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I couldn't do anything but nod. Right now, I couldn't trust anyone, including myself. And I couldn't trust myself not to tell him everything. The last thing I wanted to do was to get him as involved in this as I was. If that happened, I wasn't sure he'd get out.
Hell, I wasn't sure ifIcould get out.
Chapter Two
Kennedy
Charlie's place was a small townhouse on the other side of Dusk Bay.
"I was meeting up with a friend when you texted. That's why I got there so quick." There was no off-street parking, so he pulled up next to the curb.
"That was lucky," I said. My tone was flat, but I'd spent most of the drive here looking out the back window to see if anyone was following. If they were, they did a better job of it than the driver of the car that followed me home from work the other night. As far as I could tell, all I saw were people going about their daily lives. What the fuck did I know though? I wasn't trained to detect people following me if they didn't want to be detected.
Charlie gave me a long look, but I didn't meet his eyes. I couldn't.
With fake cheer, he killed the engine and said, "This is the place. It's not as nice as the place you came from, but it's a roof over my head."
He pushed his door open and got out.
I checked again before doing the same.
“It's nice," I said politely. It was nothing special, but it was somewhere to be while I got my thoughts back together. For that, I was as grateful as hell. He could have ignored my text altogether. The fact he didn't, showed he had some balls at least.
"Yeah." He looked back down the street too, before he unlocked the door and let us both in.
The worn out front door was a good indication of what the inside would look like. Tired carpet in the living room led to tired linoleum in the small kitchen. Apricot coloured Formica bench tops were the perfect complement to apricot and white tiles with diagonal stripes. The oven looked older than me.
"Look… Thank you for helping me out." I turned to face him. "I know you're no fan of the guys."
If he knew what they did, he might not have helped me at all. If they figured out he helped me, that could put his life at risk. I'd have to figure things out quickly and be gone before that happened. I'd never forgive myself if I had Charlie's blood on my hands. Or anyone else's, for that matter.
"Anything for my boss," he said lightly. "Sit down, I'll make us both a coffee. Apologies in advance for it not being anything fancy." He flashed me a smile and stepped into the kitchen.
"It's okay." I stepped over to the couch which sat under the window, facing a small TV. I perched on the brown cushions and propped my arm on the armrest. It was covered with the same brown fabric, a hint of formerly shiny metal peeking out through a tear near the backrest. Pea green blinds rattled against the window when I sat.
The whole place was a testament to the truth in the belief that if you hang on to something for long enough, it would come back in style. Everything here screamed late-1970s. Some of it was probably worth a small fortune to antique collectors.
My mother would have hated it.
"I'll take any coffee right now." I'd settle for hot chocolate or tea right now too. Although, I could really use a double shot of something a hell of a lot stronger.
He filled up the electric kettle, set it down on the base and flicked it on. He turned and leaned his back against the bench.
"Are you ready to talk about what happened? Did they hurt you?"
"No," I said quickly. "They didn't do anything to me. It's—" I sighed out my nose. "It's complicated."
He looked like he really wished I'd give him more than that, but I couldn't.
What would I say? The guys aren't who I thought they were? We both knew that wouldn't fly. Not really. Apart from the bit about killing people, the guys didn't hold much back. Mannix was every bit as controlling and possessive as he displayed in front of Charlie.
I could honestly not say I was oblivious. I hadn't wanted to believe it. I wasn't ready to admit that, any more than I wanted to admit to liking how Mannix was.
There was something surprisingly hot about a man who knew exactly what he wanted and didn't hold back in telling people that. There was also something very hot about being wanted in the first place. I was used to being the nerdy girl in the corner who no one paid any notice to. To go from that to getting attention from three guys who basically looked like gods was heady.
No wonder I ignored my own instincts.
"It's always going to be complicated with people like them," Charlie said. "People like us are better off staying away from people like them."
