sight of the things that matter. I don’t just want to convince him to drop his vendetta against me. I also want him to be better to both of you.”

Lily stared at me like I was crazy. “The second you’re in a room with him, he’ll kill you. That plan is a terrible idea. Stay away from him.”

“The same thought crossed my mind. If I showed up on his doorstep, he’d probably shoot me.”

“Good…I’m glad you aren’t being stupid.”

“But if you asked him to come down here to see you…I would be safe.” He wouldn’t bring a gun into the building, and there would be too many witnesses around. He couldn’t sit across the table from me then choke me with his bare hands. It would give us plenty of time to talk, under the banner of truce.

Now Lily was even more shocked. “I don’t know…”

“It’s harmless. What could possibly go wrong?”

“I don’t know, but Maverick says nothing but bad things about him now.”

“They’re all true.” Every single one of them. “But I have to try. Maverick can’t reason with him…you can’t reason with him. Maybe if I talked about my relationship with my father, it would help him understand how he’s acting.”

She shook her head. “Maverick would be pissed at me…”

“But you’re his sister, so he’ll forgive you. Besides, what if this works? What if this chips at his armor a little bit? What if this helps repair the relationship? If we don’t start to reverse the damage now, it’ll just get worse and worse until it’s beyond fixing. Please help me, Lily. It’s just one conversation.”

She glanced at the bathroom, checking for her brother. “I don’t want to put you in danger.”

“What’s he going to do to me here?” I challenged.

“I don’t know…but I like you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“It won’t. And this means a lot to me. If I could fix this, Maverick would have what he wants most in this world…his family.” It was all I wanted for him, for him to feel loved. He was unable to take a compliment, to accept any kind of goodness because he didn’t feel like he deserved it. He was a giver—not a receiver. But I didn’t want him to live his entire life that way. “He’s coming back… Please say yes.”

Lily relaxed her shoulders as she gave in. “Alright…I’ll do it.”

8

Maverick

Arwen was at the opera for the evening, so I went out for a drink with Kent. The bar was quiet on a Wednesday night, a few girls standing at the bar, while the booths were full of people catching up.

With a scotch in my hand and shoulders full of fatigue after a long day at the office, I stared into the amber liquid and remembered the conversation I’d had with my sister last night. On the surface, she seemed perfectly normal, as if she didn’t struggle to keep her hands off booze and more sinister substances. But she wouldn’t still be there if she felt well enough to walk away. She had an empty apartment waiting for her, a whole life that needed to be lived.