Page 89 of Because of the Dar

"What?" she shrieked, the sass gone instantly. "Is she okay?"

Her genuine panic eased some of my rage. I didn't know if I was mad at her or at me—for caring. Caring about Echo. Wanting to know where King was and if she was okay.

"She's fine," I responded, calmer than before. "The side gate was open. She must've gotten out through there. I locked it after I put her back."

"Oh, thank God." Mags threw her arms around my neck, and I stiffened at the unexpected physical contact. Since King, my mom and Den were the only women I let come close enough to hug me. In my mind, I associated Mags with King. Memories came flying at me left and right: sitting in their living room during movie night, King stepping into the shower with me before I drove her to campus, laughing with everyone at our table at The Grizz.

My arms still at my side, she let go quickly. "Sorry, I, uh…sorry." She blushed. Seeing Mags blush was a new sight, and it distracted me from what just happened inside my head.

I smirked. "It's all good."

We stood awkwardly in front of each other, and I tried to figure out what to say next. "I…um, if you need someone to watch Echo, I can do that." I quickly added, "While you work."

Mags looked stunned, opening and closing her mouth. She shifted back and forth on her feet and chewed on her thumbnail, all while staring past me.

"Mags?" I prompted.

"I don't know, Wes." She still wasn't making eye contact.

My shoulders sank, and my chest constricted. I didn't realize how much I wanted Echo with me until Mags shot me down.

"Cool." I wouldn't show her my disappointment. Maneuvering around her, I aimed for the door.

Her hand shot out and latched onto my wrist. "Wait!"

Mags pressed her lips together for a moment before she spoke. "I appreciate your offer." Her gaze flitted around the room again. "Kiwi and I are splitting our time with Echo, but between classes and work, it's not enough. Kiwi has a ton of projects. It's just—"

"Just what?" I interrupted. She was testing my patience.

"I don't know if King would be okay with that," she replied in a tiny voice.

"How would she know? She fucking abandoned us!"Us?"Echo, I mean." Fuck. The still simmering rage turned back to a boiling point, mostly at myself for showing my cards to the enemy. I glared at Mags, attempting to cover up my blunder, but then something shifted in her.

Her expression softened. "Wes, King couldn't take her. Echo still needed medical attention. She didn't know where she would end up. King would've never risked Echo's life like that. This dog means everything to her."

I held her gaze and let her words sink in. Something stuck out, though.She didn't know where she would end up."Do you know where she is?"

Mags went still, and I had my answer. "Where is she, Mags?"

She shook her head. "I can't."

I turned on my heels and left her standing there. I couldn't believe I did that. I basically admitted that I still cared about King. I didn't. Did I? No, she was Turner's fucking daughter. I couldn't.

Goddamn it!

The next fewweeks flew by. Back to full capacity, I focused on training. It was the one thing that kept me sane—when I was sober. I went to class, practice, and even attended some of Kai's parties. Though, I would mostly stand in the kitchen, watching over the bar. Whenever Kiwi came around, which started to happen more frequently, I would call it a night. All in all, I was functioning.

Sometime in early February, Kai and the rest of the guys decided to head to The Grizz after practice. Apparently, Kiwi was celebrating another big deal at the Mountain Club. Waiting for my reply, they stared at me like I either was about to curl into a ball and cry or throw punches at whoever mentioned my ex-girlfriend's previous place of work. Sadly, I couldn't fault them. Instead, I surprised myself. I clapped Zeke on the shoulder and said, "Let's go celebrate your man."

I hadn't been back since I had confronted Mags. I couldn't. I was still embarrassed as hell for nearly begging her to let me dog sit. It was time to move on—at least, that was what I pretended for everyone else's sake. If they knew that I was doing regular drive-bys during Mags's shifts to make sure the gate was closed and Echo was safe, they would commit me.

The night at The Grizz went better than expected, and I found myself returning to my usual table at least once a week. Oddly enough, I drank less when I came here since I had to drive myself home. Taking an Uber all the time was becoming too pricey, and it was still too cold to walk the three miles.

The first Friday, when I sat in the corner and watched everyone have a good time, I experienced a wake-up call I could no longer avoid. I kept waiting for Rihanna's voice to come through the speakers. When it didn't happen, my throat tightened, and it suddenly was hard to breathe. With my elbows on the table, I intertwined my hands behind my neck, closing my eyes, and hung my head. Motherfucker, I missed her.

A few drinks later, I came to a decision. I marched over to Mags, who was in the process of mixing some type of pink concoction. I strutted straight behind the bar and ignored the new girl, who attempted to stop me.

"It's fine, Kira," Mags told her.

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