CHAPTER FOUR
MAVERICK
This is not how I was planning on my night going. As I pull the sneaky mouse in the direction of my office, I hear Kincade call out to me.
“Boss, where are you going? The fight’s about to start.”
“Got something to deal with,” I say, not looking back over my shoulder. “You’re in charge.”
“What the hell?” Kincade says in confusion, but I ignore him.
Once we’re in my office, I lock the door so the little mouse can’t run away. Then I walk her over to the chair in front of my desk and set her down in it. She’s so small I doubt she weighs a buck, and I have to remind myself she’s not one of my guys I can toss around the ring.
“All right, start talking,” I tell her, sitting on the edge of my desk and crossing my arms over my chest. A few seconds pass, but she only blinks up at me with fear in her eyes.
I let out a heavy sigh as I uncross my arms and try not to look intimidating.
“Look, you’re not in trouble. I just want to find out who to call to come get you. ”
“No one,” she says quietly and tucks her chin.
“Come on, I know there’s probably an Amber Alert or something for a lost little kid, and I don’t need your parents coming in here and—”
“I’m not a child,” she says defensively and then snaps her eyes up to mine.
I’m struck by how big and blue her eyes are, but then I realize she’s right.
At first glance in the locker room, I thought she was a kid, but now that I’m really looking at her, I can see she’s small, but she’s older than I assumed.
There’s a defeated look in her eyes. It’s like she’s lived a long time and has seen cruelty.
I see a sadness there that only comes from being beaten down either physically or emotionally.
My hands grip the side of the desk as a protectiveness rises inside me.
It’s not something I’ve felt before, and I have the irrational urge to stand guard next to her.
“Just because you’re the size of a building doesn’t mean you can go around calling people little. You’re not exactly the best person to judge scale.”
“Who hurt you?” The words are out of my mouth before I have time to think them over, but she blinks at me in confusion before she shakes her head.
“No one—well, at least I didn’t give them the chance to.” She shrugs before she looks out the window of my office. “If you’re going to kick me out, can I at least wait in here until the next bus comes?”
“There’s not another bus,” I say, and her shoulders sag like I’ve told her there’s no Santa Claus.
“The last one was twenty minutes ago, but I can take you wherever you need to go.” I watch her as she presses her lips together, and I don’t miss the way her chin trembles ever so slightly.
That’s when it dawns on me that she wasn’t just hiding out in the locker room.
She was planning on sleeping there. “Fuck,” I groan as I shake my head. “You’re homeless?”
“Temporarily unhoused,” she clarifies. “But it’s only until I get my first paycheck.”
“Where do you work?” I ask, and she bites her bottom lip.
“Um, are you hiring?”
“Yes,” I say without thinking about if we actually are or not.
“Really?” She sits up straighter, and it’s the most alert I’ve seen her the whole time. “I’ll do anything. I’ll scrub toilets or the floors or—”
“We have someone that does that already,” I say, holding up my hand to slow her down. “Let’s start over, okay? Why don’t you tell me your name.”
“Juliet Farrow,” she says softly.
“You got any ID?” I raise an eyebrow at her, and she nods as she reaches in her jeans and takes out a driver’s license. I look it over to make sure she’s who she says she is and that she’s old enough to not need a guardian. “This is a fancy address,” I tell her as I hand it back.
“It’s not mine. Just where I used to stay.”
I don’t push for more info but instead think about how I can help her. That nagging feeling inside me to watch over her and keep her safe is squeezing my heart as I look her up and down.
“Are you any good with computers? Scheduling and emails? Shit like that?” I ask, and she nods. “All right then, I need an office girl. You can start tomorrow.”
“What about now?” she asks as she glances around my desk and then over to the couch. I can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking about crashing on it.
“There’s a fight happening out there, and it’s best that you don’t know anything about it.”
“Why?”
“Plausible deniability,” I say, then cock my head to the side and assess her. “Being my office girl means keeping my secrets and following my rules. Can you do that, little mouse?”
“Mouse?” She scrunches her nose up when she says it, and goddamn, it’s cute as hell.
“You’re the one running around hiding,” I say as I push off my desk and go around to grab my jacket. “You can crash here in my office tonight. I’ll lock up after the fight and make sure no one messes with you.”
“Thank you.” She hesitates as she looks up at me with those big blue eyes. “What do I call you?”
“Most everyone around here calls me boss,” I say as I think it over for a second. “But you can call me Maverick.”
“Thank you, Maverick,” she says, and I like the sound of her saying my name.
“Tomorrow we can figure out something more permanent with the sleeping situation. Okay?” She nods as I go to the door and pause.
“There’s food in the fridge next to my desk and a private bathroom through that door behind you.
My cell phone number is on my card, and you can call me from my desk phone.
” I nod to the crowd outside. “Don’t come out of this office tonight. Understand?”
“Got it,” she agrees.
“See you in the morning, little mouse.”
“Goodnight, Maverick.”