© Amber Kalkes 2015
Song: "Grounds For Divorce" By Elbow
C h a p t e r N i n e >
Charlie doesn't drink but as he raises the Jack Daniels bottle to his lips he thinks he may get into the habit. He can't believe how fucking stupid he was. He was supposed to let Sunny reveal herself to him, not interrogate and overwhelm her to the point of her bolting for the nearest door. He's fucked up and he's pretty sure he's done so beyond repair.
Fuck.
Throwing his head back it hits the kitchen wall with a bang. That doesn't seem to do the job though so he does it again. And again. And finally hard enough to hear the drywall crack behind him. Lifting the bottle to his lips again he squeezes his eyes shut as the whiskey burns its way down his throat. He was stupid to think she would want him. Why would she? He's too fucked up for even him to live with let alone someone like her.
She said she was a bad person but he doesn't believe it for a second. Sure, she's lied to him about everything, probably even her name but does that mean she's a bad person? Hell no! He hasn't told her that he's a werewolf with some form of PTSD and an obsession with protection. So if she's a bad person for lying he might as well be the devil himself.
Scoffing he buries a hand in his hair and pulls on the dark strands. He can feel the tears he's been fighting start to spill from his eyes and does nothing to stop them. His mate has rejected him and Charlie is done trying to pretend that he's not destroyed by that fact. She was supposed to be his salvation but she wasn't up for the job and he was asking for too much.
No one can save him, not even himself.
"Jesus Christ she did a number on you didn't she?"
Charlie sloppily lifts his head to see Remy and Ezra standing over him looking less than impressed. Well, Charlie thinks, maybe Ezra shouldn't have left this bottle here if he didn't want it to be drunken from. Taking another swig from the bottle Charlie barely feels the burn on his tongue before its snatched from his hand. Charlie lets out a growl but neither men even flinches.
Bastards.
"Leave."
"No can do, buddy. We got official business to attend to." Remy says with a grin, "By the way something up with your phone? We've been calling you."
"I know. I'm ignoring it." Charlie mutters before scowling up at his guests, "Too bad you assholes can't take a hint."
"It's one of our better qualities." Remy says with a chuckle before taking a swig from the bottle he stole from him.
Asshole.
"When did she leave?" Ezra asks as he looks around the trailer.
"How did you assholes even get in here?" Charlie slurs at him, ignoring his question.
Ezra rolls his dark eyes, "Spare key, dumbass, you gave it to me two years go when you moved into this place. I've just never used it because you're usually not such a irresponsive jack ass."
"Fuck you, Ezra" Charlie snaps, "You don't know how this feels."
"No I don't but I also know that this isn't you. You don't get wrecked over stupid shit and you sure as hell don't do it over a woman."
"She's not just some woman. She's my god damn mate!"
"Calm down." Remy orders as Charlie's wolf pushes to the surface. Knowing Remy is more dominate his wolf retreats but does so reluctantly.
"It is now." Charlie answers sullenly, "She left. Rejected me and no I have nothing left."
"Really? Nothing left?" Ezra asks flatly, "What are we? Chopped liver? What about your parents? What about Regan? What about your whole damn family? They aren't something to you?"
Charlie narrows his eyes at his best friend, "That's not what I meant."
"Oh I know what you meant I just wanted you to know how much of a whiny piece of shit you sound like." Ezra drawls before glancing at Remy, "Anything you want to add or are you just here for decoration?"
Remy smirks at him and shrugs his shoulders, "Nope. I think you got it covered just fine."
"Get out." Charlie groans as he leans his head back against the dented wall, "I just want to be left alone."
"No. You need to get up and sober up. We have things to talk about with you." Ezra demands.
"No."
"Yes."
"What the hell does it matter to you if I want to get shit faced in my own house anyhow? Can't this wait for another day?"
"Because this has to do with your mate." Remy says simply, his blue eyes darkening a little with the seriousness of his words.
Charlie scrambles to his feet but puts a hand against his forehead when the room starts spinning. Shit, he probably should have eaten before drinking almost half the damn bottle. Actually he should have just drunk it in the bathroom. It would save him the time of having to clean his mistakes out of the carpet. Clutching his head Charlie squeezes his eyes shut as he talks.
"What about Sunny?"
"Well for starts her name isn't Sunny," Remy says before throwing a manila envelope on the kitchen table, "She's not working for a security company and most definitely not going to college. In fact I don't think this girl has even graduated high school."
"And you know all this how?"
"Ezra told me."
Charlie turns his gaze to Ezra who crosses his arms over his chest before shrugging, "Something about her seemed off and I don't let people just come around my family without a check. Mate or no, I don't make exceptions."
"Good to know." Charlie drawls, "I'll be sure to warn any future girlfriends of yours."
"You better not."
Dropping down into one of the chairs at the table Charlie grabs the envelope while still clutching his head, "I'll agree with you about one thing though, she's a good liar. There was something off about the things she said. They seemed believable on the surface but something was...well, off."
"Yeah well there's a lot off about this girl." Remy sighs as he goes to sit in the chair opposite him. Taking the bottle off the table Remy gives him a playful wink before taking a few swings of it himself.
"Meaning?" Charlie asks as he pulls a dark red folder out of the envelope.
"Meaning she is not who she presents herself to be and that also means she could be in some serious shit," Ezra adds as he too sits at the kitchen table, "What's really crazy about her is that after the age of eight all record of her is completely gone. There is no trace of her on the grid."
"How did you even get this?" Charlie asks.
Remy puts his hands behind his head, "I know a guy, who knows a guy who knows where to find information."
"Real informative." Charlie grumbles before flipping open the folder's cover.
The first thing that catches his attention is a photograph paper clipped towards the top of the folder. It's obviously a school picture. She can't be older than seven, maybe eight. Her hair is lighter, almost blonde but her eyes are the same yet also different. That haunted look isn't in them like they are now. Instead they look happy. Charlie's lips twitch up at the sight of her slightly crooked smile.
"She was a cute kid," Remy says bluntly, "I'll give her that."
"You already looked at it?" Charlie asks, unable to hide the irritation in his voice.
Remy shrugs, "I get curious. You know how it is."
Scowling Charlie puts it to the side, probably to keep before beginning to read. The first thing to catch his attention is her name. Genevieve Delacroix. He rereads it over and over in his head trying to reconcile the little girl in the photo as Genevieve as the girl he knows, Sunny. He can't see it, doesn't understand where the shift in her life came from. Why she is the way she is.
You have to understand that I'm not a good person. Who I am is not someone you can save.
Her words hit him in the gut as he continues to read. He pulls out a newspaper clipping stashed among the school records and birth certificate. In bold black letters it reads 'Kidnapping in Baskin' with a black white picture of a blonde woman. She's smiling widely at Charlie from the photo and its clear to him who the woman is. It has to be Sunny's mom. They have the same eyes and smile. His suspicions are confirmed as he reads the article.
"I don't get what this has to do with Sunny." Charlie says as he finishes the article, "Her mom was kidnapped but why would that mean she was dangerous?"
Remy sits forward in his chair and points to the newspaper, "Did you not read the details? She was attacked in the woods behind her house and dragged to a vehicle. Why would she be in the woods Charlie? I know your drunk as shit but you're not stupid."
"So...her mom was like us? A shifter?"
"That's what we believe, yes." Ezra sighs, "Not to mention that a couple years later your mate's big sister goes missing. It's the same deal, kidnapped by two men and put in the back of a vehicle. No sign of either of them."
"And Sunny was there."
"Both times yes."
"So she's traumatized." Charlie summarizes before frowning, "Yeah, I'm still not seeing the issue here with her being with me."
"That's not the issue we're addressing." Ezra reassures him, "The issue is that we also did some checking on Sunny's dad. Real piece of work that one. EX-special ops military man raising two daughters. One vanishes two years after his wife disappears? It seemed off so Remy had his guy dig some more shit up."
"And?"
"Turns out while Sunny's been off the grid, her daddy hasn't been so lucky." Remy tells him before pulling out some folded papers from his back pocket, "Breaking and entering, shoplifting and plenty of assault charges. What's crazy is that in some of the arrest records there's a mention of a kid being with him, participating with him. They never caught the kid, she always ran but she also fought. Hard."
"Meaning what? He's been training her?" Charlie asks as he looks over Norman Delacroix's record, "For what though?"
"We don't know but with the two disappearances and at least the mom being a suspected shifter..."
"Hunter." Charlie says faintly, "You think she's being trained as a hunter."
"Yes."
"And you think she's here for me."
"Yes." Remy answers again, looking pained to do so.
Charlie glances over at the school picture to the left. The facts fit but something isn't clicking about this. His wolf is growling in his head, pissed at the very insinuation about their mate but what can Charlie do? What can he even say in the face of some pretty convincing evidence? Well there is something he can do. He can take a look at the stuff Sunny's left behind.
Of course that thought is cut off when the front door of his house is kicked open. All three men leave the kitchen quickly but all three freeze as they take in the scene before them. It's Sunny with a split lip and Regan being half carried on her shoulder. Regan looks like hell with her face bruised up and a cut on her neck. Charlie doesn't even think twice.
He goes for the throat and the throat he goes for is the one of his own mate.
Pulling his sister away from Sunny, Charlie wraps his hand around Sunny's throat and throws her against a wall. In his head Charlie's wolf is a bit torn at the moment. He knows Regan is hurt and with the recent information about their mate knows Sunny is probably the reason. The other half of his wolf is pissed that Charlie would even think of lying harmful hands on his Sunny. Charlie on the other hand is just seeing red.
A hunter. He let a hunter into his house! How could he have been so stupid!
"Charlie let her go!" Regan screams but Charlie ignores her.
He just sneers at his supposed mate, "What did you do to my sister?"
"Nothing."
His hand tightens on her neck, "Liar!"
"Charlie," Remy calls from behind him, "Let her down, man."
"No!"
"Charlie, you're going to hurt her!" Regan yells as Ezra starts guiding her towards the couch, "Let me go!"
"Stay out of this Regan." Charlie growls, his eyes locked with Sunny's dull blue ones.
"Go ahead," She goads hoarsely, "Choke me. Kill me. Let's see what a big man you are, Charlie. Show me I was wrong about you."
"Shut up!" He spits at her, feeling overwhelmed.
"She didn't hurt me! She saved me!" Regan yells. Managing to get away from Ezra she starts pulling on the arm responsible of choking Sunny, "She's not a hunter!"
Charlie glances at his sister, "How do you know?"
"Because she killed one to save me!"
Charlie snaps his eyes to Sunny's and sees tears falling down her eyes as she starts gasping of air. He notices that she's not even fighting him. She's not even made a move to try to get out of his hold knowing he could kill her. His wolf is snarling in his head, demanding him to let go of her. His sister's words keep echoing in his head. If she's not a hunter...then who is she?
He suddenly lets go of her neck and catches her as she falls towards the ground. She starts coughing and wheezing but doesn't remove herself from his hold. He places her on the ground so her back is against his front door. He feels giant waves of guilt wash over him as he sees red marks matching his handprint on her neck.
Suddenly her fists swings at him and cracks him right against the jaw. Charlie's head snaps to the left and his jaw aches immediately. Shit, the girl can really throw a punch. Rubbing his jaw he can't help but want to laugh at the situation. He almost killed her, she just punched him and all he can think about is how glad he is that she came back at all. Turning to look at her he finds her glaring at him.
Pointing a finger at him she pants out, "I warned...you not to...manhandle me."
Charlie lets out a reluctant chuckle, "I'll consider that a second warning."
"Don't make it a third."
"No ma'am."
"Or you'll wake up in a pine box six feet under."
Charlie smiles briefly before reaching out to touch her neck, "I'm sorry."
"I'll let it slide this time but next time maybe get some facts before you start trying to kill people."
"You guys are the weirdest couple ever." Remy says with a click of his tongue.
"And you are?" Sunny asks, eyeing the older man with suspicion.
"Someone very interested in an explanation."
"Luckily I don't owe you one." Sunny snaps, rubbing her neck again.
Charlie feels sick just looking at the already developing bruises, "What about me?"
"After that greeting, you're the last person I owe anything to." She snaps with a glare.
"Sunny..." Regan says softly, "Tell them."
So Sunny does and Charlie quickly feels like the biggest piece of shit on earth.
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Hello! I am so sorry for the long wait for the chapter but I took a little break from watt pad. I'll be updating this story twice this week so you'll get to know what happened with Regan and Sunny soon. If your pissed at Charlie and his reaction about thinking Sunny was a hunter just remember that Charlie has PTSD about the hunters. His mate being one is something he just can't handle but that doesn't mean he's allowed to be abusive. Hence Sunny punching him, he deserved and he knows he did.
So what did you think?
VOTE,COMMENT AND FOLLOW :}