by Laura Day
“Fuck you,” Maple spat before she could hold the words back.
His smile grew broader. “I like the spirit. This new environment suits you. I always knew you belonged in a shit hole just like this one.”
“I have a restraining order against you,” Maple said, forcing the words out. “You’re not supposed to be within a hundred yards of me.”
Ryan laughed. “Is that a fact? Did you think I was just going to let you run away… after everything you did?”
“Leave,” Maple said, hating that her voice shook when she spoke.
“No, I think I’ll stay,” he said leering at her. “We have so much to talk about.”
“No, we don’t,” Maple replied. “I’m clean now. I have a job. I’m trying to start fresh.”
“You’re clean?” Ryan asked incredulously. “Well, you won’t be for long. It takes strength to get clean Maple, and you never had any.”
“You don’t know me,” Maple said.
“Oh, I think I do,” Ryan sneered at her. “You’re a junkie and a whore. You’re working in a dump, and you’re living in your car. Remember this moment, it’s the high point of your life.”
“Have you been following me?” Maple demanded, as her blood ran cold. She had prayed that she would never see Ryan again.
“Did you think I’d just let you go, Maple?” he asked softly. “You belong to me.”
Maple backed away from him slowly. “I belong to no one.”
“Look at your reflection,” Ryan told her. “Don’t you see me every time you look in the mirror? I left my mark there. You and I will always be linked.”
“Get away from me,” Maple said, enunciating each word.
She saw the rage fire on in his eyes as he grabbed her. His hand enclosed around her wrist, and he pulled her roughly towards him. Maple crashed into him, but he had his hand around her head, as though he were about to tell her a secret. He brought his head down, and Maple felt his tongue against her cheek. She sent her knee jerking up, hoping to hit his groin.
Ryan gave grunted in surprise and stumbled back slightly, but it was clear that her kick had not met its intended target. His face was contorted in rage, as he advanced on her. “You bitch,” he all but screamed. “You fucking whore.”
He came at her with a force that brought back memories of their sick and twisted relationship and the weak and helpless person she had been with him. He pushed her against the gym’s cold, hard walls, and the sound that cracked through the basement was the soundtrack that her life had been only months ago.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?!” Ryan continued to scream at her.
Maple tried to stand, but she slipped on the floor’s grime and slid back down. It was that one thing more than all the others that released her sobs. She hated that at the core of it, she was still the same weak and helpless person she had always been. Her vision blurred as her tears came freely, and when Ryan reached down to grab her roughly and pull her up, she didn’t resist.
It happened so fast that Maple gasped in shock. His fist came out of nowhere and sent Ryan flying to the ground. Maple could only stare, as Jax advanced on Ryan like some knight out of a movie. Ryan shook the shock off his face as he looked up at Jax. Immediately, his eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck are you?”
“You better run little man,” Jax said through gritted teeth. “Run fast and run far.”
Maple could see the veins popping from his lightly muscled arms. His tone was dangerous, and she felt the anger course through him—though for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why he cared so much. Ryan got to his feet without ever taking his eyes off Jax.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Ryan said, trying to sound as intimidating as Jax did. “That is my woman, and this is none of your business.”
“The moment you started pushing her around, you made it my business,” Jax said coldly.
Ryan shook his head in disgust. “Why do you care? She’s nothing but a whore—”
Maple saw the side of Jax’s jaw twitch, as he walked up to Ryan in one step and sent a punch right for his face. Ryan flew down onto the floor, thrown by the strength of that punch. He was struggling to get to his feet again, his face contorted in anger, but Jax didn’t wait. He jumped on top of him sending punches flying in such speed and with such ferocity that Maple was scared he was actually capable of killing Ryan.
Then Maple heard a curse, and she saw Evan flying past her towards Jax. “Jax!” Evan screamed. “Stop it. Get off him now!”
It was as if the words didn’t even touch him. He kept reigning down punches as though he had a point to prove. “For fuck’s sake Jax!” Evan yelled, desperation clinging to his tone. He bent down as close to Jax’s ear as possible. “Do you want to go to jail again?”
Jax’s hand froze mid-punch. His chest was rising and falling in great bursts, but at least he was listening. Evan took advantage of it. “You need to get control over yourself, Jax. Don’t fuck up your life again.”
Jax let his hand fall back to his side, as he got off Ryan, who was now unconscious, and took a deep breath. Maple could still see the tension in his arms and chest. He turned around and his eyes caught hers. There was a spark of recognition that flew through them, and Maple knew immediately that he had not known who she was when he had come over to help her. As Evan examined Ryan, Jax approached her slowly, almost cautiously. “Are you ok?” he asked, looking her over with some concern.
It was only then that Maple realized she was shaking.
Chapter Four
Jax
Her face was tilted downwards, as though she were scared to look at him.
“You don’t have to be scared of me,” Jax said as gently as he could under the circumstances.
“I know,” she replied immediately, her face jerking upwards to meet his.
It was only then that Jax saw the ugly red scar that snaked down her face. It started just above her left eye and coursed down in a ragged streak well past her cheek. He remembered it vividly from a few nights ago, framed against a dingy, poorly lit bathroom. “Hi,” he said.
The corner of her mouth twitched up, as though she were about to smile. “Hi,” she replied.
“We’ve… met before,” Jax said.
“You could say that.”
“I’m Jax,” he said, extending his hand out.
“Maple,” she said distractedly, before walking around him to speak to Evan.
“Is he breathing?” she asked Evan urgently.
“He’s fine,” Evan concluded. “Just a few nasty cuts and bruises to the face.”
“I’m so sorry about this Evan,” Maple said. “I had no idea he was following me.”
Evan nodded. “He an ex-boyfriend?”
Maple sighed. “He is. I have a restraining order placed against him, but… he’s not the type of guy to take it seriously.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“What do you mean?” Maple asked.
“I’ll drop him off somewhere in town and I’ll make sure he never comes after you again.”
Jax observed the look she gave Evan, as though she were afraid to believe him. “I… ok,” she said finally.
Evan gestured for Jax to help him with Ryan, and the two of them carried him up the stairs, out into the empty club, and pushed him into the backseat of Evan’s car. Evan closed the door on him and turned to face Jax.
“I know, I know,” Jax said before Evan could say anything. “That was stupid of me.”
“Really fucking stupid,” Evan chided him. “What happened in there?”
Jax shook his head. “I just… lost it, man.”
“That I could see,” Evan said.
“He was beating her up,” Jax said hotly. “He was verbally and physically abusing her. There is nothing so low, so weak, and so despicable as a man beating up a woman. I couldn’t just stand there and watch.”
“And I’m not asking you to do that,” Evan said calmly. “What I’m
asking you to do is stay in control. If you lose control out on the streets, I won’t be able to help you. You understand me?”
Jax nodded. “I understand.”
“Good, now get back in there and make sure the girl is ok.”
“What is she doing here in the first place?” Jax asked before Evan got into the driver’s seat.
“For fuck’s sake Jax,” Evan sighed. “I hired her weeks ago. She’s been cleaning down the gym and the bathrooms.”
“Right,” Jax nodded.
He waited till Evan had turned the corner before he went back to the gym. She was standing by the ring, mopping down the floors. She was small, even petite, but there was a roundness to her that was alluringly feminine. Jax was starting to remember why he had followed her into the bathroom that night. Her dark brown hair fell down around her shoulders in soft waves, but her scar was hidden.
There was something that touched him about the way she had picked up her mop and got right to work after what she had just been through. It spoke of a resilience that he was not sure he had. He watched her for a few moments longer, and then he walked up to her. She stopped mopping when he approached. Her eyes were large and brown, perhaps just a shade lighter than her hair.
“Evan left?” she asked.
Jax nodded. “Why don’t we go out?” he asked, without stopping to think about it. “We can get something to eat.”
She frowned as though she were surprised by the invitation. “I have work to do,” she said softly.
“It’ll still be there when we get back,” Jax said with the smile he knew women had a hard time saying no to. “Evan won’t mind at all, especially given what happened.”
Maple looked down. “Still, I’d prefer to get this floor cleaned down before midday.”
Jax surveyed the area. “How about this? We go out and get something to eat and when we get back, I will help you clean down these floors. We can knock it out in half the time.”
She looked surprised by the offer. “Really?”
Jax smiled again. “What do you say?”
She looked down at her mop for a moment, hiding her face from his gaze. “Ok,” she said finally.
A few minutes later, they left the darkness of the gym and walked out into the light breeze and the soft sunshine that filtered through to the buildings and the streets. It was a particularly nice day, but Jax didn’t notice. He was too busy glancing down at Maple walking beside him.
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked.
“Anything hot,” she replied.
He smiled. “You got it.”
Jax led her to a bakery café a few blocks down. He had been coming there ever since he started training under Evan, and the people who frequented the café had grown used to his intimidating appearance. Jax was used to being looked at, however, his tattoos were extensive, intricate, and everywhere. It was hard not to stare. Jax ordered some pastries and coffee, and they found a table by the window.
As they sat down, he noticed a smile playing across Maple’s lips. He realized that she had a dimple on her right cheek, and it made her seem even younger.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“It’s just that… you don’t look like you belong here,” Maple replied.
He smiled. “I get that a lot.”
She picked up her coffee and took a sip, as though she were wondering what to say next. Jax couldn’t help but admire her. There was something dainty about the way she moved. He was aware that he was making Maple conscious of herself, but he didn’t care.
“Were you with him long?” Jax asked after she had taken her second sip of coffee.
“Long enough,” Maple replied. “He was the lowest point of my life.”
“I believe that.”
He watched her body language. She looked nervous but not uncomfortable. He decided not to press her further until she decided she wanted to share with him.
“He’s the one… he’s the one who gave me the scar,” Maple said, her voice trembled on the word “scar” as though it were physically trying for her to say it out loud.
“He did that?” Jax hissed. “If I’d known that, Evan wouldn’t have been able to pull me off him.”
“Well, then I’m glad you didn’t know,” Maple said.
Jax recalled the night of his last fight. He had been on a high from his victory. He was sure he would win but that hadn’t lessened the euphoria he had felt when he was declared the winner. He had been bleeding from his face and elbow, he was sure he had cracked a rib, and his hands were sore from throwing punches, but he had been hungry for something more.
That was when he had seen Maple. She was encased in shadow, standing off to one corner like the loneliest creature on the planet. She was so far removed from the screaming throng that was packed into the gym that she had stood out. Jax and followed her into the bathroom and taken her against its wet countertops. It wasn’t often that he remembered the details of his sexual encounters, but this time, Jax found that the little details of that night were coming to him.
He could remember the way she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, as though she were trying to lose herself. He remembered the way she had sighed when he had first entered her, as though he had released something inside her. He remembered the way she had grabbed on to him, as though she didn’t want to let go. He felt his blood rise, and he clenched his fists under the table and pushed the desire back down.
She looked out the window and Jax took in her profile. From that angle, her scar was hidden from view, and she looked like any other beautiful woman. It was only when she turned her head back to face him that he was able to see the pain that life had thrown at her and the literal scars it had left on her. He found himself wondering about all those other scars, the ones beneath the surface that were so easy to hide but so difficult to heal.
“I was eighteen when I met him,” Maple said. “He was… older, confident, handsome… and I was… I suppose I was looking for someone to save me.”
“From what?” Jax asked.
Maple gave him a small, sad smile. “My life.”
“How long were you with him?” Jax asked.
“Around three years,” Maple replied. “It was… clear from the start what kind of man Ryan was. I was just too weak and too dependent on him to leave. Half the time I was too high to even think about it in the first place. I… for a long time I was… a drug addict.”
Jax had not expected that, but even though it came as a surprise to him, he kept his expression the same. Her face belied her rough and sordid past. She had those soft, calm features that looked like they belonged on paintings.
“How did it start?” Jax asked.
“It started recreationally at first,” Maple replied. “When I was about sixteen. It was just a way for me to… escape for a little and forget all the little things that I couldn’t control. After I met Ryan, things escalated. I started using more and more… and things just spiraled from there.”
“What changed?”
Maple shook her head. “Little things… I lost big chucks of time, and that frightened the shit out of me. I started neglecting the people closest to me, and hurting them…. It forced me to look at my life. I started using a little less as time went by, and I started realizing how horribly I was being treated. I mean… I suppose I always knew that, but this time, it bothered me. So I decided to leave.”
“But he didn’t let you go?” Jax asked.
Maple looked down. “I’m not proud of the person I was… sometimes I’m not even proud of the person I am. Back then though, I was at my lowest, and I didn’t know how I was going to make it. I didn’t have an education or money or anyone really whom I could count on. So I… started dealing. Ryan was the dealer really, and I just started siphoning off some of his supply and selling it on my own. My plan was to collect as much as I could and then leave once and for all.”
“He caught you, didn’t he?”
“He heard through the
grapevine,” Maple said. “Stupid of me really not to think it wouldn’t get back to him. He realized what my plan was, and he completely lost it. He might have killed me that night if I hadn’t escaped. He did leave his mark though.”
Jax wasn’t sure what made him do it. He reached out across the table and grazed the back of his fingers against the scar on her cheek. Maple stiffened slightly against the unfamiliar contact, but she didn’t move away from him.