Chapter 22
Ian
Iroll my shoulders as I jog across the street to Jack’s front door.
I’m late. Way later than I wanted to be.
I’m anxious to see Maggie after being away from her for a few days.
I texted her earlier to let her know I was on my way, but she didn’t text me back.
I hope that means she’s enjoying herself.
I knock and open the door, figuring they won’t mind me just walking in.
When I join the group in the kitchen, I look around, confused as everyone greets me.
Jack and Ella stand on one side of the island, with Nate and Olive seated at the island, and Tyler is standing off to the side of the kitchen, leaning against the counter.
“Hey, Ian!” Ella calls out. “I’m surprised you’re here.”
Jack looks at Ella, his expression as confused as I feel. “What do you mean? I told you he was coming over.”
She grimaces. “Oops.”
“Where’s Maggie?”
Jack pivots and looks from his fiancée to me. “Why do you care where Maggie is? Usually, you two just glare at each other. I figured you’d be happy she isn’t here.”
I pull out my phone. “Ella, why isn’t she here?”
“She texted and said she wasn’t feeling well. I assumed you’d go to her apartment to be with her.”
Nate rubs his hands together with a wide smile. “Oh, this is getting good. All of Ian’s secrets are being revealed.”
“It isn’t a secret,” I mumble as I pull up Maggie’s texts to see if I missed one from her. “I just hadn’t told you guys yet. Ella and Olive know because Maggie told them at dinner the other night. Maggie and I are together again.”
Nate gasps and turns to his girlfriend. “Olive, you knew and didn’t tell me?”
Olive reaches over and pats Nate’s cheek. “Yes, Nate. I didn’t tell you. Be nice to Ian.”
A look of realization crosses Nate’s face. “Wait, again?”
“Yes, it’s the cutest.” A whimsical smile grows on Ella’s face. “They met over a year ago. Had a falling out and then they crossed paths again right here.”
The thought of calling what Maggie and I have been through, including our falling out, as Ella says, “cute” has me grimacing. I’m also getting tired of this conversation. I need to know Maggie is okay.
I’m typing out a text message to her as I comment gruffly, “It’s a little more complicated than that. But that’s the simplified version of it.”
“Huh, interesting. And explains a lot. You’ve definitely been…nicer…the last couple of weeks,” Nate says thoughtfully.
I look around the room. “You all can give me shit about this later. I’m going to go make sure she’s okay.”
Ella waves me away. “Go. Please let me know she’s fine. Now I’m worried about her, too, because she didn’t tell you.”
I nod to her and say a quick goodbye to everyone else. As I drive off, I call Maggie. It rings and goes to voicemail.
“Fuck,” I growl and throw my phone in the cupholder.
I run my hand over my head in frustration and unease.
Why wouldn’t she have texted me that she wasn’t feeling well? I had just talked to her about seeing her there.
I can’t deny there’s a part of me that’s scared I’m about to walk into the same thing I did a year ago. I suppose that’s the best-case scenario. Because at least if she decided that she didn’t want to be with me, she’d be okay. She wouldn’t be sick, hurt, or in danger somehow.
Because the alternative makes fury settle in my gut.
Out of the two of us, I’m the one who deserves pain or discomfort. Not Maggie. Even with what she did to me. She doesn’t deserve any of that.
I park as close to her building as I can. As I cross the parking lot, I try to call her one more time. Her car is in the lot, so I hope that means she’s home. She doesn’t answer. I shove my phone in my pocket as I jog up the stairs.
My fist bounces off her door as I bang on the thin wood. “Maggie, open up.” There’s no noise coming from inside her apartment, and my heart rate picks up. I knock again. “I’ll break down your door. Don’t think I won’t.”
When I hear muffled words from inside, I drop my hand. As soon as the door opens, I lose my breath. Maggie’s face is red and puffy. Her glasses do little to hide her bloodshot eyes. Dressed in baggy pajamas, her hair is a little wild where it frames her face.
I suck in a deep breath and step inside her apartment. I pull the glasses off her face and set them on the entry table. My palms find her cheeks, and my thumbs swipe away tears slipping down her soft skin.
“Mags. Beautiful. What’s wrong?” I wipe more tears. “I was so worried when Ella said you were sick, but you hadn’t told me.”
Her hands grip my wrists. More tears fall when her eyes close, and a small sob leaves her lips.
“Please, baby. Are you sick?”
Her eyes open and find mine. She shakes her head.
“Tell me what happened so I can help you.”
She licks her lips, and her chest rises with a deep inhale. “Can we go sit on the couch? Or lie down?”
“Yes, baby. Let’s go.”
Releasing her face from my hold, I twist my hand so our fingers can intertwine and walk down the short hall to her bedroom.
Helping her into bed, I quickly take off my shoes so I can climb in beside her.
Once we’re both under the covers, her head on my chest with my arm around her shoulders, my tense muscles start to relax.
My fingertips draw a circle on her arm as she traces the logo on my shirt.
I don’t want to push her, so I let the silence settle around us in the darkening dusk light.
“I want to tell you something. Of all the people I’ve ever met, I don’t think I need to say this to you, but you can’t tell anyone.”
I wonder if she can feel the way my heart hammers just under her cheek. “Okay, I won’t tell a soul.”
“I don’t say this lightly, but it could be life or death if you tell the wrong person.”
Murderous rage flares through me. Instead of acting on it, I kiss the top of her head and settle back against the pillow. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you.”
Her head shifts against me as she nods. “I believe that,” she says quietly.
I tighten my hold on her shoulder and stay silent, letting her tell me what this is in her own time.
“About six years ago, I met Reese. He was a few years older than me and was handsome, rich, and a bad boy. We started dating and got serious very quickly. I was working as a compliance manager for an insurance company, and I loved it. He told me he was in real estate development.”
My teeth clench with annoyance. I don’t want to hear about how much she cared about this man, but I’m also afraid of where this is going.
“Spoiler…he wasn’t, in fact, in real estate development.
I started to doubt some of what he told me pretty early on, but I was so head over heels, I told myself it wasn’t that big of a deal.
At first, it was just a few drug deals. He told me he did it to supplement his income since real estate can be unreliable.
” Wiggling closer to my side, she wraps her arm around me, tucking her hand between my back and the mattress.
She’s silent for so long, I incline my head to see the top of her head. Since I can’t see her face, I wonder if she fell asleep. “Mags?”
“Sorry.” She sucks in a stuttering breath. “This next part is not great, and I’m scared to tell you.”
My hand goes to her head, and I run it softly over her hair. “Hey, look at me.” She shifts so she can set her chin on my chest. “Nothing you say will make me feel any different about you.”
Looking away, she lays her head back down, tucking her hand farther under me. “The first person he murdered in front of me was some fellow drug dealer, who he said had crossed him in some way. I don’t even remember the reason he gave.”
Every cell in my body feels like it is made of cement. I can barely move anything as I let the word first echo in my mind.
“How many were there?” I ask so softly, I don’t know if she hears me.
But she did.
“I don’t know. I was scared to keep count.”