Chapter 39
Audrey
Where is he? I thought as I looked at the door again. I’ve been pacing back and forth across the living room since I was dropped off at Max’s apartment.
In the car, Kiara noticed my bouncing leg and tried to calm me down. “Adrian won’t let anything happen to him,” she told me.
Although she was trying to be helpful, her words made me worry more. I didn’t know much about the dark side of the city, but I knew enough to understand how dangerous it could be. Max had already gotten hurt once. I didn’t want anything to happen to him again.
I heard the locks of the door click and hurried back to the hall.
A wave of relief crashed over my body when I saw Max coming through the door.
I ran over to him and threw my arms around him.
“Max, thank God,” I whispered into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne.
I barely let myself enjoy it before pulling away.
Cupping his face, I turned his head left and right in search of bruises. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
He lay his hands on top of mine. “I’m fine, Audrey.”
“What happened back there? Where did you go?”
“I had to take care of something.”
“Oh, don’t give me that vague bullshit. Tell me.”
He was silent for a moment, his eyes flicking between mine as he contemplated how many details he wanted to spill. “My brother… Jayden… He’s in some trouble, and I’m just trying to help him out.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Max averted his eyes. Gently, he moved me out of the way and walked towards the living room.
I followed him to the couch and waited patiently for him to answer the question.
Sighing, Max ran a hand through his curls, trying to find the right words to explain. “Remember the underground fight rings I told you about?”
“Yeah.”
“I actually reconnected with Jayden through those. I saw him there one night, fighting, and it…it reminded me of how I started down the road I’m on and I…I didn’t want that for him.
“So, I pulled him out, started training him, tried to push him down a better path. But, he’s on a tight leash. The men on his back don’t care about the money. Only control. And there aren’t many options on how to cut ties like that.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Anything I have to do to keep Jayden safe.”
My brows pinched together at the determination in his tone.
He glanced at me, and his lips pulled into a deeper frown.
“I know you’re probably wondering why I care so much.
Everyone else does. It’s just…I couldn’t…
I couldn’t save Jordan. Once upon a time, he was like my brother.
And I couldn’t protect him. Now, I have another chance to do better.
To be the brother I should’ve always been for Jayden. Is that…is that so wrong?”
“No,” I answered.
“I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions in my life, done a lot of bad things, but for once I’m just…I’m trying to do something right…something good…you know?
I reached for his hand and threaded my fingers through his. Offering a soft squeeze, I said, “Your mistakes haven’t made you a bad person, Max. You’re not doing this to right wrongs. You’re doing this because you care. Because you’re a good person. You need to let yourself believe that.”
He looked at me, eyes glassy with tears. “You still think I’m a good person?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“I never stopped.”
His brows twitched as his face threatened to fall, revealing all the sadness hiding beneath his anger. He wiggled his hand out of mine and pulled me into a hug, holding me tight - like he never wanted to let go.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him sink into me. Let his tears fall on my shoulders. Let the fire protecting his soul lower its walls.
I couldn’t fix everything he was facing, but I could be the one place where none of it could reach him.