Page 165 of Magic or Madness

She strokes my hair softly, coming closer and resting her head on my chest, right where she belongs.

“All you have to do is ask.”

I wrap my arms around her body, memorizing every little detail about her while I still have the chance.

The small freckles that span down the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks, painting the perfect trail that leads to her dimples when she smiles real big. She does her best to hide it, but the purple dye is fading, and the blonde roots are starting to grow in, something I’ve only seen one other time.

She hates anything resembling her old self, and the reminders of the life she used to live, the purple hair is a very large part of that persona she’s always trying to forget.

“You’ve been so quiet, are you okay, baby?” She checks on me, and I close my eyes, so close to breaking down.

“I’m so tired, Bambi. Everything that’s happened since this client came to us … it’s almost too much. I need a real night’s sleep,” I tell her, rubbing her arm lightly and leaving light scratches in my wake.

“Let me rub the oils on your back? I know that works best when you’re restless,” she offers, and I swear, if this goes on any longer my heart is going to shatter in my chest.

“No, that’s okay. Not tonight. I just need you.”

She pulls the blankets over us, her breathing slowing down as she gets comfortable against me. This has become our nightly routine, and within minutes, she’s fast asleep in my arms. The tears begin to slip down my cheeks, the ominous feeling creeping in knowing that this is the last time either of us will get a good night’s sleep. It’s going to take absolutely everything I have inside me to climb out of this bed, and walk out of this room, but if I don’t move soon, I never will.

I’ve thought about this all day, what I’m going to leave her with, and what I want to take to keep her close to me while I’m gone, but now that it’s time, my hands are shaking, and I can’t breathe. Slowly, I slip out from under her grasp, tucking her back under the covers as I move around the room.

My bags are by the door, but before I can grab them, I unclasp the necklace Fallon gave me, leaving it on the pillow beside her.

Earlier, I wrote her a note, and I slip that under the chain, knowing it’s not nearly enough to let her know what she means to me, but it’s all I have right now. One last time, I bend down, place a kiss on her forehead and tuck the loose hair behind her ear. She’s snoring, unbothered by my intrusion, and as much as it’s killing me, I grab my things and head toward the door.

With my hand on the knob, I take one last look around the room, the placeshecreated for us, and I’m so choked up, I can barely breathe. I glance at the framed pictures hung on the walls, each of them representing a memory that I could never forget, but my favorite one is calling out to me, and in one quick motion, I take it down off the wall, shoving it into my bag.

A light tap on the door breaks me out of my trance, and I know it’s time to go, but my feet are cemented in place, my body frozen as I think this through one last time.

I have to do this.

I have to save everyone.

My crew. My love. My life.

Without my Bambi, none of that exists.

“I love you, Bambi. Like an oath,” I whisper in the dark, my voice cutting through the silence in the room.

I slip out of our bedroom, following the rest of the guys to the van, sneaking out in the middle of the night like teenagers. We’re all silent as we pile inside, and drive away from the one place any of us truly ever calledhome.

I take the seat in the back row, the tears silently falling, my chest heaving as I try to contain my emotions, but it’s no use. I left a piece of my heart back at that dealership, and I can only hope that one day, everything we’ve dreamed of will come true.

From the moment I saw Fallon, I was infatuated with her, but I should’ve known all along that she would be the very thing thatwrecked me.

FALLON

I waketo sounds of screaming, and something being smashed, but it’s so peaceful here that I can’t bring myself to wake up.

“That fucking son of a bitch!” I hear, and my eyes open slightly to see if Ozzy’s awake yet.

He’s not in bed, and I groan, knowing I have to handle whichever girl is having a meltdown on my own. I look around the room for my shirt, but instead, I see something resting on the pillow, and my heart drops.

It’s a note, and the pendant I bought Ozzy.

The gold chain is perched on his pillow, and I take it in my hands, remembering why I gave him this.

It’s not something he’d leave behind unless …

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