Chapter 26 – Belle
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
BELLE
While the guys have gone, I decide to take a nice long shower. Just enjoying standing beneath the spray, the hot water hitting my skin, I sigh as I feel my body begin to relax. I grab the shampoo and I begin to wash my hair. My heart feels heavy after saying goodbye to my dad, to know that the chances are low of ever seeing him again. Hell, if we were to ever get married, he wouldn’t be able to walk me down the aisle. Not that I can imagine Beast and I getting married, because the thought of him in a suit makes me laugh. That man isn’t built to be contained in a suit.
Finishing in the shower, I step out and wrap a towel around my hair and body. As I walk into the bedroom, I chuck on one of Beast’s T-shirts, matching it with a pair of cut off jean shorts. As I’m brushing my hair, I hear what sounds like something smashing.
I frown and walk out of the room. “Star?” I call out. “Maggie? Everything okay?” I ask as I walk down the hall. I walk into the lounge and see them all huddled together, staring at something behind the door. Star’s eyes are full of tears, and every muscle in her body is strung tight. “What are you all—” The words die in my throat as I see Charlie stood there, holding Enzo. I feel like my heart has stopped beating. Fear like I’ve never felt courses through me. Not fear for me, but for Enzo.
“Nice of you to join us.” Charlie smiles, not once taking his eyes off Enzo who is cradled in his arms.
“Charlie, please give me Enzo,” I plead.
“Why? This little guy here holds all the power. You see, he is the mighty Ghost’s son, right? I could threaten to do anything with him, and Ghost would do whatever I wanted to keep his son safe,” he says, still looking down at Enzo, holding his little chubby hand in his. “I could snap his fingers like little matchsticks,” he sneers, pinching Enzo’s finger between his. Enzo lets out a cry of pain.
“Get your fucking hands off my son!” Star screams, jumping to her feet. Queenie grabs hold of her, and Charlie’s men cock their guns, aiming them at her. “Get off me!” she hisses at Queenie. Her eyes are wide with fear, and I’ve never seen Star look so terrified. “Shoot me, kill me, do whatever you want to me, but you leave my son alone!” she begs.
Maisy starts crying, and Josie desperately rocks her in her arms to keep her quiet, not wanting to draw his attention to her. I step closer to Charlie. “Charlie. It’s me you want, right?” I say softly. He lifts his gaze from Enzo to me, he dark brown eyes almost black. “You hurt Enzo, you know Ghost will stop at nothing to find you. You will forever be looking over your shoulder. But if you take me, no one will come for me. Dad is dead,” I state.
He laughs and shake his head. “Your father isn’t dead, and if I take you, won’t your big new boyfriend come for me?” he asks, raising his eyebrow. “We’ve been watching you for a while. I must say, you gave my men quite a show when you fucked him on the porch.”
I open my mouth, wanting to say something, but I’m not sure what to say. “I will tell him not to. For Enzo’s safety, they won’t come after me,” I state.
Charlie sighs. “You know that I wouldn’t actually hurt a baby. I’m no monster,” he says as he hands me Enzo. My heart is beating a million beats a second as I take Enzo in my arms. My hands shake as adrenaline and nerves courses through my veins. I turn and Star practically snatches Enzo from me, cradling him in her arms, kissing him. She looks at me and mouths thank you. I nod, but soon freeze when I feel the cold steel blade against my neck. “Now say goodbye to your friends,” Charlie sneers in my ear.
I swallow. “I will be okay,” I say softly, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.
“I mean, I can’t promise that, but it’s a nice sentiment all the same.” Charlie sighs. “Come on, princess,” Charlie says, guiding me out the door, through the house, and out the front door.
The dead bodies of the prospects lay on the floor. I try not to look at them as we pass, but two of the bodies catch my attention. They aren’t prospects; Scar and Buzz. My feet falter at seeing them, causing me to stumble. “Steady there, princess,” Charlie says, grabbing my arm tightly. His men open a truck door, and he shoves me inside, slamming the door closed. Charlie climbs in on the opposite side, and as his men climb in the front, he slips the blade into the inside of his jacket.
“So, how have you been?” he asks casually.
I frown and look at him like he’s lost his mind. “Fine,” I snap.
“Good, good. So, you’re a teacher now, that’s good. Educating young minds, you should be proud, because that is not an easy job to do. Especially these days. It’s a confusing time for kids. I mean, all that pressure. Times where simpler back in my day,” he states.
I look out the window at the passing scenery, ignoring this conversation. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“Home,” he states.
I turn back around and look at him confused. “Home?” I press.
He nods, smiling. I frown, still confused by his demeanour. It wasn’t 5 minutes ago he had his knife pressed against my neck. I return to looking out of the window, deciding to ignore him for however long I have to sit next to him. I’m not scared of Charlie. I grew up with him for a large part of my life, but more than that, my dad always taught me to never fear death. Which to most must seem morbid, to teach a kid that, but it was more than that. I wanted to know if Mom would have been alone and scared as she died that day. He assured me that death isn’t scary; it’s peaceful and the angels are with you the whole time comforting you. I know now, of course, that he just said those things to comfort me as a kid, but part of me likes to think it’s true.
Unable to stay quiet, one question I’ve wanted to know the answer to ever since Dad told me the truth is on my mind. “Why did you kill Mom?” I ask, looking at him.
His jaw tenses and he shakes his head. “Not talking about that now,” he states firmly.
But I want answers, so I continue to press. “Why did you kill my mother? If you wanted the business, you could have just taken it. Dad would have let you have it. Especially if it meant Mom would still be alive.”
He shakes his head. “I said, we are not talking about it now!” he snaps. I jump, closing my mouth and returning to stare out of the window.
I’m not sure how much further we drive. I just absentmindedly stare out the window, not wanting to talk, not wanting to face the situation I am currently in. The truck comes to a stop, and I blink, snapping myself out of the daze I was in. When I take in where we are, my mouth drops open.
“See? Home,” Charlie says as he gets out of the car. One of his men open the door and reaches in, dragging me out.
“Hey! Stop!” I protest.
“Let go of her. She isn’t going to run, you fucking moron. We are surrounded by a 10 foot iron fence,” Charlie chastises. “Please, let’s get you some refreshments inside,” he says, guiding me up the steps.
He doesn’t need to guide me. I know this place well. It is my childhood home, after all. Why has he brought me here? We walk through to the back of the house, right into the large living space with glass doors all the way along. It was my mom’s favourite room of the house; the sunlight would beam in on a sunny day.
I fight back the emotions I am feeling as memories flicker through my mind. I take a seat on the couch, still looking around. It looks exactly the same. “How? Why?” I ask, confused.
Charlie takes a seat opposite me as a maid brings over a tray of drinks and another places down some food. “Please, eat,” he says, gesturing to the trays.
“Tell me what the hell is going on,” I demand.
His eyes flare. “You have the same rebellious streak as your mother,” he states.
“Don’t talk about her like you knew her. You killed her. You do not deserve to speak of her,” I snap.
He ignores me and continues to talk. “Did you know your mother loved to swim? She would often drive to the local pool and swim in the early hours of the morning. She would do lap after lap until she was too tired to swim anymore,” he states.
“We have a pool here. Why didn’t she just swim here?” I counter.
He smiles. “She used to do it to get away, to think and clear her head.”
I shake my head. “Why would she? She was happy, blissfully happy, with my father and me,” I argue.
He shakes his head. “She was happy being a mother to you, but she wasn’t happy with her husband.” He sighs.
I shake my head. “No, you’re wrong. You’re fucked in the head. Jealous because my father had it all and you wanted it. So you killed her,” I yell, standing. “Fuck you, and fuck your bullshit,” I spit before storming off. I don’t make it far, before one of his men step out from behind the wall and cut me off. They rear their fist back and hit me hard. I fall to the floor, groaning. He then bends down and grabs a fistful of my hair, dragging me back to Charlie. I scream in pain, my scalp feeling like it’s burning. I kick out, grabbing hold of his arm to try to get him to let go. He does eventually when we are in front of Charlie, and I whimper before I frame my head in my hands.
“There, there, Belle,” Charlie says softly. He crouches down next to me, his hand reaching out to stroke my hair.
I flinch as tears begin to roll down my face. “Don’t touch me!” I screech.
“My Belle, I just want to comfort you,” he states casually. Like his men haven’t just hit and dragged me across the floor.
I touch the top of my cheek, feeling it’s now swollen and tender to the touch. I hiss. “I am not your Belle.”
Charlie tuts. “Oh, but you are.” He holds out his hand for me to take. I curl away and shake my head no. “It is not a request,” he seethes. I reach out, my hand shaking as I place it in his. He stands and pulls me with him. “Ice. Now,” he barks to his men. “Sit down,” he orders.
I take a seat next to him and one of his men come in with a bucket of ice and some napkins. He places some ice in a napkin before delicately placing it on my cheek. I flinch from pain and fear, watching as his eyes assess me, like they are searching every part of my face.
“You know, you look just like her,” he states. I don’t answer. “Apart from one thing.”
“I won’t sleep with you,” I blurt out. “And if you try to rape me, I will fight you, and I won’t stop fighting you.”
He frowns, shaking his head. “I would never do such a disgusting thing.” He sighs. “I wanted this moment to be so much more. I wanted it to be special, but I guess life has a way of keeping things interesting,” he states. “Belle, you are mine. You are my daughter,” he declares.
A whooshing sound echoes through my ears as my heart beats uncontrollably. I start to find it difficult to breathe. I quickly jump to my feet, taking steps back, needing space from him.
“No,” I rasp, shaking my head. “No, you’re lying. You killed my mom because you wanted to hurt my dad,” I splutter, trying to catch my breath.
Charlie stands and takes a step towards me. “I didn’t kill your mother. I loved her. I would never hurt her. Bobby killed her,” he states.
I shake my head rapidly. “No, no. Stop lying. Why? Why are you doing this?” I sob. “You want the business, have it! I don’t want it! Why do you have to torture me?” I gasp. I place my hand on the wall, trying to breathe.
“Slow breaths Belle, deep slow breaths,” Charlie says, trying to guide my breathing pattern. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to slow my breathing. “Belle, if you won’t believe me, then maybe you will believe Bobby,” he states. My eyes spring open.
“Belle,” Dad calls my name. I turn around to see him stood behind me with a gun pressed against his head. “It’s true,” he states. Any control I had over my breathing is gone. Full blown panic is taking over my body. No matter how hard I try to breathe, I can’t seem to draw any air into my lungs. The room starts to spin, and I stumble back before the lights go dim and complete darkness swallows me.