I bought roses. I never bought fucking roses. That wasn’t my thing at all.

I hustled up the steps as I went to her apartment.

My text was real. I wanted her to live with me. Either in my place or a place we picked out together, I didn’t give a damn. I just wanted her close to me at all times.

I knocked on the door, half-jokingly so I didn’t scare her by just walking in.

When I heard what sounded like a scream, I wasn’t sure if that was her telling me to come in or to wait. But my gut…something in my gut told me otherwise.

Something was really wrong.

I opened the door and couldn’t believe what I walked in on.

Hazel face-down on the floor, some guy on top of her, a hand across her mouth. He was all over her. Her beautiful green eyes screamed to me, and I knew instantly who this guy was.

Mitch.

The fucking guy that had been hurting her for so long.

I threw the roses to the floor and charged.

Mitch jumped up off Hazel and tried to stutter step back. I got within reach of him and threw a right hook that cracked against his jaw. He flew into the entrance of the kitchen, grabbing for the wall to keep himself from tumbling down.

I paused and looked back at Hazel.

I hurried to help her to her feet. “Are you okay?” I didn’t let her answer. “Call the police. Right now. Take my cell and call Jonesy. Then call Smack. This asshole isn’t leaving unless he’s in cuffs.”

“Maddox!” Hazel yelled.

I turned in time to see damn pan come flying at my face. I backed up at the last second and crashed into Hazel, knocking her over. She let out a cry of pain. I swung my right hand again and hit Mitch in the gut. He dropped the pan and groaned.

“Hazel,” I said.

“I’m fine,” she said.

I grabbed my phone and tossed it to her.

Then I charged at Mitch again, tackling him to the table. I hit him two more times and grabbed a handful of his shirt.

“You smack around women, huh? You fucking punk. You pussy. You want a real fight? You’ve got one right here.”

I pushed away and put my fists up.

I could see the fear climbing across Mitch’s face. Nobody had ever stood up to him before, I could tell. He didn’t know what to do.

“Come on,” I said. “Come on, right now.”

I heard Hazel on my phone. Telling Jonesy who she was and what happening. She ended the first call to make the second.

Mitch tried to swing at me, but he had no punch. He was weak. Pathetic. Just as I figured he was.

“I’m just here for my money,” he finally said.

“Your money?”

“She owes me money. I bought that camera for her. I started her business.”

“This is all about money?” I reached into my pocket. I had about a hundred dollars in cash. I threw it at him. “There. There’s some cash. Now fight me for the rest, you fucking loser.”

“Don’t make me hurt you,” Mitch said.

I stepped at him, and he jumped back. Then he turned, putting his back toward Hazel. I showed him my right fist, ready to knock him out for good.

“You ever touch a woman again…I swear on my life…”

“Just let me take the money,” Mitch said. I watched as he collected the money off the floor, his right hand in the air at me as though as he could stop me. He stood up. “I got my money. I’ll go.”

“You’re not leaving, Mitch,” I said. “You’re done. This ends right now.”

He stuck his hand in his pocket to put the money in.

I went after him again.

The biggest mistake ever…

I underestimated just how much of a scumbag he was. My emotions got the best of me. I was channeling not only Hazel’s pain, but also everything I’d kept repressed from Ava and Night.

As I came as Mitch, he took his hand out of his pocket.

With a knife in his hand.

I couldn’t stop myself.

I walked right into Mitch…right into the knife.

* * *

I felt a hot searing pain and grabbed my stomach. I lost all feeling in my left leg instantly and dropped to my knees. Then I felt Mitch kick me in the ribs as hard as he could. I rolled to my back and looked at up him.

“You did this,” he whispered.

“Fuck you,” I said.

Mitch’s hand shook, the knife bloody.

All I felt was hot pain. Very hot pain. Blood everywhere. My body feeling rubbery.

I watched as Hazel grabbed the pan off the floor.

As Mitch stood over me, Hazel finally stood up for herself. She finally overcame everything. She swung the pan through the air like baseball player going for a home run. It smashed against the side of Mitch’s head, and the guy dropped as if a hypnotist had snapped their fingers to put him to sleep.

Hazel dropped the pan and dropped to my side.

“Towel,” I grunted. “Get me a towel, sugar.”

She scrambled, running to the kitchen, running back to me.

I put the towel to my stomach and pressed as hard as I could.

The pain was swallowing me up, along with a threatening darkness that I did not want to face.

“Maddox, no,” she said. “I can’t lose you.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m right here, Hazel.”

She kissed my cheek. She hugged me. I forced my right hand to move so I could hug her back. I never knew a small knife could do so much damage to me. The pain swelled beyond my stomach. I felt like someone had set a fire inside my chest. And my head was…groggy. Really groggy. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before…

I looked at Hazel. She was fuzzy for a second, clear for a few seconds, then fuzzy for the next.

“I hear a siren!” she said. “They’re here! You’re going to be okay!”

I forced a smile. “I love you, Hazel…with the green eyes.”

“I love you, Maddox…with the tattoos…don’t leave me.”

I opened my mouth to say I never will, but something happened.

I suddenly felt like I was being electrocuted. My body started to shake.

The last thing I remember seeing was Hazel’s perfect green eyes.