The Determining

by Grous, Rebecca

  “I have a car parked in the employee lot out back.”

  Up to that moment, she hadn’t questioned his motives. But the prospect of being alone with him, especially in his car, made her stop.

  “I can’t.” On a normal day she might have been able to fight him off, but not now. Not with the pounding in her head, the cramping in her stomach, and the blood dripping down her face. She needed to stay in a crowded place, somewhere she could scream for help.

  He seemed to understand her hesitation. “Is there someone you can call to come get you?”

  She nodded.

  “Call them. I’ll wait with you until they get here.”

  She dialed Drew’s number. He would answer. He had to. She had no one else. He picked up on the fifth ring.

  “Hi, Charlie.”

  The familiar sound of his voice released a floodgate within her. A sob rose in her throat. She swallowed, trying to fight it back, but she couldn’t.

  “Charlie, are you okay?” Panic echoed through the phone.

  She took a shuddering breath, fighting to regain control. “I need you to come get me.”

  “Where are you?” Drew spoke with urgency.

  “City Hall.”

  “I’ll be there in five minutes.” He hung up before she could respond.

  “He’ll be here soon.” She slid her phone into her purse.

  Mr. Ross nodded. “Do you want to find somewhere to sit until he gets here?”

  Charlie glanced at the lobby. Benches lined the walls. They looked inviting, but they sat in the open. If her father came down before she left, he wouldn’t have any trouble spotting her. She didn’t want to face him again.

  “I don’t want to wait where he’ll see me.” She hated how weak her fear made her.

  “There’s nowhere to hide here. Your best bet is to wait in a crowded area. He’s less likely to cause a scene there,” Mr. Ross reasoned.

  It made sense. She let him lead her to a nearby bench. With a deep breath, she lowered herself down slowly. Her body felt better once she sat. Mr. Ross took the space next to her, positioning himself between her and the elevators. It wasn’t much, but knowing he would be between her and Richard gave her a small sense of comfort.

  “Are you sure I can’t drive you somewhere?” he asked.

  “Drew is coming.” Charlie wrapped her arms around herself, wincing at the tenderness in her abdomen.

  “Can you trust him?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  He sighed, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. “I’m sorry I didn’t get him off you faster.”

  Charlie glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He looked miserable. “You didn’t have to do anything. I would have understood if you hadn’t.”

  “Do you think so little of the world that human decency surprises you?” Mr. Ross asked sadly.

  “I haven’t thought much of the world since my Determining,” she admitted.

  “Why is that?”

  She turned her head to look at him directly, regretting the movement when sharp pain stabbed at the base of her skull. Honest curiosity and concern filled his eyes. Telling him everything would be a relief, a weight off her chest. But she wouldn’t. Trusting him with her story would invite even more trouble. Instead of answering, Charlie faced forward, focusing on the main door.

  “You can’t talk now. I understand.” Mr. Ross fished in his pocket, pulling out a business card. “Call me when you can.”

  Charlie took the card, stuffing it in her own pocket. She didn’t think she would use his number, but keeping it wouldn’t hurt.

  Charlie noticed a familiar blond head bobbing through the crowd. Drew’s eyes scanned the room, they swept over her and continued on. He frowned. When his gaze pointed at her again, she lifted her hand in a small wave.

  The blood drained from his face when recognition hit. In seconds, he stood at her side.

  “Charlie … oh, God. What happened?” He glared at Mr. Ross.

  Charlie took Drew’s hand. “My father found out I was here. When I told him I entered my name in the Lottery, he did this.”

  Drew pulled his hand away, hurt filling his eyes. “The Lottery?”

  “I didn’t see any other options.” She couldn’t help sounding defensive.

  He sighed and rang his hands through his hair, clearly reluctant to let the topic go. “How did your father know you were here?”

  “He must have a team watching me since … us.” She knew Richard would find out, but his reaction … she hadn’t expected it.

  “Who is this?” Drew still glared at Mr. Ross.

  “Archer Ross.” He extended his hand, but Drew ignored it.

  “Drew.” Charlie chastised. “Mr. Ross was the one who stopped my father.”

  Drew’s features softened a little. He extended his hand grudgingly. “I guess I should thank you.”

  “Not at all. I’m glad I could be there for Miss Grey.” Archer’s eyes flashed to her face. “I should be going. Sylvie will expect me back in the office soon. I don’t want her to have to deal with your father alone.” He stood and Charlie followed him, though her movements were much choppier than his.

  “Thank you for everything. I’ll wash this and return it to you.” She indicated the bloodied handkerchief grasped in her shaking hand.

  “Don’t worry about it, I have more.”

  He probably doesn’t want it back now that it’s covered it in my blood. She felt foolish for offering. “Thank you again.” Charlie smiled weakly, watching as Archer disappeared into an elevator.

  “Charlie?”

  She turned to Drew. With Archer gone, he looked fidgety and nervous.

  “Take me home,” she suggested.

  He nodded and took her hand, leading her outside into the sunshine.

  ~

  Constance gasped Charlie walked through the front door. Charlie had yet to see the damage for herself. The housekeeper’s horrified expression made her less inclined to do so.

  “Miss Grey! What happened?”

  Charlie moved inside with the assistance of Drew, who closed the door behind them. Constance glared at him.

  “It’s nothing. I’m sure it looks worse than it really is,” Charlie lied.

  Constance ignored her. “I’m calling the medics and the City Guard.”

  “No!” Charlie shouted.

  Constance froze, her phone halfway out of her pocket. “What do you mean? You’ve been attacked. If I don’t alert the City Guard your mother, not to mention your father, will have my head.”

  Drew scoffed, muttering to himself. “I doubt that.”

  Charlie squeezed Drew’s hand in warning. “I can assure you, my father would prefer it if you didn’t call anyone.”

  “I’m calling anyway.”

  Charlie didn’t want to tell Constance the truth, but the sight of the phone in her hand, fingers poised to dial, left her with no choice.

  “My father is the one who did this. You can’t call.”

  The phone dropped to the floor with a clatter that echoed across the marble entryway. The back popped off and the battery skidded across the room.

  “Oh.” Constance ignored the phone, looking at Charlie’s face with new insight. She blushed under the housekeeper’s scrutiny. Drew slid an arm around her waist.

  “I can’t stay here, Constance. I need to pack. Please, don’t let my parents know I’m here.”

  Constance nodded. “Of course. Your mother has company in the drawing room. Your father …” She trailed off.

  “I’ll be gone before he gets back.”

  The housekeeper nodded again, scooping up her broken phone before disappearing down the hall.

  Walking up the stairs proved more difficult than Charlie anticipated. The adrenaline had worked its way out of her body, leaving fierce pain in its wake. Even with Drew’s support, Charlie found herself stumbling from the discomfort. After what felt like ages, they made it to the safety of her room.
>
  Drew set to work without needing instruction. He grabbed her tablet, sliding it into her school bag. Trusting him to pack everything she needed for classes, Charlie turned her attention to clothes. She had too much to take everything with her now. She settled on pieces that would mix and match. With that taken care of, she gathered her toiletries into a bag, dumping it on top of her folded clothes.

  “What else do you need?” Drew asked.

  “Nothing.” Her phone vibrated, but she ignored it.

  Drew shouldered her school bag and the duffle full of clothes. Charlie looked longingly at her pillow but left it behind. She followed Drew down the stairs. They were almost to the door when Margaret’s voice sounded behind them.

  “Charlotte? What are you doing?”

  Charlie didn’t look back when she spoke. “I’m leaving.”

  “And where do you think you’re going? We have wedding plans to discuss.”

  She couldn’t believe Margaret was still harping about the wedding. “I’m not marrying Mason and I’m not staying here anymore.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because of this, Mother.” Charlie turned, revealing her injured face.

  Margaret’s eyes widened. “Oh, darling. Who did that?”

  “Who do you think?” Charlie hissed, fighting back furious tears.

  “I’m so sorry.” Margaret closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearly trying to regain her composure. “Please come back, we can figure this out.” She reached her hands out to Charlie, beckoning to her.

  Charlie clenched her jaw, relaxing it again when the pain became too much. “You aren’t surprised. How could you let me stay here knowing my father was capable of this?”

  “That isn’t fair.” Margaret frowned.

  “No. What isn’t fair is that you think this is something that can be worked out. I’m done. I won’t stay here anymore, not while he lives here.” Charlie turned and, with Drew’s help, walked out the door.

  Margaret followed them. “Where will you go?” Her voice sounded frantic.

  “Track my damn chip if you want to know,” Charlie threw over her shoulder.

  “Charlotte, come back!”

  Charlie ignored her mother. She needed to get as far from the brownstone as she could. Drew headed for the shopping district. She followed without comment. Her mind ran through the day’s events over and over. Mr. Ross, his questions, the Lottery, her father, the pain, it all played in her mind, making her queasy.

  In the busy shopping district, it took no time at all to hail a cab. It pulled up by the curb and Drew opened the door for her. She got in and he slid in after her, placing her bags on the seat between them.

  “Take us to the nearest hospital,” Drew told the driver.

  “No,” Charlie objected. “The Southside residential district, 10th street.”

  Drew took her hand. “I really think we should go to the hospital,” he whispered.

  The exhaustion in her body was overwhelming. She didn’t want to deal with doctors and nurses poking her. “I’ll be fine until tomorrow.”

  “You could have broken ribs. They could puncture your lung,” Drew insisted.

  Charlie knew he was right. And there would be morphine at the hospital.

  “Have you made up your minds?” The driver asked tersely.

  “The hospital,” Drew insisted. As they pulled into traffic, Charlie settled into the seat, closing her eyes and trying not to wince.

  “Did they contact you about the drawing?” Drew blurted, obviously trying to take her mind off her injuries.

  Her heart skipped a beat. She’d forgotten about the Lottery. She scrambled to pull her phone out. Her hands shook as she unlocked the touchscreen.

  An unread message flashed in the inbox. With a shaky breath, she opened it. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she looked at the screen. A name. A phone number. A picture. Her breath hitched when she recognized the face looking back at her. Of all the people, he was the last person she’d expected.

  “Who is it?” Drew demanded.

  Charlie turned the phone toward him, watching his reaction as he saw the name and the picture. The blood vessel in his neck stood out and his breathing sped up.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Well, believe it.” She glanced at the screen again. Thayer McLean’s ice blue eyes stared back at her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Charlotte, why aren’t you answering your phone? Your father is here. He’s sorry for what happened. I know that if we talk about this we can fix everything. Come home. Or at least call me when you get this message. ” Margaret’s agitated voice ignited Charlie’s anger. She deleted the voicemail and had to stop herself from throwing the phone across the room.

  “What did she say?” Drew sat by the gurney she’d occupied for the past few hours.

  “Nothing important.” Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The nurse wouldn’t feed her, just in case she needed surgery. Charlie didn’t think she could keep anything down anyway. But the discomfort of an empty stomach compounded by her injuries made her irritable. Her stomach gave another embarrassing, loud growl.

  Drew smiled. “When we get out of here, I’ll get you something to eat.”

  After a few hours in the ER her stomach had settled enough for her to be hungry. The thought of filling the hollow ache lifted her spirits. She reached for Drew’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “Thank you for being here with me.”

  He leaned forward, brushing a stray hair off her forehead. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” The emotion in his brown eyes burned. They flicked down to her lips and she knew where his thoughts were going.

  “Drew.” Her voice held a warning.

  “You loved me once. Why can’t you try again?”

  She had to look away from his pleading eyes. “Not after everything that’s happened.”

  A cough interrupted the awkward moment. Charlie glanced over Drew’s shoulder. A woman wearing a white lab coat observed them with impassive, clinical eyes.

  “Miss Grey, I’m Dr. Moore.” The doctor gave Charlie’s hand a firm shake. “I’ve looked over your test results and X-rays. You sustained two fractured ribs and a mild concussion in addition to your broken nose. Lucky for you, there seems to be no internal bleeding. We can discharge today.”

  Charlie smiled, not minding the throbbing in her jaw. “Great. How soon can I get out of here?”

  Dr. Moore shot a quick look at Drew. “Soon. There are some things I need to go over with you privately before I can release you.”

  Drew took the doctor’s less than subtle hint and got to his feet. “I’ll be in the waiting room.” He pushed aside the thin blue curtain that separated her from the rest of the ER and disappeared.

  Dr. Moore took the seat Drew vacated. “The nurse indicated in your chart that you refused to contact the City Guard. Is that correct?”

  Charlie nodded. The likelihood of the City Guard believing her story was slim to none. What officer of the law would believe a member of the Council had assaulted her? Even if one did believe her, there was nothing anyone could do.

  “Before I sign your discharge papers I am obligated to ask again, will you allow us to contact the City Guard for you?” She leaned forward. “We can set you up with a social worker and ensure that when you leave, you will be protected from your attacker.”

  “I don’t want to involve the City Guard.” Charlie tried to sound, and look, reassuring.

  Dr. Moore opened her mouth but closed it without saying anything. She stared at Charlie, her eyes cataloging every injury. Charlie squirmed under doctor’s scrutiny. Finally, the woman nodded, looking down at the electronic chart in her hand.

  “There are some files here with instructions for your recuperation, and I’m giving you a prescription for the pain. Be sure to come back if your headache worsens or you get dizzy or nauseous.”

  “Thank you.” Charlie extended her wrist, allowing D
r. Moore to load the files onto her chip.

  The doctor stood, moving to leave. She hesitated by the curtain. “I shouldn’t do this, but I can’t let you leave without asking. Do you have somewhere safe to go?”

  Tears prickled the back of Charlie’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”

  Her entire body relaxed. “Good. I’ll send the nurse in to finish discharging you.”

  “Thank you again.”

  Dr. Moore disappeared through the curtain.

  Charlie didn’t have long to wait. The attractive young woman pushed aside the blue curtain and began bustling about the gurney.

  “I need to take out your IV then I’ll leave you to change back into your street clothes.”

  “You don’t know how wonderful that sounds.” With freedom in reach, Charlie felt lighter.

  “Take a deep breath for me and blow it out slowly.” The nurse removed the IV with a gentle hand, replacing it with a bandage. “You’re all set. I’ll go get your friends and let them know you’re ready to go.”

  “Friends?” Charlie asked, confused.

  “Yes, two handsome men in the waiting room.” The nurse winked.

  “But I only came with one friend.” Charlie had a sinking feeling who the other ‘friend’ could be.

  “If it were me, I wouldn’t turn the tall one away.” The nurse chuckled as she left.

  Alone, Charlie untied the flimsy hospital gown and slipped into her own clothes. She slid her feet into her boots, enjoying the feel of the soft wool cushioning her steps. Fully clothed, she settled back onto the bed to wait for Drew. A minute later he appeared, his expression dark.

  She glanced behind him, searching for the mysterious visitor. “The nurse said someone else was here to see me.”

  “He’s in the waiting room.” Drew refused to meet her gaze.

  Any doubt she had about her visitor disappeared with that small action.

  The pain medication had begun to wear off. She accepted the wheelchair the nurse had left for her, aching all over. Once settled into the chair, Drew pushed her to the waiting room.

  Thayer stared off into space, a serious look wrinkling his brow. He leaned back in the upholstered armchair, one arm thrown across its back. A fitted blue dress shirt and vest accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist. His rolled up sleeves allowed Charlie a view of his muscular forearms. This stranger would be her husband. The thought made her palms sweat.