“Nothing out there? From what I heard you were in love with the psychic, or whatever she is.”
“I screwed that up. Besides, I need this place. I need to learn how to control my blackouts. No one except P.A.G.E. can help me do that.”
No! What is going on? My legs shake and each word Charlie speaks is a blow to my heart.
“So what; you’ve just decided to give in and join us?” The man who speaks to Charlie sounds skeptical.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, it just took me being here to realize it’s what I really want.”
I tune them out then, my ears are ringing. Am I getting this right? Charlie has given up and is with P.A.G.E.? He has given up on our cause, given up on me?
I feel sick, my heart aches and my stomach drops. I need to get out of this place. I turn and move to run except someone is there. I barely make out Stan’s angry features before I’m hit directly in the face. The impact is so harsh and unexpected that I fly into the air and land a foot from where I’ve originally been standing. He walks closer, and the pain radiating from my cheek is fast spreading over my face. I think he might have broken something.
When he’s standing over me, I see why his punch hurt so badly. He has something over his hand, and whatever it is looks metal and sturdy.
“So nice to see you again, Third Eye. Welcome to your new home.” Stan pulls his arm back again and I close my eyes, my body shaking as I try to prepare to feel that horrible pain again.
Chapter 31 – The Store
Madison, Wisconsin
January 28th
We arrive on a freezing cold and wet day. It feels like Boston weather and I have a moment of intense home sickness. We park the car behind a bar that is rundown and perhaps more a place someone goes to drown their troubles rather than to meet friends or socialize.
Charlie and I have been driving non-stop for nearly two days. We’re hoping to spend one or two nights here before starting to make our way towards the cabin. Charlie’s apartment won’t be available, but with our limited money and massive cost in gas, we can’t afford a hotel. Sleeping in the car is enough to drive me crazy. I never feel like I have any rest and I can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel exhausted.
To make matters worse, Charlie is angry with himself for causing a blackout and nothing I say to him makes any difference. It’s another stab in my heart to see him so upset. Is this what drives Charlie to Stan? Is this going to be what pushes him over the edge and makes him decide to learn to better control his blackouts? I haven’t told Charlie about my dream, but a cold fear tells me I don’t have to wonder if this one will be coming true. I had been me in my dream.
So with Charlie angry, and me worrying, it makes a tense drive to Wisconsin. Part of me needs to get away from him and take some time to myself, but a bigger part of me is so scared that I’ll be losing him soon that I don’t want to let him out of my sight.
“Remind me why we’re here again?” I look back out at the neglected building in front of us while I put my hand on the door handle, ready to open it and make a run for it. A heavy pouring of rain is pounding on the windshield, which had only been light when we first pulled up. The bar we’re behind slowly disappears in the heavy rain.
“I was friends with the owner. Hopefully he’ll be able to give us a place to sleep for the night.” He sounds nervous.
“We can stay in the car if you don’t want to go inside?” I shrug casually, hoping I don’t make that sound as unappealing as I feel another night in this car will be.
“No, it’s all right. Let’s go.” Charlie ducks out into the rain, grabbing his overnight bag with him, so I do the same.
We sprint into the nearly empty bar and stand, dripping water at the entrance. I ring out my hair and shake my legs. I’m drenched.
“Charlie, is that you?” a loud, gruff voice from the bar yells out. I look up to see a beast of a man approaching us. One of his arms would be as big as both my legs put together, and I’m not all that sure he has a neck. His arms display many tattoos and his face is full of scars from previous fights he’s been in. When I pictured Charlie’s friend in my mind, this man is not what I’d imagined.
“Hey, Owen.” Charlie smiles and I watch as they both shake hands.
“Where the hell have you been? Went by your place to find you, but you had ran out.”
“Yeah, sorry, an emergency came up.” Charlie shrugs.
Owen eyes Charlie carefully. “All sorted now?” He looks concerned and it’s obvious he cares for Charlie.
“Not completely. I was hoping we might be able to crash at your place for a night. We’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“You don’t even have to ask, of course you can. Are you in some kind of trouble?” He glances down at the visible bruises over Charlie’s face and hands and then he looks at my battered face. It’s clear that we’ve had a rough time lately.
“Nothing you can help me with. Thanks, Owen, I appreciate this.” Charlie smiles warmly at him.
Owen nods to Charlie and then his eyes land on me fully. “Let me guess, you’re Zoe?” Owen smiles at me.
Charlie groans. “I talked to you, too?”
“Dude, get a few drinks into ya and you sing like a canary.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I save Charlie from having to respond to that and shake Owen’s hand, hoping mine won’t get crushed in his massive one. Instead, his grip is gentle.
“’Bout time you guys got together. Here, take my keys and help yourself to the fridge and shower. Take the spare room. I’ll be here most of the night. Try and stop by for a drink.” Owen passes Charlie his keys and again nods at us before going back behind the bar to serve.
“So this is the bar you used to frequent?” I ask Charlie, glancing around closely. It’s old and worn. When he talked about the bar he went to I always pictured something like the bar Dana and I frequented, MAY.
“Yeah.” Charlie watches me carefully and I wonder what he expects my reaction to be.
“Is she here now?” It’s quiet enough that I can see everyone here and I only see two women. Neither have blonde hair so I already know the answer to this.
“No.” His eyes cloud over in shame and I regret asking. He is feeling down enough right now, I don’t want to add to his guilt.
“You look exhausted, you need to sleep.” I change the subject and lead us to the front exit. Charlie had done most of the driving and when I did drive, he usually tried to stay awake just so he could be sure we were okay and not being followed. His exhaustion has not improved his mood.
Charlie opens the door for me. Once we’re back out in the rain he takes hold of my hand and pulls me along the street. Fortunately, Owen lives right across the street and down half a block. Charlie uses the key to let us in. When we’re out of the rain I pull my jacket off and hang it by the door. It’s dripping wet. I leave my shoes there, too, since I have somehow picked up mud and I don’t want to walk it through the apartment.
The building outside is old and worn, but inside it has been all done up. Black and white artistic photographs hang on every spare inch of the walls and every piece of furniture looks ancient, but well looked after. The spare room has a double bed and I want nothing more than to lie down on it and stretch out my legs. However, since my clothes are wet, I steer clear of it. Charlie moves into the shower first and I find some clothes in my bag that I can wear to bed. I’m quickly running out of clean clothes, since we’ve found it hard to do washing on the run. I’ll need to either buy new ones soon or find someplace to do laundry.
Charlie is quick and I’m grateful as I start to feel the cold seeping through my skin. When it comes to my turn in the shower, I realize why Charlie has been so quick. The hot water is pathetic and I feel just as cold in the shower as I had out in my wet clothes. I find a hair drier in the bottom draw and quickly dry my hair. I use the warm air to warm myself up, too. Charlie is already asleep when I re-enter the spare room, and soon after I move i
nto his arms, I’m asleep, too.
***
I wake up a few hours later feeling restless. Charlie is snoring softly next to me, however I can’t stop myself from fidgeting. I think if the room hadn’t been so dark, then I would see the walls closing in on me. I sit up and carefully move out of the bed, stopping a few times along the way to be sure Charlie is still sleeping. I feel my way through my bag and find some jeans and a somewhat cleaner sweater, quickly switching them with what I’m wearing now.
I write a quick note about going for a walk on some scrap paper by Owen’s phone and then walk back into the spare room to place it on my pillow. Grabbing my shoes by the door, I make my way outside and into the harsh wind. The weather is especially bad now and because of that reason, I only make it to Owen’s bar before I stop my walk and duck inside. It’s later now and there is a crowd inside.
“Hello there, didn’t think I would actually see you guys again after how dead tired ya both looked.” Owen calls from behind the bar, pouring a beer for someone.
“I couldn’t sleep. Charlie is still passed out,” I explain.
“Can I get you a drink?”
“I don’t have any money.” I didn’t bring anything with me. Before all this, I would never leave the house without a bag which would have my cell, purse and keys, at the very least. Now I have none of those and a regular habit of stealing cars. Who am I?
“On the house. Now, let me see, you don’t seem like a spirit drinker, nor one of those stupid flavored drinks… I’m going to have to go with maybe a beer drinker?” Owen sounds doubtful as he speaks.
“You got me.”
“Yes! What can I say, it’s a gift.” Owen seems pleased with himself.
“A gift that only works five percent of the time.” A woman sitting at the bar next to me swings around and I’m immediately intimidated by how beautiful she is. She’s wearing tight, dark blue jeans, a loose, sleeveless top that is tightened with a large, brown belt around the middle of her stomach, a few buttons not done up to show cleavage and long, blonde hair that curls towards the bottom. As far as this bar goes, I would not have thought someone like her would be in a place like this.
“Not true, I would say it’s around the ten percent mark now.”
Owen places a bottle of beer in front of me and what I assume is a mixed red vodka drink in front of the woman next to me.
“Haven’t seen you around here before, are you new in town?” The woman takes a large sip of her vodka as I sip my beer slowly. I feel such a flashback to Dana that I quickly sit on the stool next to me before my legs give out.
“She’s with Charlie,” Owen answers for me when I hesitate.
“Like Charlie, Charlie? As in our Charlie?” She sounds shocked.
“The one and only. They showed up a few hours ago. Charlie is crashing in my spare room as we speak.” Owen smiles happily while he cleans a glass in front of us. It’s obvious he has a soft spot when it comes to him.
“No way, what the hell happened to him?” The woman looks between Owen and me.
Owen shrugs and turns to serve someone else down at the other end of the bar. The woman’s eyes come down to rest solely on me. I regret coming here alone. What am I supposed to say to these people?
“Well, it’s so good to meet one of Charlie’s friends. He was always so secretive.” The woman holds out her hand and I weakly shake it.
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Zoe.”
“Oh my God, like the actual Zoe? Charlie’s Zoe?” This woman is shocked and excited all at once. I feel her eyes scrutinize me further and I pull down at my sweater, hoping it looks more flattering on me than I know it to be.
“I suppose so.” I start to worry about being so talked about. What had Charlie been saying about me, about us?
“I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you! This is so great. I’ve been hearing about you for months!” The woman pounces on me unexpectedly with a powerful hug and I only just get my beer down on the bar before I spill it over us. Just as quickly, she steps away and sits back down at the bar, smiling goofily at me. What is it with these people?
“Really?” I fidget on the stool. I try to think of an exit. I miss Charlie and suddenly I need to see him.
“Yeah, I mean Charlie only talked about you when he was wasted, but it was how we knew you were important. You were in the vault when he was sober enough to remember he was all secretive and stuff.” The woman laughs.
“What did he say?” I find my curiosity winning out over my need to make a quick exit.
“You know, not a real lot I suppose. Just how much he missed you, how he wished he could be with you. I thought maybe you were married or something. I mean, why else couldn’t you be together?”
“I’m definitely not married.”
“And looks like you’ve finally sorted out whatever the problem was. Good for you.” This woman sounds genuinely happy, although her eyes linger on my visible injuries. I wonder how she knew Charlie and then I again notice how beautiful she looks. My heart starts to sink.
“I don’t think you said your name…”
“Sorry, I got all caught up in finally meeting you. I’m Heather.” Heather smiles at me and my stomach drops.
“Heather as in you and Charlie had a one night stand?” My voice squeaks and I feel my face flush with embarrassment. I could never compete with someone like Heather, she is stunning.
Heather has just taken a sip of her drink, and at my words, she spits it out while laughing hysterically. Not the reaction I expected.
“Why on earth would you think that?” she gasps when she finally gets herself under control.
“Charlie said he had a one night stand with a friend called Heather.” Could this be a coincidence? Is there another stunning woman out there called Heather that Charlie knows?
“He thinks we slept together?” Heather starts laughing again.
“You didn’t?” I’m not sure if I should be happy he didn’t sleep with this goddess or upset that there might be another stunning woman out there he befriended.
“God, no! Charlie and I—No. I guess he was incredibly trashed that night and how we woke up wouldn’t have helped his thoughts. That is so funny.”
“So, it was you he woke up next to the morning he left? Nothing at all happened between you?” I can’t help the hope leaking over my words. Could it be possible? Could this all be a misunderstanding?
“Yes, it was me and definitely no. We went back to his place with a bottle of jack, and the heater on in his apartment turned up as high as it could go. With all the alcohol we had consumed we felt hot. We stripped and passed out. Waking up next to Charlie for me was hitting rock bottom. No offense. I just thought of him sort of like a brother. Who wants to be naked next to their brother?” Heather shivers and my body sags on the stool I’m sitting on as I relax in relief. Charlie hasn’t done anything with this woman. He hasn’t done anything with anyone, or did he?
“Did he ever—did women—was he…” I can’t finish any of what I’m trying to say. Did he ever hit on women at this bar? Did women ever flirt with him here? Was he a ladies’ man? Had he only told me about one, but there had actually been more? Did I really not trust him? I know Charlie, this supposed one night stand ate at him, still does eat at him. He isn’t a cheater.
“Charlie was practically a nun here, if that was possible. A lot of women tried and failed epically. At first I thought he was gay, but eventually your name came up. From then on I knew he was simply pining for you.”
I nod, feeling relieved this conversation isn’t going a different way.
“So how did you meet Charlie? How did this grand, yet tragic, love affair begin? He never said.” Heather takes another sip of her vodka and then stops mid-sip and smiles. “Charlie just came in. Want to have some fun with him?” Heather leans in to whisper and grabs my arm.
“Fun how?”
“Follow my lead.” Heather grabs her drink and turns to the side so she has her back
to me.
“There you are. I was worried. Everything okay?” Charlie rushes up to me and gently touches my arm.
“Yeah, just felt like going for a walk and ended up here.”
Charlie nods his head as if he understands.
“Charlie?” Heather spins around on her stool then and quickly jumps up and embraces him in a hug. The look of surprise and panic on Charlie’s face is enough to make me feel bad for him. Well, just a little bad.
“Heather, hey.” Charlie looks worriedly at me and I smile back. I don’t know what Heather plans to do, but I don’t want to stop her just yet.
“It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much,” Heather gushes, giving me a quick wink that Charlie misses.
“You have?” Charlie takes a small step back from her.
“Yeah, so much has happened since you’ve been gone. And I see you got back with Zoe? That’s so great. I’ve been getting to know her a bit.” Heather smiles sweetly at me and I nod to Charlie when his gaze looks over to me to confirm her words.
“That’s good.” He sounds like this is anything other than good. “Anyway,we should probably get back—”
“You can’t leave yet. I need to know that Zoe will be a good stepmom first.”
“What?” I choke. I cough after some of my beer goes down the wrong hole. When I manage to get myself under control, Charlie looks like he’s about to faint.
“I’m pregnant. It’s okay, though, I understand you and Zoe are together, although I have to wonder why. He’s horrible in the sack, am I right, Zoe?” Heather manages to keep a straight face as she brings her drink to her lips and takes a large gulp.
“Is that vodka?” Charlie grabs hold of the bar to steady himself, and I feel guilty to notice him starting to sweat.
“It’s okay, it calms the baby. So, I’m thinking Sun Gazer if it’s a girl or Moon Boo if it’s a boy. Thoughts?”
Charlie’s mouth drops open in shock and I have to cough to hide my laugh at her name choices.
“I like that, Sunny for a nickname,” I add while smiling. Heather nods energetically.
Taken By Force (Taken Trilogy Book 2) Page 28