Page 80 of Claiming Charlotte

We had been at this for a few hours, and the heat of the day was making me nauseous and irritable. This way of thinking that Richard indoctrinated into them was crazy. There were no ‘places’ or ‘roles’; it was a team effort, but clearly, I was looking at this wrong. It was time to take a risk. It was time to act like my father.

“If I find out one more man, woman or child goes missing in my territory or any for that matter, I will end you myself. This is over. You want to deal with contraband that's your choice, but not the latter. Your fathers reign of terror is over.”

“How does it feel to be held back by your father’s cowardly ways? My father was only trying to bring the best out in people, level the playing field. Look what it did to big boy over there,” he said motioning toward Rowan.

“Leave Rowan out of this,”?I sneered.

He wasn’t like his father, he was worse. Which meant if he wasn't going to stop, who knew what lengths he would go to, or the plans he had. And I didn’t think bringing Rowan into the conversation was appropriate.

“So, how do we get through today, what do you want?” I asked harshly.

He stepped closer to me and I could almost feel the stance of every person behind me change. Silently grateful, I reached into my waistband pulling it out slowly. I didn't like the menacing look in his eyes, like he wanted to devour me, and I was starting to regret my decision to come here today.

“To avenge my father. I only want?Rowan. You give him to me, we all leave here today,” he said bitterly.?“Alive.”

“Not happening, Joshua. Try again.”

The twisted glance he gave opted to make me laugh. Once I turned around, I gave the signal, we protected each other. That was how it went. I took the burner phone Arthur had given to me out of my pocket and walked toward Roe.

“He wants you; he wants revenge for his father.” I swallowed. “Please get out of here.”

“Be a good girl and press the button, Charlotte,” he spoke low and trained his eyes on Walker.

My thumb hovered over the call button, and he quickly placed his fingers over mine, pressing send.

“Fall back!” He yelled before taking my mouth. “He wants me, go find cover, I'll take care of him.”

Explosions could be heard in the distance as the shipping containers with the contraband exploded, sending kilos of coke into the air around us. A couple screams sounded from the people who couldn't get away fast enough and perished almost instantly. I took off between shipping containers, it was almost like being in a maze, except this time I wasn't afraid. I held up my gun and waited behind the container.

Two of Joshua’s men flanked me, but I quickly moved, two bullets in the chest and one in the head of the other.

A hard body pressed into mine and I whipped around, only to be harshly grabbed and thrown painfully into the side of the container, dislodging the gun from my hand.

“Where is he, Charlotte?” Joshua asked angrily.

“I don’t know,” I said truthfully, “We got separated.”

My head throbbed, and Josh looked around knowing Roe was never far behind me. I moved over the stones and patched grass to get to my gun. Finding Rowan was the only thing on my mind and getting my men out of here safely.

“Where do you think you're going?” He grunted, wrapping his hands around my ankles and pulling me hard back to him. I cried out when my hands and arms burned from the cuts and various pokes from the stones and God knows what else beneath me. “You're mine right now. And we’re staying put.”

I couldn't be a sitting duck, nor was I a damsel in distress. I would not be used for bait.

“Fuck you!” I yelled, kicking out of his grip.

“Do you want to know what he did to women, Lottie? What I made him do?” He laughed.

He moved fast straddling me, my legs pinned down and his weight crushing me. The next thing I knew his hands were wrapped around my throat and his thumbs pressed on my windpipe, crushing it underneath his hands.

His head dropped to my ear, and he whispered menacingly, “I already have his old cell ready, Charlotte, I’ll take great care of him,” he said, lifting my head off the ground and slamming it back down. “I’m going to make sure he gets used like a good boy toy.”

“Off of me!” I croaked out as loud as I could and dragged my dirty nails along his face creating a pool of blood that dripped onto me and ran down my face.

I heard a crack as his fist slammed into my face and blood trickled slowly from my nose.

“At the end of the day, he’s still the same scared little eighteen-year-old that just needed money for mommy.”

I heard Rowan call for me from a distance and a small whine escaped my throat; I couldn’t call back, he was squeezing too tight. With one hand I reached around, I remember seeing a few large rocks when I was down, but I couldn't look behind me.

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