A Fighting Chance (2 page)

When I got caught, Asher happened to be walking into the store. When he saw what was going on, he added what I had stolen to his purchase, looked at the clerk and said, “We’re good now, yeah?” He paid for it all, and then just left. Every day at school from that day on, Asher would walk by my lunch table and he’d drop a lunch bag filled with enough food for not only lunch, but dinner too in front of me. He never said a word. He just placed the food in front of me, and then he’d continue on to his table where all the popular kids sat.

Our relationship stayed that way for months. We never spoke to each other. He never pried or asked for anything in return from me. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him. The first time my dad laid his hands on me, which coincidently was his last time he ever laid his hands on me, was my senior year in high school. From that day on I’ve been on my own. I took what little money I had from doing odd jobs around town and moved into a pay-by-the-month run down motel room. I don’t know how Asher did it; I never had the nerve to ask, but every once in a while I’d come back to my room and find clothes and food on the bed. I knew it was from him, and I swore from that day on that one day, I’d repay him for everything he’d done for me.

The day I got the phone call to help him find his sister, Amelia, who had been kidnapped, I dropped everything and made that case my priority. Asher saved my life. I owed him so much and finding his little sister wouldn’t even come close to paying off my debt to him. Chloe had been kidnapped by the same deranged man and held for three years before he kidnapped Amelia. When we rescued them both, I connected to Chloe instantly; we both shared an unspoken deep, dark pain. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a good man. I didn’t care who I hurt to get the job done. I didn’t attach myself to any woman. I’d get a piece of tail here and there to satisfy my needs, but I still mostly kept to myself. It was still just easier that way. Besides Asher, I didn’t trust anyone.

I don’t really know how I got into this line of work, it just sort of happened. People would contact me from all over the US and Canada and hire me to locate a lost loved one, or to get to the bottom of a cheating spouse, or to solve a murder that cops and detectives let run cold. I’d often leave town and dig deep in an investigation and be gone for months on end. Since meeting Chloe I haven’t left the county. She inspired me to get my PI license and to be a better man. My reputation for getting the job done followed me, and I’m a rather successful private investigator charging big bucks for my services.

I’ll never forget the day I met Chloe and that ride in the ambulance. I don’t know what it was about her. She was so pale, and that lost, broken look in her eyes brought a chill, even to my hardened soul. I thought I was the most disheartened person until I looked into her chocolate brown eyes. The silent story those eyes told me was all I needed, and I think I fell in love with her right then and there. What she had to have gone through in that basement, held by a mad man for three fucking years, I could never imagine. All the years in my line of work, I have never taken another man’s life. I’ve beaten several within an inch of their life, but I always drew the line at murder. I have better ways and methods of getting what I need without resorting to murder. I watched her murder another man. Yes, it was self-defense and completely justified, but she still took a life with her own hands. She didn’t have an ounce of hesitation when she picked up that gun and shot her kidnapper. I watched the already dim light in her eyes completely burn out. She was broken in mind, body and spirit. I could relate to her like no one else, and I didn’t even know her. I suddenly had a need to put that light back into her eyes.

I stayed with her and held her hand the entire way to the emergency room. I just knew that she was someone special, and I knew that I was nobody, period. I didn’t have anything to offer her. I was scared out of my fucking mind, and nothing ever scares me.

We started dating in secrecy by her request. I didn’t like it, not one fucking bit. I didn’t want to hide anything from Asher; not after everything he’d done for me my whole life. I couldn’t care less if I disappointed anyone in this world, except Asher, and now, Chloe.

I was relieved when she finally told everyone at Amelia and Kyle’s wedding. Things had been going along so smoothly, too. I had started investigating an accident at Adrian’s construction site. Adrian’s safety harness had failed when he fell from the scaffolding. Shay, Chloe, and I all watched helplessly as he fell to the ground. I took one look at that harness and I knew it had been tampered with. I owe Asher so much that I made his brother’s safety a priority and swore to Shay that I would get to the bottom of whoever did this.

Over the next few weeks, I have my suspicions, and they are confirmed when I catch a woman tampering with Adrian’s car at his engagement party, in a horse stable. I confront the woman, who happens to be Adrian’s ex-assistant, Ireland. She starts to struggle and fight with me. I don’t want to fight a woman. I try to get her to go quietly so she doesn’t disturb the party. She takes a swing at me and connects with my jaw. That’s the last straw, all bets are off. I start wrestling with her and we crash into the stable doors. The entire engagement party comes out to investigate. Chloe takes one look at my bloody lip and starts to freak the fuck out.

“What the fuck is going on?” Adrian barks.

“I had my suspicions about who tampered with your safety equipment and they were just confirmed. I’ve been tailing her for weeks, and when my employee called me and said she was here, I knew she was going to try something again. I caught her messing around under the hood of your car, she had your brake lines in her hand,” I tell Adrian.

Ireland sees her opportunity and squirms out of my grip and grabs the closest person to her who happens to be, Chloe by the hair. She pulls Chloe’s face toward the ground and punches her in the eye with an uppercut so strong it lifts her whole body off the ground. The only person at this point I can think about is Chloe. I want to go to her and comfort her and make sure she’s alright, but I realize in that split second that I took my eyes off my target.

I quickly get myself back on task and tackle Ireland to the ground like I would any three hundred pound man. In that instant, I also realize that my lifestyle is no place for Chloe. I can’t have what I do affect the woman I love. The cold, dark, removed man that I was before Chloe walked into my life quickly invades my soul like smoke in a burning building. It’s toxic and smothers every good feeling Chloe was able to put in my heart. I know what I have to do. I need to end our relationship before it goes any further. I have to sacrifice what I love most to keep her safe.

I give her the silent treatment the rest of the party. Chloe is always understanding of my moods and leaves me alone to work out my shit when I’m in a funk. She knows never to take them personally.  I know I’ll never find another woman who will put up with my shit. Ava ended up taking her home. I know I’m an ass and people probably thought I should have been more concerned about the black eye that was quickly forming on her face, but I was though, I was so fucking concerned. I was fucking mad as hell that I had put her in this predicament in the first place. I know what I have to do.

Later that night with a heavy heart, I go to her condo and I knock on the door. When I see her black swollen eye, I know I’m making the right decision.

“How’s your eye?’ I ask. I see the hurt in her eyes and I know I’m the one who put that there. I also know that
that
hurts a million more times than the black eye itself.

“Its fine, how are you?” she asks.

“I came here to make sure you’re alright, but I also came here to do the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. I can’t see you anymore. I’m truly sorry.” That’s all I say to her. I don’t need to give her a reason. I don’t want to give her a reason. I don’t want to give her a reason to fight with me about it. I know what I’m doing is best for her and I know she’ll be upset, but I also know that she has the love and support of her family and the best family around, the Wellingtons, to see her through.

I wait in my truck down the street. I know Ava will rally the troops. And she doesn’t disappoint. They all show up with beer and wine followed by a pizza delivery man shortly after that.

I waited there all night. I even slept in my truck. It’s something I’m used to in my line of work. I know I have to tell at least one of the Wellingtons the real reason why I had to break up with her. I don’t have the balls to tell Asher face to face, I know he’ll be pissed with me. But I also know these people, and I know they would do the exact same thing. Asher, Kyle and Adrian would walk through fire and go to the ends of the earth for their women to keep them happy, healthy, and safe.

I dial Adrian’s number and I know he’ll be angry when he answers.

“Yo, what the fuck dude?” he answers.

“Look I just wanted to check in on her and make sure she’s alright,” I say quickly. I know I don’t have much time to convince him to talk to me. I see him walk out onto the porch as he continues to talk into the phone.

“If Ava finds out I’m even talking to you, she’ll have my ass,” he says and starts to hang up.

“No, wait. Don’t hang up.”

He looks around no doubt he’s confused how I knew he was going to hang up on me. He spots me in my truck down the street.

“Yeah, that’s me. I saw you guys all came over last night. I knew Ava would rally the troops. Look, is she doing alright?” I ask him.

“No, she’s not doing alright. How the fuck did you think she would be after you just dump her out of the blue without any reason? What the fuck is wrong with you?” he barks.

“I wanted to explain myself to you. I can’t have all of you thinking I’m a royal douche bag. When Ireland grabbed Chloe, my heart stopped. For the first time in my career, I hesitated. I wanted to stop what I needed to do and go to her. I could have really put her life in danger. I can’t have that. I won’t have Chloe dragged into my career and put her in harm’s way. That’s the last thing I want, man. My life is complicated with surveillance and stake outs. I run with a heavy crowd, man. I can’t have that bleed through to her. I love her too much. She’s already been through some heavy shit. She doesn’t need to deal with mine, too. I want to ask you to keep an eye on her for me. I’ll be around. I’ll always have her back and keep her safe. I just can’t be with her, too. Do you understand me, man?”

“I guess I do. I understand your need to protect her. I think it’s fucked up though. I don’t see a problem in doing that and still being with her. But, know this, she’s a part of this family now, we all have her back, too.”

“That’s all I can ask of you. Thanks, man.”

I see Shay walk out of the house just as he hangs up on me. I start my truck and peel out leaving smoke in my wake.

Chapter 2

Chloe

When Max came to my door, I thought he was just done with his mood and we’d move on like normal. I don’t pretend to know what his life was like growing up, and I know he deals with heavy shit in his line of work. I give him his space to work out whatever it is he needs to work out and let him come back to me with a clear head. It’s just how things work. He knows I’m here for him if he needs me. I’ve never feared Max or his moods, and I know he’d never lay a finger on me or hurt me in any way. When I opened the door and saw the look in his eyes, I knew that whatever had him torn up inside was far from over. I never expected him to come back to me only to have him break up with me.

I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t. I was too stunned. I had come to rely on Max to always be there for me. He helped me work though some major shit, and I took for granted his love and support. I never saw this coming. I let him say what he had to say, and I didn’t have one word in response. I stood there blinking like an idiot. I watched him walk away. I let the one man who truly understood me, who loved me unconditionally even with my heavy baggage, just walk away, without a word.

Ava walks out of her room on her way toward the kitchen and passes by me in slow motion.

“Earth to Chloe,” she says. She takes one look at my face, grabs me by the arm, pulls me out of the open doorway, closes the door, and sits me in a chair in the family room. As soon as my ass hits the cushion, I start balling. I screech at the top of my lungs, “Max just broke up with me!”

“What do you mean he just broke up with you? He was here? When was he here? What did he say?” she asks completely lost.

I can’t even speak coherently through my sobs. My world is crashing all around me. I’ve created this safe little bubble that I have naively been living in. Between my therapy sessions, work, my time with Max and the Wellington family, I really haven’t had time on my own to sit and be still. Without Max, there will be a big chunk in my life missing. It will open up time for my nightmares to live during the day again.