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Three months later:

Max drummed her fingers on the wheel of her truck while she waited for the light to change. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier. Being with AJ and finally being somewhat accepted into his extended family, the guys, was so important to her. It had been a rocky road to get there but she decided it was better late than never.

The guys were over at AJ’s watching one of the college sports games and Max was joining them. She had promised to bring some chips and dip, as the wives were bringing some other food. Determined to try as hard as she could to prove how much she cared for AJ, she headed down a side street to get to his house.

Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” came on the radio and she turned it up as loud as she could stand. The song always put her in a good mood and it brought her back to the time when AJ had dedicated the song to her when they had gone out with karaoke with Brian and Leighanne. She sang along at the top of her lungs and thought the day couldn’t possibly get any better; she was wrong about that.

Just as she was turning onto his street, a newscaster broke into the song. She listened to what he was saying and her face turned white. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears formed in her eyes. As soon as she could focus, she pulled a U-turn and headed the other way. There was no way she could go back to AJ after the news broke; hell, she didn’t know where she could go.

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“Yo J!” Nick hollered from the living room. “Are you getting beers from the fridge or China?”

“Simmer down Blondie or I’ll put ‘em back and make you come out here!”

“Will you both be quiet?” Kevin interrupted. “The rest of us are trying to watch the game.”

“Sorry dad.” Nick replied. “I forgot you can’t have any interference with your Miracle Ear.”

“Idiot.” Kevin muttered and finished off his beer.

Just as the team they were rooting for was about to score the game winning basket, a newscaster interrupted the game.

“What the fuck?” Nick yelled. “I swear to God if they interrupt this game to tell us Kim and Kanye got divorced, I will break your TV J!”

“It’s not my fault.” AJ said walking into the room. “It looks important.”

They had a picture on the screen of a young woman with long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. AJ thought something about her looked familiar and was wracking his brain while the reporter explained why they cut in.

“An arrest warrant has been issued for Samantha Murray who is charged with the murder of her husband, Boston Assistant District Attorney Ryan Murray. Mr. Murray was found gunned down in his Haverhill home last July and authorities have been looking for his wife who is person of interest. She is believed to be in the Malibu area and is considered armed and dangerous. Mrs. Murray has a long history of split personality disorder and has several documented stays in some of the area’s psychiatric hospitals. She is charged with killing her husband during one of her breaks with reality.”

“I can’t believe that she would gun down her husband like that. It’s awful.” Brian said.

“Some people never get the help they need.” Howie stated. “Maybe if they arrest her, she can get some help.”

“Yeah,” Nick added, “in the psych ward of some prison!”

“Be quiet.” Kevin said again. “They’re saying something else.”

“Mrs. Murray may have changed her appearance while on the run. Several witnesses have described her to the local police and this computer generated image shows what she may look like now.”

The room went silent as the woman’s picture flashed across the screen. The only sounds were the beer bottles AJ was holding shattering as they hit the ground. The room started to spin and AJ couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Oh my God, that’s Max!”
Chapter End Notes:
Let me know what you think! There might be a sequel in the works if you're interested! :-)