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The silence wakes me. There are no sounds of cars driving by, or dogs barking. My first night here it never fazed me, but something about it doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s all the info that was laid on me earlier, or maybe I’m just crazy, but it’s too quiet to sleep.
I sit up in my bed, throw my legs over the side, and stand. I turn toward my door and make my way to it quietly. I open it, step out, then let it fall closed softly behind me. I shuffle along the marble hallway toward the kitchen, thinking maybe something to eat will help me fall back asleep. The floor is cold like the atmosphere within this place.
As I get closer, I hear someone muddling around. I round the corner and come face-to-face with someone I know well. “Dr. Kelly?” I squint my eyes as I approach him.
He looks up from the counter with a startled smile. He sets down the gauze he had in his hand, letting it fall beside all the tubes of antibacterial ointment and gloves on the counter. “Why, hello, Charlotte.”
I lean my hip onto the edge of the counter beside him. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on Theodore’s sutures. How are you feeling? Anything I can do for you?”
“You can start by telling me what’s going on. You’ve been my doctor, along with everyone else’s in this town, for years. How did you get tangled up with the Mafia?”
He chuckles, moving his hands around the counter grabbing everything and putting it into his old leather bag. “I didn’t get tangled up with them. I walked into all of this willingly.”
I tilt my head. “Why? Who would come into something like this willingly?”
His eyes turn sad, and his smile falls the slightest bit. “When it comes to love, you don’t question things like you should. Cedric, Theodore’s old boss, was someone close to me. He was my brother.”
His words sting. Not that they hurt me, but I know he must be hurting. I’ve never had siblings, but I know the pain I felt when I lost my dad. I’m sure he probably felt the same losing Cedric. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a brother.”
He chuckles again, letting his head fall. “We weren’t blood. Our folks were neighbors way back when. We grew up together but obviously took very different paths. Regardless, it never changed how I felt about him, and I made him a promise to watch over his boy.”
I nod, ready to ask more questions and see what I can get out of him. It may seem shitty, but I have things I need to do too. If my father wasn’t who I thought he was, maybe Dr. Kelly knew more about him. I open my mouth, but every question in the back of my mind dies on my tongue as Teddy hustles through the kitchen doorway, speaking to Dr. Kelly by his first name.
“Peter, I need you to stick around a bit longer. I have a feeling we may need you.” He shoves the cell phone in his hand into his pocket, then turns to me. “Why are you up? Is everything okay?”
Dr. Kelly nods to Teddy before setting his bag back down and leaving the room.
I watch as he walks out, then turn back to Teddy. “What’s going on?”
“You’ll answer me,” he demands.
“I’m fine. It’s just… too quiet.” Once the words leave my mouth, I feel even stupider than when they were only a thought. Who can’t sleep because it’s too quiet?
He nods in understanding but doesn’t ask anything more. “The Garcia family wants to meet. We haven’t had any problems with them before, but you can never be too safe.”
I stand tall, then turn toward the door. “Let me grab some shoes.”
Teddy’s rough hand wraps around my arm before I can move. “You aren’t coming, Monkshood. We don’t know what they want. I’m not going to put you in the crossfire of something bad if anyone tries something stupid.”
I yank away from him and lean my head up to look into his eyes. “I am going. This is precisely why I’m here, isn’t it?”
He doesn’t try and argue with me anymore. He drops his hand from me and motions toward the door before speaking again. “Put on something nice. If you’re going out with me, you will look decent.”
I curl my lip, ready to hurl an insult, but I think better of it. I don’t want to lose the opportunity of going and maybe learning more about my father. I rush out of the kitchen and hustle toward my room. I throw open the door and hurry toward the closet, flipping through all the dresses on the hangers once I’m inside.
I settle on a simple red dress that hugs all my curves with black heels that strap around my ankle. Once everything is in place, I go into the bathroom and let my hair down. My soft waves fall around my shoulders. I comb through them with my fingers, then push them back out of my face.
“This is it, Charlie. Show him what you’re capable of,” I tell myself in the mirror before turning off the light and walking out.
My heels tap on the marble floor, sending a soft clap throughout the house with every step I take. I straighten my shoulders and lift my head, trying to seem confident in my own skin. About halfway down the hall, a door opens to my left and Lucas steps out.
“Hey, pretty boy,” I tease, but he doesn’t speak. “Oh. You’re Julius, huh?” He nods.
My cheeks flush with embarrassment once I realize my mistake. “Why don’t you talk?” I ask, trying to steer away from my comment, but it does nothing more than make it worse.
“I’m sorry, that isn’t any of my business,” I blurt out.
