CHAPTER 20 Everleigh Bradley
Finding Dad
I don’t listen to my voicemail until Maverick is out on the field and I’m up in the bleachers. “Hey Ev, it’s Liam. Ivy told me to call you when I had an update, and, well, I have an update. I’m at practice now, but call me back when you can.”
I’m not sure why my blood runs cold, but it does. I just get a bad feeling from the tone of his voice.
I can’t call him back now when I’m at practice. What if it’s bad news? It’s going to have to wait until lunchtime, and I’ll spend the rest of the morning absolutely dreading this phone call I have to make.
I try to bury myself in work. With Ellie as my partner, we’re off to a good start on refurbishing Maverick’s image, and I go over Ellie’s suggestions for his newest sponsorships.
She booked him a few appearances over the upcoming weeks, mostly at bars or clubs, as a way to get his foot in the door to start meeting people in Vegas.
Before I know it, it’s lunchtime, and I slip into the conference room to call my brother back while the team goes to the cafeteria to make their food selections.
I brought a measly salad for lunch, though Lily told me I’m welcome to take my pick of food from the cafeteria.
Regardless, I don’t feel very hungry as I pull up my brother’s contact.
I dial it, and I think it’s going to hit voicemail when he actually answers.
“Hey, Ev,” he answers.
“What’s going on with Mom?”
“She, uh…” He stutters a little, and he sighs. “The doctors did an X-ray. They felt the break shouldn’t have happened to a healthy bone.” It feels like he’s sort of dodging around what he wants to say.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“They said the way the bone broke looks like it sort of exploded from the inside and is typically indicative of cancer.”
“Cancer?” I murmur softly as the word plows into me with the force of a thousand bricks.
“She scheduled further imaging and a biopsy to confirm, so right now it’s speculation. Have you talked to Dad recently?”
“No. Why? Is he okay?”
“He’s in Vegas,” he says. “You didn’t know?”
“No. I had no idea.” I’ve been too busy banging my neighbor.
“Well, he’s not answering his phone, so we haven’t been able to tell him what’s going on. Can you try to get in touch with him?” he asks.
I wonder if he’s here at his lounge. I wonder if Liam knows about the lounge.
I try calling my father, too. He doesn’t answer my call, either. I guess I have plans for tonight after practice and in between packing for my trip tomorrow.
I meet with Maverick again after practice, this time in the conference room at our building.
“Ellie devised this social media schedule. Let me know when you get your first shipment from the meal plan so I can take photos of you eating. The sports drink company sent a tracking number showing your shipment will arrive tomorrow, and I’ve already been in touch with Milton to put it in your fridge so it’s ready when you get back from Cincinnati.
And the apparel should be at the front desk now, but we don’t want to bombard socials with three different posts, so we’ll multitask some of this. ”
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I glance up at him, surprised by his question. I think it’s the first time he’s acknowledged my feelings in any way, shape, or form.
I clear my throat as I recall him telling me once that his mom isn’t doing well. Maybe this is something he could understand.
“I’m distracted. Sorry.” I sigh as I wonder how much to tell him. I’m not sure it’s real to me quite yet, so I keep it simple. “My mom broke her arm.”
“Oh,” he says softly. “I’m sorry. I hope everything’s okay.”
My eyes lift and meet his. “Thank you.”
He doesn’t say anything more on the subject, and neither do I.
“That’s all I’ve got. I’ll see you in the morning at the Complex.” We’ll meet there and take the team bus to the airport.
He nods, and he stops at the front desk while I take the elevator up by myself. I haven’t heard from Liam, and I know Dex is getting ready to travel in the morning as well, so I decide to keep the news to myself until we know more.
I throw some clothes into my small suitcase and pack up my toiletries.
And then it’s time to try to find my dad.
I drive over toward the lounge, and when I walk in, a hostess greets me. I don’t remember her being here last time, but maybe she only works when the big boss is in town.
“I’m Everleigh Bradley. Is my father in tonight?” I ask her.
“I know who you are,” she says, and she leans in a little conspiratorially. “And yes. He’s downstairs.”
“Downstairs?” I echo, and she nods toward a door in the far back of the lounge that I assume leads to some sort of break room or office. I offer her a smile. “Thanks.”
I head back in that direction, and I try the handle, but the door is locked.
“Ma’am, you can’t go in there.” A man dressed in all black who I didn’t notice was standing there stops me.
“I’m looking for my father, Thomas Bradley.”
“Of course. Mr. Bradley is here tonight. Give me a moment.” The man flashes his face at a camera I didn’t even see, and the door opens.
It’s not a break room back there as I assumed. It’s a hallway with another door. I don’t allow the door to close, instead following closely behind the man in black. He turns when he sees me. “I said you can’t come in here.”
“And this is my father’s lounge,” I repeat. “I need to see him.”
Before he can make a move to kick me out, a side pocket door opens, and two men walk in from outside. My eyes zero in on a man behind another man in a black suit, and my breath catches in my throat as my brain registers that he’s here.
Maverick Jennings.
What the hell?
He hasn’t looked up yet to see me as the man with him taps in a code on a pad and flashes his face to open another door.
That door opens just as Maverick’s eyes lift to meet mine.
Before I can react, I turn toward the open door.
I see a set of stairs leading down into what must be the basement.
I can’t see anything beyond the stairs, but my father is walking up them, Maverick is about to start walking down them, and I’m confused as hell.
My father’s eyes meet mine, and his widen. What the fuck is happening?
“What is this?” I demand.
“You can’t go down there!” the man in the suit behind me yells, but I push past my father to piece together what’s going on.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs, it all becomes clear.
It’s dark down here, with round poker tables sitting under bad lighting.
It’s nothing like the crowded, luxurious lounge above us that’s clearly a front for whatever’s going on down here.
It almost could pass for a storage space, but it’s clearly not.
Instead, there are maybe twenty or so people sitting at tables playing various games.
About ten million questions immediately zip across my brain.
Does Dex know about this underground casino? Do any of my siblings?
How long has this been going on?
Is this where my family’s money comes from? I always thought it was the real estate development firm my dad has run since before I was even born. But what if it was this all along?
What if the Bradley money is dirty money?
“What is this?” I demand a second time, trailing back up the stairs to confront my father. The man in black doesn’t respond as my father walks through the door, and I follow behind him.
Maverick is gone. He either went into the lounge or disappeared out the back door into thin air.
“Everleigh,” my father says, and he moves to take me into a hug. He yanks me off the steps and back into the hallway, and he turns to the man in black as he slams the door closed. “I said nobody comes down here without credentials. You’re fired.”
“Dad, stop. I forced him to let me in. Besides, if this is your place, why don’t I get credentials?” And what the ever-loving fuck was Maverick Jennings doing here? How does he know about this room owned by my own father, and I don’t?
“This is a restricted-access area,” he says rather than addressing my question. “Why are you here?”
“Liam’s been trying to call you. Mom broke her arm.” I can’t force myself to form the C word. Liam said it’s speculation, so until we have proof that’s what it is, I’ll continue to hope for the best.
“Shit,” he mutters. He doesn’t move to pull his phone out of his pocket, which tells me he might not even have it on him. “I’ve been dealing with some things here and haven’t even checked my phone. I’ll call her right away.”
“Quick question first.” I narrow my eyes.
“What?” he murmurs as he glances behind me at the closed door.
“Why was Maverick Jennings here?”
He pauses, and then he says, “He’s a whale.”
“A whale?” I repeat.
“A high roller. He spends a lot of money here, so he gets privileges other clients don’t.”
I don’t think he knows about my position working with Maverick, but I can’t imagine spending wads of cash at what looks to be an illegal backroom would in any way reflect positively on his image.
I don’t particularly want to have this conversation with him, but I know I’m going to have to since we saw each other here tonight.
Add it to the list of conversations I don’t particularly want to be having at all.