Chapter 34
34
CHARLOTTE
“ W e aren't going to come to an agreement that involves you quitting, does it? There are better ways to make money and you know it,” I said menacingly, poking his chest with my index finger.
We had been at this for a few hours, and the heat of the day was making me nauseous and irritable. This way of thinking that Richard indoctrinated into them was crazy. There were no ‘places’ or ‘roles’; it was a team effort, but clearly, I was looking at this wrong. It was time to take a risk. It was time to act like my father.
“If I find out one more man, woman or child goes missing in my territory or any for that matter, I will end you myself. This is over. You want to deal with contraband that's your choice, but not the latter. Your fathers reign of terror is over.”
“How does it feel to be held back by your father’s cowardly ways? My father was only trying to bring the best out in people, level the playing field. Look what it did to big boy over there,” he said motioning toward Rowan.
“Leave Rowan out of this,”?I sneered.
He wasn’t like his father, he was worse. Which meant if he wasn't going to stop, who knew what lengths he would go to, or the plans he had. And I didn’t think bringing Rowan into the conversation was appropriate.
“So, how do we get through today, what do you want?” I asked harshly.
He stepped closer to me and I could almost feel the stance of every person behind me change. Silently grateful, I reached into my waistband pulling it out slowly. I didn't like the menacing look in his eyes, like he wanted to devour me, and I was starting to regret my decision to come here today.
“To avenge my father. I only want?Rowan. You give him to me, we all leave here today,” he said bitterly.?“Alive.”
“Not happening, Joshua. Try again.”
The twisted glance he gave opted to make me laugh. Once I turned around, I gave the signal, we protected each other. That was how it went. I took the burner phone Arthur had given to me out of my pocket and walked toward Roe.
“He wants you; he wants revenge for his father.” I swallowed. “Please get out of here.”
“Be a good girl and press the button, Charlotte,” he spoke low and trained his eyes on Walker.
My thumb hovered over the call button, and he quickly placed his fingers over mine, pressing send.
“Fall back!” He yelled before taking my mouth. “He wants me, go find cover, I'll take care of him.”
Explosions could be heard in the distance as the shipping containers with the contraband exploded, sending kilos of coke into the air around us. A couple screams sounded from the people who couldn't get away fast enough and perished almost instantly. I took off between shipping containers, it was almost like being in a maze, except this time I wasn't afraid. I held up my gun and waited behind the container.
Two of Joshua’s men flanked me, but I quickly moved, two bullets in the chest and one in the head of the other.
A hard body pressed into mine and I whipped around, only to be harshly grabbed and thrown painfully into the side of the container, dislodging the gun from my hand.
“Where is he, Charlotte?” Joshua asked angrily.
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully, “We got separated.”
My head throbbed, and Josh looked around knowing Roe was never far behind me. I moved over the stones and patched grass to get to my gun. Finding Rowan was the only thing on my mind and getting my men out of here safely.
“Where do you think you're going?” He grunted, wrapping his hands around my ankles and pulling me hard back to him. I cried out when my hands and arms burned from the cuts and various pokes from the stones and God knows what else beneath me. “You're mine right now. And we’re staying put.”
I couldn't be a sitting duck, nor was I a damsel in distress. I would not be used for bait.
“Fuck you!” I yelled, kicking out of his grip.
“Do you want to know what he did to women, Lottie? What I made him do?” He laughed.
He moved fast straddling me, my legs pinned down and his weight crushing me. The next thing I knew his hands were wrapped around my throat and his thumbs pressed on my windpipe, crushing it underneath his hands.
His head dropped to my ear, and he whispered menacingly, “I already have his old cell ready, Charlotte, I’ll take great care of him,” he said, lifting my head off the ground and slamming it back down. “I’m going to make sure he gets used like a good boy toy.”
“Off of me!” I croaked out as loud as I could and dragged my dirty nails along his face creating a pool of blood that dripped onto me and ran down my face.
I heard a crack as his fist slammed into my face and blood trickled slowly from my nose.
“At the end of the day, he’s still the same scared little eighteen-year-old that just needed money for mommy.”
I heard Rowan call for me from a distance and a small whine escaped my throat; I couldn’t call back, he was squeezing too tight. With one hand I reached around, I remember seeing a few large rocks when I was down, but I couldn't look behind me.
“His mother was the first person I ever killed, Charlotte, she writhed under me too weak to fight,” he said in a mocking tone. “And now you're going to die, just like she did.”
I hoped he would kill me, then there would be no one to stop Rowan. And after he killed every last one of them, he could run. Run away and start over somewhere, love someone better; and safer.
“All you had to do was give me Anderson. You all could have gone home!”
My eyes threatened to close against the body on top of me, and my vision blurred. Drifting just on the edge of life and death something pulled me back; rather someone.
“Charlotte!” The panicked voice called out over the ear ringing screams and gunshots.
I realized then I was his safety, and he was mine, and I wasn't going down without a fight. I wouldn't be falling to Joshua Walker today. Today, his men would drop to their knees and beg for mercy as I emptied my piece into the back of every skull.
“I’m not scared of you, and you're not getting your hands on him,” I said with a choked breath.
My other hand wrapped around a rock, and I wheeled it to the side of his head knocking him off of me and out cold.
I rolled over and cried out over and over as I struggled to take in air, my abdomen was in excruciating pain, and deafness overcame me, hearing nothing but ringing; but I had to get up. My face throbbed as I held onto my bloodied nose and lip. He would wake up soon. I braced myself against the large container. Roe please be close. If I couldn't get to Rowan, I had to get close to someone. The world was spinning, and I fell to my knees in a sob. All of this over trying to do the right thing.
Feet approached my hazy vision, and I could hear one of my men trying to ask me questions. I tried to talk but I couldn’t, every time I swallowed, I felt a cracking in my esophagus. My mouth was dry, and I had nothing left to give right now. I just wanted Roe to take me home. I mouthed out Rowan's name, and he ran off. I laid down on the cement, letting exhaustion take over. Find me…
Rowan
I looked around in a panic for Lottie; Joshua was right where I wanted him, then I lost him, and my worst fear came to fruition as my eyes moved over her form lying on the concrete. Her face was bloodied, and she grabbed at her neck, but didn’t lift herself from the cement.
“Charlotte!” I yelled. She was no longer moving, her hand laid loosely at her side moving. Running as fast as I could, I collapsed to my knees and brought her to my chest giving her a small shake.
“Open those beautiful eyes, Princess, please.” I didn't hear the slowing of gunfire as everyone started to give up. Tears welled up in my eyes. “You're not allowed to leave, Lottie.”
I peered at her neck, it wasn't broken, just badly bruised. The hand marks were prominent, any longer and he would have killed her, but I could hear her shallow breaths. I was done fighting, Charlotte needed me; we were going home. Thomas, Arthur, and the others had this.
“Good girl, nice even breaths.” I whispered, bracing one arm under her legs and the other cradling her head.
Carefully, I rose from the ground and carried her toward the car, but a shout in the distance caught my attention too late. The bullet ripped right through my shirt and hit my side painfully, passing through each layer of skin. We almost made it. I tilted my head to the side and watched Walker's cowardly form take off with a sinister smirk. I silently commended Charlotte for the four gashes created in his ugly face.
I staggered leaning against the car and slid down, mindful not to drop Lottie.
“Roe,” she called out weakly. “Are we home?”
“No Princess, but it's over. I figured you would want to lay with me and watch the sunset before we did.”
We wouldn't be watching anything.
Not anytime soon.
She was starting to wake up and soon she would realize the situation, so I took her hand in mine and squeezed gently.
“Hey, Lottie?” I asked, choking back a painful sob.
“Why are you sad? I'm just tired. I'll be ok tomorrow.”
“Do you think if we had a chance to go back, and do it right the first time, would you have?”
“I wouldn't have changed anything between us Roe, I love you,” her voice crackled as she spoke, and I’d hoped she would let someone take care of her. If it couldn't be me. I could hear the wheezing through her words.
“Freedom would have been nice,” I breathed. I could feel my pulse slow, and my limbs become numb. “Freedom would have allowed me to love you longer.”
“What do you mean?”
I grunted in pain as I reached around to unclasp my chain and draped it loosely in her hand. Kissing her tired lips one last time, tears cascaded down my face and my head rested on the car door.
Looking straight ahead I saw the bodies on the ground and wondered what all of it was for, then I looked down and remembered, letting the last thing I saw be her sleeping form.
Thank you for being mine.
Thank you for giving me a reason to breathe.
You're safe and I can rest now.
“I love you.” I whispered, playing with a strand of her hair until my finger stilled with the rest of my body.
Charlotte
I don’t know how long I was out, but when my eyes opened and adjusted to the setting sun, I turned my head. Bodies were littered around and some of Joshua’s men were on their knees, guns pointed at them, but what confused me was Thomas; he was on his knees...crying.
“Rowan, something isn’t right,” I whispered. But there was no response.
“Rowan?” I said again weakly sitting up, still, he didn’t move.
I sat up on my knees and leaned forward, placing my head on his chest, there was no pulse.
He was still warm, and I looked into his open eyes. I felt it in the air, but I couldn't accept it.
“Rowan, please wake up,” I sobbed into his shirt. “I need you, please come back. Who’s going to protect me if you go?”
After some time my sobs quieted, and I moved my fingers to his eyes, closing them gently, and stood up wiping the tears and blood from my face. Joshua will never escape me now. I have no one left, so I have all the time in the world.
My gaze darkened and I turned around, walking over to Thomas.
“Stand up, you’re embarrassing me,” I ordered and held out my hand to help him up.
“Is this who is left?” I asked Arthur.
“Joshua and a few others got away, but the majority of them are dead, and we lost about seven, Rowan being eight.”
“Rowan’s gone.” I said in shock. “Roe is gone.” I repeated sadly before rage overtook me and I reached for Arthur's gun, pulling it from his waistband, unloading it between the eyes of every one of them but the last.
“Beg for mercy!” I yelled putting the gun at the back of his head. I didn't want to see his face.
“Please...Please I have a family,” he cried.
“Well, you robbed me of a chance to create mine. Try again!” I barked.
“I’ll leave the life for good, leave everything behind and disappear. I’ll---”
“Say his name,” I demanded, pushing the gun further into his thick head.
“Rowan Anderson,” he spit out.
I drew back striking him in the back of the head, and as soon as he went down, I emptied four bullets into his head, and turned to my men.
“We do not rest until every single Walker has been eliminated, am I understood!” I called out confidently. I would no longer be taking opposition. And they all nodded in agreement.
“Lottie,” Thomas tried.
“No!” I interrupted falling to the ground as fresh tears clouded my vision. “No.”