My Saving Graces

Chapter 3

Masons Pov

I stood there for a minute to make sure Avery listened to me and locked the door. After confirming that she did, I opened the door. I came face to face with a guy around my age but stood at least 5 inches shorter than me. He looked scrawny compared to my muscular frame. He had tattoos covering his arms and I could see one peaking out from his shirt collar on his neck.

"Where the hell is Avery?" The guy asked with a clenched jaw.

"I'm not sure who you're talking about." I told him simply and watched as anger flashed through his eyes.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about. Where is she? Tell me or you will regret it." He threatened me. I remained calm and didn't let it phase me. What did she see in this guy?

"I don't know who Avery is or where she is man." I tell him with a shrug. He draws back and punches me in the eye. It stung a bit but it was a weak hit so I wasn't affected. Him on the other hand was affected, he grabbed his fist and hissed. I wanted to chuckle but decided to keep it in.

He tried to do it again but I dodged it and hit him in the nose. He stumbled back as blood fell onto his shirt. His nose was definitely broken. "I told you I don't know who Avery is. Leave me alone and don't come back." I growled at him and slammed the door shut. I made sure I locked all of the locks and went to Layla's room. I knocked. "It's just me." I tell Avery. I hear some rustling and the door opened.

Avery had tears pouring down her face and makeup smeared everywhere. She looked at my face and gasped. I must have a black eye from him. "I'm so sorry Mason. I don't know how he found me. I'm sorry." She apologized over and over again.

"It's fine. It didn't hurt, it was a weak punch. He got it a lot worse." I tell her with a shrug.

"I'm going to pack and leave tonight. I'm sorry for everything." She said and started walking out of the room. I followed her and stopped her in the living room.

"Where are you going?" I ask her.

"I don't know. I will find a hotel or something." She shrugged. I sighed.

"Stay here." I state simply.

"I can't. He found me here. I don't want to bring you or Layla into my messed up life." She said and threw her hands up.

"Stay here for tonight at least. It's too late for you to go anywhere and you're a mess right now." I tell her. She thinks about and then hesitantly nods. She sits down on the couch and buried her head in her hands. I could here her sniffles so I went over beside her and sat down. I rubbed her back to comfort her.

"I'm sorry." She said and tried to stop her tears.

"Will you tell me who the guy was and why he's yelling at you to see his daughter?" I ask her. I see her tense up and sigh.

"My ex, Derek. He got me pregnant and turned crazy." She said calmly but I could tell she was about to start crying again.

"So you have a daughter with the crazy guy and he's trying to get to her?" I ask trying to figure it all out in my head.

"He's crazy but he can't get her." She says with a small shake that ripples through her body.

"Why can't he get to her?" I'm still trying to figure it out. I had a million ideas running through my head.

"Because I lost her." She mumbles. "I told you that my life was fucked up."

"I'm sorry." I tell her because I don't really know what else to say. I can't even imagine if Layla wasn't here. All them days of me watching her in the NICU she pulled through. "You need to stay here. Your jobs here and he won't come back to this apartment. We can submit his picture to security and they won't let him in."