Chapter Seventeen #2
I’m not one hundred percent capable of taking my own advice. What if she is judging me? What if she thinks I'm weird? Taylor is a good, decent person, she’s nothing like me.
Before I second guess myself, I put her number into my phone. I may never use it and can delete it if I move on from Baltimore. Picturing Callum’s face, I wonder if that is something I’m ever going to do.
Another night and day pass with no word or sign of Callum.
He knows I’m in his house so hasn’t forgotten about me.
I’m going stir crazy with how quiet it is here and even resorted to pulling up my fake social media profile so I can check on Stephen, Adeline and Blair, something I haven’t done in a long time.
There are continuous tribute posts to their mother, along with veiled, obscure comments about retribution, betrayal and cowardly behavior.
All aimed at me. Of course they don’t put it on social media but I know what they’re doing behind the scenes, it's partly why I ran and kept running.
It hurts to see my father in the photographs. He lost the life in his eyes after mom died. It felt like he was on autopilot and was glad when Helen came into his life and basically took it over. He didn’t have to think anymore because she took control over everything.
I lost both my parents the day he married her, and we moved into their huge house in Woodside.
I’m still not sure what she got out of the marriage. Not to be disparaging but we didn’t have anywhere near what they did. But what we did have, once upon a time, was love.
One thing that did come out near the end, and made a little more sense about why Helen did it, was that she went to the same middle school as my mom and they were enemies.
Could a grown woman want to get back at an old rival, who was already dead, by marrying their partner? And taking in her daughter and treating her like shit.
Not a normal one. Helen was not normal.
I hate this, sitting here alone in the silence is bringing back too many memories and giving into the temptation to check up on them is proof of that. It doesn’t look as if they’ve traced me here, so I shut the page and lock my phone.
In less than ten minutes I’m behind the wheel of Callum’s car and driving toward Elegance. It’s the only place I know where I can go and quiet the noise in my head. When I pull up inside the lot Walker and Leo are outside holding the door open, and the dancers are heading out.
“What’s going on?” I ask Tami as she passes on the way to her car.
“Beast closed up for the night,” she shrugs and walks on.
That’s weird. Why would he do that?
“Charley, why are you here, you know Beast told you to take a few days,” Lily comes over to me.
“I was bored. Why is the club closing?”
“Do you think they tell us anything? Not that the girls are concerned, we’re still getting paid. Plus a bonus for being accommodating,” she deepens her voice for that last part. Not sure who she is imitating, but it’s kind of funny.
“You drove down here for nothing.”
Walker sees me and comes over, asking me if everything is okay. I like Walker, he’s good to the dancers, looks out for everyone. He reiterates what Lily said, that the club will be back open as normal tomorrow and we should get ourselves home and enjoy the free night off.
Easy for him to say. Lily is watching me as I turn back to the car. “What?”
“You came here because you’re bored,” she smirks.
“It’s too quiet by myself. I’ve been going stir crazy.”
“It’s been two days since that man almost attacked you, Charley.”
“Key word almost.”
“You shouldn’t be so blasé about it. It’s a good job Nashville went looking for you. Why is that by the way?” We’ve walked back to the BMW, and she gives me a knowing grin.
“It’s not like that,” I lie. “I had some trouble with my car and he helped me out.”
“And where you’re living?” She leans against the SUV and gives me a look. The kind that says she knows more than I thought she did. “I’m not the only one who noticed.”
“What?”
“Relax, Ellie shut everyone down.”
“Oh shit,” I close my eyes. How does everyone know?
“Don’t worry, he’s hot,” she winks.
“It’s not-”
“Like that,” she cuts me off. “Yeah, you’ve said that.”
Her laughter should irritate me, but she is such a genuine kind person I can’t get mad. She also isn’t judging me like some of the other women would. They’d be right, I have had sex with him. It’s nothing like what they would think.
Callum is different with me. Or maybe I’m just being a foolish girl. I haven’t heard from him in two days. What if he is hoping I leave and isn’t coming back till I’ve gone?
Ellie knows. Jesus.
“The place I was staying before was sketchy and he didn’t like me staying there. He did me a favor that’s all.”
“Is it though?”
“Lily,” I unlock the doors and open the driver side. “I’m looking for a new place. In fact, I have a few lined up to check out.”
It’s not a total lie. I have saved a few places. After this, I’ll be contacting them first thing tomorrow.
“Why don’t we go get a drink now that we have nothing to do. You can give me a ride in this sexy beamer. I’ve never put my ass on something so fancy,” she winks and opens the door before I can protest.
Given I don’t know the area she suggests a bar and gives me directions.
“I’m not going to pry, but Nashville has always seemed like one of the good ones at the club. He’s fun and flirty and respectful. What’s it like staying with him?”
If only she knew the other side of him, the one that is not fun and respectful, but what most people would consider scary, even if I don’t.
“He’s a friend helping me out. That is all.”
“You’ve tried to spy on him in the shower though, right?” she laughs.
“Oh my God, shut up,” I laugh.
“I would.”
“That’s kind of pervy, Lily.”
“He’s seen your tits, why can’t you see his ass?”
“Shut up,” I repeat, trying not to laugh.
She doesn’t have to say anything for me to know exactly what she is thinking. She’s not a million miles off the truth.
It’s not until we’re pulling close and I see all the motorcycles that I realize where we are. I glare at her.
“What? It’s a fun place.”
“He’s out of town,” I roll my eyes, suspecting what her plan was bringing me here.
“Who said we were coming for him. Come on, I’m thirsty and look at that guy,” she points at one of the men climbing off his motorcycle.
He has a helmet on so we can’t see his face, but he is tall and stocky and Lily is practically drooling.
“Charley… I never get to do anything fun like this. Please come inside.”
“Fine, but I’m driving so no alcohol.”
She claps her hands and gets out of the car. Despite myself I am kind of looking forward to it. My fake ID is in my purse, but I’m not risking drinking anything while getting behind the wheel of a car.
My heart begins to pound and I suck in a breath as Lily walks around the front of the car and waves at me to hurry.
Lily links my arm as we walk towards the bar. It’s busy given it’s a Friday night, a few bikes outside and as we step in I notice plenty of men wearing the Blackhawk Disciples vest, but there are a lot of other people here too.
We’re heading to the bar when I notice him and come to a halt.
Lily loses her grip on my arm and turns to look at me, then where my focus has gone. I barely hear anything she is saying as she takes my arm again. Snippets of her words breaking through the absolute rage I feel.
At myself, for ever thinking there could be anything more than sex between me and Callum.
Nashville.
He’s leaning against the bar, standing between the legs of a beautiful woman who is smiling up at him from her stool. Someone hands him a drink and he smiles, then looks back to the woman.
“Come on,” Lily, takes my arm. “We can go somewhere else.”
I allow her to lead me back out, all the while the wall I’d been letting down is rebuilding brick my brick inside my chest.
“I knew there was more to this,” Lily is still talking as she leads me to the car. “Honey, he’s not worth it. Most men are dumb shits.”
“I’m fine.”
She stops by the car and stares at me. I’m shutting down. It’s my own fault. Nashville never said there was anything going on. I was a warm body in his house that he got to play with for a while.
Oh God, how can I go back to his house.
“Let’s go get your things and you can come stay with me. I have a roommate but she won’t mind.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes you can. You’re not going back to that house.
You don’t have to tell me what happened, but it’s clear this hit you hard and I’m not letting you go back there for him to come back after that.
I mean, it might not be what it looks like but…
even still. Girl code. You said yourself you’re looking for a place, a couple of nights with me is no different from a couple more at his.
Except you won’t feel like shit,” she adds. “Charley?”
I break out of my tumbling thoughts and nod at her. Yeah. That sounds like a really good idea.