Page 22 of Behind the Mask

She handed me the drink and started walking. I followed silently behind. "When did you say your parents were getting back?"

I took a sip of the drink and sighed as the warm liquid satisfied my thirst. "In a couple days. Mom called this morning saying she had such success at the craft show that they were going to stay an extra few days."

She nodded and headed over to one of the park benches. It was crazy for us to be out here in fifty-degree weather, but the park was nice and peaceful at this time of day. The sun was at a perfect point in the sky to where it didn't blind me from looking at it, and there were a few families playing in the park on this Wednesday afternoon.

"Good, that's good." She took a sip of her drink and faced me. "I have something I want to talk to you about. My roommate got a job offer and is moving to New York in a few days. My apartment is a little too big to live there all on my own and I was wondering if you wanted to be my roommate?"

I gasped. "Really?"

She grinned. "Yep."

I threw my arms around her, making our drinks slosh around. "Thank you! I promise you won't regret it!"

She laughed as she pulled away. "God Liv, you act as though I haven't known you for years! I'm your best friend, of course I'd want you to live with me! Do you remember when we talked about rooming together back in college? How we'd sit in on Friday nights drinking our coffee, watching Friends and eating so much ice cream we'd lose our teeth? I've missed the opportunity to do that with you and I'm not going to do it again. You can't get rid of me." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to watch a family playing football.

She was a godsend. Even though she was here while I was gone, I kept in touch with her and had told her the true reason why I left. She knew everything.

From all of the conversations I had with my parents, they never knew why I left. They didn't know what happened to me and they didn't know I was pregnant when I left. I managed to keep it all a secret from them, and I feared if I told them now it would only give them great heartache. When I left, I wasn't only protecting Axel, I was protecting them.

"Now, all we need to do is get you moved out and find that perfect studio of yours." As if a thought came to her mind, the smile on her face quickly disappeared. "You need to tell your parents."

I moved my head and watched as a ten-year-old boy threw a Frisbee at his golden retriever. "I will as soon as they come back."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Liv." My eyes immediately snapped to hers. "You need to tell them everything. You've told Axel now, the secrets out. You need to tell them before they find out from someone else. I know you did this to protect them, but you can't do that forever."

I sucked in a breath as she continued to talk. "You've kept a secret from them just like you did Axel. Don't get me wrong, you're my best friend and I love you, but I don’t think you should’ve run. Axel has his flaws, sure. And yes, he can be an egotistical dick, but he has a heart of gold. That's why you fell in love with him."

Her hand covered mine and she gave me a hesitant smile. "I think you need to do this so you can officially move on. Yes, Axel may be gone, but your parents will always be there for you. You need to tell them before you hurt them too."

I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My gaze drifted back towards the boy and our conversation died. I knew she was right. I had to tell them. I was afraid to hurt them like I did Axel. They mean everything to me and I hate disappointing them.

I heard Lindsey's phone ring in the distance but tuned it out as she answered. The dog ran up to his master as his tail wiggled playfully with the Frisbee firmly secured in his mouth. The two of them reminded me of the bond I had with my dog, Lucky, before he passed away. All these years I had never once thought about getting another animal because I couldn't dare think of replacing him.

"God, please tell me this is some fucked up joke. No! Of course she doesn't know, you prick! You have no idea what this will do to her."

My brows furrowed in confusion as I returned my gaze to her. The phone was wrapped securely in her hand as her knuckles turned white and her mouth pressed into a firm line. "Fine. I'll tell her. But I swear, that bastard better know what the fuck he's doing."

She hung up the call and sighed. "What's the matter?"

She rubbed a hand over her face in frustration and met my gaze. "Liv, there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay?" A shiver ran through me.

"Do you remember Mason? Axel's best friend?"

I nodded, vaguely remembering him. I didn't know much about him other than he had a foul mouth and tried to stick his dick in every girl he came in contact with. "Well, Mason owns a gym that’s very well known. It houses some of the world's best MMA fighters. He trains them and sets them up with opponents so that eventually they can get picked up. Mason trained Axel."

The wind was knocked out of me. "What?"

She took another sip of coffee and looked straight ahead. "Axel's kept a secret from you, Liv. And I guess I did too. I know over the years you've kept out of the media and kept to yourself so you wouldn't have to hear about him, but Axel is one of the best fighters in the country, and well, according to Mason, he just asked for a fight."

My eyes widened and my mouth parted. "I thought the girls at the bar were just sprouting off bullshit. He's not a fighter, Lindsey. He's a professional baseball player. He can't be both."

She met my gaze and looked at me with disbelief. "Actually, hecan. You know more than I do about the temper he has. Remember the saying you used to tell me? That he wasn't your knight in shining armor, but your prince of darkness?"

I nodded.

"Well, he is. And the prince of darkness just crawled out of his hole and claimed war on the whole MMA world. He's back and probably more determined than ever. Mason said he's on a warpath. He said he doesn't know what's going on with Axel, but earlier today he punched him in the nose. He's angry, he's upset, and he's out to kill. And you need to talk some sense into him before he kills someone again."

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