Page 64 of Shadowing Charlotte
Behind me, Adam cursed under his breath, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him, the knife pressed to my belly again. It wasn't just an act of possessiveness. I was his hostage, his human shield.
Alexander halted the moment he caught sight of what Adam held in his hand. His eyes were wide and frantic, red, like he'd been crying.
"Please, Adam. Hasn't this gone far enough?" I asked in a gravelly whimper.
The moment I caught sight of Alexander, the dam inside me broke. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks, burning my eyes.
"I'm not going to fucking prison, Charlotte," Adam hissed in my ear. "If this is over, you're coming with me. To Florida, to hell; it doesn't really matter, as long as he doesn't get to have you…" I didn't think it was possible. Adam wasn't a killer.
But the tone of his voice was unmistakable. Panicked and breathless, I met Alexander's gaze, my heard racing with fear. It couldn't happen. Alexander was my happily ever after. He was no prince charming, and I was certainly no perfect princess, but I washis princess.
With no other ideas, I did the only thing I could think of, something I'd only ever seen in movies. "Adam, please, think about this," I pleaded as I slipped my hand into the giftshop bag, wrapping my trembling fingers around the pen.
"I've thought about this a thousand times, Lottie. This—" His words morphed into a pained snarl, his eyes widening in shock as I turned in his hold, jamming the pen into him as hard as I could. There was no spurt of blood, but the pen pierced through his shirt and sank deep into his skin, embedding itself in his shoulder.
Adam recoiled on sheer instinct, and I took my chance, shoving forcefully against his chest and whipping around. I sprinted down the terminal, throwing myself into Alexander's outstretched arms.
The force nearly knocked us both over, Alexander clutching me to his chest as I broke down, thick, petrified sobs wrenching themselves from the deepest parts of me. I screamed when the gunshot pierced the air, slapping my hands over my ears as Lex tightened his arms around my shoulders.
Alexander wouldn't let me turn to look. He cupped my face in his hands, keeping me still as he rained kisses over my skin. "I've got you, princess. It's over," he breathed, kissing me over and over again as we both cried. "I'm here baby…"
Chapter fifty-four
Alexander
Six Months Later...
The entire courtroom was deathly silent as we took our seats for the second time that afternoon. Charlotte stared blankly ahead, her eyes taking on that glazed, distant expression she'd worn often since the kidnapping. We didn't talk much about what had happened to her, but she assured me she'd been working some of it out in her weekly therapy sessions.
But that look haunted me. Every time she gazed off, I was hit with an overwhelming wave of guilt for failing to protect her.
Charlotte fidgeted anxiously, spinning her amethyst engagement ring around her finger over and over again, until I finally threaded my fingers between hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She was the one who wanted to be there for the hearing. Charlotte said it would give her closure.
Closure? Charlotte hadn't even been the one to press charges. Her father and the state had done that. For six months, we'd waited for the hearing while that fucker sat on house arrest.
To our surprise, Adam had been talked into pleading guilty to his crimes. Though, I suppose they were hard to deny, after they'd gone through his phone. I wondered if he'd made some kind of deal to have his time reduced.
"All rise," The entire courtroom stood as the judge addressed Adam.
"Mr. Reynolds, you have been charged with one count of harassment. How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Adam answered.
"Mr. Reynolds, you have been charged with one count of breaking and entering. How do you plead?"
"Guilty, your honor."
"And, lastly, Mr. Reynolds, you have been charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping. How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Adam answered solemnly.
"Let the record show that the defendant has pleaded guilty to all charges," the judge stated. "Mr. Reynolds, for the charge of harassment, I sentence you to one year in a federal penitentiary. For the charge of breaking and entering, I sentence you to eight months in a federal penitentiary. For the charge of aggravated kidnapping, I sentence you to five years in a federal penitentiary, for a total of six years and eight months; eligible for parole after no less than three years.
Three years? Three fucking years after he tried to kidnap and kill my princess? When she still bore the trauma of the ordeal? It was fucking bullshit. It didn't matter; I had plans for Adam when they released him, even if he didn't know it yet.
As they prepared to take Adam into custody, he looked over at us—at Charlotte—with a sad expression I knew would melt her kind heart. A look of guilt or some shit. Well, even if Charlotte was too soft, I didn't buy it for a single second. I glared at him, giving her hand another squeeze of reassurance.
"Feel any better?" I asked her as we were leaving the courthouse.
