Free Save My Soul by Elley Arden Page B

like they’re worth something. There’s nothing more important to spend on a person than time.”
    â€œThe biggest names in sports psychology couldn’t make progress like this. What you’ve done is miraculous.”
    â€œI wouldn’t go that far. The most profound breakthrough came when he let me help with his laundry. Otherwise, thank Goddess for TV.”
    She dropped to the deck and crossed her legs underneath her thighs, pressing her back against the wall. She counted five deep inhales before he spoke again.
    â€œWell, whatever you call it, I’m impressed. It’s more than I could do.”
    â€œNo, you could’ve done it if you were here more.”
    â€œYou sound like Bethany.”
    She crossed her arms around her chest and rubbed her hands along her cool skin. “Who’s Bethany?”
    â€œMy ex-wife. She was always riding me about being gone or glued to my phone or emotionally unavailable, as she called it.”
    He seemed to be all of those things, and Maggie imagined most women would have a difficult time feeling secure with a man whose attentions were split. Funny, those things didn’t top her list of worries about Jordon. The halo of darkness that was his constant companion bothered her more. If she could figure out why it was there …
    â€œJordon, I wasn’t criticizing you. I was merely pointing out that my progress with Carlos isn’t supernatural. It’s the byproduct of being with him.”
    Talking like this, cloaked in darkness without the undue pressure of his eyes and separated by an impenetrable barrier, Maggie relied on intuition as her guide. In the stillness, the night air nipped at her skin, and something else tormented her. Maybe Carlos wasn’t the only one hurting. “Do you like being an agent?” she prodded.
    â€œImmensely.”
    â€œThen you owe no apologies for the steps you take to be successful.”
    â€œMaybe, but I’ve burned a lot of bridges over the course of my career. The general consensus is that I’m a pretty bad guy. They don’t call me the ‘Devil of Contract Negotiation’ for nothing.”
    She’d thought of him as the devil a time or two … “Does the reputation bother you?”
    Delving into other peoples’ psyches came naturally to Maggie. She wanted to know what made them tick and how she could help. Crystal called it saving souls, but even Crystal would wilt at the seemingly insurmountable odds of saving this man.
    â€œIt doesn’t bother the agent, but it bothers the man.”
    Maggie was starting to get glimpses of a man who cared about more than being right and making money, which was good for Carlos. The young man deserved to be more than someone’s meal ticket. And Jordon — despite the ominous exterior — deserved happiness too. She closed her eyes and shook her head, moving closer to a man she should be keeping away from.
    â€œTruth in word and deed is a difficult concept for human beings,” she explained. “We have a tendency to split ourselves into pieces in order to survive. We have one side we show our friends, one side we show our colleagues, another side for our family, another side for our lovers. It’s sad and exhausting, but it’s sometimes a necessary evil. I think it’s that way for you.”
    â€œEvil, huh?”
    It was her turn to quiet.
    â€œMaggie, do you really think I’m evil?”
    At one point, she did. But now … She hung her head. If he wasn’t evil, then why did she feel like crying?
    â€œYou don’t have to answer that.” He moved on the other side of the wall, and she imagined him walking away.
    â€œJordon, wait. I don’t think you’re evil. There’s a darkness there that I can’t explain, and it makes me … uncomfortable.”
    â€œLike the spider.”
    â€œI suppose.” She gulped.
Save me.
Could the spider in her