Charlotte
Chapter 7
Charlotte
“ S nakes?” Sniffling again, I look up and lock eyes with Javier. “Yeah, I seem to have a lot of those around me lately. They just come out of nowhere and think they can dictate my life.”
I see Javier’s grandmother look at him and then at me. She clearly feels the tension in the room but so far, is choosing to stay silent.
“Abuela will direct you to the customs of my people and help you plan our wedding. You can do it willingly and end up with the wedding of your dreams, or you can resist…” He lets his words hang in the air for a beat before he continues, “Although, I don’t think you are prepared for what will happen if you do. Either way, we will be bound together, and you will learn to accept this. Abuela is going to help you pick out an appropriate wedding dress. Oh, and you will be expected to convert as we are strict Catholics.”
“Javier, you aren’t listening. I can’t marry you. I’m engaged to someone else.”
Slapping his hands on the table, Javier picks up the stack of photos. “You still intend to marry a worthless cheater? Someone who is fucking your best friend?”
“I have no choice; my father demands it. He’s not an easy man to defy.” I can’t help but look away in shame as my face heats.
“Neither am I! Your father is dirty as fuck and sold you out for the cocaine he lost. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“My father is a cop, not a drug dealer. He wouldn’t have anything to do with cocaine.” I try to convince myself as much as him when I say it.
“Eat your dinner, Charlotte.”
“I’m not hungry.” Standing up, I push my chair in and head back upstairs, my mind racing. I know I can’t run because my father’s life is at risk, but I just need time and space to process everything Javier said.
With only a few days until the wedding, I must prepare to marry a stranger who could kill me if I put one foot out of line.
Frustrated, I roll over in the strange bed that feels like I’m sleeping on a cloud. Since leaving dinner, I’ve tried to think of a way to put an end to this nonsense, or at least get some answers.
I need access to a phone so I can call my father. There’s no way that he sold me to a mobster. My father has always been selfish and conceited, and at times, even cold towards me, but I still can’t imagine him trading me from one fiancé to another.
Then, a little voice in the back of my head niggles and says, “Can’t you though? He forced you to date Eric, then he persistently bullied you into saying yes to the engagement.”
That’s when I hear a knock at the door.
As if they can shield me from whatever is on the other side, I pull the covers a little tighter around me before I say, “Come in.”
The door opens, and Javier’s grandmother enters the room. Immediately, my eyes tear up and my nose burns. As Stella makes her way over to me, she opens her arms, taking me in and pulling me close.
“I’m so sorry, Carino.”
I sniffle then tilt my head to the side. Carino . I remember Javier calling me that.
“What does that word mean?” I ask her.
“Sweetheart.”
Abuela holds me as I cry. “Why me?”
“Look at me, sweet girl.” She uses her finger to lift my chin and our eyes meet. “I know my grandson seems harsh and uncaring, but I promise you, he’s a good man. He was raised by my son who was cruel and enjoyed causing Javier pain, but that boy has always been good to me. I know he will care for you. You must accept him as your husband.”
“How can you ask me to marry a stranger?”
“Carino, you were going to marry a man who was having sex with your best friend behind your back. Now, tell me, did you love that man?”
My head drops as I look at the floor and my cheeks heat. “No, I can’t say that I love Eric. I guess that’s why it doesn’t bother me so much that he was sleeping around. The betrayal and heartbreak have more to do with losing my best friend than him.”
“You must be careful, Charlotte. I promise you that anyone who hurts you will end up on the wrong end of Javier’s wrath, and that’s a dangerous place to be. I had no idea that his man assaulted you, but you heard what he did to remedy that. It’s harsh and disgusting but Cartel life isn’t for the weak. If Javier shows weakness, he will end up dead.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of that nasty man touching me between my legs. When Javier said he’d licked my essence off the filthy fucker so he couldn’t have any part of me, as feral as it sounded, it turned me on. What does that make me?
“Can you do something for me, Charlotte?”
“Of course, Stella.”
“Give him a chance. Let’s plan the wedding and get you with a priest to be baptized. You don’t really have a choice, Charlotte. Trust me; I know Javier will treat you like his queen. As Jefe’s wife you will be expected to attend social events and charity functions. You will have a great responsibility as La Reina.”
“How can we do all that in less than a week?”
“Honey, give Abuela seventy-two hours. We’ll get it done.” Abuela places her hands on either cheek and kisses my forehead. “Promise me you’ll be open-minded and do what’s necessary to get this wedding done.”
“I promise, I’ll try.”