by James, Lylah
I didn’t need a girlfriend.
Lila Garcia was already the best thing in my life.
As Jaxon jogged away, my ringtone blasted through the pocket of my black slacks. I held back a growl of annoyance and checked the screen. I picked up the phone after seeing it was Riley calling. “What?”
“Lila has been locked in her room for the last two hours; she won’t come out, and I think she’s crying. That motherfucker. Landon, it’s him. You need to come because Lila isn’t opening the door for me,” she rattled out in one breath. “Maddox! Are you listening?”
I was already sprinting toward our apartment. “I’m coming,” I growled.
Red, hot anger coursed through my veins, and I swallowed it down, but it grew in my belly. I felt it pounding through my blood, vicious and brutal.
If Landon had caused my Lila any pain… if he hurt her…
I took the stairs two at a time, stumbling in my haste, but I couldn’t find myself to care. The door to her apartment was opened, so I hustled inside. Riley was pacing the length of their living room, worry etched over her face. Colton was leaning against the wall, also looking a bit pensive. That was the only time I had seen the two of them in the same room without being at each other’s throat.
“Maddox,” Riley said, looking relieved at the sight of me.
I walked past her and stood in front of Lila’s bedroom. The door was locked, like Riley said.
“Lila?” I called out, pressing my ear to the door. There was a sound of her sniffling.
She was… crying?
Fuck, no.
FUCK, NO.
My gut churned as my fist pounded on her door. “Lila, open the door.”
There was no response from her. “Open the fucking door or I’m going to break it down. Trust me, I will.”
“Go away,” she called out weakly.
My heart stuttered. “Lila,” I said, trying to keep my voice gentle. “Baby, open the door. Please.”
“Just… go away, Maddox.”
My eyes pinched close, and I rested my forehead against her door. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t shut me out. Don’t hide from me. I’m not going to walk away, and you damn well know it. Let me in, Lila.”
Whatever Landon had done to my girl, he was about to regret it for the rest of his fucking life.
“If you don’t open the door, I’m going to think the worst, and I’m going to hunt down Landon… and I might end up in prison tonight.”
I didn’t give a fuck if I was about to spend the rest of my life in jail because I was still going to hunt down Landon either way, even if she did open the door.
He made her cry–that was a death penalty.
“You’re not killing anyone,” she mumbled through the door.
“Open the door then,” I pushed.
There was some shuffling around and then she unlocked and opened the door. Lila came into view, but she kept her head casted down, her black hair covering half of her face.
I placed my finger under her chin and nudged her head up. Her eyes were red, but there was no sign of tears. “I’m not crying,” she said, begrudgingly. “I don’t cry.”
That was right.
Lila never cried, except for one day of the year. She hated being vulnerable and the only time she ever allowed herself to be, was on the date her parents died.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were red, a clear sign that she wanted to cry, but she was holding her tears in.
Lila pressed her palm over her forehead and squeezed her eyes close. “I’m just… God, he made a fool out of me.”
“What did he do?” I asked through clench teeth.
“I was his rebound,” Lila said, her voice small. She swiped at her cheeks even though there was no evidence of any tears. “And he has been cheating on me… with his ex. I guess they’re back together now, but he was a coward and didn’t tell me. I don’t understand. Why did he… why did he fuck me… if he was already back with her? I mean, he basically cheated on both of us.”
Riley let out a curse under her breath from behind me.
Colton hissed. “He’s dead meat.”
Anger simmered in my gut. The more she spoke of her situation, the angrier I became.
It consumed me, and my skin itched with the need for revenge, to hurt him, like he hurt Lila.
My Lila.
My fingers curled into fists as the fury slid through me like acid, burning inside the pit of my stomach.
Riley pushed past me and enveloped Lila into a hug. She whispered something to her, and Lila nodded. They talked quietly to each other. “I’m more angry than hurt. Embarrassed, too, because I let him touch me… we had sex… because I trusted him.”
Lila’s head came up, her gaze finding mine instantly. “Maddox–” she said, but her eyes flared, probably from seeing the look on my face. “Maddox, no.”
Lila came forward, her arms out as if to grab me, but I sidestepped her reach.
She called out after me as I stalked out of the apartment. “Maddox!”
I wasn’t listening; I was too far gone to stop now.
I charged down the stairs, faster than I knew I could and climbed into my car. The passenger’s door slammed shut, and I looked up. Colton settled in the seat.
“You’re not stopping me,” I snarled.
“No, I’m coming with you.” He cracked his knuckles, his lips splitting into a deadly grin. “He fucked with one of ours.”
After breaking every known traffic law, we were at Landon’s apartment two minutes later.
“You stay out of it,” I warned Colton. My Lila, my fight.
“I’ll let you beat the shit out of him, but I’m just here to keep you from killing him.”
Colton rang the doorbell. I heard a high-pitched giggle through the door–a woman–and anger boiled deep in my veins. It churned with the hunger for destruction.
I wasn’t thinking clearly, I fucking couldn’t.
All I could see was Lila’s sad eyes and blotchy cheeks as she tried to keep her tears inside.
The door opened, and there was Landon.
His eyes widened in shock, and I pushed forward. He stumbled back inside his apartment, gaping like a fish out of water.
“What the fuck?” he sputtered. “You can’t just push your way inside like that.”
“We can’t?” Colton taunted.
“What’s going on?” the woman asked. She was partially naked, the look on her face telling me she had just been fucked, multiple times.
Landon pointed toward the door. “Get the fuck out of my apartment. Now.”
I took a step forward, a promise of violence. He saw through me, and his eyes darkened. He shoved at my shoulders, wanting to assert his dominance in this fight, and I snapped.
Lunging forward, I grabbed him by the throat. He retaliated quickly, landing a punch in my gut. I quickly threw my weight on him, sending both of us crashing into his glass table in living room.
“Oh my God!” A shrill voice screamed.
I felt his nose crunch under the force of my punch. It was so loud, it vibrated through my ears.
Grabbing his hair, I pummeled his face over and over again. “You,” punch, “don’t,” punch, “fucking get,” punch, “away,” punch, “so easily,” punch, “after hurting,” punch, “Lila.”
He broke Lila’s trust and embarrassed her by cheating on her. Motherfucker.
Landon struggled against me, and he knocked me in the jaw, hard enough that I stumbled back. The sound of fists against flesh was all I could hear. Blood leaked from my nose, and I punched him in the ribs again and again.
“Stop! Help! Someone help!” The stupid voice was screaming once again.
I drew my fist back and ploughed it into his stomach. He coughed and sputtered blood. Stars burst in my vision when he got me in the head, but I shook it off.
There was blood on my knuckles but I. Could. Not. Stop.
“Maddox! Maddox, no.”
Lila. Her voice broke thro
ugh the red haze, and I blinked, seeing Landon’s bloodied face.
Hands grabbed my back and arms, trying to pull me away from Landon. My eyes connected with Lila’s brown ones, and she looked completely… distraught.
For Landon? For this fucking asshole?
Lila whimpered. “You’re hurt. Oh God, Maddox. Oh no.”
Me?
“Ah fuck,” Colton roared. “She called the police. Shit!”
Lila’s face crumpled, and she pushed her face into my neck. “No, no, no.”
I stumbled away from Landon, and his bitch came forward, falling to her knees beside him.
“Maddox,” Lila said softly.
“I got you.” I wrapped my arm around her, lifting her so her feet were dangling an inch from the ground.
She let out a choked sob. “No, you don’t. They’re going to take you away. Landon is probably going to press charges. Why?”
Why?
Fucking why?
Because I can’t bear the thought of you hurting. Because watching you hold back your tears for an asshole like Landon has me losing my mind. BECAUSE HE FUCKING HURT YOU.
I never got a chance to say any of that to her. Glancing up over her shoulder, I saw the cops walking inside the apartment. They looked around, studying the mess.
“That’s him, Officer,” the woman cried, pointing at me.
Lila was shaking her head, holding onto me tighter. I had Landon’s blood on my hands; I broke into his house… there was no getting out of this. And I wasn’t the least bit sorry for turning Landon into my punching bag.
“Colton will take you home, Lila,” I rasped in her ear.
She gave me a stubborn shake of her head. “I’m coming with you.”
“No,” I deadpanned, with my hand gripping her chin. I made her look at me. “Colton will walk you home, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“But–”
“No, Lila.”
Her face hardened. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
“I am, right now. Do as you’re told.” She glared. Lila was stubborn as fuck, and I knew she’d sit with me in jail if I didn’t get her home. There was no goddamn way I was letting her spend the night in a cell, even if it was with me. “Please.”
I placed her back on her feet, and her chin wobbled. She turned to face the cops. “It’s only a misunderstanding, officers. It’s my fault.”
“Misunderstanding or not, you’re under arrest.” One of the officers was staring directly at me. I nodded, compliant. There was no point arguing with them.
Colton had to drag Lila away from me as I was handcuffed, my hands behind my back.
“Please,” Lila pleaded. “Can I just… hug him?”
The officer who handcuffed me beckoned her over. She slid closer to me, pressed her nose against my throat. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Lila sniffled, and my heart twisted. My lips brushed against her forehead, and she hugged me tighter. “I’m sorry.”
“I got you,” I said again.
Her teary eyes were the last thing I saw as they pulled me away from her. Lila brought her hand up and she touched her dreamcatcher necklace at her throat, as though it soothed her.
It gutted me, because she was crying for me.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Lila
I couldn’t sleep, there was no way I could when Maddox was in jail, and here I was, in my nice and cozy bed.
He was locked away in a cell because of me. My gut twisted with guilt, and I stared at the ceiling through the darkness. Colton had to drag me home with Riley right on our heels.
After convincing me to get in bed while he handled the matter, Colton left.
Why didn’t he stop Maddox from getting into a fight?
Why wasn’t I fast enough to stop him?
Why… why… why?
I always knew that as much as Maddox was laid-back and easy-going most of the time, he was also short-tempered and easily triggered.
The guilt became harder to bear because if I only had put on my big girl pants and didn’t cause a scene, Maddox wouldn’t have run off to beat the shit out of Landon.
But I had been hurt and embarrassed.
Not that I cared much about Landon. I wasn’t heartbroken, but I felt… used.
Used and discarded after he had his fun with me.
If Landon didn’t want to be with me, he could have easily walked away. I wasn’t clingy; I had no expectations. But he cheated on me, after I let him inside my body.
That hurt me.
And I had been furious.
I wasn’t ‘crying’ because he broke my heart. They were angry tears, at him… and myself, because I trusted the wrong guy.
I felt foolish, but I didn’t think Maddox would react the way he did. Everything happened so fast, and before I could have grabbed him, he was already out of the door.
Then I walked in on him beating the shit out of Landon, not that I cared if my ex was hurt or not. But Maddox was wounded too and that guilt became much harder to bear.
When the cops came, it took everything in me not to beg them to take me with them. Goddamn it, I’d sit in a dirty cell with Maddox if it meant he wasn’t alone behind those bars and I was with him.
Landon was pressing charges. His precious girlfriend attacked me after the cops left and her sharp nails have left a nasty mark on my arm. I returned the favor by punching her boobs before Colton pulled me off her and dragged me out of the apartment as I cursed them through their next lives.
My door creaked open, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I squeezed my eyes shut. There was a relieved sigh, and I peered at the door from behind my comforter.
“She’s asleep,” Riley said softly to the person behind her. Probably Colton.
I was right, because a second later, his hushed voice came through. “Good. It’s been a long night for all of us.”
The door closed, and I sank back into my soft mattress. My body was still tense, and I couldn’t find a comfortable position.
It was a long time before I fell into a restless sleep.
Hours later, I jolted away when my bed dipped under a heavy weight. Someone settled behind me and a strong arm slid around my hips, pulling me back into his body. Hard and familiar… warm and solid… strong and safe.
Maddox.
He curled his body around mine, and my ass was nestled indecently against his groin. He didn’t shift away like I expected him to. He kept me there, my back against his front, so close not even a string could fit between us. We’d laid in bed many times, but this was… different.
More intimate, less ‘friendly,’ and there was an unspoken tension between us. I licked my lips and cleared my dry throat, feeling the way my stomach dipped and fluttered as he touched me.
Maddox pushed his other arm under my neck and tucked the back of my head against his shoulder. I released the breath I was holding and inhaled his familiar scent, also catching a whiff of alcohol. Did he drink before coming home?
“Landon dropped the charges?” I asked in the dark.
I felt him shake his head. His arm tightened around mine, as if making sure I couldn’t escape or maybe he was scared I would.
Little did he know…
“Then?” I pushed for more.
“My father handled it,” he confessed, his voice a raspy croak.
Ah, so his father bailed him out. Shit. He found out. Bad. Bad. Bad. Colton and I thought to keep this incident lowkey and hoped Brad Coulter wouldn’t find out his son was in jail.
I guess Maddox’s father had eyes and ears everywhere.
“Was he pissed?”
“He didn't message me, didn’t call me either. Didn’t even talk to me. He handled everything behind my back and without talking to me. I only knew he did it after I was released, and Colton came to pick me up.”
Oh. So, his father hadn’t even bothered to speak to him, to ask what happened, why it happened or how his son was even doing. Fuck him.
&nb
sp; I snuggled deeper into his embrace and slid my hand into his, the one on my hip. I squeezed his fingers. “I'm sorry.”
He expelled a long breath. “I’m not. He deserved every fucking punch I threw at him. I think I broke his nose. Nobody makes my Lila cry. No one. I won’t fucking allow it.” He slurred his words a bit. Yeah, he was definitely a little drunk.
My eyes filled with tears. I didn’t peg myself to be an emotional person, but Maddox made me feel so many things at once.
Sorrow… fear… anguish… hopelessness…
My heart thudded in my chest
“Maddox?”
“Um, yeah?”
“I love you,” I whispered.
His arm flexed around my hips. “I know.” His hold tightened around me in the slightest bit. His lips feathered over my forehead in a whisper of a kiss, before he placed his cheek on top of my head again. “I love you, too.”
It wasn’t the first time we had said those words to each other but my heart danced in my chest. Without lifting my head, I brought my hand up, showing him my pinky.
“Friends?”
Maddox hooked his pinky around mine, and I could feel his smile without even having to look at him.
“Friends,” he said.
My eyes closed, and I fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
In the morning, I woke up to an empty bed. For a brief moment, I wondered if it was all a dream, and Maddox hadn’t come home. But when I breathed in, I caught the familiar, musky scent that he left behind. My body still tingled from where he had touched me.
After quickly freshening up, I walked out of the bedroom to find Maddox sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the window. The morning sunshine shone through the glass, and Maddox looked beautiful sitting there. He was shirtless, with only his grey sweatpants on. It was the perfect sight...but my chest tightened at the look on his face.
My wounded warrior.
He had a black eye, and his lips were cut and swollen. His ribs were turning into an ugly shade of purple and green.
“Want some coffee?” I asked, hoping to get him to talk and lighten up his mood. Last night was hell for all of us. I needed to make sure he was okay.
But his next words were not what I expected.
“Am I a disappointment?”