"I want time. I need to think."

"And you can't tell me about what?"

"No, I need time."

He growled, but it wasn't out of malice, it was in complete frustration. "I have no clue what to do here."

"Let me go for the rest of the week. To think."

"No," he roared, and her tears came faster down her face. "I won't let you just go and be fine with it. I'm fucking pissed. My chest hurts and I'm scared when you come back, it will be to pack up your shit. So, no, I won't just let you go. I'm going to ask questions. I'm going to try to figure this out. Shit, I might still fly down there to talk to you if you don't give me something to work with here."

She should have known he would. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "Do you love me?"

"Of course, I fucking love you, Lucy. What kind of question is that? Is that what the problem is? Baby, I love you," he stressed and she bit into her lip so hard it hurt. "I love you so damn much, and I swear, I'm here for the long haul. What the hell is going on?"

"I love you," she said. "So please, let me go. Let me think."

Sounds of frustration met her as he said, "Do I have a choice here?"

He didn't, but she wouldn't say that. Instead, she whispered, "I love you, Benji. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? For what?"

"For all of this," she said, and as he went to say more, she hung up.

And felt nothing but complete and utter heartbreak.

What had she just done?

When Benji got home, for some reason, he was convinced that Lucy would still be there.

She wasn't.

Neither was Angie.

Not that he assumed she would be, but it still hurt to find she wasn't. Thankfully, though, all their things were still there that they didn't take to Florida with them. Lucy's boots were in the corner where she had left them last week. Angie's hockey set was all over the place, and while the mess made his eye twitch, it was their mess.

His family's.

Or so he still hoped. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he was going to find out. One way or another. Looking down at his phone, he swallowed hard and dialed her number. She had been ignoring his calls. It had been two hours since the last time he'd called since it took him that long to fly in from New York. Instead of calling as soon as he landed, he figured he'd check the house first. But as soon as he pulled up and found her car gone, he knew she wasn't there.

Hitting her number, he waited as it rang and then her voice came over the line. "Are you home?"

"I am. You're not, though. Did you make it there okay?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago. Angie is already in bed."

"Oh, I'm sure she's exhausted," he said and it irritated him. Why were they making stupid idle chitchat?

"Yeah. We both are."

Swallowing hard, he said, "I can fly out tomorrow."

"Don't."

Letting out a long breath, he ran his hand down his face. "Why not, Lucy?"

"'Cause I need to think."

"About what, baby? Please, I'm dying here. Let me help you fucking think," he yelled, hating that word. "I don't know what I did, how to make it better. Please, give me something here."

"You did nothing, Benji, I promise. I just need to think through some things. I'm going to be working. It just doesn't make sense."

"It made sense a month ago when you wanted me to go. When Angie and I planned to make a mermaid castle. I mean, shit, Lucy, what changed?"

His heart was pounding so hard, he was sure it was going to come out of his chest and melt right in front of him. He had never sweated like he was at that moment because, as much as she said she wasn't breaking up with him, he truly believed she was, and he didn't understand. This wasn't her. She wasn't one to hold back on anything. What in the living hell happened?

"I just need-"

"I swear to God, if you say 'time' one more fucking time, I'm going to lose it. What you need is for me to come down there, wrap my arms around you, and then you tell me what is wrong so we can fucking fix it together. That's what you need."

"You don't know that."

"No, I fucking do," he stressed, feeling like he was already losing it. "Do you hear my voice, Lucy? I'm dying here. I miss you. I miss Angie. I want to be with my family." That was when a sob left her lips and her soft cries filled the line. Closing his eyes, his heart just shattering in his chest, he whispered, "Lucy, baby, please, tell me what to do here."

"Stay home," she cried. "Just stay there. I'll see you in a few days."

And then the line went dead.

"Fuck!" he screamed, his ears rattling as he covered his face with his hands. Should he just fly down there? But he didn't even know where Jace lived. "Fuck."

Letting his head fall back, he swallowed hard and picked his phone up once more. "Bro, tell me you know what's wrong with your sister?"

Jayden paused. "Um. No? I thought you guys were leaving for Florida?"

"She left without me."

"What? What happened?"

"I don't fucking know. She says she needs time."

"For what?"

"I don't know, Jayden! Have you not heard anything? Your family is one big grapevine."

Jayden's voice was full of worry as he said to Baylor, "Mom tell you anything about Lucy?"

"No, what's wrong?"

"I have no clue," he said into the phone. "Let me call my mom."

"No, I will," Benji said and he hung up, dialing Autumn's number. It was late, but thankfully, she answered. "Have you talked to Lucy?"

"No? Why? Is she okay? Are you guys engaged?"

He fucking wished. "No, Autumn, she left for Florida-without me. Claiming she needs time. I don't know what is going on."

"What in the world? No. I don't know anything. Let me call her."

"No," he said quickly. That wasn't what he wanted. "She'll get pissed that I called you. I just was hoping maybe you knew something."

"No, sweetheart, I don't, but I'm still calling her," she said and then the line went dead.

"Fuck!"

Dropping his phone to the island, he let out a long breath as he rubbed his eyes, asking God what the hell he should do. This made no sense. It didn't seem right, and he couldn't even think of what he had done. He had been gone, so he knew that he didn't leave the toilet seat up or use her toothpaste. He had only talked to her, and he had been checking that whore Nikky Jiggler's site, and nothing. What in the world could be going on?

When he opened his eyes, he looked down, thinking maybe he could get Jace's number from Jayden and call him, but something caught his eye. The paperwork from court with Mark Sinclair's business card stapled to the top.

Could this have to do with Rick?

Turning the folder so he could see the number, he dialed Mark's number, but he didn't answer. Setting his phone down, he figured he'd try again tomorrow since it was almost midnight. He needed to go to bed. This had been his roughest Assassins road trip to date. He was aching everywhere from the hard-fought games against the Bruins, Islanders, Devils, and Rangers. They had won two of the four, but he was exhausted. Plus, he was worried, feeling like everything was just falling apart. He knew sleep wouldn't come easy.

When his phone sounded, he looked down to see a text from Lucy.

Lucy: I'm going to kill you for calling my mom.

Benji: I'm desperate. Talk to me.

Lucy: I can't. Not yet.

Benji: What the hell does that even mean?

He waited, but nothing came. Not even a little text bubble that signaled she was writing him back.

Nothing.

Complete silence.

The only sound he could hear was his heart breaking.

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.