Benji didn’t fall asleep until six a.m. He had watched his phone until it died and then as it charged, until he finally fell asleep. He felt pathetic, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he was losing everything with no clue as to why. He was pissed. So damn pissed at Lucy for doing this. He didn’t understand what she was holding back. What she was hiding and why? Didn’t she understand that he loved her unconditionally and he was going to support her no matter what?

What in the world had her running like this? Hiding?

The only thing he could come up with was fucking Rick.

Rick had done something, and it was taking everything out of Benji not to find that bastard and kill him. He considered driving to his house, but then he didn’t know where the asshole lived. He also didn’t have his number, so he was stuck. As he stared up at the spinning ceiling fan, he couldn’t take the coldness that he felt. The way the house felt empty without them. How he had no clue what the hell to do. He was a fixer, he was a doer, but at that moment, he felt like a loser. With no clue how to rectify that.

As much as he wanted to believe she would come home and they would be okay, he knew they wouldn’t. Not after all this. No, she wanted to break up with him. She just couldn’t do it. While that should have pleased him, it just broke him more.

What in the world had he done? Or what had happened to make her want to leave him? To take away her love and Angie’s? It was unfair, and in a way, he was convinced it was fucking payback for Ava and Leary. It had to be. Why else would he feel like this? Feel like he wanted to down a whole bottle of vodka and just die. Never in his twelve years of sobriety had he truly wanted a drink, but he could use one now.

But even he knew that nothing would dull the pain inside of him.

No, only Lucy could make it better.

Rolling over, he brought her pillow into his arms, nuzzling his nose into it, hoping to get a whiff of her. Taking in a long pull, her flowery scent intoxicated him and everything hurt.

Why couldn’t she just talk to him?

When his phone rang, he scrambled to get to it, almost falling off the bed before getting his phone in his hand.

But he didn’t recognize the number.

Hopeful, though, he answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, this is Mark Sinclair. This number called me last night.”

“Yes!” Benji said, sitting up. “This is Benji. Benji Paxton, Lucy’s boyfriend.”

Or was he?

The thought made his whole body ache.

“Hey, Benji, what’s up?”

“Um, well, funny you should ask,” he said, exhaling hard. “Lucy left for Florida—without me—and I really don’t know what’s going on. And I was wondering, hoping, actually, maybe you knew something about this.”

Mark paused, and Benji could hear him clicking his pen against something. “I’m sorry, what do you mean, left? I thought you all were going.”

“Yeah, I did too, but she called saying she needed time to think. Whatever the hell that means.”

Mark made a disgruntled noise and muttered, “Fool woman.”

Benji panicked. “Listen, I know you don’t owe me anything, that you don’t have to tell me anything. But, if I’m losing my family, I need to know. I need to fix it. Save this before I can’t.”

Mark chuckled. “Boy, you love those girls.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. Both of them.”

“I can tell. I can hear it in your voice.”

“Then you know I have to know what is going on so I can fix it. I can’t lose my family, Mark. I can’t, not again,” he said, his voice breaking as the tears flooded his eyes.

When Mark cleared his throat, Benji held his breath. “All right, son, listen. I’m gonna give you my address and you come on over, okay?”

Benji was out of bed and getting dressed before Mark even finished his sentence. He wasn’t sure what this would help, but it was clear Mark knew something. Getting the address, Benji rushed out of the house, into his truck, and then across town to Mark’s office. Knowing that Mark could possibly help him gave him renewed hope he could fix this. But when he got there, nothing could have prepared him for what Mark had to say.

Blinking, completely speechless, Benji just looked across the desk at the older man, unsure what to do or say.

“It was fake, though. Completely. I saw that with one look at it.”

“So he’s trying to say I touched Angie inappropriately?” Benji asked, choking on a sob. He would never. Who would even think to accuse someone of that?

A fucking sicko, that’s who.

Mark held his hands out, shaking his head. “I know, crazy. But since he has the intentions of making the allegation formal, it will be investigated. They will question Angie, they will question you, and Lucy, if it makes it to court.”

“So you think it won’t,” Benji said, his mind racing, and Mark shook his head.

“Let me tell you something about my daughter,” he said then, leaning back in his chair. “Lucy isn’t dumb. She’s a survivor and she protects the ones she loves. She thinks if she cuts all ties with you, goes to court and says you two aren’t together any longer, that it will be a dead end. What she doesn’t realize is they’re still gonna investigate the allegation, which will run your name through the mud. It’ll hit the media, for sure. I’ve already contacted your lawyer this morning. It’s going to get nasty if it goes to court.”