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“I did care about you, Ainsley. But you were never supposed to turn down that scholarship and come with me.”

Stupid, betraying tears trail down my face. Bastards.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Thomas?” a familiar voice growls. If I wasn’t so hurt at the moment, I would have high-fived Maverick for using the same name I did .

I feel his big body dwarf mine as he slides in behind me and secures an arm around my waist. Immediately, I relax into his hold.

Now let Tucker talk some shit about Maverick’s friend.

Tucker stands, giving me one last fleeting look before focusing on Maverick. “I needed to talk to you,” he lies.

“Ha! You said you needed to ask me for a favor!”

Tucker narrows his eyes and Maverick’s body goes tense behind me. “Is that so, Thomas? Are you asking my girl for favors?”

I can’t help but enjoy the tingling in my nipples as he calls me his girl.

“You know better than that,” Maverick scolds, his grip on me tightening.

Tucker inhales and puts his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “I need you to talk to your friend Sebastian. He’s destroying Taylor’s reputation on social media.” He nods in the direction of someone behind Maverick.

“I heard she was getting more followers than ever,” Maverick says, a light laugh mixing with his words.

“He posted clips of her and her friend arguing.” Tucker’s face is red, and I want to laugh. He’s very passionate about his girlfriend’s social media page. “That was a private moment!”

Maverick’s eyes narrow. “The way I heard it, your girlfriend had been fat shaming her friend and teammate. Sebastian simply covered the story.”

“That wasn’t our deal!”

Maverick’s chest vibrates with a chuckle. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Tommy, but I believe your favor was, and I quote, ‘to help your girlfriend become internet famous’.”

Maverick’s arms go up like he shrugged behind me. “I believe I did that. Our deal never included how I got her internet famous.”

Know your opponent he once told me. Tucker definitely did not know his opponent when he struck a deal with Maverick.

I grin. Both of them deserve it. “I guess next time you should know who you’re dealing with,” I add with a smug look .

Tucker shakes his head and scoffs. “Like you? Do you know who you’re dealing with, Ainsley? Who you’re sleeping with?”

A knot forms in my stomach as an unsettling sensation spreads across my skin. “I know my opponent,” I tell him, relishing the strength of Maverick’s tight squeeze around me.

A smug smile tugs along Tucker’s cheating face. “Does she, Maverick? Does she know the only reason you let her stay with you is because you were forced to?”

Gah, Tucker is a moron. “Of course he was forced, stupid. I asked him for a favor and like a good businessman, he honored it.”

Tucker doubles over, his eyes alight with laughter. “She has no idea, does she?”

Suddenly, Maverick’s arm around me doesn’t feel like he’s offering me support, more like he’s keeping me from running. I tug his arm and turn. “What is he talking about?”

I’ll never forget the pain I see cemented in Maverick’s eyes. He swallows, his Adam’s apple working. “I was going to tell you?—”

Tucker’s vicious laugh cuts him off. “Sure you were. Allow me, it’s the least I can do.”

Shivers trail down my spine. Part of me wants to run from this whole ordeal, but the other part of me wants to know the truth. I deserve the damn truth! I’ve been tossed around like garbage by Tucker. The least Maverick could do is show me his true colors before we get in too deep.

I’m lying to myself. I’m already in too deep. Whatever Tucker plans to tell me is going to hurt worse than me finding him ass up, plowing into Taylor.

I shove away from Maverick where he can’t touch me. I don’t want to be near either one of them right now.

Tucker grins at the movement, seemingly pleased with destroying me. “You weren’t the first person who asked him to take you in.”

“What?” I whip around and look for the denial in Maverick’s eyes. There isn’t any. His head hangs like he lost a million-dollar poker game .

“I’m sorry,” he says, reaching out for my hand.

I take a step back. “Who asked you to take me in, Maverick?”

My voice is hard, but my mind is racing a thousand miles per hour. Who knew I was kicked out of my apartment? Well, not that question. Everyone heard about me getting kicked out. But who would have asked Maverick for a favor to take me in? Who would do that?

“Tell me!” I shout when he just stands there, worrying his lip.

“I can’t do that.” His words are resigned.

I huff. “Because you’re an honest businessman? Is that it? Tell me, Maverick, do honest businessmen get paid twice for the same favor?”

“It wasn’t like that,” he hurries out. “I owed him a favor. He received nothing in return.”

You have got to be shitting me. “I guess that makes it okay then?” I throw my hands up before deciding it’s not good enough.

I rush him and shove the man who made me whole only to cut me in half.

“I loved you!” Tears fall down my face. “I trusted you!” A sob bursts from my lips.

“And this whole time you’ve been lying to me. ”

“I wasn’t lying.” He tries to grab for me, but I sidestep him.

“Lying by omission is the same thing.”

I’m so done.

I toss his fucking sandwich at his feet and then dig a couple of IOUs out of my pocket that I had planned to sneak back into his pocket as a joke and toss them at his feet. “Consider my debts paid in full.”

I take a few steps backward and ignore the twitching in Maverick’s cheek. “Don’t come for me,” I tell him. “You have no idea what I’m capable of right now.” Hashtag, I am a freaking psycho at the moment. I will burn all their shit in their cars.

“I hate you.”

I look at Tucker, who looks on like the smug bastard he is. “I hate you more and hope you get diarrhea. Maybe you’ll shit out some of the ugly inside. ”

And with that, I flip them off with both hands, big, fat tears streaming down my face.

“Ainsley, wait!” Maverick takes a few steps and stops.

“I will set your laptop on fire, Maverick. I’m not even playing.”

The guy I thought I loved rocks back onto his heels. He’s no fool. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. I nod. “I’m sorry too. I thought I had finally gotten it right this time.” I shrug like I missed my Uber and can order another one. “Guess not.”

I don’t want to see the pain in his face any longer. I’m sure he is sorry and maybe later when I don’t feel like I want to cut him, I can actually hear him out. But not now. Not when he won’t even tell me who asked for the favor. His loyalty should lie with me, not his business.

With my head down, surrounded by titters and whispers, I walk away, ignoring the “You’re dead” roaring out of Maverick and the distinct sound of a bone breaking.

Fuck ’em both.