Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
It was as if the universe was slapping her in the face. The foreboding sense of deja-vu weighed heavy against Mae’s heart as she struggled to get her key in the lock to her apartment with Hawk.
It was the same teary-eyed walk, but at least she was the one who had made the decision this time.
It took everything in her to lay next to Stone, pretending to be asleep in his arms, until he fell asleep, too.
In all honesty, she had probably fallen asleep for a short time too.
But when her stomach lurched, and her eyes popped back open, she knew she needed to leave.
Mae groaned as she finally got the damn key to turn and the door opened.
She padded into the living room, then the kitchen, searching through the cupboards for her favorite mug.
The silly ceramic cat that had the cutest little vampire fangs.
Emma had gifted it to her, and Mae knew it would be the perfect vessel to drink from while she sat and turned on some trashy TV.
Mae reached up into the cupboard, her hand hooking the handle of the mug.
“I’m close. I’m so close, Chief. Don’t you dare stop fucking me just… like… that!”
Oh god. No! No, no, no, no. Hawk had a girl in their apartment and he was… oh god. Her brother was fucking someone in his room. And it wasn’t just someone… Mae recognized the voice.
She needed to get out of there. She had to go someplace… god, she needed some air!
Mae grabbed her phone off the counter and tiptoed out of the apartment.
Hawk had promised her he wouldn’t bring a girl home while they lived together!
God, she was going to rip him up one side and down the other in the morning…
Mae’s heart sank as she pressed the button to call up the elevator.
Of course he brought a girl there. She was supposed to be living with Stone.
Mae punched the guest code into the door and stumbled out onto the sidewalk. The last thing she wanted was Gage getting a notification and coming after her. Let him think it was just Hawk’s bed buddy making her great escape.
Mae’s eyes went wide as she pictured hundreds of reporters descending on her to bombard her with questions, but that had died down since Max came back into the picture.
So much so that there was only one van parked out in front of the business, but not the usual line of cars along the other side of the street.
The brick snagged the fabric of her shirt as she leaned against it, the cold air nipping at her skin, but Mae didn’t care.
It was exactly what she needed. The last little bit of tipsy she’d achieved that night, the last little bit of numbness had evaporated with hearing her brother’s love-making nickname.
Ew. She thought ‘Phoenix’ was unbearable… ‘Chief’ was on a whole different level.
She couldn’t hold it in any more. Mae had to tell someone.
I think I broke up with Stone.
Lily:
WHAT?! Where are you? Are you okay? Come to my apartment! I’m getting up!
No, I’m good. I’m across the hall. In bed. Also, think is probably the wrong word. I know I did it. I just don’t think he knows I’m serious about it.
A little lie wouldn’t hurt. She didn’t want to disrupt her friend’s night. She just needed someone else to know.
Lily:
I don’t believe for one second that you’re good!
I’m not. But I’m too tipsy to deal with it tonight.
Lily:
You’re not texting like someone who’s tipsy. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?
Tomorrow, babe. I promise. But I just needed to say it to someone.
Lily:
I’m always here for you. Always. Just come over and wake me up if you decide you do want to talk.
And have that grumpy husband of yours Krav Maga me in the middle of your living room because he thinks I’m an intruder? No thanks. Can you come over in the morning for coffee? Sage can come with you. I could use some niece cuddles.
Lily:
I’ve seen you in self-defense class. You could absolutely take Gunner if you surprised him.
Lily:
And of course. I’ll be over at the first sign of sunlight.
Oh… wait!
Lily:
What?!
I can’t go to sleep without someone else knowing what I heard when I walked into the apartment!
Lily:
Stop pausing for dramatic effect and tell me!
Hawk brought a woman home! She called him ‘Chief’. Not just called him that… YELLED IT OUT!
Lily:
OMG
As if the past few weeks haven’t traumatized me enough…
Lily:
Who was it?
Lily:
Don’t worry, I’m already thinking of ways we can use it to embarrass him! This is gold, Mae. OMG…
The door opened, Mae’s heart nearly jumping up out of her throat as she forced herself not to scream. Please don’t be one of the guys. Please don’t be Stone…
But it wasn’t one of the guys coming to find and yell at her for being reckless.
Instead, out walked a flush-faced Jessie.
Her eyes were wide and dreamy. Shit. There was nowhere for Mae to hide, and she felt the heat crawl up her neck.
Why should she be embarrassed? Oh god. Her brother was intimately familiar with her friend.
It was so weird being on that side of the situation.
She’d given Hawk so much grief about not being too hard on Stone when he found out.
And she already knew she was going to give him so much grief about his choice to fuck Dolly’s daughter, too.
Idiot.
“Oh, Mae! Hi!” Jessie ran her hands down her shirt. “What are you doing out here? Is everything okay?”
“I just needed some fresh air. I was tipsy as hell and just wanted to crawl into bed, but when I went back to my apartment, Hawk had a guest over and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Oh my god.” The poor thing looked like she might tip over from embarrassment. “You heard… I… Well, I’m just going to lie down here and hope the street swallows me up.”
“No. Don’t. You’re a grown woman. I just—”
Jessie bit down on her lip. “Don’t want to see me with your brother?”
“Oh my god, no! It’s not about you at all. We’re friends, Jess. If he’s who you want, I’m happy for you. Just be careful. I wouldn’t count on Hawk ever being ready for something serious.”
“Yeah,” Jessie sighed. “I know. We’re just having a bit of fun. Things have been… intense… between us lately and I think it all just sort of boiled over. In the best way,” she cringed. “Sorry, I’ll spare you the details.”
Mae nodded, thankful for that. Her brother was more than a decade older than Jess. What was he thinking?
“Where is he? I can’t imagine he let you walk down here on your own? He’s an asshole sometimes, but never not in protector mode.”
“Oh, I… uh… well, he jumped in the shower. And I sort of slipped out.”
Mae laughed. “Okay, I take back my reservations. You are exactly what my brother needs.”
Jessie smiled. “I’m not looking for anything from him.
I really appreciate that you want to save me from that heartache, but I’m twenty-four.
” Fourteen years younger than Hawk. “There’s still a whole hell of a lot of life left for me to live before I’m ready for anything permanent.
It’s just this infuriating chemistry between us.
It’ll burn bright for a while, and it’ll be fun playing with that fire, but I think we both know it’ll fizzle out and then we can go our own ways when that happens. ”
Shit, that was really mature of her.
“Do you know if—” Mae’s question was cut short when she heard an all too familiar noise.
A metal ball, rattling against the side of a canister.
Wet spray slapping against their beautiful brick.
She’d had enough. First Stone, then her brain needing to be washed after hearing what was happening between Hawk and Jessie.
She couldn’t take vandalism on top of everything else.
Those assholes better not be back tagging the side of the building again. It was one goddamn thing to do it some place abandoned, but to do it on the side of the fucking building where they knew cameras were placed…
“Hey, wait.” Jessie’s hand landed on Mae’s. “You don’t know who’s over there.”
“It’s just a couple of asshole teens. I’ve scared them away before. It’ll take me two seconds.” Mae pulled away, jogging to the corner of the building.
“Hey, assholes—” It wasn’t the three teens she’d confronted before. In fact, it wasn’t anyone she recognized. Her eyes bounced between the two mask-covered faces, to the black spray paint they had in their hands.
They weren’t tagging the building. They were spraying the cameras. Blocking out the video feeds. Mae knew she had half a second to run before they started coming after her. And she took it.
Turning, Mae shifted to the balls of her feet, ready to sprint away.
Instead of gaining any distance, she slammed right into Jessie—who must have decided to come after her—Mae’s phone flying out of her hand and smacking against the ground with a sickening crunch.
Wrong fucking choice, Jess. Mae knew it before the first hand landed on her.
She tried to scream. Tried to slam her head into the face of the person bending her arms behind her back.
“What the fuck do we do?” One man’s voice hissed.
“Get them to the van!” The other one whisper-shouted near her. Oh, fuck no. They couldn’t get taken to a second location. That was rule number one of self-defense. Do not let them get you in that van.
“Fuck you!” she cursed. “You’re not fucking taking me!
Why the fuck is everyone always trying to take the women in this fucking family?
” Mae closed her fist and swung as hard as she could at the person lunging towards her.
She connected, the crack of his jaw not nearly as impressive as the shooting pain that radiated up her arm.
She’d be lucky if her wrist wasn’t broken, but it gave her the window of opportunity she needed. Mae turned and started to run.
In front of her, Jessie fought just as hard. Kicking, thrashing. A grunt from the assailant she was fighting made Mae smile. Until the asshole she’d clocked got his hand around her arm, pulling her deeper into the alley before he shoved Mae to the ground and put his boot in her side.
All the air, and most of the fight, left her body in that instant. Darkness edged her vision and the whole scene playing out in front of her spun.
“Mae!” Jessie screamed. No! She needed to tell Jessie to get away…
To run…
To get to safe—
Stone paced in front of Hawk’s apartment door.
He shouldn’t be there. She was probably already back asleep…
but he couldn’t just let her go. She promised she would wait until the morning, and his heart had nearly fallen out of his ass when he woke to find his arms empty just a few moments before he stormed up there.
He hadn’t fought for her. For them. Hearing her say that…
admit it with such raw pain in her voice…
It felt wrong in his bones. He knew Mae was it for him.
He’d fallen in love with her long before they ever started hooking up.
It was in the way she never took shit from anyone.
The way she could fiercely protect someone she loved and then call them out for their bullshit in the next breath.
It was the way her eyes widened ever so slightly when she saw him, and her shoulders relaxed when he was near her.
He should have known something was wrong. She hadn’t relaxed, not truly, since he woke up in the hospital.
The door swung open and Stone froze. Hawk, a towel wrapped around his hips, water dripping off him, stood in the doorway.
“What are you doing here? Did you see Jessie?”
“Jessie? No. I’m looking for Mae. Why would Jessie be here?”
“Uh…”
“Oh. Jesus, Hawk. She’s like half your age.”
“I’m definitely not going to be scolded about who I have a relationship with by my best friend who was sleeping with my sister secretly for almost two years.”
Stone sighed. He had a point. “Yeah, fair enough. Can I just come in and see Mae?”
“Why would she be here?”
“She needed space. I just assumed she came up here.”
“Fucking hell.” Hawk stormed across the hall and pounded on Gunner and Lily’s door. It only took twenty seconds for Gunner to rip open the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Is Mae in there? With Lily?”
Gunner’s eyes went wide. “No. They were just texting though… Lil?” he called out quietly over his shoulder.
“She said she was in bed. Across the hall.” Her eyes bounced to Hawk. “Something about someone screaming out ‘chief’ as she walked into the apartment.”
“God,” Hawk groaned. “She’s not in the apartment. I just looked everywhere…”
“For Jessie.” Stone finished, immediately recognizing the nickname she’d called Hawk in the diner. “We need to find them. I have a bad feeling.”
Stone pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the app that shared Mae’s location. He thought it would bring him relief to see it populate inside the building, but that’s not what happened at all.
“Oh, fuck.” He turned and ran for the stairwell, not stopping for the voices calling after him.
In an instant, he was standing on the sidewalk, looking down into the alleyway. Nothing. She wasn’t there. Why wasn’t she there? His eyes landed on something shiny on the ground…
“Jessie, please. Please pick up the phone. Please call me back. Please be okay…” Hawk’s voice stalled the second he saw what Stone was pointing at. Hawk’s name in bright light on the spiderweb shattered screen laying in the alley not even five feet away from Mae’s phone.
“Fuck. Fuck… I don’t… what the fuck happened?”
“We’ll look at the security footage. We’ll figure out where they are.”
Stone pointed up to the closest camera, covered in spray paint. He knew they wouldn’t find anything. He knew Mae was gone.