C H A P T E R ( 1 4 )
'What's wrong Ellie?' Ellie heard her friend's voice in the back of her mind but didn't react. Her gaze was fixated on the man across the street from them.
'What's he doing here?' Ellie asked, and she couldn't help the scared undertone in her voice.
Stacy reached out for her hand squeezing it lightly, she followed Ellie's gaze to the familiar man across the street. He was waving at the girls and waiting to cross the road. They stood still, not quite sure how to react. They were after all in a public place, there were people milling about all around them. He couldn't very well do or say anything, could he?
'Hi sweetheart,' he smiled at Ellie warmly when he reached them. He spared a small glance at Stacy, 'Hello Stacy.' When both girls stayed silent he spoke again, 'I've been calling you, what's wrong why don't you answer my calls anymore?'
'You're not allowed to be calling her,' Stacy said nervously.
'This doesn't concern you Stacy, in fact can you give us a moment?'
Stacy shook her head and gripped her friend's hand tightly, 'No way, you need to leave before I call the police.'
His face went from open, smiling and friendly to hard in a matter of seconds, 'Don't even think about it.'
The girls took a slight step backwards. Thankfully Stacy's mother pulled up to the curb next to them. He took one look at the car and immediately walked off into the direction of the crowded mall. The girls climbed in quickly and gratefully, trying to dodge her mother's questions on whom that man was.
Ellie tactfully avoided Stacy for the rest of the afternoon, eventually skipping out on their sleepover plans to head home early. She walked quickly through the streets, making sure the sun was still out as she headed home. She couldn't shake the feeling he was still around, still watching her. She picked up the pace, arriving onto her street breathing a sigh of relief. Almost there. But just as she rounded the corner, reaching the house the flashing blue and red caught her eye. Ellie was horrified to spot three police cars parked outside her house, there were people milling on her front lawn and some serious looking faces. She raced toward the house frantically fearing the worst.
'Hey little lady, slow down,' a gentle, deep voice caught her by the shoulders firmly.
She looked up at the tall, dark and broad man standing in front of her who smiled at her kindly. 'Ellie is it?'
She nodded tearfully.
'My name is Chuck, you need to listen very carefully to me now... Can you do that?'
++++++++++
Charlotte jolted awake with a scream. She couldn't help it, and she sat up rigid in her bed breathing heavily. No doubt the alcohol from that night helped her nightmares along. What she didn't expect when her bedroom door opened was a semi naked Chuck to fly into the room waving a gun.
'What? What happened?' His voice was loud as he scanned the room.
'Chuck!' She screamed even louder. 'What are you doing? Oh my God!'
'Chuck put that away,' Grace appeared next to him looking horrified. 'Charlotte, sweetie, it's ok it was just a dream.' She moved to her daughters bed rubbing her back soothingly. 'She has these nightmares every so often,' Grace explained to Chuck as Charlotte tried to wipe her tears away inconspicuously. 'They stopped for a while but ever since we moved in here they've started back full force, haven't they?'
Charlotte nodded and briefly wondered where Chuck was going to put his gun seeing as he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
'I thought I saw him the other day,' she confessed sadly.
Chuck's face turned hard, 'Where?'
'It wasn't him, it was a man with the same hair. Dropping off his kid to school,' she sighed. 'For some reason I can't shake the feeling I'm being watched.'
Grace motioned for Chuck to leave the room and climbed into bed with her daughter, 'Its ok baby I'm here now.'
Charlotte felt a sense of comfort with her mother next to her, Chuck in the room over also helped, but she just hoped the three times she'd brushed her teeth before bed would wash away the alcohol she'd had that night.
+++++++++++
The next morning Charlotte woke up to find Grace still in bed with her.
'Oh you didn't have to stay with me all night,' she yawned stretching out in the double bed. She assumed Chuck was still in Grace's room sleeping alone.
Grace matched her yawn easily and smiled, 'It's fine I always stay after a bad dream, why would this be any different?'
'Because you have a naked man in your bedroom?' Charlotte burst into giggles.
'Oh quiet you,' Grace let a small smile slip. 'Does it bother you that he stays over?'
Charlotte rolled her eyes at her mother, 'Of course it doesn't. I love Chuck, he's a huge part of our life and I'm so glad you guys have finally got it together.'
Grace blushed, 'I couldn't believe it when he asked me out. He was so Chuck-like about it!'
Charlotte laughed and snuggled into her covers, 'What do you mean Chuck-like?'
'Well you know how he's such a get-to-the-point type of guy? He doesn't like nonsense, he doesn't get embarrassed easily and he doesn't take no for an answer.' Grace smiled fondly. 'When he showed up here out of the blue and we stayed up so late talking he confessed he couldn't stay away from us. Even though we were in protection now and he wasn't supposed to even contact us, he said when I called him in a fluster about you not showing up at school was the breaking point for him.'
Charlotte winced feeling slightly guilty again.
'Once he saw us he realized he couldn't keep pushing us out of his life,' Grace grinned happily. 'He poured me a glass of wine and said, 'Grace firstly I want to kiss you and secondly I want to take you out on a date.'
Charlotte smiled at her mother, too adorable.
'And then what happened?' She demanded.
'He of course followed it up with a typical Chuck question of 'How does that sound to you, because of course I'll only kiss you if you want me to...'
Charlotte laughed delighted with her mother, 'Oh God that is just so perfect!'
Grace smiled, 'It was so out of the blue. He's so professional around us, I didn't know he'd even noticed me.'
Charlotte shook her head emphatically, 'No way, sometimes I caught him just staring at you with this small smile. Like you were always saying or doing something secretly amusing to him. I knew he liked you, I just thought he was too job-obsessed to act on it.'
There was a light knock on the door and a fully clothed Chuck popped his head around it with a familiar grin on his face, 'Morning Ladies.'
'Good morning,' Grace smiled back at him and if Charlotte wasn't so damn happy her mother had a boyfriend she would have gagged at the sappiness of it.
'I was thinking I'd make you girls an amazing breakfast, to make up for the whole gun-waving incident of last night...'
Charlotte stifled a giggle as Chuck tried to apologise. She was remembering him flying into her room practically naked waving a gun about.
'That sounds amazing,' Grace replied.
'Thanks Chuck,' Charlotte smiled at him.
She waited for Chuck and Grace to leave her room before she got out of bed, deciding to have a quick shower before breakfast. She got changed in the en suite and towel dried her hair in her bedroom to the welcome smell of bacon wafting up the stairs. She opened her bedroom window deciding to hang her towel out on the rail to dry when movement in Max's house caught her eye. She saw him pottering around his bedroom, they must have come in this morning or late last night sometime. She watched as he unpacked a bag laid out on his bed, she could hear the faint music playing from his room, his window was slightly open too.
'Charlotte!' She heard Chuck's voice call out from downstairs, so loud she nearly dropped her towel out the window. She caught it in her hands and hung it out quickly, but it was too late Max must have heard him. His window flung open and his bright cheery face poked out.
'Hey Charlotte! I didn't see you standing there... watching me,' he winked. 'Did you miss me?'
She laughed and shook her head in amazement, 'So cocky this early in the morning?'
'It's when I'm at my best,' he replied quickly with a grin. 'So what are you at for the rest of today?'
Charlotte could hear Chuck calling her name again, 'Chuck is making breakfast, so I better go downstairs.'
Max's face lit up, 'Perfect, I'm starving!'
Before Charlotte could even register what he'd said, he'd disappeared from the window and into his bedroom. She shrugged and headed downstairs to find Grace and Chuck serving up the cooked breakfast. She saw eggs, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms and her stomach grumbled loudly.
'Smells amazing,' she smiled at Chuck as she took a seat at the table pouring out the freshly brewed coffee for everyone.
'Morning everyone!' Max appeared in the kitchen looking especially bright and cheerful. 'Smells great.'
Chuck frowned at Grace, 'Do you ever lock your front door?'
'Hey you went out and got the paper this morning,' Grace threw her hands up. 'That's all you buddy.'
'I feel so welcome,' Max laughed and took a seat next to Charlotte.
'What are you doing here though?' Chuck demanded. 'We're about to have breakfast.'
'Oh I know, Charlotte invited me,' Max winked at her.
Charlotte bit her lip hiding a smile from Max, she couldn't let him see she'd found him amusing. His head wouldn't fit through the door.
'Wonderful, well good thing you made enough food to feed the entire street,' Grace smiled joining them at the table putting down the plates while Chuck carried over the food on a large tray.
'So how did you go anyway?' Charlotte turned to Max. 'He and a few of the other guys ran a triathlon this weekend.' She explained to the others as they dished out the food.
'Great actually,' Max nodded enthusiastically. 'We finished in the top ten, so not a win but definitely better than last year. We didn't end up finishing last year because Tristan pulled a hammy in the run. But this year was great, I can tell next year we'd smash it.'
'That's fantastic Max, well done,' Grace smiled at him.
'Thanks Grace,' he smiled sweetly at her putting his hand on top of hers for a light squeeze.
Charlotte giggled and Chuck coughed loudly, Max's hand sliding back under the table quickly.
'So what part do you do in the race?' Grace asked ignoring Chuck pointedly.
'I'm the swimmer,' Max nodded proudly. 'If you can't already tell from my broad shoulders.' His hands splayed out across his chest, like Charlotte needed an excuse to check Max out.
His shoulders were amazingly broad, his muscles hard and defines with a smaller waist rounding off the perfect V shape.
Max caught her eye and smiled knowingly.
'Tristan is our runner and Liam bikes.'
'What about Carter?' Charlotte asked interested.
'Oh Carter actually does the solo race, all three by himself. He's crazy fit.'
Charlotte's mouth popped open in surprise, 'Wow, I never would have taken him for a serious athlete.'
'Well Charlotte seems you've made quite a few male friends in this town,' Chuck raised an eyebrow in her direction.
'Oh the boys love Charlotte here, don't they,' he winked at her and Charlotte turned bright red.
'Max!' She exclaimed embarrassed. 'Oh God, we need to stop talking about this.'
'Relax, I'm teasing,' he grinned at her. 'Who wouldn't love Charlotte, she's great.'
Grace beamed at him, 'I knew I liked you.'
'So Chuck, how did you and Grace meet?' Max asked as he dug into his breakfast with gusto. Completely unaware of the awkward silence his question brought.
Charlotte wandered briefly if they'd come up with a cover story yet.
'Through work,' Grace shrugged sounding breezy.
'Through wedding planning?' Max smirked at Chuck. 'A fellow wedding planner Chuck?'
'Don't be stupid,' he grumbled back rolling his eyes.
'So what else? Chuck was your client?' Max asked and Charlotte gasped at his inappropriateness. 'Did she steal you away from your bride to be?'
Suddenly Max's phone started blaring from his pocket distracting everyone and Charlotte was glad before anything more came out of his big mouth. Although instead of muting it at the breakfast table he answered the call typical Max style.
'What's up asshole?'
Grace coughed and shuffled in her seat as Charlotte avoided Chuck's death glare.
'Yeah man we're back!' Max spoke while still shoveling food into his mouth. 'Where are you? Outside?' Max looked up to the front window trying to peer out not noticing how everyone else at the table was completely silent and awkward. 'Yeah, no I'm just at Charlotte's having breakfast,' he looked up grinning at Charlotte who returned his look with raised eyebrows. 'Just come over, there's plenty of food, yeah.'
Charlotte nearly choked on her coffee and didn't dare look at Chuck.
'He wants us to come outside when we're done,' Max shrugged slipping his phone back into his pocket.
'Who does?' Chuck interrupted.
'Our mate Eli.'
'Me too?' Charlotte frowned not entirely sure she wanted to see Eli this morning. It annoyed her to admit but she was pissed off at him for last night. And she had no right to be.
'Says he has something for you,' Max wiggled his eyebrows comically and Charlotte giggled.
'Who is Eli?' Grace asked sounding interested.
'Is he the one you and those other girls were talking about yesterday in the kitchen?' Chuck demanded. 'About like...'
'Chuck!' Charlotte exclaimed feeling alarmed. 'Enough.' She chanced a sideways glance at Max who thankfully didn't seem to pick up on anything awkward. 'I think I'm done, are you?' She stood up not waiting for an answer pulling Max's arm along.
'Hey – wait a second,' Max said looking disappointed to be leaving the table of food. He grabbed another slice of toast before shooting Grace and Chuck a winning smile. 'Thanks for breakfast guys.'
'Don't mention it,' Chuck rolled his eyes as Charlotte practically sprinted out of the kitchen.
'Where's the fire?' Max grumbled as they headed outside and over to Max's fence, where she spotted Eli casually sitting on his porch steps. 'Hey man,' he brightened up spotting Eli enveloping him into a bear hug.
'How did you go?' Eli asked sitting back down, nodding at Charlotte acknowledging her presence.
'Brilliant yeah, top ten baby,' Max laughed. 'Feeling great!'
'Nice work,' Eli nodded impressed. 'I didn't envy you at all, running around and being all healthy while I got drunk at a party.'
'Oh that's right,' Max took a seat next to Eli on the steps. 'How was the party? I heard they were back in town this weekend. Who did you hook up with?' Max grinned.
Eli cleared his throat, glancing at Charlotte quickly in the corner of his eye, 'No one.'
'Bull shit!' Max exclaimed then he looked over at Charlotte misreading the situation, 'You don't have to be coy around Charlotte. She's one of the boys now! Who did you hook up with? Please don't say Freya again.'
Charlotte couldn't help her look of surprise, in the last week she'd become aware of at least three girls who Eli was hooking up with. Candice from school, Gypsy and now a random girl called Freya. He was good. She shuffled on her feet awkwardly, this was not a situation she wanted to be in on a Sunday morning.
'No, ugh,' Eli made a disgusted face. 'Why would you even bring her up? I didn't hook up last night ok?' He shot Max a hard glare to say shut up.
'Woah, ok sore subject?' Max giggled.
'Well it wasn't for lack of trying lets put it that way,' Eli let out a small grin.
He and Max burst out laughing and Charlotte felt a little disgusted with them, boy talk was gross. She didn't want to hear that.
'I don't want to ruin your catch up, so Eli what did you want to give me? I have better things to do.' She frowned at him.
He looked slightly surprised but recovered quickly, he slipped off his leather jacket revealing a familiar hoody underneath. 'Here you go,' he took it off, lobbing it gently to her from his spot. 'Thanks.'
'Why do you have her hoody?' Max asked tilting to look at his best friend slightly confused.
'That's actually why I wanted to speak to you,' Eli frowned turning to Max.
'What? Because you borrowed my hoody?' Eli was not making sense, Charlotte thought. Was he seriously going to make a big deal about this to Max?
'No,' Eli rolled his eyes at her. 'About why I ended up staying at your house Friday night. Why would you think I give a shit about your hoody?'
'Well it's the last time you borrow it then!' She retorted glaring at him. Why did he always have to be so mean about everything.
'Wait hold up a second,' Max interrupted them loudly. 'You slept at Charlotte's house Friday night?' His mouth dropped open.
'It wasn't like that,' Eli said quickly.
'It sure as hell wasn't like that,' Charlotte reinforced with another glare in Eli's direction.
'Ok then,' a wide grin spread across Max's face. 'What was it like then?'
'So I ran into Asian Phone Guy this morning,' Eli ignored him leaning back against the pillar. 'I asked him what the deal was with those guys following us.'
'And?' Max asked keenly.
'Well at first he said he didn't know what I was talking about. But I pushed him, I cornered him outside the shop. Threatened him a bit, he's not so tough once you show a little muscle,' Eli half smiled. 'I told him we'd done our part, we'd delivered the packages as asked without anyone interfering or knowing. So why the hell were there a bunch of thugs chasing us around town. Asked him who they were, what they wanted and how he was going to fix it basically.'
Charlotte listened quietly with interest, at least the story was starting to come together now. She'd known the boys had stolen from this man, and they had worked out a repayment scheme through delivering these packages to him in the mall. What she wanted to know was why these random men were after them.
'So what did he say? Did he know who they were?' Max asked again getting impatient.
'Of course he knew who they were, turns out our Mr Phone Guy had us stealing these guys packages from the shed!' Eli exclaimed in anger. 'They weren't his, he knew of them through a friend. Knew what time the packages were meant to be picked up and had us do his dirty work. The packages belong to those guys that were chasing us, apparently they caught wind of what was happening and followed us on the last pick up. That's how they know what town we live in, what we look like...' Eli trailed off. 'He fucked us over man.'
'Shit,' Max frowned. 'That asshole.'
'Yeah, I took care of him alright. I can't believe we even started doing those jobs for him, I should of beat the crap out of him when he caught us the first time. He's a wimp!'
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, 'So what are you going to do now?'
'I told him to take care of it or we would, he's going to give back the packages, he hadn't sold any of them anyway. I told him if he didn't we'd tell those guys who we worked for.' Eli sighed. 'So inconvenient.'
'So what was in them? Stolen phones?' Charlotte asked.
'I think so yeah,' Max replied eyes wide. 'Well I guess it's sorted now?'
'For now,' Eli replied. 'Somehow I don't think it's going to be this easy, but we'll see.'
'I can't believe you got me involved in this,' Charlotte frowned at them both. 'I so didn't need this I have enough of my own drama to deal with.'
'Oh I'm sure helping your mother plan a wedding is so stressful,' Eli grinned at her easily. 'Chill out.'
'Oh shut up Eli, I do have more going on in my life you know!' Her eyes narrowed as she shouted at him.
There was an awkward silence as Max looked between her and Eli as though he were watching a tennis match.
'O – Ok then,' Max grinned trying to ease the tension.
'I'm out of here,' she turned around to head back to her house. Charlotte didn't know why she got so riled up around him. She spun around, 'And make sure you sort out this mess, because I'm certainly not housing you again, even if the big bad guys are chasing you down the street.' She saw the look of embarrassment cross Eli's face and Max's one of amusement before she turned back to her house.
She was vaguely aware of the two boys arguing before she heard her name called being out just as she reached her front door.
It was Eli.
She turned around slowly, hand gripping the doorknob tightly, 'What do you want?'
'Easy, I come in peace,' he held his hands up in a surrender pose.
Charlotte just raised an eyebrow, 'Why?'
Eli looked over across the fence where Max was standing there with his arms crossed menacingly over his chest. Charlotte followed his gaze and let out a small smile. 'Because he's making me apologise.'
'Well relax, I don't need your apology.'
Eli shrugged and looked as though to give up when he caught Max's eye again, he sighed, 'Come here.' He grabbed her hand pulling her around the side of the house out of Max's view.
'Look Eli, I don't need you to...'
'Just shut up for a second would you?' He interrupted her. 'You're so frustrating.'
'I'm frustrating?' Charlotte rolled her eyes. 'You're the one that was completely horrible to me ever since I arrived in Winchester. You made me feel like an outsider, when all your friends were making me feel welcome. And just when I get used to the idea of disliking you, you start being a semi decent person.'
'Well now you're making me out to be an ass,' he smiled infuriatingly at her.
'Not to mention you had me do your dirty work with that phone guy...' Charlotte was listing off her fingers now.
'Hey no fair, I didn't want you there if you remember correctly.'
'Why are we here? Standing around the corner of my house Eli?'
'I told you,' he shrugged. 'Max is making me apologise for what I said. I didn't mean it you know, about you not having your own dramas. I'm sure you do,' he looked at her meaningfully. 'Ones you're not telling me about, but I'm sure you have them.'
Charlotte sighed and leant against the side of the house, she didn't know what to say to that.
'And also we're around the corner because your mother and her huge boyfriend were staring at us through the front window...'
Charlotte's eyes widened and looked to the front of the house feeling embarrassment wash over her, 'Seriously?'
Eli smirked, 'Yes, and I didn't want them to see me apologising.'
Charlotte nodded, 'Well ok, apology accepted.' Of course she was going to say that, she was hardly going to throw away an apology from Eli. She also wasn't a complete bitch.
'And..' He paused with a sheepish grin, 'I didn't want Max or your parents see me do this.'
Charlotte froze, 'Do wha-...?'
He took a step forward confidently, his eyes lit up with a familiar mischief. 'Apologise Charlotte,' he emphasized the word, his eyes dropping down to focus on her mouth.
Charlotte took a short intake of breath stepping back, feeling the wall hard against her back.
His hand snaked around her waist gripping it and pulling her firmly into him, loving her gasp as their chests collided he leant down kissing her. He pulled back, his hands still gripping her waist sending shock waves down her side.
'So I'm sorry.' He whispered.
Charlotte's mouth dropped open in shock as he stepped back, 'If that's your apology for this, what do you do when you really screw up?'
Eli's eyes lit up in amusement as Charlotte blushed at her choice of words.
He smirked at her and walked back toward Max's house leaving a stunned Charlotte.
What the hell was that?
...