“Anytime!” I offer sincerely. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
Charlie shakes out a huge white towel and then rolls it neatly and places it beside the folded clothes she propped on the counter. “And yes, Mal like the French. He was an enforcer…Big BullyI called him when we met, but he got me out of my situation because of that fear he’d honed.”
“And he quit it all to work here?” I can’t keep the disbelief out of my tone, and Charlie’s narrow eyes tell me she caught it.
“Hey! No need to sound so surprised. He’s very good at applying his skills as a butcher. It was a natural progression once he stepped down from that lifestyle.” Well, damn. It makes perverse sense. Clearly, knives have always been Koko’s thing. Twistedly romantic too, when you think about it.
“He did it for you?”
She shakes her head. “For himself…but maybe I encouraged him to go for his dreams a little sooner than he might have done.” She giggles. Personally. I think he’d have done anything for Charlie. He still would.
My phone buzzes. The shock of the vibration almost has me leaping out of my skin.
I pull it out and see Aiden’s name lighting up the screen.
I’ll be out back in fifty minutes. Wait for my text before leaving the building. Cover your hair and face if you can.
I show Charlie the message. She squares her shoulders and nods. “Shower quickly. Leave the door unlocked; I’ll be coming in.”
I don’t even question her. These last few days have taught me not to waste my time or energy trying to see every piece of the bigger picture. Sometimes you just had to trust that others knew how to do their part.
Chapter Three
Istare at myself in the mirror. I’m accustomed to seeing a stranger now, but this really isn’t me. She’s tired, but what’s new? Great, shadowy bags support her shrunken-in eyes. Her skin is sallow and dry. Her lips are pinched with insecurity. As she watches me shuffle back and forth, I hear her voice in my head.What the hell are you doing, Jules?I can’t answer her, so I run my hands through my newly dyed hair and watch her do the same.
“Do you like it?” Charlie asks, bounding into the bathroom with a bundle of dark clothing.
Do I?I really can’t say. “You did a great job. I just look…different,” I respond, avoiding her question.
“But you don’t like it, do you?”
“It’s just going to take some getting used to.”
“Well, you’re no longer the blonde girl they’re looking for, and with that tint of red running through the brown, we could probably pass you off as my sister.” She runs her fingers through the auburn streaks within the chestnut and smiles.
“What if they’re waiting outside? They might think I’m you.”
“Probably a good thing if they do.” Her gaze flits over my expression and she sighs. “But if you really hate it, just wash your hair every other day for a few weeks and it’ll come right out. It’s not permanent, and we barely gave it enough time to set in your hair, so it’s not going to last long.
I’m a little relieved it won’t be sticking around. I get why we did it, and it made perfect sense when Charlie came charging in with the already proving bottle of chemicals, but the chestnut-haired girl in front of me is just another example of how far removed I’m becoming from myself.
But you can’t cling to the past, Jules. Why would you even want to?the voice in my head wonders. She might have a point. My past isn’t worth remembering, and I’ve been trying to escape who I am for years…so why doesn’t this feel right?
“Here. It’s a baseball cap, so it’ll fit, and this is one of Koko’s workout hoodies.”
“That’s going to drown me.”
“It’ll also cover your shape. Finish plaiting your hair and we can tuck it inside.”
“Yes, Mum.”
Charlie’s ever-present smile falls. “Am I being too pushy?”
Reaching around Charlie, I squeeze her tight. “I’m sorry that came out harder than I intended. I think I’m just worn out from everything. You’re being perfect. I’m grateful to you and Koko both. You saved me tonight.”
“Don’t forget Ben,” Charlie adds, that smile creeping back to her lips in the form of a sly smirk.
“I haven’t,” I laugh. “I’ll thank him too.”
