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“Where did it come from?” I throw the now opened envelope onto my desk and wait for the twins to answer.
Julius stays silent, as always, while Lucas keeps his eyes glued to the floor. His swollen cheek and bruised nose show my message was received loud and clear last night.
“I don’t know. The guard from that night never reported anything suspicious. Said he never saw anything either other than Cameron, but the note was there before he showed up. That’s the only lead we had.” Lucas shrugs weakly.
I pull the paper from the envelope and reexamine the words. They are typed in bold black ink. The paper is thin and has many creases as if it had been folded and unfolded multiple times.
You belong with me, and I will have you. Mark my words, Charlotte.
“It’s been four weeks. I expected answers by now. Go find them!” I yell.
Both Lucas and Julius stand and exit my office as Charlie walks in. She doesn’t move with the same authority she used to. Instead, she walks light on her feet, almost like she’s scared to make noise, and keeps her eyes on me.
“Can we talk?” she squeaks, sitting in front of me.
I nod and push the envelope and folded paper toward her. “What is this?” she asks, picking it up.
“Maybe you can tell me,” I reply.
Her eyes scan the page, then shoot back to me.
“That’s the envelope that was in the duffel bag the day you made that bank run and ran into Cameron.”
“Lucas said it was expense reports.”
I nod. “He did because he thought it was something I put in there. Instructions or something else for my ‘death.’”
Her face melts the slightest bit with my words. “Who left this?”
I tell her the truth. “I don’t know.”
Fear replaces her expression, and suddenly all I want to do is reassure her. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Monkshood. Messing with me is one thing. Messing with what belongs to me is another. It’s a death sentence.” The words come out harsher than expected, but I don’t try to correct them.
I reach across my desk and run the back of my hand along her cheek. She flinches, then hardens under my touch. I almost feel bad. Almost. I’ve been too soft with her. Now it’s time to let her know I don’t play. It’s time to show her the real man she claims to love.
I lean back in my chair and chuckle. “You can leave now.” I wave my hand toward the door.
She tips her head and squints her eyes. “Who are you?”
I look behind me, then back to her while motioning to myself. “Me?” I inhale and exhale slowly. “I’m just a man questioning all he’s done for a woman who clearly doesn’t love him the same way.”
She stands quickly with glassy eyes zeroed in on me. “That’s bullshit and you know it, Teddy. I have never loved any man the way I love you. I’ve left all I know, broken my own moral code, all just to be with you. I look past all of the terrible shit you do because I fucking love you!And you know what? Sometimes I can’t fucking stand it!” She throws her hands up. “Even now, right this second, I can’t stand how much I love you. You’re treating me like dirt, and I’m still ready to jump when you tell me.”
I lick my lips and watch as her body shakes with anticipation for my next words. “Jump, then, Charlotte.”
Her shoulders slouch and her head falls with a sad chuckle. “Fuck you.”
I stand and circle my desk. Stopping in front of her, I grip her chin and bring her face to mine. “What was that?”
She squares her shoulders and jerks out of my grip. There she is. The Charlie I know.
“I said, fuck you.”
A smile spreads across my face as I catch a glimpse of Lucas in the doorway out the corner of my eye. I’m not sure why he’s back. I know he doesn’t have answers, but what better time to show him Charlie really is mine.
“How about I just fuck you instead?” I whisper, turning her back toward the door and tucking my head into her hair.
Her body tenses again as I move to look at her. I can see the anger burning in her eyes, and the lust she can’t deny.
