I was a first-class idiot. By the time I got to the lobby, there wasn’t any sign of Maggie. I should’ve ran after her, instead I stayed like a moron in the apartment, arguing with Kenzie. I ran out the building, screaming her name. Not bothered by the looks I was getting. All I had on was a pair of pants.

“Fuck!” I screamed, yanking at the ends of my hair, when I rounded one corner and couldn’t find her.

I ran back to the building. “Did you see where she went?” I asked the doorman who was too shocked to reply quickly at my outburst. He jumped when I slammed both hands on his desk. “Did you see Maggie? Which way did she go?”

He shook his head, but he replied, “She jumped in a taxi. Someone had just dropped of somebody and she took it. I…I didn’t hear where she was going.”

I scrubbed my hands over my face, punched his desk and ran back to the elevator. I found Kenzie unaffected by the whole thing, texting on her phone, seated like a queen on my couch.

“Oh you’re back. Couldn’t find her, huh?” she said and laughed.

I stopped short at the bedroom door and strutted back to her. I trapped her with my hands on the back of the sofa. My face was inches away from her. My body was shaking from anger. I grabbed hold of the couch cushions tightly before I made a mistake of taking this horrible energy and doing something I’d regret. Kenzie was a spoiled brat, and she used everything and everyone she could to get her way. She was a Harckwick, which meant she’d grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth. She never cared for anything or anyone. A couple years ago, I’d been a fool to believe she had a heart, that she was more than a brat who had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. What a waste that had been.

“Why are you here?”

“I told you…I—“

I slammed a hand on the back of the sofa, right by her ear, and to my surprise, she blinked and gasped. “Don’t shit around with me, Kenzie. You just chased away the best thing that’s ever happened to my life. I want to know why you’re here.” She pressed her lips together and looked away. “Kenzie!” I slammed another fist on the sofa.

She jumped. “I left Lucas! Okay? Are you happy? He’s been cheating on me. I…I shouldn’t have left you.”

“Well that’s hilarious considering you’d cheated on me with him. Are have you forgotten that?” I straightened and paced the floor. “I warned you, Kenzie, I told you I wasn’t going to play your games anymore. Did you think I’d let you come back in my life after you’ve shit all over it?”

She didn’t answer. She was right not to, knowing Kenzie, she’d just say something that would make me angrier, to get a rise out of me.

“I’m wasting my time with you. Stay here. Live here. I don’t care. I’m out.” Before I could walk back to the bedroom, she tugged at my hand.

“Lucas hit me.”

My whole body turned cold. Numb. Her voice was quiet and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was followed by a sob. I looked over my shoulder. Her shoulders slumped forward. Her head lowered. Her words brought memories flooding in from my past. I knelt in front of her, brushed her unusually lack-luster hair aside, and tilted her head up. Tears soaked her face. Mascara stain lined her cheeks. I narrowed my eyes, and turned her head to one side. There it was—hidden behind makeup. But experience had taught me enough to look for them. The bruises. The pain. Below Kenzie’s left eye was swollen flesh. I touched it slightly and Kenzie flinched.

“When did this happen?”

“Last night. I caught him with someone…and he got mad and hit me.”

There were plenty of reasons to hate Lucas St. Honore. Even before he hooked up with Kenzie, while we were still together, I’d hated his guts. There had been rumors about him beating up women. When I’d been tagged to fight him, I almost felt a surge of relief. Not only would I be able to make him suffer, I could show him what the women he’d hurt had felt. He loved to humiliate people.

I’d wanted to kill him at the stage during yesterday’s press conference. He’d seen Maggie despite her trying to hide in a corner. When he’d turned back to me, I could wipe th smirk off his face. He’d leaned in and said, “You new piece is hot. Bet she’d leave you too when I fuck her.” All I saw was madness and I’d lost control. It had taken Rick, Patton and the rest of the guys to convince me not to beat him to a pulp before our big event.

“Who else knows?”

Kenzie wiped tears off her face and with trembling lips, she said, “I called Bailey earlier to see where you’re at. I didn’t think you were going to be here with her.”

She said ‘her’ with so much disgust.

“Her name’s Maggie and she’s my girlfriend. And I love her.”

Kenzie’s eyes widened. “I thought she was just…”

“No. She’s special to me. You better get your face checked. Did Lucas hit you anywhere else?”

“No. Not this time.”

“Not this time? It happened more than once?”

“When he gets mad, he’d take it on me. I saw you at th club with…Maggie. I got jealous and threatened to leave Lucas if he didn’t get his shit together. That’s when he started sleeping around again. He kicked me that night and…I had a miscarriage.”

My jaw dropped. Kenzie might be spoiled and oftentimes selfish, but she didn’t deserve this. “Shit, Kenzie. Does your dad know?”

She shook her head. “What’s he gonna do? All he cares about it is his stupid company.” She dropped her head to her hands and cried some more.

I rubbed her back. “You’ll have to report Lucas. You need to get checked for concussion and other stuff.” I kissed the top of her head. Kenzie put me through hell when we were together, but there were days when it showed she genuinely cared for me. She never loved me. I wasn’t a fool to believe that. But she cared.

I stood and walked to the room, grabbing my phone and sent a text message to Maggie:

Please come back. Or tell me where you are. I can explain everything. I love you.

As I picked clothes to wear I dialed the number of the only person I knew Maggie would trust in town. “Bailey? Is she with you?” I asked as soon as my friend picked up her phone.

“No, Zach. What the hell did you do this time?”

“Kenzie’s here.”

“Shit.”

“I need to know if Maggie contacted you at all. Did she tell you where she’s going?”

“Sorry, Zach. I haven’t heard from her. Kenzie called me earlier but I told her to leave you alone.” Her voice started to shake. “I didn’t mean to screw things up.”

“You didn’t. It wasn’t your fault. But do me a favor and call me as soon as Maggie texts or calls you.”

“Okay.”

“You know what? You better meet me at the hospital. Lucas hit Kenzie and she needs to get checked. I can bring her but I have to find Maggie.”

“What? Yeah of course. Okay. I’ll tell Travis.”

We agreed to meet at a certain time. I checked my phone again for a message from Maggie. When I saw nothing, I called her, again and again, leaving a message the last time about explaining everything to her in person. I wanted her to see the truth in my eyes. I wanted her to believe she was the only woman for me, that I loved her with everything I had, that I was lost without her.

* * *

My search for her didn’t turn up anything and I came to a conclusion that she’d returned to San Francisco. She’d left the few clothes she had behind. And I found myself reaching for her shirt, her sweater, and holding it, taking in her scent. None of my messages received any replies. I’d called and called and nothing. Until one night when a message told me her phone number was no longer in service.

I visited Ma and as though she could tell Maggie wasn’t in my life anymore, her condition had gotten worse. She’d barely look at me most days and if she did, there was hate and fear in her eyes. Because of my contract, I had to stay in Las Vegas, training all hours on end until I was bone sore.

When I tried to reach out to Maggie’s sister, Veronica, I was met with an icy reception. “She’s not here. She never came back here.”

It had such a finality to it. Maggie ran from me, as fast as she could and she returned to the only place I could never go…back home to Fresno.

“So that’s it? You’re giving up just like that?” Rick asked after my first circuit. I didn’t bother looking at him. I was to ashamed how I’d let things slide. How I’d let the one person—the symbol of hope and love—walk out of my life.

“I’m not giving up. I just can’t go to where she is.”

Rick laughed at me mockingly, and I glared at him. “You can give me the stink eye as much as you want, I’m not the one who’s disappointing you.”

“Fuck off, Rick.”

“You know what to do. Don’t be an idiot. If you want her, go to her.”

“I can’t!”

“Why? Because she went to a place where you’d had nightmares? Where you had a bad past? So what? I thought you love her.”

“I do.”

“Then why are you being a dumbass?” He huffed a sigh and lowered his voice. “When I lost my wife, I thought I had nothing else to live for, but I had my kids and time and again, they show me this life is worth living. It didn’t matter how much heartache my past brought. My wife gave me three beautiful kids and that’s worth fighting for. Live your life without fear. That’s what your mother would tell you right now if she could.”