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“I don’t care what it was. I want him gone.”
Julius huffs. “I get this is important, but you know Charlie is protected. You know who isn’t though? The girl at the casino.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “Right now? Seriously, Jules?”
“Yeah, seriously. How can you not fucking care?”
“I do care!” I step close to him and lean into his face. “I just care about her more!” I point behind me to Charlie’s door.
“I’ve kept my mouth shut and gone along with everything you’ve wanted. I get it, she’s important. I care about her too, Lucas, but who cares about those other girls? No one!” His voice raises to match mine. “Why not get it all over with at once.”
I shake my head and step back. “I told you, once Emil is gone, we will fucking handle it. I don’t want to risk her or the baby’s life.”
“And I don’t either, but I’m smart enough to know if we do shit the right way, we won’t.”
Something in his voice tells me there is more to his feelings than he’s leading on. “What is it, dude? I get caring, but you would never put Charlie in danger for yourself let alone someone else.”
“Don’t even worry about it. I’ll handle it myself,” he says, shaking his head.
If growing up with him has taught me anything, it’s that once he gets to a point of being so passionate about something, it’s best not to question it. He’ll do nothing but shut down, then try something stupid to make a point.
“Whatever. Don’t be stupid, Jules.”
He grabs the axe leaning by the door, the one I’m assuming he cut some firewood with, then opens the door. “Don’t worry, brother. I won’t go on a bender and have a temper tantrum like you do when you don’t get your way.”
Before I can reply, he slams the door behind him.
“Lucas?” Her voice is raspy and low.
I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves before I turn around. “Morning.”
“What was that about?”
I walk to her and wrap my arms around her waist before kissing the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
She pulls away and gives me a look that could kill. “Stop treating me like a porcelain fucking doll. I can handle things. I won’t break.”
“I beg to differ,” I mumble.
She bites her lip and glares at me, then swings her fist into my ribs. I double over and gasp for the air the punch stole. “Fuck,” I cough.
“I’m sick of all of you treating me like I haven’t seen you all beat the shit out of someone or even like you haven’t beat the shit out of me. I’m pregnant, not stupid. The only reason you all even have this shit is because Teddy didn’t want me to deal with it unless I wanted to. Don’t ever forget that.”
The mention of Teddy’s name alone makes my blood boil. I guess I was hopeful that last night wiped every memory of him away, but I know shit doesn’t work that way. She’ll never forget him. He’s the one who made her who she is. Who made her hard and unapologetic.
“Tell me, Lucas. Or else I’ll just sit here and beat you all day. Don’t think I have any qualms about it.”
I finally look back up to her, and the realization hits me. Last night didn’t make her forget Teddy; it did something so much better. It brought back the old Charlie. The Charlie who can get down to business, who can run shit, the one who isn’t scared.
“We know where Cameron is,” I blurt.
Her hand moves to her stomach, and she clutches it like she’s protecting the baby inside. “Where?”
I reach out and run my fingers over her hand. “It’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you or Hale. I promise.”
“I asked where,” she retorts.
I drop my hand and take a step back. The hard, cold, uncaring part of her is definitely back. “In the middle of town. Maybe a block from your doctor’s office.”
“That isn’t a coincidence, Lucas.”
“I never said it was.”
“You did. I heard the whole conversation. I just wanted to see if you’d tell me,” she admits. “Him being there that day wasn’t a coincidence. It was planned. He wants me and he won’t stop till he has me, he made that very clear. Maybe he thought because we aren’t actively out looking for him, we just have Sloan watching things, that we’ve forgotten about him. He wanted to remind us he’s still around and not scared. He has nothing to lose.”
I run a hand over my face as all of Charlie’s words start to slowly process in my mind. One, she heard everything. She didn’t need me to repeat anything, she just wanted to see if I would. If I would tell her what’s going on. And two, Cameron. And she’s so fucking right about Cameron.
“The ones with nothing to lose are the ones you have to worry about,” I remark more to myself than her.
“I know.”
