Sweet Submission: Jenny and Max Complete Series Plus Bonus Short Story by Eden Greenwood Page A
Authors: Eden Greenwood
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guy?”
“I know of him.” Max sat back in his seat. “This is going pretty far up the chain.”
“Okay, that sounds serious,” I said. I felt a panic like I’d never felt before. Was I in danger? Was Lily? “He obviously wants you to throw your next fight.”
Max pounded his fist down on the table, making the silverware clatter. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to stare at us.
“Can’t you do it just this one time?” I asked.
“No, never,” Max said, gritting his teeth. “I’ve seen other guys fall into this trap before. It’s never just one time.”
“You can just do it for now, until you get further into your career,” I pleaded.
Max shook his head. “Careers aren’t built by taking dives. They’re built by winning. That’s what I do. If I start cooperating with them, and they get caught, guess who’s taking the fall. I’d be done.”
I looked down into my cup of coffee. Though I had a good job and salary, we relied heavily on Max’s winnings. Without them, we’d be in real trouble.
“Look at me,” Max said, gesturing to his broad chest. “Do you think I could get a job at the bank? Scooping ice cream downtown? No. This is who I am. This is all I have, the only way I can provide for you.”
“I know,” I said, soothingly, taking Max’s hand. “Is it true that Nico knows all the cops?”
Max nodded once.
“So we can’t call the police,” I said, grimly. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’ll never let anything happen to you or Lily. Trust me on that.”
“I trust you,” I said.
Max and I both went to pick Lily up from school. She walked between us, chattering about her day, while Max and I kept a look out for anyone suspicious. It was obvious these people knew where we lived and where Lily went to school. The skin on the back of my neck prickled whenever I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. But there was no one there but parents walking their children home. When we got safely inside the house, the paranoid feeling didn’t leave me. What if they came here?
I tried to act as normal as possible around Lily so she wouldn’t be afraid. We ate dinner together, then played a board game on the floor of our living room. Soon, Lily started to get tired. She crawled into my lap and rested her head on my chest. I studied her beautiful, innocent face. She blinked, and looked up at me.
“Remember that man from this morning?” Lily asked.
Max perked up, and sat beside us.
“Yes, I remember,” I said, rocking her.
“He was on the playground today,” Lily said. “He tried to talk to me again, but I ran away.”
Max slammed his fist in his palm, then stood to his feet and paced the room.
“He won’t come here, will he?” Lily asked.
I tightened my arms around her small frame. “No, baby, of course not. Let me ask you a question? Do you think there’s anyone in the world as strong as Max?”
Lily shook her head vigorously.
“Max protects us. He protects our home,” I said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right,” Max grumbled from the other side of the room.
*
After getting Lily to bed, I closed her door then turned to Max.
“We have to leave,” I whispered.
Max shook his head, stubbornly. “No, they’ll find us. Especially if I try to fight somewhere else.”
“Okay,” I said, racking my brain. There had to be something we could do. “What about the media? You have so many fans. If the public knew what was going on-“
“No journalist in their right mind would go against these guys,” Max said. “The have influence over everything.”
I exhaled, then buried my face in my hands. Max slipped his hand behind my neck, then pressed my forehead to his.
“What you told Lily was right,” he said. “No one’s stronger than me. No one would dare go against me.” He kissed my cheek then walked away.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Outside. To keep watch,” he said.
Max stayed out on the
“I know of him.” Max sat back in his seat. “This is going pretty far up the chain.”
“Okay, that sounds serious,” I said. I felt a panic like I’d never felt before. Was I in danger? Was Lily? “He obviously wants you to throw your next fight.”
Max pounded his fist down on the table, making the silverware clatter. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to stare at us.
“Can’t you do it just this one time?” I asked.
“No, never,” Max said, gritting his teeth. “I’ve seen other guys fall into this trap before. It’s never just one time.”
“You can just do it for now, until you get further into your career,” I pleaded.
Max shook his head. “Careers aren’t built by taking dives. They’re built by winning. That’s what I do. If I start cooperating with them, and they get caught, guess who’s taking the fall. I’d be done.”
I looked down into my cup of coffee. Though I had a good job and salary, we relied heavily on Max’s winnings. Without them, we’d be in real trouble.
“Look at me,” Max said, gesturing to his broad chest. “Do you think I could get a job at the bank? Scooping ice cream downtown? No. This is who I am. This is all I have, the only way I can provide for you.”
“I know,” I said, soothingly, taking Max’s hand. “Is it true that Nico knows all the cops?”
Max nodded once.
“So we can’t call the police,” I said, grimly. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’ll never let anything happen to you or Lily. Trust me on that.”
“I trust you,” I said.
Max and I both went to pick Lily up from school. She walked between us, chattering about her day, while Max and I kept a look out for anyone suspicious. It was obvious these people knew where we lived and where Lily went to school. The skin on the back of my neck prickled whenever I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. But there was no one there but parents walking their children home. When we got safely inside the house, the paranoid feeling didn’t leave me. What if they came here?
I tried to act as normal as possible around Lily so she wouldn’t be afraid. We ate dinner together, then played a board game on the floor of our living room. Soon, Lily started to get tired. She crawled into my lap and rested her head on my chest. I studied her beautiful, innocent face. She blinked, and looked up at me.
“Remember that man from this morning?” Lily asked.
Max perked up, and sat beside us.
“Yes, I remember,” I said, rocking her.
“He was on the playground today,” Lily said. “He tried to talk to me again, but I ran away.”
Max slammed his fist in his palm, then stood to his feet and paced the room.
“He won’t come here, will he?” Lily asked.
I tightened my arms around her small frame. “No, baby, of course not. Let me ask you a question? Do you think there’s anyone in the world as strong as Max?”
Lily shook her head vigorously.
“Max protects us. He protects our home,” I said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right,” Max grumbled from the other side of the room.
*
After getting Lily to bed, I closed her door then turned to Max.
“We have to leave,” I whispered.
Max shook his head, stubbornly. “No, they’ll find us. Especially if I try to fight somewhere else.”
“Okay,” I said, racking my brain. There had to be something we could do. “What about the media? You have so many fans. If the public knew what was going on-“
“No journalist in their right mind would go against these guys,” Max said. “The have influence over everything.”
I exhaled, then buried my face in my hands. Max slipped his hand behind my neck, then pressed my forehead to his.
“What you told Lily was right,” he said. “No one’s stronger than me. No one would dare go against me.” He kissed my cheek then walked away.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Outside. To keep watch,” he said.
Max stayed out on the
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