Maggie-

Dreams are weird.

I bend down to feel the cold water trickle around my fingers then I close my eyes and listen to my surroundings. Past the babbling creek, I hear at least a half dozen songbirds echoing through the woods. Such a beautiful sound.

"Come on Margaret! We'll be late for dinner and your mother will have my hide."

The voice brings warmth to my heart but also confuses me. I open my eyes to see my father standing a few feet in front of me and reaching a hand out.

"Dad?" I whisper but it comes out as hardly a squeak. I glance at my hands and realize they're half the size they should be. I stretch my arms out in front of me examining my little body and realize I'm a child.

I reach my hand out and grasp a few of his fingers but they slip out too easily and I can't keep up.

"Dad? Dad wait up!" I yell but he keeps walking and before long he's completely out of sight.

The tallest trees seem to surround me, blocking the sun's rays from hitting the floor as the forest closes in.

I realize I'm lost, left behind to fend for myself against the cold, forgotten.

I'm calling for my father, begging him to come back but I'm lost and alone. I start screaming for him but he doesn't come back.

I prep my lungs as the forest closes in around me and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Maggie wake up!" Jack's voice brings me back to consciousness and I feel myself being shaken.

"I'm up, I'm up!" I shout, sitting straight up in bed and realizing I'm drenched in sweat.

"You were having a nightmare again. I thought they were getting better since you moved back in." He says as his hand brushes a wet lock of hair from my cheek.

Jack is the only soul alive that I've told about my nightmares and I'm thankful I have him to talk to.

"I think it's just because of dinner tonight, my subconscious is trying to bring up old memories." I sigh.

"Old memories? What was the memory?" He asks.

"It was in Prescott. I think we were staying in a cabin, but it's hard to tell what's real and fake in dreams." I shrug, unwilling to admit I felt lost and forgotten.

"Come here." he says as he opens his arms to me and I crawl into them. His arms tighten around me which tells me he doesn't mind that I'm drenched in sweat.

Jackson always says he's broken, that he's irrevocably fucked up, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the one who's broken.

I fall asleep in his arms and for the rest of the night, I sleep soundly.

In the morning, Jack is already up and he's made a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs. I close my eyes, breathing in the delicious aroma.

I walk towards the kitchen, passing the ceiling to floor windows that the sun easily streams through, lighting the entire house. The modern grey colors of his penthouse mixing with the dark wood floors used to make me feel like I was walking into some rich man's bachelor pad. However, waking up here to the sun warming my face and the smell of bacon now reminds me of home.

"Good morning." He says through a bright smile which is unlike him, usually my charming is dark and brooding.

"Morning." I, however, am never a morning person. It should be a law that I have a cup of coffee before I can interact with others. I eye Jack's phone on the counter and suddenly remember the midnight mystery caller.

"Who was calling you last night?" I ask, taking a seat at his breakfast bar and leaning into the granite table.

He's silent and my little green jealousy monster rears it's ugly head even though I have no clue who's called.

"Julie." He says with a shrug as if it's no big deal.

"Julie? The bimbo you were with when I met you?" I ask with a hint of accusation in my voice.

"She usually calls every other month or so when she wants a hookup." He states oh so casually and I practically choke on my eggs.

I can't believe the gall of this woman, calling Jackson in the dead of night for a booty call. I remember finding out she slept with publicist Alex the night we met, the same night she had her tongue down Jack's throat. A chill runs down my spine and I cringe.

"Oh and I should be okay with that?" The hostility is clear in my voice.

"Why are you upset? I ignored her calls." My face pulls into a glare and he continues. "We're together now, but she doesn't know that. There's no reason for me to ever talk to her again babe."

I'm eased slightly by his words and feel the little green monster release it's grip. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right.  I don't have a real reason to be jealous, it's not as if he's answered her calls.  However, it would be nice if he blocked her or even just answered to tell her he's no longer available for her grimy hookups.

The thought makes me furrow my brows and a heat rises in my cheeks as my mind drifts to thoughts of them hooking up.  I shake my head attempting to rid these disgusting thoughts and look back to Jack. 

His face is lit up in a smolder and his lip turns up in a smirk as he watches my face carefully.  He shows off his talent as he flips the bacon without a single glimpse towards them.

"You're kind of hot when you're jealous." He says with a wink and my face flushes.

"Alright Charming, you better take me to work now. This conversation can't end with sex or I'll be late." I remark with an eye roll.

Since I found out Jack was lying to me and I practically abandoned my job at Red-Wolf publishing, I honestly didn't think they'd want me back. However, to my surprise Christian was deeply apologetic, attempting to take full responsibility for what happened to me with the press. 

I know better than to blame him, there's no way Christian was in on Jack and Alex's scheme to win over the press, he's too kind.  I can't see him ever hurting someone else for the sake of publicity.

Christian insisted on giving me paid time off and told me to take as long as I needed.  I'm sure I could have taken another week off, but I hate to take advantage.  Today I'm facing the world head on and returning to work for the first time in what feels like an eternity.

Jackson parks in a reserved spot in the nearby parking garage and we walk down the busy Scottsdale street hand in hand.  As we pass my old workplace, The Scottsdale Palace, a nostalgic feeling wafts over me. 

I notice the emptiness that seems to reflect back through the window and briefly worry they've been hit with hard times until I realize it's still morning. Who actually wants to go to an expensive nightclub for a lunch?

I attempt to be sly as I peek inside the large glass windows hoping to see Sam or even catch a glimpse of my best friend Bethany's golden hair bobbing around somewhere but I come up empty.

I sigh in disappointment but decide it's for the best, even if I did notice them I wouldn't have the time to reminisce before work.  Also, I can't imagine Jackson would be too happy if we ran into Sam, considering the last time we were all in a room together I had confessed that he kissed me.

We arrive in front of the giant glass doors labeled Red-Wolf Publishing and Jack wastes no time stepping in front of me to hold the door like a proper gentleman.  My face lights up in a smile and I bow my head as my cheeks warm in embarrassment.  Why am I embarrassed by such a simple gesture?  

I shake my head attempting to clear my awkward nerves as I walk through the door. Nick and Alisa both meet me in the lobby with warm smiles and surprisingly, Jackson doesn't go all brooding bad boy on us. He remains calm and places a sweet kiss on my temple then leaves me alone with the two of them.

Alisa goes on and on about the horror manuscripts she had to read since I've been gone and she thanks me for coming back to work. Nick is somewhat quiet but he smiles and speaks when he's spoken to.  I'm sure he feels guilty about not telling me about Jackson.

I don't hold any animosity towards either of them. They had hardly gotten to know me and Jack should have told me about his plan to influence the press himself, rather than initially using me then later falling in love.

Although, like with most bad memories in my life, I tuck the most hurtful deep down into a dark corner of myself and forget them completely until they're inevitably brought back up to crush me.

I watch Alisa's fiery red hair wave back and forth as she practically skips away from me, no doubt her excitement is from not having to read any more horror manuscripts.

Nick lingers a little longer.  His lengthy blonde hair is brushed to the side yet almost falling in his emerald eyes and his hands are tucked in his suit pockets as he rocks back and forth anxiously. I assume he's nervous from the fact that we haven't spoken since he chased after me when I discovered Jackson's truth.  

I bite the inside of my cheek and my eyes wander the room nervously, taking in the wooden floor, the cream colored walls, then finally the large crystal chandelier that dangles from the lobby's vaulted ceiling, anywhere other than his emerald eyes.

"I'm sorry." Nick blurts out suddenly.

"For what?" I ask, although I'm sure I already have the answer.

"For not telling you sooner." He says and my thoughts are validated, he's talking about Jackson's betrayal.

"It's not your fault and it wasn't your responsibility to tell me, it was Jackson's. Besides, I've moved on." I add the last bit with a smile and smack his shoulder a bit harder than I meant to.

Why did I do that? Awkward.

Nick rubs his shoulder but nods and attempts to hide his smile.

"God." I breathe and place a hand to my forehead in embarrassment.  I like Nick, he's down to earth, fun and definitely a potential best friend.  I hate it being so awkward between us. "Can we please just mutually agree to never speak of this again and move on?"

"Oh thank god. Yes, yes, absolutely yes." Nick laughs in response, grateful that I've put an end to the tension.

When I part ways with Nick and get up to my office, I find a pile of manuscripts with a welcome back note on top from Christian. I decide to get to work and randomly choose a manuscript to start reading.

Before long I'm a quarter of the way through a horror story and I'm already terrified. I should have never agreed to reading these.  The writer starts the story in a haunted house and immediately brings out the scares. He's talented and I believe he might be the next great Stephen King.

I hear a noise outside my office and it makes me jump. For some unknown reason that's completely unrelated to being scared, I slide off my chair and hide under my desk thinking this is the safest place to read this kind of story.

A few hours later I find myself curled up underneath my desk, breathing labored and half of my nails chewed off. I'm startled when I hear a click coming from my office door and I hold my breath as it creaks open. 

A man's footsteps echo through my office and halt halfway to me.  My breath hitches and I cover my nose and mouth with my hand, suddenly petrified as I imagine the killer in my book looking for one of his subjects.

The footsteps gradually make their way to my desk and a hand rolls my chair out of the way. A face dips down before me and I let out a curdling scream before I jerk back.  My head hits so hard on the underside of my desk that my ears ring and I close my eyes.

"Hey, hey, shh.  What the hell are you doing under your desk?" Jackson asks slightly worried but a little more amused and begins to rub the lump forming on my head.

"Shit." I concentrate on my breathing and touch my head scanning for blood but thankfully I come up empty.

Jack reaches for the manuscript I'm reading and instantly starts laughing. "Jesus Christ Maggie.  We need to get you switched back to only romance novels."

"I can handle it!" I yell and he laughs even harder.

"Says the girl hiding under her desk." He says as he points to me.

"Quit being an asshole, it was a good book, very Stephen King esque. I'd like to see you read it, you'll probably shit yourself." I say with my arms crossed and my brows pulled together in anger.

"Honey, I laugh at the horror that makes weaker men scared."  He laughs and extends a hand out to me but I smack it away.

"I'm fine." I growl, crawling out from under my desk.

"How are you holding up?  Last night was rough and here you are hiding under your desk.  Should I be worried?" He asks as I sit across from him.

"I'm fine." I say in a high pitched tone which alerts him to the fact that I'm lying, but he seems to let it slide.

"I'm heading to an event at a tech company in a few minutes for my book. Now, it's supposed to be for business but I can probably sneak you in." He says with a hopeful smirk and leans a bit closer which makes me think of our tryst the night of his press release party.  The scent of mint and cologne fill my nostrils and goosebumps appear on my arms.

"I was actually thinking about doing some research and getting that envelope." The words have hardly escaped my lips before he pulls away. 

"Maggie." He protests, worry written all over his face.

"It's no big deal, I was just going to run by my mom's house and see if I can snoop around." I bite my lower lip, attempting to look as innocent as possible.

"Why don't you wait until I'm done and I'll come with you?" He offers.

I start mulling over his offer but before I can give him an answer he adds, "We can get dinner after and look over the evidence we find." He says hopeful.

"Fine. When will you come back to get me?" I ask reluctantly and he rewards me with a sensual kiss.

"Shouldn't take long.  I'll be back to get you at four." He answers.

I check the clock and see it's only noon now. I wanted to leave soon, I'll have to wait four whole hours. I groan in protest but decide it's okay since my mother usually stays out late with her girlfriends on Thursday nights and I should be able to sneak in.

"Okay I'll see you then, but not a minute later." I order, and he responds by bringing his lips to mine. My body reacts involuntarily and I feel warmth shoot through me.

After he leaves my office I decide to give the horror manuscript a break and take a look at one of the others on my desk. I pick up one that looks like a romantic title and lean back in my chair to settle in.

Sometime later I'm straining to read the words on the page and realize night has already fallen. I check my phone for any texts from Jack but come up empty.  It's already six-thirty and I haven't received a single message from him.

I would leave on my own but since Jack drove us, I don't have my car with me. I head down to the lunchroom and find Nick and Alisa relaxing by a full dinner.

"Hey Mags, you're here late." Nick states the obvious, looking up from his microwave dinner. Despite the disgusting looking meatloaf in the tray in front of him my stomach growls.

"Yep, I'm waiting for Jackson to finish up his little tech mixer." I groan.

"Well, you need a ride anywhere?" Nick offers casually but the gears in my head begin moving.

I can't take advantage of his kindness, can I? What am I thinking? Of course I can, he owes me.

"I was just going to stop by my mother's to grab something, but that was hours ago and Jack hasn't shown up." I hint.

"Alright Maggie, I'm onto you." Nick states tossing his meal in the trash and standing. Clever guy. "I'm due for a break so I can take you."

"A break? It's after six, you work this late in finance?" I ask surprised.

"What should I tell Jack if he comes back?" Alisa chimes in and a small wave of guilt rolls over me. I actually debate on saying no considering Jack's reputation for jealousy. That is, until I remember that I haven't even received a single text from him letting me know he'll be late.

"Let him know I stopped by my mom's and he can call me when he gets back." I respond and look to Nick. "Let's go, she doesn't live far from here."

"Yes, ma'am." Nick winks then slides his suit jacket over his shoulders and guides me through the door.

Nick and I get in his silver Lexus and I plug the address into his GPS.

"So, what are we pickin' up?" Nick asks casually, attempting to prompt conversation.

I start to feel guilty for bringing him into this shady situation with me. "Well, I'm kind of sneaking in to get a letter."

"Oh, so this is a top-secret mission." Nick's brow raises in question but his lips betray him with a smile.

"It's not anything illegal or anything, it's just my mother's house." I try to cover for myself.

"Are we committing a B & E?" He asks through a laugh and my face contorts in confusion.

"Bacon and Eggs?" I joke in return, pretending I'm not aware of the hilarious Dane Cook skit I used to replay on CD regarding breaking and entering.

"So you are a fan, I knew I liked you." He smirks and grants me another wink and my mouth betrays me in a grin. "Anyone with a good sense of humor is cool in my book."

"Yeah I pretty much wore that CD out in high school." I smile at the memory and get the urge to download the album on my phone.

"So, what's the answer? Are we committing a breaking and entering?"

"No of course not! I know where she hides the key." I respond with a smirk and he lets out another laugh.

It's not long until we drive into my mother's cookie-cutter neighborhood and I have Nick park by the sidewalk.

"I'll just be a minute." I say as I get out of the car but he starts getting out as well.

"Oh no you don't, I'm coming with you." Nick states definitively and takes of his suit jacket then lays it in the backseat.

"Nick-" I start to tell him he's not really dressed for espionage in his fancy suit, but he cuts me off.

"I'm coming, I'm already going to be considered an accomplice by association without any of the fun." He says rolling up his white dress shirt sleeves. I can't help but laugh at this absurdity.

"Come on." I grab his surprisingly soft hand in mine and begin pulling him along behind me.

I'm thankful he came because I struggle with opening the back gate.  It's tall, too tall for me to reach over but Nick is taller and he easily towers over me to unlatch it.

We quietly walk through the side yard and when we reach the back, I go straight to the odd-looking rock that so clearly is a hiding place for her spare key.

I open it up and find it empty, my mother must have forgotten to put it back. Disappointment rolls through my body in waves and I start to wonder if I'll ever get my hands on that damn letter.

"Well, what now?" Nick says as he stands in his fancy suit with his hands on his hips, looking completely out of place in this tiny yard.

I start eyeing the back door brainstorming other ways to get in.  The back entrance is one of those French doors with tons of square windows and I suddenly have an idea.

"I'm not leaving until I get that damn letter." I growl.

Luckily, I keep a light sweater I keep in the office in case they turn the air too low and I just happened to bring it along for this trip. I start pulling it off as I walk towards the back door and wrap it tightly around my fist.

"Shit Maggie! Stop!" By the time Nick realizes what I'm doing it's too late and my fist hits the glass. The force of my fist is enough to crack the glass into tons of tiny pieces but they're still stuck in place.

Damn it.

It's a double pane window and it's only half broken. I wince in pain and pull my fist into my chest, holding it with my uninjured hand. 

Nick is next to me a second later attempting to examine my hand but before he can properly secure me, I use my elbow to force the rest of the glass loose.

"Maggie this is so reckless, what the hell is in that letter you want so bad?" He shouts as loudly as he can without alerting neighbors.

"Information about my father!" I yell and he quiets me down. I realize Nick has no clue about any of my family history but he seems to understand that it's personal and nods his head.

Nick stops to think for a brief moment, examining my eyes and struggling with some sort of inner turmoil. "Okay. Let's do this quick and then we've got to get the hell out of here. Where's the letter?"

Nick's hand slips through the now broken window and unlocks the door then pops it open. I'm suddenly so grateful for him coming with me, he's clearly becoming a ride or die friend.

"It was in the kitchen earlier but I bet she moved it. Just look around for anything that mentions William Carpenter." I say and we spread out in the kitchen.

"What the hell did you get me into?" Nick teases as he digs through one of the kitchen drawers.

"Hey you said you wanted to come." I counter.

"Yeah, this isn't the first time chasing a girl has gotten me into trouble." He smirks, he's clearly teasing me and attempting to lighten the mood but I ignore his comment. I'm too frantic right now to jest.

I've dug through most of the kitchen all cabinets, the junk drawer, even the condiment drawer. I'm about to give up until I start digging through the kitchen trash. and manage to find the envelope ripped open.  The letter is missing but the empty envelope with the return address is here.

She opened it, I knew she was lying. Hiding it until she felt brave enough to open it my ass.

Nick slides behind me, "Did you find it?"

"I found the envelope but I don't see the letter." I sigh.

"Should we keep looking?" He asks, his emerald eyes stressfully examining my face.

I hear a noise coming from the front yard and we huddle close attempting to make out the unfamiliar sound. We're quiet for a moment, then both of our eyes suddenly widen and meet, it's the garage door.

Shit.

"Go!" I whisper in a panic and push him with my bad hand.