Help me, Miles. It’s so dark. I’m so scared. It’s so cold. So very cold. I want to jump in the fire. Can’t walk. My feet have blistered, black as char. Help me Miles. HELP ME!!!
“Okay,” I grunt as my blood boils in an instant. “I’ll help her out.” I land my fist over Miles’ jaw and feel a satisfying pop underneath my knuckles. I pull him in by the shirt with my left hand and bludgeon him again and again until my fist is covered with blood and his front teeth are affectionately stained pink. I offer up a good swift kick to the nuts and he lets out a horrific howl, the sound of a human tormented beyond belief. A little bit of hell right here in Wakefield. I push him to the floor and give a hard kick to his ass before heading for the exit. The sounds of his crying, his sobbing, and moaning are a strange symphony for my ears.
Sometimes being a big brother trumps being a cop. Sometimes the only people I’m interested in protecting and serving are my family—and Charlie, of course. And with each passing day, Charlie feels like family. She feels like something closer than that. It’s as if my entire life were a compass pointing to her. The only thing that gets to me is that I waited so long to finally meet her. Jackson and Gabby had been after me for months to do so, and as stubborn as they were to get us together, I was far more pigheaded and refused to budge. I was grieving, lost in agony, fallen in the pit of despair. Getting my dick stroked was the last thing on my mind. Never did it occur to me that I would straight up fall in love. After that debacle with Ashley, I didn’t think romantic love existed. Not the way they painted it in the movies. But it does. It’s real, and Charlie and I have it.
Miles lets out one last blast from his lungs, and I can’t help but grimace as I get into my cruiser. It’s shaping up to be a great day already.
The next person on my hit list is Ashley Engle, ex-girlfriend extraordinaire. No, I don’t plan on roughing her up, not physically anyway. I just need to clearly, concisely, and ultra-politely drive home the point I’m taken. It might be hard for her to comprehend, but after hearing firsthand from Thomas that she was looking to dive down his pants while we were still questionably together or soon thereafter, I don’t feel too bad about delivering the news. I’ll admit, my ego took an unexpected blow when Thomas told me about the bizarre behavior. And much like Lizzy, I wonder if I ever really knew Ashley. I know Charlie, though, and that girl has stolen my heart, taken it away, and I never want it back. I’ve got it bad, and I’m not too sorry.
The Wakefield Public Library is of newer construction. The brick façade lends it an old-world appeal, and it’s exactly the look the city council wanted during the renovation. Everything in Wakefield is purposefully designed to look as if it’s been here for ages. We are a well-staged town, an architectural smoke and mirrors, but it’s fine by me. There’s something about the small-town feel I can’t get enough of. Wakefield is the exact type of place I want to raise a family in. My mind drifts as thoughts of Charlie with an infant in her arms, her belly filled with our second child take over. I want it all with her. The minivan, the soccer games, ballet, endless PTA meetings, a wall of diapers that never seems to end, the Disney movie outings, picnics in the park, assembly line peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before seven a.m. I want all of it. I really do.
I park and head on in, trying my hardest to evict the goofy grin off my face. The scent of parchment, sweet and thick, permeates my senses. It’s warm inside. The bright orange tiles in the entry look as if they were recently polished. The library itself is covered with mustard carpet, and there’s a soundproof hush that eats at my ears the second I step inside and I spot Ashley working the checkout counter.
She spots me, and her eyes light up like flares. Her mouth forms a dark circle as she gives a slight wave. She’s assisting a customer, so I get in line like anyone else. I’m up at bat next, so I patiently wait my turn. As soon as a mother and her young son walk off, I step up to the plate.
“Well, hello, handsome.” She attempts to bite down on her lower lip and overshoots it and spikes her teeth into her flesh. Ashley is attractive, just not anywhere near Charlie’s league. And as much as I feel like an ass for comparing the two, I can’t help it. I’m a guy. We compare. It’s reality as much as it is chauvinistic. “Are you finally taking me up on my offer for lunch?” she annunciates each word, each syllable like the tapping of a cymbal.
“Actually—” Shit. My timing was never good. The clock behind her reads one, and I feel like an ass stepping in just as she’s about to take her lunch break. For a minute I vacillate whether or not I should do it. A quick bite next door at the taco place, but for the life of me I can’t get the words out. Asking her anywhere would be a step in the wrong direction and feel like a minute betrayal to Charlie. “Can we talk a moment? Just here in the library. This shouldn’t take too long.”
“You bet.” She jumps to her feet and prattles off to speak to a girl in the back briefly who takes her place at the front. Ashley comes around the counter, wool pants, matching blazer, white shirt buttoned to her neck and dotted with a cameo. When I was dating Ashley, I admired the mature dress code she adhered to so strictly. Now I see it for what it is, matronly, nothing that flatters her in any way. But in all honesty, Charlie could wear this exact same outfit every day, and it wouldn’t matter to me one bit. In fact, I’d find her downright hot in it. I guess that paints a clear picture. I am head over heels in love with Charlie Neville, and I may never have been in love with Ashley. We were friends that took things too far, and it didn’t work out. No need for round two.
“What is going on?” She grips me by the shoulders before threading her arm through mine and leading us to the alcove that houses the copy machines. “I have to confess that I am beyond excited that you took the time to drop in on me.” She shakes her head with a growing smile taking over, her eyes frozen over mine. There’s so much hope blowing her up I feel terrible to stick a pin in it. Her finger glides down the front of my shirt. “You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you? Oh, Theo, we were so great. I’m so sorry it all got so ugly. How about we flush the past and start anew? I think it’s what Lizzy would have wanted, don’t you?”
My stomach wrenches at the thought. I’m shocked she’d throw my sister out there. She’s so desperate she’s reaching for whatever she can. It’s pretty low, and now all I want is to get the hell out of here. I’m certain my sister would want me with whoever made me happy, and right now that’s not Ashley. It never was—not in the way Charlie does.
“I’m seeing someone.” There. No bullshit. Straight to the point.
Her mouth squares out into a silent scream as if I just sucker punched her in the gut. “What?” It comes out breathless as if I just informed her we found a body. “But who? When did this happen?” Her shock quickly turns to anger, and there’s an accusing tone in her voice. Her blonde hair falls like shards around her face, stringy, angry like the rest of her.
“It’s a girl I met. Gabby’s roommate. She works down at the Hideaway Café. Her name is Charlie Neville.”
“How long has this been going on?” Her head tips down, and she’s glaring at me with a dark stare as if I just admitted to having an affair.
A laugh gets caught in my throat. “I don’t know—a couple of months now? Honestly, I haven’t been keeping track.”
“My God.” Her fingers fly to her lips. “So, you just met this—what? Waitress?” Her brows lift in judgment. Ashley has always believed she was a little bit better than everyone else. She held people to a barometer. Had a bachelor’s degree? You’re almost in. Finished grad school? You get a pass. PhD welcome to her club.
“Yes, she’s a waitress. And she happens to be the smartest woman I know.” Crap. I didn’t mean to slight her in the process, but she flinched. She felt that one. “Listen, she’s pretty great. And I know once you meet her, you’ll think so, too. She’s new in town—newer.” I tick my head to the side, trying to get her to come around. “Anyway, I wanted you to hear it from me first. I thought I owed you that at le
ast.”
“I’ll say.” She’s right back to being pissed, her voice tight and curt, her eyes hard, spearing me with poison darts. “Wait”—she shakes her head, wincing as if it pained her—“what did you say her name was?”
“Charlie. Charlie Neville.”
“Charlie?” Her head ticks back a notch as she scans the periphery. “Wait a minute. Is that the fibro board girl?” She storms off, and I follow her. Ashley picks up to a heated clip until we hit a row of computers, and my heart stops cold before kick-starting again, this time with glee.
“Charlie?” I head over just as she turns around. Her eyes are wide, and her face bleeds out of all color.
“Theo!” She expels a dry laugh before manically shutting down whatever website she was on. Ashley’s words come back to me. Fibro boards? Is there something wrong with Charlie? My heart breaks at the thought of her keeping something like that from me, but then I guess I’ve never asked. Not sure how I’d go about doing it.
“Hey”—she stumbles out of her chair and pulls me into a quick embrace—“fancy meeting you here.”
“I bet it is,” Ashley spits it out with venom. “Is this the boyfriend you were trying to impress? The one you needed to brush up on your erotica for?”
Charlie’s mouth falls open, and we share a small laugh. Holy shit. I completely forgot that Charlie had met Ashley in a roundabout way, no thanks to Gabby. As far as I know, Charlie didn’t say a word about us to her.
“Erotica, huh?” I tweak my brows, and Charlie blushes a severe shade of plum.
Ashley grunts as if she might be sick. “Did you know he was my boyfriend? Is this some sort of sick joke?”
“What? No!” Charlie groans over at Ashley. “I’m sorry. I had no idea the two of you were a thing. I was genuinely interested in the books. And I appreciate our conversations. It was fun. You’re fun. And I hope this doesn’t change anything between the two of us.”
Ashley chokes as if she can’t get the words out fast enough. It’s clear she’s not interested in anything with either of us at this point. She’s pissed, and if I’m right, she’s about to let us know it. “Please don’t do me any favors. I have friends, plenty of them.” She glares at me for a moment. “Why do I feel ambushed by the two of you?”
“I was hoping you’d be happy for us, but I get it. You’re upset.” I sling my arm around Charlie’s waist. “But we’re not going anywhere. So when you’re ready, I hope you and Charlie can resume your friendship and I’d like to do the same.” I hold out a hand to her. “Olive branch?” It’s one of those inside couples’ things we used to say when we were making up from a fight.
Ashley’s lips twist into a sardonic smile, and she’s slow to shake my hand. “Olive branch.” Her eyes linger over mine a moment as if prideful of the fact we just shared an inside joke in front of Charlie. I have always known how to defuse Ashley, and this moment isn’t any different.
She looks to Charlie, the scowl cropping back up on her face. “And, I’m sorry if I came across as a bitch. I promise you I have nothing against you. I think you’re a nice person. This just caught me off guard.” Her left eye comes shy of winking, her expression stiff as stone. She’s putting on an act—saying all the things she thinks we want to hear, and my stomach acids boil once again. “I’m fine with it.” Her brow lifts at Charlie’s expense as if she were tossing out a dare. “If you ever need anything at all, I’m at your service.”
“Thank you.” Charlie dips down on her knees a moment. “And don’t worry about anything. I probably would have reacted the same way. Please, I still would love to do coffee sometime.”
“I bet.” Ashley’s lips curl as she offers a dry smile. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I’d better grab a bite before my lunch runs out on me.” She darts off to the back, and judging by her stomping gait, the overall fumes emanating from her, she is still angry as hell.
“Wow.” Charlie’s arms circle around my waist as she tucks a quick kiss under my jawline. “I’m so sorry. That’s not at all how I wanted that to go. What were you thinking?” She gives my ribs a quick tickle, and I buck.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I’d meet up with her on her turf. She was bound to hear about us sooner than later, and Nikki thought it’d be a good idea.” I frown down at her, but it doesn’t last. I can’t stop grinning at her, not even for a second. “How about you and I steal a second and head to lunch ourselves?”
She bites down on that cherry red smile and shakes her head. “Only if it’s at your place and you’re serving up something hot and delicious right over your bed.”
“Just the bed?”
“I’ll take it in the kitchen if you want me to.”
I take her hand and lead her out at a decent clip. “We can test out the sofa, too, if you like.”
Charlie belts out a laugh just as Ashley straggles out of the back with her purse in hand, her fingers strangling the neck of it. I bet she’d like to strangle a neck or two. Mine first, then Charlie’s. Sorry, Ashley. Not happening.
The only thing happening is Charlie and me.
We head back to my place and play bad cop, naughty schoolgirl. Charlie knows how to take things to another level. She doesn’t need a book to teach her a damn thing.
Maybe it’s time I take Charlie and me to another level.
Maybe I will.
The next afternoon, approximately twenty-four hours to the second after Charlie and I had a little afternoon delight, Jackson asks if I was up for lunch down at the Pollo Cantina. The place is nice, great atmosphere, better food, colorful hats and doilies adorning the periphery. I bet Charlie would love it here. Come to think of it, we should do an eating tour of Wakefield. That’s something we can both appreciate and that way we can spend more time doing the things we like, hanging out with one another and food. I didn’t dare ask her anything about the message board she was on yesterday. Ashley made it sound as if she were a frequent flier on the thing. Not sure how she’d know that. I can’t see Charlie sharing anything so deeply personal, but then again, they were talking erotica. Just the thought brings a goofy grin to my face.
I spot Jackson near the back, no window seat, and as I round out the corner, I spot Neil there beside him.
“Hey, hey, the gang’s all here.” I slap Neil over the back before taking a seat.
There’s a platter of nachos sitting on the table, half-eaten, and they’re each nursing a beer.
“Looks like I’m late,” I tease.
The two of them glance up with somber expressions. Jackson moves his beer to the side as if making a statement.
“What’s going on?” Panic rips right through me. “Is there news about Lizzy?”
“No.” Neil flashes his palm at me. The frown on his face makes his jowl look prominent. He looks older. Angry.
“All right. So what are the faces for?” I nod to Jackson, but he’s mute as a statue.
Neil droops his head down a moment before coming up for air. “You know you’re like a son to me.” That pained expression he’s just dawned is worrying the shit out of me. “We’ve got something to share with you, and I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s gonna hurt.”
My mind races ahead at what it could be. “Is this about Miles? Did someone see me beating the shit out of him?”
“Aw, fuck.” Neil tips his head back.
Jackson groans. “No, it was not about Miles. Dude, you did that? The poor guy’s in a coma down at General.”
“Holy shit,” I pant at the thought. “It can’t be. Trust me, it wasn’t more than a little roughhousing.”
Neil tosses a chip at me. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
Jackson downs half his beer in a couple of gulps, something he does when he’s anxious, and I get the feeling his anxiety has very little to do with Miles.
“All right, my man.” Neil slaps a hand over the table as if calling the meeting to order. “I’m going to come out and say it. I happened to stop off at the Hid
eaway, and Charlie was there. I recognized her, and since I consider myself to be a good friend of yours, I went ahead and was shooting the breeze with her.” He tips his head as if I should know where this is headed. “Every time I asked her about her past, she clammed up. She was outright secretive, but she sure didn’t hesitate grilling me about your sister’s disappearance.” He nods, his eyes wide, a slight look of anger still engraved over his features. “All of it struck me as odd.”
A swell of relief hits me. “Is that all this is about?” Neil has his panties in a bunch because Charlie had the balls to grill him. “She cares about me. I enlisted her in helping me figure out what happened to my sister.” I shoot a look to Jackson who suddenly feels like a traitor. Charlie and I were keeping things from Neil because our investigation seemed to be moving faster. It’s become a game to us—see who finds her first. I hope to God it’s me. “I’m sorry, Neil. I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t think—”
Jackson lifts a finger my way. “That’s not what this is about.” He elbows Neil. “Come on, put him out of his misery.” His lips turn down hard as if he’s going to lose it. “I’m sorry, dude, but this is going to make you far more miserable than you ever thought.”
Neil leans in. “I ran your sister’s social security card yesterday. It turns out Lizzy has been gainfully employed right here in Wakefield all this time.”
“What? Where? Is this identity theft or something?”
“It’s exactly identity theft.” Neil swallows hard. “The girl who stole your sister’s identity works down at the Hideaway Café.”
“That’s where Charlie works. I’m sure she’ll help us catch her.”
Neil shakes his head. “I don’t think she will.” He glides his phone across the table my way. “Does she look familiar?”
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