Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Hayes
The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls mixed with bacon hits my nose as I open the door to my mom's house.
"Ma!" I bellow as she comes out of the hallway.
Drew shoves me from behind, trying to get to Mom first. I hook my left leg around his right before he can, though, effectively tripping him.
I throw my arms around my mom, pulling her into me while she laughs. "Missed ya, mom!"
Drew takes her from me and plants a kiss on her cheek. "But I missed you more." We've always been like this, pretending to fight to be my mom's favorite.
"Come on, boys! You two are as thin as a fiddle string.
" She brings us into the kitchen and shows off the entire feast she's made.
Sausage links, patties, and bacon fill up an entire tray.
Scrambled and fried eggs rest on another.
Waffles, hash browns, cinnamon rolls, and muffins are placed throughout.
"You invite the neighborhood?" Drew asks mom incredulously.
"Nope, just know how much you two can eat, and I haven't been able to cook for anyone for a while. I was too excited this morning to sleep, so I made all your favorites!"
He laughs and shakes his head. "I will devour it all, single-handedly if I have to. Where's Char at though?"
Just hearing her name sends chills through my body.
Neither of us have heard back from her and I’ve sent more than one message on her birthday.
The fact she hasn’t responded yet only made us try harder.
We even tried to go around my mom, but Everett said he hadn’t talked to her since her twenty-first birthday and Odessa was taking a similar route as my mom, avoiding the topic all together.
"Let's start eating and then we will talk." She makes a beeline for the kitchen without looking our way.
My hackles instantly raise and Drew must have the same feeling because he looks at me with a familiar sense of unease.
We grab a plate, fill it up high, and then say grace.
As soon as mom is done with the prayer, I start my inquisition.
"Where's Charlie?"
Mom squares her shoulders and lifts her chin, meeting my gaze with determination.
"Charlie decided that she needed a break and a fresh start somewhere new. She borrowed the motorhome at first, but when she found a place she wanted to stay, she brought it back." The fork I was holding slips from my hand and lands on the glass plate with a loud clatter.
Drew's says, "What the fuck?” At the same time, I’m saying, “Why the fuck didn't you tell us?"
"I’ll excuse your language toward me this time, but don’t you boys let it happen again.” She scolds us like we are fifteen instead of twenty-seven.
“Charlotte asked me not to tell you until you were home safely. She was worried about you two. She calls once a month through an app, like clockwork. I spoke to her yesterday."
Drew’s thumbs begin their rhythmic tapping on the table as he asks, "Why an app?"
"She doesn’t want anyone to know where she is. It’s one of those untraceable data scrambling ones. She gave me permission to tell you what happened, but I need you both to promise you will not fly off the handle. You will sit, eat, and listen."
My eyes instantly snapped to Drew’s; neither of us prepared for what’s coming.
"Charlie was attacked by her neighbor, Carter Burch. He developed an obsession with her and then broke into her home. Twice." She gives me a pointed look, while my stomach rolls with nausea.
"You were there for the first break-in. The second time, she was in the shower. He was standing in her bathroom when she got out. She, well, to be frank, beat the shit out of him."
All the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks as my brain churns over the details my mom continues to share.
I got it so wrong. I left my girlfriend, the love of my life, in danger because I was poisoned to believe that she would cheat on me.
That's what everyone around you tells you.
There are no faithful women. They all cheat while you're deployed, training, or doing whatever the hell the Navy tells you to be doing.
I've hated her. I've missed her like crazy.
I've spent the last eighteen months going over every detail of that night.
The look of betrayal she gave me. The sadness when I didn't believe her.
The memory mixes with the sight of that guy in her bed, the flowers everywhere, and her scared look.
I thought it was just because she'd been caught.
But, no. It was because some man had broken into her apartment and violated her space.
And then, to top it all off, I left her there with him.
Drews thumbs up the pace, but he hasn’t said anything. Neither of us has eaten a single bite as we stare at the food. The guilt and shame we both suddenly possess hover between us in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"The police found him knocked out in her bathroom. He was taken to the hospital and then booked. She left a few days after that and hasn't wanted anyone to know where she is. She came home for the trial and testified but flew back out the day after.”
"He in jail now?" Drew looks up, and I know exactly what he’s thinking and why he’s asking. If he's out, he's dead.
Mom nods her head and says, "Prison. Because of his previous offense, they gave him five years, but he could be out sooner."
“Previous offense?” I growl out.
“A similar thing happened before. He was obsessed with a girl but they were minors. He got away with a slap on the wrist. Although, Harvard did revoke his admission and scholarship. He’s as smart as he is evil, a dangerous combination.”
“For fuck’s sake!” Drew slams his palms on the table and stands up.
My mom arches one eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. He sits back down and takes a deep breath, puffing his cheeks out and shaking his head while he huffs.
When he looks calm again, I say to my mom, "I need to talk to her."
"No.”
My jaw clenched so hard that it tickled, but I waited for her to continue.
“I told her yesterday that you'd be in town and she said she would think about talking to you next month. I know it sounds hard, but I'm respecting her wishes."
I nod my head despite knowing full and well that I will not be respecting her wishes. I'm finding her today. Hopping on a flight and bringing her back home. If it means not renewing my Navy contract and getting out, then so be it.
I will fix this mistake.
Drew and I both start texting under the table, formulating a plan.
Now that we know she’s hiding, we can put all of our energy into finding her over the next few days.
Considering the two of us have more skills and connections than most, we should be able to find her before Drew has to be back in California.
Three days later, Drew and I were in the same spot as the day we found out.
We each spent hours breaking into her accounts, only to find each one had been inactive since her twenty-first birthday.
I was able to get the name of the app that she’s been using to talk to my mom and Odessa, but beyond that, I have no idea how to add her or unscramble the data.
Charlie completely vanished and turned into a ghost in the wind.
Drew and I finally decided it was time to call in reinforcements and head back to California. He has a big Team move coming up, and I need to put in my exit packet. Before we left, though, we both agreed we needed to meet with one person before we left.
Detective Paul. A portly man who looks like he’s close to retiring.
The first time I called him, he laughed for nearly three minutes.
His exact words were, “Your momma told me this would happen. You’d call and try to raise all sorts of hell to find your girl.
Well, I got news for ya son; I don’t know where she’s at.
” His southern accent was so thick that even I had a hard time understanding him.
He did agree to meet with us, though, so on our way to the airport, we stopped by the Columbia Police Department to have a chat.
When we got there, he grinned from ear to ear at first. It wasn’t until we sat down in his office and he opened up the file that his smile disappeared. His entire demeanor flipped the second he looked at the first page.
“Here’s the deal. Carter Burch is a spoilt-rich, arrogant, son-of-a-bitch. He’s also smart, as all get out.”
Drew and I tensed simultaneously, our muscles locking tight as we listened to him. We’re both sitting in chairs, facing a man who is supposed to tell us we shouldn’t be worried; however, he’s doing the complete opposite.
“He was raised by his paternal grandparents from birth and they gave him whatever he wanted. When Charlie didn’t immediately fawn all over him, it fueled his obsession.
We searched his apartment. It was worse than you could imagine—worse than we wanted Charlie to even know.
After she gave her testimony, we asked her to step out of the courtroom.
I don’t know if she would have ever recovered after seeing all the images he had of her.
He broke into the front office of the complex, made a duplicate key to her apartment, and then hid at least fifteen cameras all over her apartment. ”
“Fucking hell.” Drew groans from the seat next to me.
I can’t even respond right now; my jaw is clenched so hard that I’m going to need dental work.
The haze of anger clouds my better judgment and all I can think about is how the hell I’m going to kill this guy.
I don’t even care if I get away with it.
No man who does that deserves to walk this earth, even if he is walking it behind bars.
“Leaving town was the best thing she could have done for her mental health. When I first met her, she was scared and broken. The woman who came back to testify was a woman with strength and resilience. She walked into the courtroom with her head held so high that I knew she could overcome anything life threw at her.” He let out a mirthless laugh and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Well, that, and I saw the aftermath of what she did to him. He looked like he had gone ten rounds with a trained cage fighter when I interviewed him.”
I feel my body slightly begin to relax. My breathing and heart rate started to return to normal. I’m so damn glad she kicked his ass, even though I wish she had never had to.
“What do we do now? He has a few more years left?” I ask, trying to gauge what Detective Paul thinks will happen in the future.
A long sigh comes from him and then he shakes his head.
“With good behavior, it could be less. I don’t have an answer to what you should do.
If she were my wife…” He looks up at his closed door and then looks me dead in the eye.
“Well, I wouldn’t hold this position any longer if she were my wife.
He belongs back with the devil, where he came from. ”
Drew and I exchange knowing glances. This guy is lucky he’s in prison.