Charlotte's Scars

Chapter 31 - Christian

"Fuck off - we were fine. I kissed her and even told her I loved her-"

Nate burst out laughing. "You-" laugh, "probably-" more laughing, "scared her off!" At this point, he was pretty much rolling on the floor laughing.

"Aww," Adrian chimed in. "Look at our clingy little cousin scaring the girls away."

"Piss off."

The sound of a vehicle coming up the driveway brought our bickering to a halt. Nate, stopping mid-laugh, sat up eagerly and said, "That must be Karla with the Pizza!"

"Finally," groaned Kale. He walked to the door and opened it up. "Kare-" cutting himself off, his body stiffened. Looking closely, I noticed his fists clenching at his side.

Eyes narrowing, I walked up to him. "Who is it..." I trailed off when I saw him.

The guy walking up to us was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. Both his arms were covered in tattoos that started on the back of his hands and continued up into his shirt. He had dark brown, almost black hair, and a gruesome scar from the corner of his right eye all the way down to his jaw.

Rayden.

"Raider," Kale all but growled using his street racing name.

Even after all the boosting Charlie did, none of us could come to like the guy. The way he talked to Karla that day deemed him an instant enemy - I would love nothing more than to wipe that ghastly smirk off his face. Fortunately for Rayden, none of us would hurt the jack ass for Charlie's sake.

No fucking clue what she sees in him, though.

"What are you doing here?" Kale asked bluntly.

Rayden came to the bottom steps of the porch and crossed his arms. He met Kale's glowering eyes and didn't even flintched. Once again I found myself reluctantly admiring his courage.

"Is Charlie here?" He finally asked, a hint of concern lacing his voice.

The hairs on my neck stood up and Kale's eyes narrowed.

"No," I said hesitantly.

"Have you seen or heard from her today?"

A surge of panic shot through me before I answered, "No - she hasn't answered any of my texts."

"Fuck!" Rayden cursed. "She didn't come home lastnight. No body has seen her since she left with you yesterday. Are you sure you're not hiding her - I wouldn't care. I just want to know she is safe."

My heart slammed against my chest and my hands grew numb. With a dry throat, I said, "I dropped her off at Hillside lastnight before curfew."

"Fuck!" Rayden repeated. "It has to be her..."

"What are you saying?" Kale cut in. "Who?"

I was having troubles finding my voice. The realization of what Rayden was implying hit me like a bag of bricks. He was referring to the story Charlie told me about Mack and that other foster girl. There was no other explanation. I dropped her off right outside the house - what else could have happened to her between leaving my truck and getting to the front door.

I tried taking a breath to steady my spinning head and whispered, "Mack..."

Rayden nodded solemnly. "Mack and her boyfriend, Danny, didn't get home until late lastnight - way past curfew. She told Mrs. O they were out looking for Charlie but that's bullshit. They don't give a fuck about her. This morning, they were both gone before anyone woke up."

This time, it was my turn to say, "Fuck!" My heart was hammering inside my chest and my palms grew sweaty. I needed to do something - I needed to find her! I had no clue where to even start though. An irrational part of me just wanted to run outside and start screaming her name. I knew that wouldn't help anyone but I needed to do something!

I didn't even realize that Nate and Adrian came up behind us until Adrian asked, "Who is this Mack chick?"

"A complete sociopath," Rayden said. He was starting to look as panicked as I felt. "There is rumors at Hillside that Mack was behind the disappearance of a girl who used to live there. All I know is if Mack is involved, we need to find Charlie right now..."

"And hope it's not too late," Kale added, saying the one thing everyone else was thinking.

"But where do we even start?!" I asked, frustration leaking into my voice. "It's not like we can wait for Mack to get home and then follow her - it would definitely be too late by then! Charlie has already been through too much! I never should've left her." I didn't even realize the death grip I had on Kale's arm until Nate gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We will find her, Chris - don't worry. We will find her," he said earnestly.

I looked up at my three cousins, and they all nodded at me with pure, unadulterated certainty. Their confidence gave me strength, and I could feel my fear shifting into something else.

Anger. Determination. Resolve.

"So, will you guys help me try to find her?" Rayden asked, reminding me that he was still here.

"No," I said, voice hard and low. "We won't try - we will."

Just then Karla pulled up in my truck. Getting out of the driver side with two large pizza's in her arms, she froze when she saw us. Eyes darting from one person to the next before settling on Rayden with furrowed brows.

"Uh... What's going on?"

Note:

CRAZY crazyyyy! What do you think is going to happen?

Interesting to see Rayden team up with the Steeles. Let's just hope they can figure out a way to find Charlie... And hope its not too late.

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Love, Peace, and Banana Grease! ✌️

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