by BL Mute
He laughs. “You think it’s that easy to just walk away from this life? I have no power over you, but you and I know damn well there is only one easy way out.”
He levels his eyes with mine like he’s trying to read my mind, but he doesn’t need to. He knows I understand what he’s saying. “I know.”
He shrugs. “Well, I wish you the best of luck. And I didn’t need the heads-up—I would have known the moment shit goes down.” He winks.
I scoff and stand. “Consider it a respect thing, Omar.”
“You know the way out, Hale. I’ll expect a visit from your twins soon?” He posesit as a question, not a statement.
Now I shrug. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, but then again, you’ll know when it happens, huh?”
“Touché, my friend.”
I shake my head and show myself out. Omar isn’t a friend. Never has been and never will be, but in this business, you have to keep the enemies close.
I sink back into the car and head back to the airstrip. Another short flight later, more pointless small talk with Joseph, and I’m finally back home.
I dial Carl as we land and let him know to meet me exactly where he dropped me off. When I exit the plane this time, I roam around the small airstrip. Obviously, there isn’t much here, but the beauty of the nature surrounding it never ceases to amaze me.
After a few minutes, Carl pulls up. Instead of gliding into the back seat, I open the passenger door and plop in the seat next to him.
“Now we need to hit the bank and then Red Eye.”
He side-eyes me as he puts the car into drive. “What are you doing, kid?”
I glance out the window, not wanting to look into his eyes. “Something I should have done a long time ago.”
I can hear the tsk in his voice when he responds. “You realize everyone will eventually simmer down. I won’t say forget, because we won’t forget, but things will settle down soon enough.”
I know he’s right, but that doesn’t change things when it comes to the issue at hand. I promised Charlie something. I’ve gone about fulfilling that promise in the most fucked-up way possible, so it’s time to just end it. Give her what she wants and stop dragging her along on a short leash.
“I know.”
He sighs. “Just don’t do anything stupid, you hear me?”
There are the fatherly words I was expecting. I chuckle. “I won’t, Carl.”
“I’m serious, Theodore. You already fucked up enough shit once. Don’t do it again.”
He slows to a stop in front of the bank. I step out, then look down into the car before closing the door. “I don’t plan on it.” I walk away before he can reply.
I walk up the steps and push through the glass doors. I don’t waste any time and hurry back to Eden’s office. When I walk in, she’s with another client, but I don’t care. I need to get all of this shit done today.
Her head raises, and confusion and shock coat her face. “Theodore?” she whispers almost to herself. It only takes her a split second to realize this is reality and not a dream. She stands from her desk and excuses herself from the client in front of her.
She circles her desk and grabs my bicep lightly, leading me to a bare office across from hers. “Excuse my language, but what the fuck?”
I try not to laugh when the wrinkles around her eyes bunch up even more with her words. “I should have called, but I’m on a time crunch. I need you to do something.”
She licks her lips and nods her head quickly like she’s trying to erase the shock. “What do you need?”
“All of my accounts, I need them transferred to my boys.”
She places her hand on her chest. “Did something happen with Charlie?”
“No, she’s fine. I just feel the boys are more equipped and prepared to handle things if they need to. Charlie wasn’t cut out for this life. She shouldn’t have to keep breaking her back to make sure things are straight.”
She wags her finger in my face. “Now, I can see what you’re trying to do. It’s admirable, I’ll give you that. But when it comes to love, us women are more capable then you think. It doesn’t matter what we’re cut out for. We adapt and overcome. She’s a strong girl. She’s been running things pretty smoothly in your absence. Is this something she asked you to do?”
I shake my head. “You’re right, but when you don’t love someone anymore, you shouldn’t be left doing something because you feel obligated.”
“What did you do, Theodore?” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Bad things. Unforgivable things. I’m setting her free, Eden. Relinquishing all of her obligations to the Hale name. Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.”
She lets out a deep breath, then leaves the room with a shake of her head.
I can see the disappointment in her eyes as she leaves, and it pains me. Maybe I’m going soft, or maybe it’s the fact I’m just growing and noticing all of the shit I never did before. But whatever it is, I don’t like it. I wasn’t made king by being soft or giving a fuck about anyone other than myself and my family, but things have shifted since Charlie’s been around. What a fucking cliché it is to say, but she changed me. I’m just not sure if that’s a good or bad thing at this point.
When Eden comes back, she has a stack of papers. “This removes Charlie from everything and grants it all to the twins. I’ve gone ahead and forged her signature along with theirs since it’s clear they don’t know about this. Sign all of the highlighted parts.”
I nod and thank her with a tight smile before scratching my name in every spot she indicated. “Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
“Thank you, Eden. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I can never thank you enough.”
She tilts her head. “That almost sounds like a goodbye.”
I smile and pull her in for a quick hug. “Maybe it is.” I release her and shrug, then hurry out of the bank before anyone can see me.
“Now to Red Eye?” Carl asks as I close the door.
I nod and let him drive in silence.
After we left Red Eye, I made Carl bring me home. All of the decisions I made weren’t made lightly. I’ve taken time and thought about everything. Weighed the pros and cons, questioned everything I could think of, and in the end, this is the only thing that makes sense to me.
I always swore I would never be the type of person to fall in love and lose myself, but that’s exactly what I’ve done. I fell for Charlie and lost sight of everything other than my own lust. She makes me feel things I’ve never felt. She makes me have remorse for things I’ve never even thought twice about. Being in this world as long as I have, I forgot that people like Charlie still exist. Sure, she’s strong and passionate, ready to handle things by whatever means necessary, but she’s also delicate, fragile.
Maybe that’s what made me so crazy about her. She was an enigma in my world. Something completely new and foreign. Instead of taking her and learning how to love her, I tried to shove her into my own box of how I wanted her to be. I fucked up.
I walk through the door and shout for the twins and Charlie. Julius comes from the kitchen with Charlie following as Lucas stumbles out of his room.
“Where have you been?” she questions, but not in the caring way I’m used to. It’s more of an annoyed scold.
“I had some business to handle. We need to talk.” I glance to the boys, then over my shoulder to Carl. “All of us.”
Julius walks to Lucas’s side and wraps an arm around his waist. “I’m sober enough to walk. It’s just the hangover is starting. Have you ever had a hangover at…” Lucas trails off, looking around at the walls before he grabs Julius’s hand and reads his watch. “5:00 p.m.? It fucking sucks.”
Charlie shakes her head, then looks back to me. “Well, talk,” she demands.
I’m used to seeing her be this confident, hard, sassy person with other people, but not with me. It’s something new that only started about a we
ek ago. I guess when she noticed I was healing up, she just didn’t feel the need to sugarcoat herself around me anymore.
I jerk my head toward the stairs and urge them all to follow as I go up them and into my office. When I sit down behind my desk, Charlie grabs the seat in front of me to my left, while Lucas takes the right, and Carl and Julius stand behind them.
“I made arrangements today,” I state.
Lucas huffs. “What, for another fake death?”
As much as I’d like to snap at him, I just can’t. I’m fucking exhausted being the boss all the time. “No. I’m stepping away. Everything I have is now yours, boys. I’m done.”
Julius cocks his head as he grips the back of Charlie’s chair. “What do you mean, done?”
“Just done. I’ve come to realize you all have a better grasp on things than me. I don’t have your trust; I don’t have you respect. It’s only a matter of time before you leave. I refuse to bring in anyone else. Trust isn’t built in days; it takes fucking years. So, instead of waiting for the inevitable, I’m taking myself out of the equation.”
Julius laughs. “You say you don’t have our trust or respect like we’re the ones who fucked it up. Don’t try and put that fucking blame on us. You did it.”
“Nah,” Lucas chimes in. “This isn’t about that at all. He’s running like a scared bitch because the ATF is on us.”
I lean across the desk and hover an inch from Lucas’s face. “I’m no bitch, boy. Don’t think because I’m stepping away means I won’t beat your ass. I’m doing what is best for this family—for the Hale fucking name.”
He licks his teeth and moves in even closer. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Every ounce of emotion I’ve held in for the past few weeks comes rushing out. I crawl onto my desk and grab Lucas by the throat. Every noise and scream turns to muffled background noise as I watch his smiling face go blue.
It isn’t until I feel cool metal on my temple that I stop.
“Get your fucking hands off of him.”
I release my hands slowly and pull away from Lucas as he coughs and gasps for air. I turn to my side and see Charlie holding the gun I got her, pointed directly at me. “You wouldn’t shoot me.” I’m not sure if it’s more of a question or a statement with how it comes out.
She moves it quickly and points it to the ceiling before firing a single shot. Every single one of us in the room jump but her.
“Now that I have your attention,” she declares. “I have zero qualms about shit anymore. You wanted a fucking queen? You got one, and my only goal is vengeance. I’m sick of the dick-measuring contests, the fights, all of the bullshit. From now on, we do shit my way and my way only.”
Everyone stands stock-still and stares at her.
“The only reason I agreed to get tangled up in this fucked-up mess was to figure out who killed my dad. I still don’t have those answers because I’ve done nothing but listen to all of you. I’ve kept my cool, I’ve waited, but I’m done.”
“’Bout time you put your foot down, Charlotte,” Carl chirps from the back.
She glances to him and rolls her eyes. “Do you think I like acting this way? I’m doing nothing but reflecting exactly how all of you egotistical assholes have been acting. It’s time to shut up, sit down, and come up with a plan. While all of you wanted to argue, I actually thought of something.”
“Enlighten us, then,” I reply, stepping further back from my desk.
She ignores all of us and pulls her phone from her back pocket. Her fingers rush across the screen, dialing a number that isn’t saved. When she hits the green button, she brings it to her ear.
I pace in front of the white fence waiting for David. He called and told me to meet him at Sebastian’s which is weird. We never meet with him together. Hell, I never meet with him period unless it’s important. I don’t like planes either, so the short flight here is always nerve-racking.
When the black car pulls up, I suck in a breath. Sebastian knows how much David means to me, so I know it’s only a matter of time before they use it against me. But when David steps out, a flood of relief washes over me.
“Fuck, David. I didn’t think you were coming.” I pull him into a quick hug, then release him.
He tilts his head to the side. “You know I wouldn’t call unless it was important. What’d you think, he was using me to get to you?” He laughs. “Sebastian has bigger fish to fry, cousin.”
I try not to roll my eyes. David knows me too well. “So, what’s going on?”
He shuffles through the open gate and up the steps. “I’m not sure, but we’re about to find out.”
He knocks on the door, and we wait. You’d think if someone is expecting company, they’d be quicker, but not Sebastian. He enjoys feeding off fear. I’d like to say I’m not scared of him, but that’d be a lie. The man has connections everywhere and can have anyone wiped from the earth with a simple phone call.
Eventually, the door opens and Sebastian steps outside with an envelope in his hand. He never does business inside, not with me anyway.
“Boss.” David dips his head and steps to the side, letting Sebastian step further out and close the door.
“What’s going on?” I ask. I’m tired of feeling on edge. I want to know what’s going on.
“That’s what I want to ask you.” His lip curls with a sneer. “I got a call from Omar and learned some pretty disturbing news.”
I glance to David and raise a brow. Everyone who runs around in these illegal circles knows who Omar is. He’s a man who seems to know something about everyone. And he loves using that to his advantage. Nothing is too small in his eyes to be considered ammo.
“What are you talking about?”
Sebastian levels his eyes with mine and stays silent for a moment before opening the envelope and pulling out a few pictures, then hands them to me. I take them, glancing to David. When I look down, I can automatically tell they are from some sort of security camera footage. At first, I can’t see the man’s face, only his back, but when I flip to the next picture, his face is as clear as day.
Blue eyes burn into me off the paper. “Where did you get these?”
Sebastian looks at me through squinted eyes almost like he’s trying to gauge my surprise. “Those were taken today. Theodore Hale isn’t dead.”
My mouth goes dry, and my hands start to shake. Teddy is supposed to be dead. I thought I could handle the twins just because they give off a vibe that screams easily persuaded, but with Teddy back, this causes a problem.
“Did you know he was back?” Sebastian asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
“Of course not.” I bounce my eyes between Sebastian and David. Their faces and expressions mirror each other. They don’t believe me. “Do you think I’d be stupid enough to do this shit if he was still alive?”
Sebastian looks to David, ignoring my question. For a moment they just stare at each other and no words are exchanged, but it seems David knows exactly what Sebastian is trying to say with his eyes.
“I want this handled and handled quickly. This isn’t something I should have to worry about.”
David nods. “I got it boss.” He snatches the pictures from me and shoves them back into the envelope, then hands it back to Sebastian.
As Sebastian goes inside, David looks to me. “Did you know?”
“Of course I didn’t. Finding out Theodore Hale was dead was just as much a relief to me as it was you.”
He stares at me for a moment like he’s waiting for my answer to change. But it won’t.
“If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll kill the girl.”
Heat starts to form in my chest, then melts to all of my limbs. “If you touch her, I will kill you.”
He smiles, showing me all of his teeth. “You’re too deep in this, cousin. If you want to make sure everything stays hidden and get away clean, you’ll forget about the girl. She’s a liability.”
I scrape my teeth across my tongue, tryin
g to do my best not to explode. “She isn’t a fucking liability. You’ll see.”
He shakes his head with a huff and starts down the steps. “Yeah, I will, huh?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath before following him. Once we make it out the gate, my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I fish it out and look at the screen.
“David!” I grab his arm, halting him from continuing to the car. “Wait.”
I flash the screen in his direction, letting him see Charlie’s name dance across the screen. “Well, answer it.”
I click the green button on the screen, then turn it on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Cameron. We need to talk.” Hearing her voice right now is like a cold drink on a summer day. So fucking refreshing.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” I glance to David and see him nod in approval before mouthing “play it cool.”
“I am for now, but I don’t feel I will be much longer. I didn’t know who else to call, but I need help.”
“Is it him?” I hiss the question through my teeth.
I hear her sigh before she answers. “So you know he’s back?”
I grin. “I had a feeling,” I lie. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“He has the ATF agent on his side now. He wants me to help with setting up Emil so it gets him off his back. I’m scared, Cameron, but he’ll kill me if I don’t do as he asks. This whole time I thought I’d be getting answers to questions I had, but I haven’t gotten anything. I want out.”
Hearing how Andrew is now conspiring with Teddy doesn’t surprise me. He always was a sneaky bastard, but everything else she’s saying worries me.
“You should have called sooner. Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it. I’ll get you out of this, Charlie.”
I almost forgot David was listening until he nudges my arm. He gives me a warning look, but I ignore it. I knew this day would come, and I’m not going to let it pass me by. Charlie was always meant to be mine.