Taking a Chance (29 page)

Once he was up, he looked to the kitchenette area to see if his phone was sitting anywhere. He spotted it next to Tiffany’s purse. He cautiously made his way across the floor, feeling like he was going to get sick at any moment. He picked up his phone and dialed Tommy.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Could you not talk so loud?”

“Sorry. You hung over this morning?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? I only had a couple of drinks. What the hell happened last night?”

“I don’t know, bro. Tiffany was all over you at the bar and you left with her after about thirty minutes or so.”

“I did
what
?”

“You guys were arm in arm. Well, I should say you had your arm around her shoulders and you appeared unsteady on your feet. Charlie drove you two. Maybe he can help fill in the blanks.”

“What the hell? What time is our flight?”

“Ten. We need to get out of here soon. You gonna be ready?”

“I don’t know, man. Just let me get my head on straight and I should be good to go.”

“Okay.”

Austin turned back around to face Tiffany. He moved as fast as his body would allow toward the bathroom and lost everything in his stomach. He had never had too much to drink that he was sick the next morning. Something else was going on with him and he needed to figure it out, although he figured the sight of Tiffany was enough for him to get sick. He splashed cold water on his face.

Before he walked back out into the bedroom, he looked back down at his phone. He saw the voicemail icon on his phone and hit the button to dial his voicemail. He entered his password.

“Where are you? Call me! It’s an emergency!”

He recognized her voice immediately, but she sounded strange, almost sleepy. A siren was blaring during her message. He dialed her number without thinking. He would figure everything else out as soon as he knew she was okay. Her phone went to voicemail. He left a message to call him right away.

He was awake now. He walked back out into the bedroom.

“What the hell happened, Tiffany? We both know I don’t want you and I don’t want to be near you, so how the hell did you get me like this?”

“Well, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“Why did Maddie call me with an urgent message? Did I talk to her?”

“Um, I don’t think you were in any position to talk to her. If you know what I mean,” she taunted.

Austin knew there was no way anything happened between them. No matter how much he drank he would never have touched her. But he could not figure out how she got him to the room and why she was still there. She still hadn’t moved from the bed. He dialed Charlie’s number.

“Mornin’.”

“Charlie, what the hell happened last night?”

“I don’t know, man. I dropped you and Tiffany off at the hotel around nine.”

“Shit. Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because you asked me to.”

What’s going on?
Everyone knew he couldn’t stand to be around Tiffany.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

Austin hung up. He clicked on his text messages and then he saw it. There was an outgoing text to Maddie. It was just a link with no message typed. He dreaded what might come up, but he clicked it anyhow.
Holy shit.
It was worse than he had imagined. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down, but it was no use.

“What the hell did you do, Tiffany?”

“Nothing, darling. What are you talking about?”

“How did you manage to get this picture and the corresponding article?”

“Let me see. I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

“Cut the shit, Tiffany. I know you sent this to Maddie. I sure as hell didn’t. What did you do to me last night? Just so you know, Tiffany, you didn’t just mess with our relationship, but doing whatever you did to me last night potentially messed with Maddie’s life. You better hope she’s okay!”

Austin didn’t care what she had to say. He pulled on his pants and slid his shoes on. He grabbed his sunglasses off the bedside table and ran out of the room. He could hear Tiffany yelling behind him.

“Darling? Where are you going?”

He dialed Maddie’s number. It went into voicemail again.
Where are you, Maddie?
Tiffany had sent the text after her voicemail, so the urgent message was not related to the text. He didn’t know if she would believe him that he had no idea what happened last night, but he still needed to make sure she was okay.

Austin called Tommy back.

“Hey, I have to head to Chicago first. I’ll meet you in Phoenix.”

“Dude, what’s going on?” asked Tommy.

“I don’t know, but I need to get there and find out. I think Tiffany ruined my future with Maddie, but I still need to make sure she’s okay.”

A
ustin called her phone the second the plane landed.
Damn, Maddie, where the hell are you?
He had left a few messages for her and Molly. He had asked her to at least text him she was fine. He still didn’t have anything. He had not even received a text telling him to get the hell out of her life. That was what bothered him most. He at least wanted to see that she was angry, but not hearing anything was killing him, and why was Molly not returning his calls?

He paid the cab driver and ran into the lobby of the building. He walked up to the desk where a young man was sitting.

“Hi. I’m here to see Maddie. My name is Austin. Can you call up to her place?” he asked, frantic at that point.

The kid looked up at him, eyes wide open. “Um, well, she’s not…let me call …”

“She’s not what? What the hell is going on? Where’s Maddie?”

Austin knew yelling at the kid wouldn’t help, but he was desperate for information. He debated jumping over the desk and pushing the intercom button himself.

“Hold on.”

The kid picked up the phone and dialed. Austin could only hear one side of the conversation.

“Sid. There is an Austin here to see Maddie.”

He waited for what felt like an hour. The kid nodded his head a few times as he listened. He hung up the phone.

“Someone will be here in a few minutes.”

“Someone! Why not Maddie? What is going on?”

“Um, sir, someone will be here shortly, please just hold on. It’s not my place to …”

“Your place to what? Tell me what?”

The kid just shook his head and nodded toward the bench.

Austin couldn’t take it. He staggered backward and sat down on the bench. He put his head in his hands and tried to maintain his composure. He was shaking and it was taking everything he had not to cry. His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest and he felt sick again.

Whatever happened to you, please be okay.
He had to clear his head; he couldn’t get thoughts of the worst possible scenario out of his head
.

“Austin?”

It was a female voice. He recognized it, but it wasn’t Maddie. He picked his head up to look at her. She had been crying. She looked like she had left her house in a hurry at some point. She didn’t have on any make-up and her hair was up haphazardly.

“Oh my God, Molly! What’s going on? Where’s Maddie? Please tell me nothing has happened to her.” The fear inside him was overwhelming. He didn’t know if he could handle the answer.

“Austin, I’m so sorry. We didn’t get home in time …”

“Home in time for what? Oh my God, please just tell me Maddie is okay,” his voice cracked as the emotion inside him finally broke.

“She’s okay. Well, she’s okay now. But she doesn’t want to see you.”

Austin felt the relief wash over him.
She’s okay.

“I know Tiffany sent her a text last night. I have no idea how she got the picture or what happened to me last night. I’m not trying to make excuses. I need to see her. Please, I need to know she’s all right. I promise I won’t try to get her back if that’s what she wants. I just want to say goodbye in person. I’m begging you.” Austin dropped his head in his hands. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears slid down his face.
What have I done?

Austin knew there had to be more to the events of last night. He had no doubt in his mind that he would not have gone back to Tiffany, no matter the circumstance. But the picture was his undoing. Unfortunately for him, a picture was worth a thousand words.

“Okay, I’ll take you to her, but you have to promise you’re not going to beg her to come back to you right now. I’m only taking you to her so you can see what she’s been through and say goodbye in person. Can you promise me that’s all you will do?”

He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up, thankful she was doing this for him. He still had no idea what was going on, but he had to see Maddie.

“I understand. I just want to be able to see her and tell her I’m sorry for everything that has happened. I will leave it at that, I promise.”

“Follow me.”

Molly started walking toward the exit.

“Where are we going? Isn’t Maddie upstairs in her condo?”

“No, she’s staying somewhere else.”

As they exited the building, Austin turned toward Molly. Fresh tears were running down her face. Austin reached out to hold her hand. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he needed comfort for himself too. When he grabbed her hand, he felt a ring against the palm of his hand. He glanced down and saw a band on her left-hand ring finger. When he turned her hand over he saw a solitaire diamond gleaming back at him. He looked back up to Molly. He saw the hint of a smile through her tears, but it only touched her eyes briefly.

“Please don’t say anything. I haven’t told Maddie yet. I’m waiting for the right moment, when I know she’ll be able to share in my happiness.”

“Molly, what happened to Maddie?”

As he heard her take in a deep breath, he closed his eyes dreading the words.

“George was in her condo when she got home last night.”

His stomach dropped and his heart pounded faster.
Did the bastard touch her or did he just scare her?
Based on Molly’s emotion, he had frightened her at the very least. However, something inside him told him there was more. She had said it was an emergency in her message.

“I swear to God, if you tell me he so much as touched her with one finger, I’m going to hunt him down.” Now Austin was seeing red. He hated the bastard. But just as quickly as the anger came it was replaced by guilt for failing Maddie. He had let her down. He had promised Maddie she would never be hurt again. She had taken a chance on him and he had failed her twice in one twenty-four hour period.

Not only did he not expect Maddie to take him back, he now knew he didn’t deserve her. He hadn’t been there for Maddie the way she needed him. He was half way across the country most of the time, so how could he expect to take care of her? He needed to tell her how sorry he was. He would stay if she wanted him to, but he knew she wouldn’t want him. He knew she deserved so much better.

Molly didn’t answer but looked at him and nodded her head. She didn’t need to say more. He knew George had been able to hurt her again.

“Why didn’t you call me back this morning?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been with Maddie since very early this morning, and I was afraid she would feel betrayed if I called you.” She paused for a few moments. “And I was afraid to call you because I thought you would blame me for not getting to her in time.”

“
I
am the only person to blame. You did nothing wrong. You tried to get home in time.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Molly no longer had tears running down her face, but she looked defeated. Neither one of them had been able to protect Maddie, so they were both carrying guilt on their shoulders. Molly had the keys to Sid’s elevator, so she let them both in and led the way to Sid’s floor.

“Can you wait for a second? I need to tell Maddie’s family I brought you here.”

All Austin could manage was a slight nod. Words were beyond him.

The door closed behind Molly and he was left alone in the hallway. He leaned against the wall for support. He still didn’t feel well and the impact of what Molly had told him was too much to bear. When the door opened back up, Austin stood motionless not knowing what to expect. He didn’t know if Maddie would be in the main room or if her family would be standing there. He didn’t want to endure their looks of disappointment, but it was a punishment he deserved.

When he stepped through the doorway, he knew the woman standing there was Maddie’s mom and the man holding the baby was her brother. They both bore a striking resemblance to Maddie and he would have known them anywhere. They both looked exhausted. Her brother was rocking back and forth holding a bottle for Ashley. Austin nodded their direction, but did not make a move toward them. Austin looked to Molly who motioned for him to follow her.

Molly knocked softly on the door and opened it halfway.

“Maddie, are you awake?”

“Yeah, Mol. What’s up?”

“There’s a visitor here for you.” Molly opened the door further, so Austin could walk in. She shut the door behind him.

There were no lights on in the room, but there was enough light shining through the blinds for Austin to be able to see Maddie. She was lying on the side of the bed closest to him. The covers were pulled up to her shoulders. Her right arm was outside the comforter, lying next to her side. She turned her head slightly to him as he entered the room. He didn’t make a move toward her, but stood completely still by the door. Austin’s eyes scanned Maddie and so many emotions flowed through him.

Austin had never had that feeling before, as if someone had literally sucked all of the air out of him. He could not catch his breath. The pain he felt for her and the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. He could see the bruises and had no idea how bad the cut was under the bandage. He pictured her getting hit and the pain that must have followed the impact. He thought of the fear she must have had not knowing when or how it was going to stop.
Why couldn’t I have been there to protect her?

“Maddie,” his voice was so hoarse it was hardly a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

It was all he could manage. Tears ran down his face and his body shook with a sob.