Chapter 12

Chase's Point of View

I shouldn't be here. Yet, here I was. I brought my fist up to the white glass door and knocked. My nerves were high and my heart was pounding. I had never been this nervous over a girl before. It was fucking stupid, but still, my stomach rattled with nerves.

The porch lights flicked on and I took a step back as the door opened.

Max.

"I remember you from the hospital." Max wasn't friendly. "Chase, right?"

You would think for a doctor he would be smart. I was double his size and carrying two guns. He could at least be polite.

"Right. Chloe here?" All I wanted was to see her. To fix this fucked up mess I created.

An expression came over Max's face and he remained silent.

"Chloe. Is she here or not?" I pressed. I wasn't in the mood to be fucked around. I knew she would have come here and, if he was keeping me from her, I'd just push my way in.

Actually, that sounded like a great idea.

Fuck this.

I pushed Max backwards and walked in, stepping over him.

"CHLOE?"

"She isn't here," he yelled at me while getting up from the ground.

"Like fuck she isn't. CHLOE!" I yelled up the stairs.

"She left, alright! She left!"

He had my attention now. "What do you mean left? Why would she leave?"

"I arranged for her stepfather to come over for them to sort things out. Chloe freaked out and left. I don't know where she went. I've been looking all afternoon."

"Why would you arrange a meeting with her stepfather? That's the man she's running from!"

"They had a little argument. Chloe shouldn't run off because of it."

"He hits her!"

Max’s expression dropped. "What do you mean hits her?"

"You didn't know." I ran my hands down my face. And I had made her come here, thinking she would be safe. Yet Max didn't know all the details. I shouldn't have been surprised as she was private about it. She didn't even want to tell me.

"I thought you hit her." Max looked at me, stunned. "I didn't know."

"Well now you do. Where would she go?"

He knew her. Surely he would have some idea.

"I don't know. I checked the bus stations and the airport, but I didn’t see her. She turned her phone off and left her stuff. Like I said, she freaked and ran."

"You're fucking useless." I pushed past him to leave. She mightn't have left yet. She could still be in town somewhere.

"Chase, if you find her, tell her I'm sorry." He stopped me, grabbing me by the arm.

"If you know what's good for you, you will remove your hand from my arm." I glared at him. As soon as he did, I was gone. I had to find her. Just thinking of her running on her own…I was so stupid; I should have never let her leave. I should have stopped her and now I had to find her and, in a town this big, it wasn't looking pretty.

Chloe's Point of View

I had no money, no food, no accommodation and I was stuck in this town. All I had was my phone. I wasn't even dressed for the weather. It was cold and raining and I was sporting a white summer dress.

Seriously, I was in trouble.

I couldn't go back to Max. How could he let Joe near me? Sure, he didn't know the details, but he should have known I had run for a reason. I was shaking from the cold even though I was in some bar in the city. You would think they would have the heater on.

I couldn't order anything as I didn't have money. I couldn't change my clothes because stupid me ran before packing and, to top all that off, I was alone. Not one person knew I was in trouble and not one person would care.

Joe had won. He had successfully made me homeless and stuck in a city I didn't want to be in.

I stared at my phone which was on the table. I had turned it off when I ran so Max couldn't track me down because if he knew where I was, so would Joe.

I decided out of boredom to turn it on. Once the battery died though, I wouldn't be able to charge it. Yet another thing I wouldn't have.

I watched the Apple sign as it turned on. I should have packed. I should have at least grabbed my wallet. I hated Max right now. Really, really hated him. So much so, I wished he would catch on fire and burn to death. I shouldn't have gone to him in the first place. I should have just got on a bus out of here then I would have had my stuff and my money.

The phone buzzed on the table and I looked down. Missed calls from Max. Expected. Missed calls from Sammie. Not expected. Chase most likely told her I left and she was just checking up on me. It still hurt. I didn't know why, but being away from Chase had left a hole in my chest. I guess I felt safe with him and now, well, now I was alone. I guess that's how it should have been in the first place.

My phone was buzzing again, and this time it was an incoming call from Sammie. I should answer it. I shouldn't be rude. My fingers hovered over the accept/decline button. Finally, I hit accept.

"Hey, Sammie." I put on a fake happy voice.

"Thank God, Chloe! Your phone’s been off. Where are you?"

"At Max's," I lied. I was a big fat liar, but I wasn't telling them I was in trouble.

"Chase has been to Max's, he knows you aren't there." Sammie's voice wavered with concern.

"Why would Chase go there?" I was stunned. I was positive that Chase and I were over. Not that we were anything to begin with, but still, whatever it was - it was over.

"Cause he is looking for you! He is still looking for you. So where are you?"

He was looking for me… which meant he knew I was in trouble. Do I just hang up? Do I tell her the truth? That I'm cold, wet and alone.

"Tell him don't bother," I finally decided.

"Chloe, Chase is worried. He fucked up. Now he really wants to find you. So just tell me where you are so he can come and get you."

I fiddled with the end of my dress. "I don't want to bother him."

"He’s being riding around for hours looking for you, and it’s dark now. Come on Chloe, you're no bother."

I looked up at the sign. "I'm at the Four Clovers."

"I'll call Chase and tell him. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you soon, Chloe. Now make sure you stay there." I could hear the smile in Sammie's voice.

That was the end of the phone call. So now I wait for Chase. I drummed my fingers on the table. Did I really want to be the girl he rescued again?