Page 25 of Claiming Charlotte

He asked me to meet him in Walker territory, and my heart skipped a beat as he slid into the booth across from me with a sketchy smile etched on his face. It led me to believe this was a trap and I was on high alert.

“Rowan,” he said, moving back and forth trying to get comfortable. “You’re the talk of the town right now. I can’t believe you called me.”

I stared blankly at him. “I can’t believe I called you either, D,” I said, not wanting to continue the small talk. That's not what I was here for.

“You’re a wanted man, Rowan,” he continued, twiddling his thumbs. “I could collect a pretty hefty reward right now.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know as well as I do that I could kill you without anyone in this diner even knowing,” I said gruffly. “Do you have it? I’m not going to sit here all day.”

Demitri searched my face, and then he acquiesced. He reached into his coat and drew out a small baggie sliding it across the table to me.

“Here,” he said, and I gave him a wad of cash. “Don’t call me again, Rowan. I won’t be so chill next time.”

“Trust me, I won’t,” I said, slipping the bag into the pocket of my jeans.

My eyes slowly watched him take a sip of the coffee like the stupid fuck he was and a smirk slowly painted my features. “Because there won’t be a next time.”

“What did you do Anderson?” He panicked.

“Awe, nothing you’re not used to. Now, you can gag on your vomit like all the others.”

The paraphernalia burned a hole in my pocket instantly, and I glanced around the diner, suddenly suspicious that he hadn’t come alone. Shimmying out of the seat, I listened in satisfaction at the grunts and whimpers behind me, quieted, then came a thump as he hit the floor hard. Doesn't he know you can’t trust anyone? Not in this line of work. As soon as the door closed, I whistled a tune taking off down the street.

Upon returning?home, I promptly looked for a place to stash my hidden secret when my eyes fell on a bread box on the counter that looked as though it had gone unused for a very long time. Using some tape from one of the drawers, I attached it to the underside of the bread box, out of sight. When I was sure it was safely hidden, I shucked my jacket off and headed to her room hoping no one would find it.

I’d been gone from her for too long, and the guilt I felt over turning to the drugs was eating me alive. Will she know? She can’t know… Being so weak-minded, and giving into my urges weighed heavy on me.

I pushed my way through her bedroom door and became instantly irritated. Nikki stood from a chair next to Charlotte’s bed and approached me.

I glanced at Charlotte; she seemed to be asleep, and Nikki looked like she wanted to fight.

“Rowan,” she whispered, tapping her foot in annoyance. “I wanted to let you know that I would never hurt Charlotte. I promise you that I didn’t know what Jace was involved with. For you to think I had something to do with it is absurd.”

“Yeah?” I growled, accusing her. “Then where the fuck were you when the others were saving our skin?”

Nikki’s eyes filled with tears. “I was so scared when I heard gunshots, Rowan. It caught me completely off guard. Jace told me not to come here that night, and I felt like something wasn’t right. Charlotte has a small room she uses…well used to hide away in, look I’ll show you. That’s where I hid. Who knows what would have happened if they found me.”

Nikki pointed to one of the bookshelves that were built into the wall before pulling a few books out of the shelf activating a series of clicks and pulls before the door popped open. “You have to believe me, Rowan.”

I glared at her, stepping into the room, and sure enough it was small, but big enough to include? a small futon and a half-bathroom, her safe haven. Nicole was telling the truth; she’d never betray Charlotte, and I could see the sadness in her eyes over losing Jace. I looked away, unable to face the hurt that swam within her. My eyes scanned over the small desk with four to five small screens. I locked eyes with Nicole and she laughed quietly.

“She followed you from the moment she got wind you were home, but she didn’t want to reach out and have anything to do with you going backward.”

“Jace is gone, but he’s not dead,” I said bluntly, opening the bedroom door for her.

She walked through and then turned to face me. “Rowan, I need your help. We have to help her,” she looked past me at Charlotte. “She hasn’t said a word to me, and her eyes…I’m afraid we’ll lose her if we don’t intervene. Lottie needs you.”

I nodded, letting her words soften my demeanor. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”

I closed the door against her empathetic gaze and went to Charlotte. She was sleeping so peacefully, and I didn’t want to disturb her. She needs all the rest she can possibly get, and sleep pricked at my eyes as well. I tucked her blanket around her before climbing into bed, being careful not to let our skin touch out of respect for her feelings.

Charlotte

I bolted awake, my sweat-slicked skin sticking to the comforter. The nightmares were so vivid, and I just wanted them to end. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Walker’s?hands on me, I felt all of them inside me, and it made me sick to my stomach. It was so dark in my room, and from the dip in the bed I felt, Roe was fast asleep next to me, though it seemed like he’d put the blanket between us on purpose. His soft snores calmed me and I ran my finger along his cheekbone, wishing to be close to him again. His hand grabbed mine and I pulled away quickly.

Bile rose, falling over my lips and down my oversized T-shirt, so I swung my legs over the bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. I felt so weak, my limbs numb with the phantom feeling of the drug they’d kept me under for so many days, and I dropped to the floor, sobbing in between dry heaving.

Hands rested on my shoulders, and suddenly I was being lifted in the air, my body floating on a soft yet firm cloud. Rowan set me down in front of the toilet and lifted the lid for me before sliding down the tile wall of my bathroom. His touch, though gentle, made the nightmare I’d had come to life. My skin crawled as he held me and the soft sound of his voice sounded abrasive to my ears, when weeks before, it’s all I yearned for. I love him, but right now he makes me sick, but I can’t tell him that, I don’t even want him to touch me, let alone see me like this.

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