When Thayer noticed her, he stood. Unlike the first time they met, he wore no easy smile. His frown deepened as he took in her broken nose. Like the doctor, his eyes traveled over every bruise, every cut.
“How are you?” His grey-blue eyes pierced her.
Charlie ignored the question. “What are you doing here?”
“The hospital contacted me.”
She stiffened. “Why would they do that?”
“I’m your next-of-kin. When two people are paired, their chips automatically treat the couple as if they are married.” Thayer shrugged. “Even though we haven’t had a proper ceremony, our chips think I’m your husband.”
Drew, who had taken the chair next to her, tensed.
“Oh… ” The world shifted as if someone had pulled a rug out from under her. No “would be.” She was already married to Thayer McLean. It didn’t seem possible. When she found her voice again, she spoke with hostility. “Would you sit down? I don’t like you looming over me.”
Thayer didn’t appear affected by the tone in her voice. He settled himself in a chair across from her. “We have a lot to talk about.” His eyes flicked to Drew before coming to rest on her face again.
Charlie looked away. She didn’t want do this now. She glanced at Drew. He sat with his arms folded across his chest, an irritated gaze leveled on Thayer. No, she couldn’t do this with Drew sitting next to her.
Thayer obviously sensed her hesitation. “Maybe we should speak alone.” He glanced back at Drew.
“I’m not leaving until Charlie tells me to.” He returned Thayer’s stare.
“Drew.” He turned to her, disbelief written on his face. “Please.”
“Fine.” He nearly jumped out of his chair, startling Charlie as he did. With another glare at Thayer, he stalked off.
“I’m sorry about him.” Charlie released a long breath.
“Don’t be.” He waved the apology off. “He was your first choice, I understand. Unfortunately the time we live in doesn’t allow the luxury of choice, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” She looked at him with open curiosity. Could this man understand the desperation that drove her to enter her name in the Lottery? No. As the eldest son of a Council member, he stood to gain everything from the current system. That begged the question, why had he entered his name? At that moment, she knew there were more important things for them to discuss.
“I have a few questions for you, if that’s alright?” She nodded and he continued. “I asked the nurse who contacted me what happened, but she wouldn’t say. Your boyfriend wouldn’t tell me anything either.” His body tensed when he said the word boyfriend.
Charlie didn’t want to talk about this with a stranger; she didn’t want to talk about it at all. Just thinking about her father beating her, the blood, the pain; it all made her sick. Rehashing the details didn’t appeal to her. But, she owed him an explanation.
“You know my parents intended for me to marry Mason Novack. As you so graciously pointed out the first time we met, I’m less than thrilled about the match.” She grabbed a piece of her hair, twisting it around her finger. “The day after my coming-out party, my father informed me that he had already entered negotiations with Mason’s father. He told me I had no choice in the matter and that Compatibility wasn’t even a factor in my case. I had less than two months until the wedding and about a month until the engagement went public.” She looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap. “I tried the only thing I could think of to get out of it.”
“You entered the Lotter,” Thayer supplied.
She shook her head. “Not at first. Drew and I had our Compatibility tested. Obviously that didn’t turn out as we hoped. “A … friend suggested I try the Lottery. This afternoon I went and entered my name. When my father realized where I was, he—” Charlie broke off, fighting the lump rising in her throat.
“I think I can guess the rest,” he said quietly.
There it was, pity. Charlie hated that look. She swallowed back her tears, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her.
The look disappeared from Thayer’s face almost like he sensed her thoughts. He spoke in a clinical tone. “What’s stopping your father from accessing your chip and altering our marital status?”
Charlie shook her head and immediately regretted the movement. “I don’t know. But the fact that the hospital contacted you tells me that something is preventing him from tampering with my chip. I can only imagine my mother is keeping him from doing anything drastic, at least until I am home and under their control again.” Her voice had a bitter edge.
Thayer leaned forward. “That won’t happen,” he vowed.
Charlie studied him, noting the look on his face. Fire burned in his eyes. For a moment, she really believed he could protect her. Then the moment passed. “I don’t see how it can be avoided.”
Thayer was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking the situation over. “There’s one way to make sure you’re free.” He paused, eyeing her like he was trying to gauge how she would react to his plan. “We need to have a wedding as soon as possible. After the ceremony, we allow someone to ‘leak’ it to the press. By the time your father tries to undo our marriage it will be too late.”
Hope flared in her chest. She was desperate enough to try it, even if the plan didn’t work. “Let’s do it.”
He nodded, determination filling his eyes. “Excuse me for a moment.” He stood before Charlie could say anything. She watched him pull a cell phone from his pocket as he walked down the hall and out of sight.
Almost as soon as he disappeared, Drew reappeared by her side.
“Where did your husband go?” He sneered.
She closed her eyes, rubbing them despite the discomfort it caused.
“I hate this,” he muttered, dropping back into his chair.
“I do too, but there’s nothing else we can do.”
Drew inhaled sharply. The familiar look of hope filled his eyes. “Let’s run away together.” He spoke as if afraid to hear the words aloud.
She tried not to laugh at the suggestion. “Drew, adultery is against the law. Anyway, my father would track our chips. We wouldn’t make it out of the city.” Charlie glanced to where Thayer disappeared, hoping he’d come back and save her from this conversation.
“We remove our chips. No one would find us.”
She looked back to Drew, finding excitement in his eyes. “A week ago you told me how you believe in the system, in the chip. Now you want to cut it from your arm?” She demanded. “What’s happened to you?”
“A week ago I had hope,” he snapped. “I had you. My life made sense.”
Charlie shook her head. “If we got caught they would send us to the islands. Do you know who they send there, Drew? Murderers, rapists, the scourge of the earth. At least here you have some chance of living a normal life.”
His voice rose. “Where is your faith? The girl I love would never take this laying down.” His words hurt almost as much as the wounds Richard had inflicted.
“You think I’ve let this just happen to me?” Blood pumped in her ears and red clouded her vision. “I’ve been fighting for weeks and I lost. If I’m taking this lying down it’s because I’ve been beaten so badly I can’t get back up!”
He jumped to his feet. “Damn it Charlie, I’m trying to get you out of this!”
“Right now, this is the best I can hope for. I may be married to a total stranger, but at least it’s not Mason. You can’t save me from this, not with my father and every Council member fighting against you.”
Drew’s voice took on a beseeching tone. “That’s it, then. You won’t even try?”
“I’ve done everything I can. I need to accept when I’ve been beaten, even if you can’t.”
Someone cleared their throat, interrupting them. Thayer stood a few yards away, hands in his pockets. With an apologetic look in her direction, he walked back to the chair and sat down. She wondered how long he’d been listeni
ng. Nothing in his face gave anything away.
“I made a call to a justice of the peace who owes me a favor. He’ll be here within a half an hour.” Thayer spoke to her, ignoring Drew.
She stilled, surprised at the speed his plan was progressing. At least before the night ended she would be free of her father. Relief made her limbs feel weak. “Thank you.”
“What do you mean?” Drew glanced between the two.
“Given the circumstances, it’s best that Charlotte and I make our marriage official as soon as possible.” Thayer finally looked at Drew, his eyes full of contempt. The look made Charlie uneasy, but she pushed the feeling aside. Thayer couldn’t be worse than Mason or Richard and she couldn’t afford to lose her best chance at freedom.
Drew scoffed. “What’re you going to do after the wedding?”
“Once we go public, we’ll be expected to portray a certain public image.” He turned to Charlie. “I have an apartment here in the city. You can stay there while you finish school. We’ll reevaluate our situation when you graduate.”
“Will you stay there as well?” Her stomach churned at the thought of being alone with him.
“When business brings me to the city, yes.” His calm exterior made it impossible to gauge his thoughts.
Drew’s face turned red. “Are you planning to consummate the marriage?”
“Drew!” Charlie felt her own face turning red.
Thayer raised an eyebrow. “I’m not functioning under the assumption that this marriage is going to be anything more than one of convenience. If it ever did become something more, it wouldn’t be your concern.”
Drew spoke to Charlie. “How do you know this guy is better than the one your father wants you to marry?”
She paused, allowing the possibility to settle in her mind. “I don’t, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
His eyes pleaded. “You don’t have to do this. We have a way out.”
“No, Drew. I don’t want a life on the run and, deep down, neither do you.” Charlie swallowed hard, willing herself to remain calm.
All emotion drained from Drew’s face. He stood there, limp and unmoving.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. It was more than regret for breaking his heart, it was an apology for the fact that her own heart wasn’t breaking too.
Their eyes met. She expected the sadness in his eyes, but not the resolve. He walked over to her, caressing her cheek before leaning down to kiss her. His lips lingered against hers, not searching for more, simply savoring this final moment.
He pulled back and turned to address Thayer. “Take care of her.”
Thayer stood, extending his hand. Drew didn’t hesitate before giving it a firm shake.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Thayer promised.
Drew nodded. With a final glace at Charlie, he walked out of the waiting room.
In Drew’s absence, Charlie fell silent. Thayer attempted to engage her in small talk, but she didn’t have the energy for useless conversation. After a few tries, he gave up in favor of companionable silence. Though he didn’t speak, Charlie could feel his eyes watching her.
Finally she couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you staring at?” She snapped.
“You.” He said matter-of-factly.
She did nothing to hide her irritation. “I realize that. Why?”
“I’m doing you a favor here, the least you could do is pretend to be civil.” He raised an eyebrow, challenging her to contradict him.
She couldn’t say anything to that. He was right, but her stubbornness wouldn’t let her admit it. Instead, she looked away, still aware of his gaze.
It felt like she’d been under Thayer’s scrutiny for hours when the justice of the peace arrived. Her husband greeted the man with a warm smile.
“Mr. McLean.” The stranger nodded.
“Justice Slater.” The two shook hands.
With the two men side by side, Charlie noted how opposite they looked. Where Thayer was tall, Slater was short. Thayer boasted broad muscular shoulders while the Justice’s twig-thin frame and sloping shoulders made him look one strong breeze away from snapping. The only similarity was their easy smiles.
Slater turned, surveying Charlie through wire-rimmed glasses. His eyes widened a little, but Charlie couldn’t tell if recognition or her injuries caused the look. Most likely a combination of the two.
“Miss Grey.” He recovered with a smile.
The kind expression set her at ease. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
He walked forward and shook her hand, being careful not to jostle her too much. “Let’s not wait any longer. Where would you like to do this?” He glanced between Charlie and Thayer.
“Umm, here is good.” Charlie shot a questioning look at Thayer.
“That’s fine.” He nodded.
“Do you have a witness?” Slater asked.
“I asked one of the nurses to do it. I’ll go find her.” Thayer turned, heading down the hall to the nurse’s station. He reappeared a minute later with a pretty young brunette in tow Charlie didn’t recognize.
“Can you stand or would you prefer to sit for the vows?” Slater spoke to Charlie.
“I’ll stand,” she said with resolve. She pushed herself up, grimacing as her ribs protested. Her head throbbed and her vision blurred. The world spun, then a hand steadied her.
“Are you sure?” Thayer asked, keeping his hand wrapped around her waist.
“I want to stand,” she insisted
He looked into her eyes. Whatever he saw there convinced him. He faced Justice Slater, sliding his hand from her waist to her arm. Slater opened his mouth but Thayer stopped him, looking back at the nurse.
“Will you film this?”
Her brown ponytail swung as she nodded. She pulled a phone from her pocket and gave them a thumbs-up when the camera began recording. Slater commenced.
“We are gathered here to unite Thayer Rhys McLean and Charlotte Anna Grey in the bonds of marriage. If any here can show just cause why these two cannot be lawfully wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”
Charlie half expected her father to come running into the waiting room, hollering that she was supposed to marry Mason Novack. She waited anxiously, only relaxing when Justice Slater continued with the vows.
“Thayer, do you promise to cherish and protect her, in sickness and health, for rich, for poor, till death do you part?”
“I do.” Thayer spoke loud enough for the nurse’s phone to hear him.
“Charlotte, do you promise to respect and obey him, in sickness and health, for rich, for poor, till death do you part?” Slater looked at her, waiting.
“I do.” The words almost choked her.
“By the power vested in me by the Confederation of America and the Province of Illinois, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Thayer looked at her, his eyes asking for permission. She gave him a small nod. He leaned down and their lips touched. Charlie detected a hint of peppermint and the familiar spicy scent of Thayer’s soap. He pulled back, ending the kiss almost before it began.
“Is the camera off?” Thayer asked the nurse.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Should I send it to you?”
“No. Send it to the media.”
A shocked look passed over her face. “Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes. Send it to everyone.”
Chapter Fourteen
“She sustained two fractured ribs, a concussion, and a broken nose. Not to mention various bruises and lacerations, particularly on her face.” Katy sat across from Nemo. She still wore blue scrubs. The smell of bleach and medicine hung in the air around her.
Nemo leaned back in his desk chair, considering his reflection in the dark window. “How was she doing when they discharged her?”
“Physically, she’ll be fine. Dr. Moore gave her pain medication laced with an agent to speed up the healing proc
ess. I think the mental shock of the attack damaged her more than the beating. Something like that can change a person in ways we can’t even begin to understand.” Katy fell silent.
“It was her father.” Nemo offered the answer to her unspoken question.
“It’s good that she’s with Thayer, then.” Katy said, more to herself than to him.
“She’ll be safe with McLean.” Nemo nodded in agreement. “Especially once you send the video to the press.”
Katy fidgeted, drawing Nemo’s attention.
“What?” He asked, seeing her uneasy expression.
“Are you sure that she’ll be safe?”
“McLean won’t do anything to hurt her.”
Katy shook her head. “What if her father tries to come after her again?”
“There would be no point with the marriage public. He can’t do anything now, divorce is illegal.”
“Then he might take his anger out on someone else.” Katy tapped her foot, picking at a loose thread on her pants.
Nemo reached across the desk and captured the girl’s hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We won’t let that happen.”
“I have a family. If he traces the video back to my phone, we are as good as dead.” She’d gone as white as a sheet, despite his reassuring words.
“He can’t trace an encrypted message. If it makes you feel safer, we can relocate you and your family.”
Katy shook her head. “No, our lives are here. If you say we’ll be safe then I believe you.”
“Don’t worry, Katy. We see and know as much as Grey does. You’ll be safe.”
“Thank you.” She stood, giving him a faint smile before leaving.
Guilt over the lie nagged at him. He slumped in his chair. Miss Grey had been injured and it was his fault. He’d debated whether or not to post sentries when she went to enter the Lottery but his people were stretched too thin. Instead, he’d relied on Archer to handle everything alone.
What kind of Leader sacrificed a woman to ensure the upper hand? Donovan wouldn’t treat a woman that way. The thought made him cringe. Donovan Grey, Richard’s older brother. The man was legendary to the rebels. As the story went, he’d given his life trying to bring down the corporations and the Council backing them.
The Determining Page 14