Chasing Charli

by Quinn, Aneta

  "No, no trouble with this one" he replies, while still keeping his gaze on me.

  He leans in closer and whispers in my ear "Wanna head back to your place sweetheart?"

  "No" is all I reply, "Just quit gawking at me like a pubesant teenager, hear me?"

  "Oh I hear you loud and clear Charli" he says, making me freeze instantly at the sound of my name.

  My mouth gapes open like a fish out of water and suddenly I look around the bar trying to find Jax. Where the hell did he go anyway? Shit why did I not listen to him for once and stay where I was. Here I go again, thinking I know what's going on and opening my big mouth. Hey at least I can admit I fucked up - again. That's like the first stage or whatever right? Admitting you have a problem. I guess my problem is not knowing when to stop and listen to someone who knows their shit.

  "How do you know my name?" is all that I manage to get out, while I take a step away from him.

  "Oh I think everyone knows your name sweetheart" he winks at me and I panic. I push against his chest and turn to run, just as his hand wraps around my waist pulling me back against his side firmly.

  He leans his head close to mine as I'm standing pressed against him, my back to his front and whispers into my ear, "just give me what I want and I'll leave you alone."

  Is he talking about the memory stick, or is he still talking about heading back to my place for god knows what. Before I can answer with some insanely witty and drunk remark I hear Jax's calm voice from next to us.

  "I'd suggest getting your hands off her before I break every single bone in your fucking hand" he says calmly. Strangely it seems more sinister as opposed to yelling and I have to admit I'm slightly scared myself.

  His cold gaze lands on me and it doesn't soften. Jesus what did I do? Oh yeah, I'm an idiot like always that's what I did.

  His eyes flicker back to the creep with his arms still around me who snickers before finally releasing me. He's still standing right behind me though, close enough for me to feel his soft breaths against the skin on my neck.

  "Get your shit Charli and let's go" says Jax, his eyes never leaving the guy behind me.

  I'm slightly stunned from whatever hell just happened and more drunk than I care to admit and it takes me a moment to move.

  "Now" Jax says sharply and I practically jump away from the creepy gawker behind me.

  "I...I don't have anything with me" I say, too scared that I'm going to get yelled at again for god knows what.

  He turns to me with an annoyed expression as if to say now was not the time to argue; I wasn't arguing, just stating a fact.

  He grabs my arm firmly and starts to walk us towards the exit of the bar. I risk a quick look behind me and see the two guys sit back down on their stools and wave towards us as we walk out the doors.

  The cool air hits me straight away and I instantly regret not wearing something warmer. Considering we're in summer the air is exceptionally cool for a summer's night.

  I'm too scared to speak in case Jax is still fuming mad, which he has every right to be. I realise he told me to stay where I was but that's only because he was freaking out about them being suspicious. Maybe I should tell him that the guy was at the party, but then again I might get yelled at for not sharing that piece of information with him earlier.

  He snaps me out of my own thoughts and finally talks as we make our way back to the apartment. I realise now that he's keeping an eye out and making sure we're not being followed as well.

  "Why were you talking to them Charli?" he says and sighs.

  Me being remarkably drunk I speak before I can filter my thoughts, "Oh is that a hint of jealousy I detect Jax?"

  "Jealous? You think I'm pissed off because that guy had his hands all over you?"

  "I don't know...are you?"

  "Slightly...but that's not why I'm pissed off."

  "Then why are you pissed off...enlighten me, please Jax."

  "Because I told you to stay where you were and after scoping the place I find you talking to the two very guys I warned you about, please clarify to me Charli...please make my job easier and instead of running right to the danger do as your told for once" he says and runs both his hands through his hair before dropping them down.

  There he goes again, talking about his job. I'm his job; job this, job that; he can shove his job up his ass. Instead of agreeing that I screwed up like I have been in my head for the past few minutes, I decide to argue instead because a) I'm drunk, and b) He gets me so worked up that I can't help it.

  "Do you have to do that every time something goes wrong? You don't have to remind me every fucking time I screw up that I'm a job. You don't have to rub it in my face that that's why you're here...with me" I huff out and keep walking since we stopped on the side walk to yell at each other.

  This is so screwed up, all I seem to do is mess up and all he did was get angry at me. I should just make him quit or fire him and get it over and done with. If I'm not the job than he can leave and do whatever the hell he wants with his life without me being in the way. Oh my god I need to shut up, my brain is starting to piss even me off.

  I hear his footsteps next to me and feel his warm fingers slide around my wrist to stop me from walking away.

  "Charli...stop" he says softly, sounding exhausted, "please" he adds.

  I stop and slowly turn towards him; his fingers slide down from my wrist and twist with my fingers. He gently tugs on my hand, pulling me closer against him and wraps his arms around my waist and just stands there holding me.

  "I hate watching you walk away from me Charli" he says and gently pulls my face up to look at him.

  I don't say anything, not knowing what to say without sounding drunk, stupid or remotely bitchy. It's all I seem to be doing lately.

  "You know I didn't mean it like that. Yes my job is to protect you but I don't do it just because it's my job. Ever since I found out who was after you I've been more on edge, more alert about everything because I don't want anyone to take you away from me" he says and gently presses his cheek against mine.

  "I'm sorry Jax, I wasn't thinking. I just recognised him from the party the other night and just went to yell at him for whatever stupid reason. I'm sorry...really."

  "He was at the party?" he says as he pulls away slightly.

  I look down to my feet and kick the pavement with my toe before finally answering.

  "Yeah" – great answer Charli, very informative.

  "Did he talk to you?"

  "No. He just kind of stood there staring at me. When I saw him at the bar I just assumed he was friends with someone from campus since he was at the party."

  "We have to get back to the apartment, and Charli...you have to tell me everything. I'm not referring to the party either but here is not the place" he says as he looks over his shoulder again.

  He puts an arm around me and we start to walk back to the apartment in a quick paced stroll.

  11. Going somewhere sweetheart?

  Charli

  I sit on the edge of the couch just watching Jax, trying to see his reaction. I'd explained in full detail what happened that night and what I saw. After not much thought I pulled out my bag and rummaged through until I pulled out the tin of mints.

  He looked confused at first before I saw understanding cross his face; he must have figured out what I was hiding.

  His face is blank and it's killing me because I can't tell what he's thinking as he sits on the couch next to me, watching the footage I had of that night.

  Towards the end his expression turns into a menacing glare and I realise he's up to the part where I'm running and getting shot at before the video cuts out; obviously he's not a big fan of that happening either.

  I sit with my knees pulled up and my arms wrapped around them nice and tight as he slides the laptop away from him and turns his eyes to me.

  At first I think he's mad but then I see the fear and sadness behind his eyes.

  "This is bad Charli, this is really fuck
ing bad" he says as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me against him.

  He kisses the top of my head softly and then stands up, before he starts to pace back and forth in front of me. "We need to go" he says sternly.

  "What do you mean go? Go where?"

  "Away from here; Jesus they know where your apartment is, they can easily find you here, literally one floor above it. I'm surprised they haven't got to you yet" he says and sighs deeply. He runs his palms down his face before sliding them up and through his hair.

  I automatically stand and take a deep calming breath before walking over to him and putting both my hands on either side of his face.

  "Jax, I need you calm for the both of us. There's no point in freaking out over what can happen."

  He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off before he can manage.

  "Listen...we can go wherever you want. We'll pack some stuff we need right now and go...okay Jax?" I ask and look deep into his eyes, trying to ease some of his tension.

  I should be the one freaking out but for whatever reason, I've managed this whole situation more calmly than I thought I would.

  He looks at me and nods once before turning and heading towards the bedroom.

  By the time I manage to get my head around what we're actually doing he's already packed a bag each full of clothes and shoved my hand bag into my duffel bag so there’s less to carry.

  I walk into the bathroom and scoop up the essentials like toothbrushes while he makes a few calls, I'm assuming to arrange a car since we don’t have our own.

  I throw the small things into the bags and zip them up, then carry them into the living room.

  I rummage through the kitchen for some food and Jax walks in just as I'm grabbing handfuls of mac and cheese packets, before shoving them in a small plastic bag.

  "Really?" he says with a smirk as he eyes the packets in my hands.

  "It's all I can find that's simple and quick okay?" I laugh with him and I'm slightly relieved to see him a little less stressed out.

  He's the professional around here, he's the one that's supposed to be all cool and collected and keeping it together. If he starts panicking and freaking out, it'll freak me out and probably make me panic for no reason; which will get us nowhere in the end.

  "How about we just buy something on the way and get stuff when we get to the next town over?"

  "Is that where we're going?"

  "For now, yes" he answers and doesn't elaborate. I don't push for more information because maybe it's for the best. Yeah okay that sounds stupid; it's not like I'm going to go run around shouting at the top of my lungs that we're running away, I'm not the bad guy in all this.

  Now I just feel like an idiot, what the hell am I even talking about, with myself as well; I need to get a grip. It's a sure sign you're going crazy when you start having conversations with yourself in your head.

  I shake my head and get up off the kitchen floor and make my way to the couch, picking up my duffel bag full of clothes.

  "Ready?" Jax asks as he walks out of the bedroom and throws his bag over his shoulder.

  I nod at him before taking a quick look around the apartment, making sure I haven't forgotten anything important.

  We make our way to the elevators and silently make our way to the street to wait for our ride.

  Before I can ask whether it's just a cab picking us up, Jax's phone starts to ring and by the look on his face it must be someone important.

  "Vince?" he answers as he puts his bag down by my feet and walks away a few steps back towards the entrance of the apartments. He keeps his eyes on me and smiles softly every time he sees that I'm looking his way, before returning to his phone call.

  I'm now standing by the curb on my own with our two duffel bags by my feet. I take a look up and down the empty street and then at Jax who is still leaning by the main door of our apartment; only a few steps away.

  Very quietly and very slowly, a black SUV turns the corner and drives up to park right in front of me. I presume this is our ride, pretty fancy for a ride out of town I realise though so I send a quick look at Jax.

  He looks up at the SUV, pulls his phone away from his ear to check the time I'm guessing and then back at me, but as soon as his eyes hit mine though they grow wide with panic.

  I turn my head quickly back to the SUV and watch as the rear door opens and a tall, broad chested man wearing all black steps out. It feels like everything is happening in slow motion as I watch him reach behind him and pull out a gun. Instead of pointing it at me, which I assumed he would have, he points it behind me.

  I turn my head and follow the direction of his gun, which is now pointed at Jax who is almost right behind me. He must have started running towards me as soon as he realised what was going on.

  "Get in the car Charli, no need to make this difficult" says the muscly guy in black.

  I don't move or even speak as I'm stunned into place, my legs won't move an inch.

  My head turns from him, to the gun, and then finally to Jax who is only looking at me. I can see his jaw muscles clenching and he looks furious; not at me for a change.

  My mind is working in overtime as thousands of thoughts filter through my brain. Do I get in the car? What would happen if I do? Will they leave Jax unharmed if I co-operate? Will he find me after and save me if they do take me?

  I remember then that my phone is in my front pocket of my jeans. I pray to god that Jax actually did bug my phone for this plan to actually work.

  The guy startles me before I can think any further by nudging my shoulder with the gun.

  "Move...now" he says and points his gun towards the car and then back to Jax again.

  I nod once and then look at Jax, then down at my pocket; hopefully he understands what I'm trying to show him.

  He shakes his head at me and he clenches his jaw tighter, if that were even possible. He's grinding his teeth so hard I'm surprised they haven't shattered in his mouth.

  "No" Jax says softly, whether to me or at them trying to get me in the car.

  I take another step closer to the car and before Jax can move another inch towards me, the front passenger door opens and the guy from the bar hops out casually, the same one that was watching me at the party too.

  "Hello sweetheart" he says in a calm voice and smiles at me.

  My mouth opens in shock and before I can answer he speaks again, "sometimes if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

  He takes a step closer and wraps his rough hand around my wrist and pulls me against him. His arm slides around my neck almost choking me and I'm now facing Jax with my back pressed right up against this guy.

  Jax practically growls as the guy pulls out a gun and aims it at me this time, pressing it right against my temple.

  He shakes his head at Jax and then looks down at me. He presses his lips against my cheek softly and says, "get in the car Charli."

  I nod again and look at Jax then down at my pocket again. If he doesn't get what I'm trying to show him then he isn't cut out for this work I almost laugh to myself; I swear to god he better understand otherwise I'm throwing myself to the wolves.

  The big man next to me puts his gun away and leans down, grabbing our bags off the ground and throwing them into the back seat of the car. He then leans down and throws me over his shoulder while the other guy points his gun at Jax.

  "Hey!" I complain just as he throws me into the back seat, not so gently I might add. I scramble to sit up just as the guy from the bar gets in the back with me and shuts the door behind him.

  The window is down so when Jax starts talking we can still hear him.

  "I swear to god if you even so much as think of fucking touching her I will kill you" he says.

  The guy I've currently started thinking of as creepy stalker from the bar laughs a deep throaty laugh and leans out the window a little as he finally replies, "Jax, we'll be miles away before you can even think about killing me."

  The big gu
y leans towards Jax and cracks him on the head with the gun and then hops into the front seat.

  I watch Jax through the back window as we pull away from the curb and start driving away. He's spread out on the ground unconscious and it fuels a fire inside me of pure rage. I start to kick with my legs in every which way and manage to get a good kick into creepy bar guys' side. He groans lightly and then turns an angry glare on me as he grabs my ankle and slides me closer.

  "Don't make me fucking hurt you Charli" he says irritated just as the guy in the front seat aims his gun at me.

  "Fuck you" I spit out at him and try to wriggle my leg out of his grasp and kick with my free leg to try and get him again.

  He rolls his eyes at me and locks both my ankles in a tight grip, but before I can complain or attempt to break free the beefy gorilla in the front seat knocks me against the side of the head with his gun.

  "Was that absolutely necessary?" says creepy bar guy just as my eyes close over and everything is black.

  Jackson

  As soon as I know the car is a good distance away I jump to my feet and grab for my phone. If they think I'm out cold on the concrete then that gives me a little time before they even bother with me again. If they think they have a head start then that's good.

  I grab my phone and pull up my app that tracks Charli's phone. I wish there was a different way to do this. As soon as I saw her trying to tell me she had her phone on her, I knew she was going to willingly go with them. She knows I would follow her anywhere so I watch the screen as they turn corner after corner and surprisingly stop at a familiar destination – Drew's house.

  What in the world would they be doing there? They probably know he was one of the few people she talked to and probably tried getting information out of him, pointlessly since he doesn't know anything.

  Knowing they are this close gives me a little hope and I realise I need to be prepared. I turn and run back into the apartment and once I'm in the elevator I hit the button for the rooftop. What I never told Charli was that I was always prepared for any situation. As soon as we arrived into this town I hid some weapons in the rooftop garden.