Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Axel
The drive back to Nowhere was quiet as Charlie slept in the passenger seat beside me.
The day had been longer than I expected, but productive.
I knew that she needed to get out of the bar for a while and get some fresh air, but I hadn’t realized just how much she needed to be in a bigger city like Timber Falls.
Shopping with Charlie felt like the most natural thing ever, and I couldn’t help but imagine this being my life.
How wonderful would it be to take both of my girls to Timber Falls on the weekends and go shopping or do things we didn’t have in Nowhere?
Hell, if Charlie really loved it in Timber Falls, we could move there.
After moving to Nowhere, I vowed I would never leave, but suddenly I was reconsidering everything I thought I wanted when it came to Charlie’s happiness.
The lights were on inside the bar when I pulled up, which was odd given that I told Ashley and Lainy to close early tonight.
Ashley had texted me an hour ago to let me know everything was shut down and that she had locked up before she left.
It wasn’t often that she locked up for me, but the few times she had, she always turned the lights off.
I sat in the parking lot, staring at the bar as a sinking feeling filled my gut. I pulled out my phone and glanced at it long enough to find Jo’s name before returning my attention to the bar.
Before Jo could answer, Charlie stirred beside me, waking up as she looked around.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, panic in her voice as she sat up straight, fully awake now.
“Nothing, baby.”
I knew she knew I was lying, but I was thankful that she didn’t press any further when Jo finally answered the phone.
“What’s up?”
“Charlie and I just got back, and the lights are on inside the bar,” I said, refusing to look at Charlie because the look of fear on her face made my heart sink. “Are you close enough to come sit with Charlie while I check it out?”
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
Before I could reply, Jo hung up.
“I’m fine in the truck,” Charlie said, holding her shoulders back as she stared at the bar. “Go check it out, and I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll feel better once Jo is here,” I replied, noticing the way her body tensed and her fists clenched as she reacted to her name.
“At least one of us does,” she muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear.
I hadn’t forgotten about the dream Charlie had last night and knew it might be hard for her to see Jo right now, but I didn’t have many options.
I turned and faced Charlie, making sure she could see my face.
“I trust Jo with my life,” I said, noticing the way she tried to look away from me.
I reached over and gently pinched her chin between my fingers, pulling her attention back to me.
“But if it ever came down to it, I would choose your life over hers. Make no mistake about where my loyalty lies, Charlie. When I say that I will always protect you and the baby, I mean that with every fiber of my being. These aren’t just words that I’m saying, hoping you’ll trust me.
They’re words that I will die proving if I ever had to. ”
Charlie’s lower lip quivered as she stared at me, fighting the emotion that was etched on her face. Just then, Jo pulled up, throwing her Jeep in park before hopping out and walking over to my window. I rolled it down and turned up the heater to keep it from getting too cold for Charlie.
“If you give me your keys, I’ll go check it out,” she said, extending her hand.
“I don’t mind—”
“Just give me the keys, Axel.”
I knew that it wasn’t annoyance lacing her voice but rather her being on guard and wanting to protect Charlie.
I took the key to the bar off my keyring and handed it to Jo, watching as she headed inside and didn’t look back.
I reached over and placed my hand over Charlie’s as I held my breath and waited for Jo to let us know everything was alright.