Page 66 of Claiming Charlotte

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ROWAN

Igrunted lifting the weights above me. I needed to come down here and get away from everything, it was plaguing my mind deeply and when I expressed that I thought she should stay here, I got the same speech. It was her duty. Well, my duty was to her and how could I do that when she constantly fought me on everything, being a leader did not mean being on the forefront of everything.

I was hot, and the sweat dripped down my forehead, it was hard not going back to the way I was; letting the coke take all my worries away even for the mere minutes the high lasted. I felt a presence approach me.

“I don’t need a spot, asshole.” I belted out.

A ping of sadness hit me. Jason would always have a comeback on how he could bench twice what I could. Sometimes I wanted to make things right and forget it all, but he took something from me that day, even when he was forced to hurt me in the past a line was crossed. He took a piece of my mind and soul, torturing me, laughing, every time I pleaded hearing Lottie scream, he took something I needed to protect her, and I had felt inadequate ever since. I looked up and saw Charlie. Fucking red-headed asshole.

“You know, I’d prefer to be staring at literally anyone else’s dick right now, Carrot.” I chucked. “I’m not in the mood for your shit right now.”

He muttered under his breath, but I didn’t quite catch it. “Repeat please.”

“We need to talk, and it’s probably not my place but there’s something you should know.” He said taking a seat on the bench to the side of me. He has my attention now. Placing the weights on the rack, I sat up and squirted some water into my mouth before motioning him to continue.

“Trust me, Rowan, I know how the way I carry myself seems to people, and I’m going to tell you something I don't tell a lot of people, and then I need you to understand.”

I stayed quiet, I didn’t expect the respect I was being given, internally I told myself this time to give him the same.

“I have spent my whole life watching my friends and people I love die. My own child died right in my arms, and my best friend was murdered in cold blood. There's another and he is in prison for something he didn’t commit, and I have to interact with a carbon copy of that man all the time and it hurts. It makes me downright angry.” He sniffed back the tears, he was trying to remain strong, and I really didn’t know why he chose me to be his therapist today. I dipped my head into my hands.

“I’ve been through plenty of these meetings Rowan, and they never turn out well.” He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, and I reached for the towel next to me, it was drenched in my sweat, but it would do if he needed it. “We all want the same things, especially for Lottie, she was the happiest little girl, so carefree, every time they ran, Ricky always found them, but her father did his best.”

Ricky? What the fuck. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, then widened them in realization.

“Why are you telling me this? What do I have to do with any of this?”

He locked eyes with me and asked, “Kid, haven’t you ever wondered why your father is in prison?” My father?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. Five young men sat in military uniforms; it looked like a desert of some sort. They all had a gun and looked aged beyond belief. Charlotte's father looked exhausted, and Walker wore that same sinister smile. I don’t know too much about the military, I couldn’t begin to know the branch they were in. I?could pick out Charlie, but his hair was a bit darker back then. From left to right he named them off.

“Top Three are, Myself, William as you know him, and Richard Walker. The bottom two are Carter Davies, and…”

“My dad,” I whispered.

“You know what…no,” I said through gritted teeth. I didn’t want to hear any more so I rose from my spot and headed for the door, throwing the picture down before his sharp voice called out to me.

“I can’t tell you what we did, but shortly after this picture, William, Richard, and myself were taken. We received unimaginable torture, and we were made to inflict the same. Charlotte's father, his real name was Casey.? He went as far as changing his name to keep Richard away from his family,” he said, stepping closer.

“Your father was a hero, and he saved my life. When we came home things were tense, we were all fucked up one way or the other and we…we couldn’t stand behind Richard and what he was doing. Ricky framed your father. William, Carter, and I were there through everything. He loved your mother, and when he found out he would miss every aspect of your life, I saw how it tore him apart. You think you know them…us, but you have no idea.”

“Did William…or whoever he was know who I was when I took this job?” I asked condescendingly.

“Kid, he knew about you and Charlotte long before you took the job. Why do you think he never sent any of us after her? He knew if you were anything like your father, she would be safe.”

I didn't have anything more to say. Shaky breaths poured from me as I restrained the anger I was feeling.

I pushed through the doors, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about.

“You had to find your own way, Rowan!” he yelled after me.

How is Richard connected to everything in my life? Was my life planned out like Charlotte’s? Would I have turned out differently if my father hadn’t been framed? Why didn’t they look out for me then if they were as close as Carrot said? Is that why Richard always said I reminded him of someone?

My father’s voice rang in my head. The Walkers, Rowan… That's why he was choked up, he wanted to protect me, and he couldn't. My head was spinning, and I dug my hand into my chest, circling it.

Something melodic called out to me and I thought that I was dreaming. All my worries washed away the moment our eyes locked, there was one thing that needed to be done and it would be…tonight. Even though a bombshell had just dropped, it would never change how I felt about her, or the lengths I would go for her.

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