Chapter 7 Charlie
SEVEN
CHARLIE
I was having a nightmare. That had to be it.
Brent couldn’t have found me. I’d changed my phone number and gotten rid of my old phone.
The only people back in Chicago who had my new number were my friend Jasmine and my siblings.
None of them had ever met Brent. I’d sold my car because I’d found a tracking device in it and I wasn’t going to take a chance that there was another one I hadn’t found.
I’d deleted all my social media accounts, even my old email accounts.
I’d used the Irish spelling of my great-grandmother’s name for my new email account.
I looked up at Hunter, who was still kneeling beside me. “How?” I asked plaintively.
It belatedly occurred to me that he would have no idea what I was talking about. I started to apologize, but he gently put a finger to my lips. “No apology necessary. I know what you mean and I am going to find out how they found you.”
“He,” I corrected. “His name is Brent Oberman.”
He pulled out his phone, typed the name in a notes app, and showed it to me. “Is that how it’s spelled?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
He was about to ask me something else, but the server arrived with our food. The thought of eating anything made me feel sick to my stomach. “I don’t think I can eat anything right now.”
Hunter nodded. He rose and squeezed my shoulder. He got the attention of the server and said, “My friend isn’t feeling well. Can we get the food boxed up, please.”
He handed the server his credit card and helped me to my feet. It was only then that I noticed how wobbly my legs were. I had to hold on tight to Hunter to keep myself from falling. “Sorry,” I murmured. “You didn’t sign up to deal with my psycho ex.”
He cupped my face in his big hands. “I’m glad I’m here. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”
But I’d been going through it alone for so long, I wasn’t used to anyone having my back. Hunter barely knew me. How could I expect him to involve himself in this mess?
Before I could voice my objection, my phone vibrated with a call. My stomach lurched with fear until I saw it was from Zenia. I swiped to answer with a shaking finger. “Hello?”
“Charlie, are you still with Hunter?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Why? What’s wrong?”
I heard her blow out a breath. “A man came in here looking for you. He said he was a friend from Chicago. I told him you were gone for the day.”
My throat constricted and my chest felt tight. “What did he look like?” I croaked.
“Average height, blond hair, blue eyes,” she replied. “But his expression was all wrong. I felt unsafe in his presence.”
My hands started shaking and my knees buckled. I would have fallen if Hunter hadn’t caught me and eased me into my chair. I heard Zenia calling my name but I couldn’t answer.
Hunter gently took the phone from me and put it to his ear. “Zenia, it’s Hunter. What can you tell me about him?”
He listened for a while, his jaw bunching and his eyes flashing with anger. “He sent Charlie a text. He knows where he lives.”
The pitch and volume of Zenia’s voice rose.
She was clearly very worried. Hunter’s voice, on the other hand, remained calm and steady.
“It’s okay, Zenia. I’ll keep him safe. I’m taking him to my place tonight and I’ll be calling on some people to help catch this guy.
” After another pause he said, “His name is Brent Oberman.” He finally handed the phone back to me. “Zenia wants to talk to you.”
I nodded and put the cell to my ear. “I’m here Zenia.”
“Charlie, you need to stay with Hunter until that man is caught,” she said firmly. “Hunter is a good man and he’ll take care of you.”
“I will,” I promised. “I’ll stay as long as he lets me.”
She chuckled. “I suspect he’ll ask you to stay for as long as you want. Give him a chance, Charlie. You deserve to be with someone like him.”
“Thanks, Zenia. I’ll try.” I ended the call and put the phone in my pocket.
The server had come with the check and the bag with our food while I was talking to Zenia and Hunter was signing the receipt.
He handed the receipt back then held out his hand to me.
“Let’s get out of here.” I stood and he helped me put on my coat.
He carefully wrapped my scarf around my neck. “Wouldn’t want you to get cold.”
I smiled and I was sure I was blushing. “Thank you.”
He pulled out his phone. “I’m ordering a taxi.” He looked down at me, his expression apologetic. “I don’t think we should go back to your place tonight. He might see us there and follow us back to my place. I’d rather you have a good night’s sleep and we can pick up some clothes for you tomorrow.”
That one sentence sent my mind going off in a completely different direction.
I imagined myself wearing one of his very large T-shirts to bed.
It would be huge on me. I wouldn’t be able to wear his sweatpants, they’d fall right off me.
I’d just be wrapped up in one of his shirts, warm and cozy.
It would smell like him. I wouldn’t have any pants, so maybe he’d wrap himself around me to keep the rest of me warm.
The taxi was waiting for us outside the restaurant. Once we were safely inside the car Hunter said, “I think you should power off your phone. We can’t be sure whether or not Brent installed a tracking app on it.”
I shook my head. “He couldn’t have. I threw away my old phone before I left Chicago.
I knew he’d installed a tracking app on it.
” I pulled it out of my pocket. “But I don’t mind turning it off.
I don’t want to see any more texts from him.
” Before I pressed the power button I asked, “Should I block his number?”
Hunter shook his head. “Not yet. Let him think you’re running scared. He’ll make mistakes.”
“Okay.” I powered down my phone and leaned my head against Hunter’s shoulder for the ride to his apartment.
He lifted his arm and put it around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “So cuddly,” he murmured.
Hunter spent the twenty-minute ride to his place texting someone.
I assumed it was the people he said would help catch Brent.
By the time we got to Hunter’s place, the sky had cleared but the temperature had dropped significantly.
The sidewalks were icy beneath our feet as we made our way to the entrance of his apartment.
I shivered when the cold wind blew around the corner of the building.
“I hope you have some hot chocolate up there,” I said through chattering teeth.
“I sure do,” he replied, opening the door for me. “Come on. Let’s get you warmed up.”
The elevator took us to the third floor. Hunter’s apartment was nice. It had one bedroom, a nice sized living room, and an eat-in kitchen. The light oak hardwood floors gleamed under the warm overhead light.
Hunter took my coat and hung it on a hook by the door. He steered me into the living room and sat me down on the comfortable sofa, draping a fluffy throw around my shoulders. “I’ll be back with the hot chocolate in a few minutes.”
I pulled the throw around me, burying my face in its warmth. It smelled like Hunter, warm and inviting with a hint of spice. Once again I imagined him wrapped around me keeping me warm and safe. A shiver of lust went down my spine.
Hunter returned with two steaming mugs that smelled divine and some napkins. He smiled down at me. “You look absolutely adorable all bundled up like that.”
I blushed as I wriggled out of my cocoon and took one of the cups from him, wrapping my hands around its warm surface. I took a sip and an explosion of chocolatey goodness burst onto my tongue. I let out a moan of pleasure. “This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Where did you get it?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hunter discreetly adjust his crotch before he sat beside me.
He cleared his throat. “I got this kit from a chocolatier in Paris. You heat the milk and melt the chocolate in this machine that mixes it all together.” He smiled sheepishly.
“Sometimes I’m still a little kid. I love my hot chocolate. ”
I tapped my mug to his. “To hot chocolate.”
He hummed in agreement. We sipped our chocolate in comfortable silence for a while. Then Hunter put his cup on the coffee table and asked, “Would you be okay telling me about Brent?”
My stomach twisted at the thought, but he had the right to know since he was the one who would be helping me.
I held tightly to the mug, clinging to its fading warmth.
“I met Brent two years after I graduated university. I was working in the Harold Washington Library in Chicago full-time and at the Field Museum part-time. Brent was working in the IT department at the Field Museum. We met at a museum holiday party and hit it off. He was funny and smart. At the time he seemed caring and kind. We started dating afterward and things moved really quickly. Three months later I moved in with him.” I shook my head.
“It was stupid, I know that now. But I was so lonely. My parents barely acknowledged my existence because I was gay and my siblings were too busy with their spouses and kids to pay attention to their little brother.”
Hunter slid his hand over mine and squeezed it gently. “It’s no good beating yourself up over it. You got out. That’s what matters.”
“But I stayed with him for four years,” I lamented. “Even after I realized what he was doing was abusive, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.”
“What changed?” he asked.
“I found out he put a tracking device in my car. He had been questioning where I went for a while and he would ask if this or that male work colleague was around. He kept low-key accusing me of cheating. When I confronted him about the tracking device, he lost it.” I took in a shuddering breath. “That was the first time he hit me.”
Hunter let out a low growl. He gently took my mug from my clenched fingers and set it on the coffee table next to his own.
Then he pulled me onto his lap, blanket and all.
“He’s never going to lay another hand on you.
” He put his finger under my chin and turned my head so I could see his face. “Do you believe me when I say that?”
Tears sprang to my eyes and I nodded. “I do.” I turned my face into his broad chest. “I do. I know you’ll keep me safe.
” And then I broke down. Huge gasping sobs rose from my chest and I couldn’t seem to stop them.
Hunter just held me and ran a gentle hand up and down my back while he murmured soothing words.
Eventually the storm passed. I blindly reached for one of the napkins on the coffee table so I could blow my nose. When I finally looked at Hunter, he smiled at me and kissed me sweetly. His lips were so much softer than I’d imagined. “I’m so glad you got away and made it here so I could meet you.”
“Me too,” I murmured.
He brushed back my hair from my eyes. “So, how did you get away?”
“My friend Jasmine, one of my coworkers at the library, helped me. I went into work one day about a year ago with a bruise on my face that I tried to pass off as a fall. She didn’t buy it and got the whole story out of me.
She got me the number for the domestic violence hotline.
I called them and made an exit plan. I opened a new bank account.
I got a new phone on my own phone plan. I slowly snuck what I could out of the apartment while he was at work.
Then the job at Time to Read popped up on the job site and I applied.
When I found out I got it Jasmine bought me a train ticket to New York under her name.
She and her friends got together and raised some money for me to put a security deposit on an apartment. ” I smiled up at him. “And here I am.”
He cupped my face with both hands. “And here you are, in my arms.”
I ran my fingers through his thick dark hair, like I’d wanted to do since I first saw him. “I like being in your arms. It feels right.”
“How would it feel if I kissed you?” he asked.
I looked into his heated gaze. “Like heaven.”
He lowered his head and drew me into a ravenous kiss. I slid my arms around his neck and pressed myself against his big body. My cock was rock hard against his muscled abs. I pulled away and gasped, “Hunter. I need you. Please.”
He tightened his hold on me and rose. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Then, he headed into his bedroom.