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It was easy to say, but doing it…
The kettle whistled and clicked off. He turned away to pour water into two cups. He added milk and sugar, just the way I liked it.
"Thanks." I took the cup he handed me and held it for a while to let it cool. I might have a masochistic streak that included liking controlling men and assholes, but I didn't want to burn my mouth.
He nodded and went to get his own coffee. "Isn't your mother getting married today?"
That was the most conflicting part about all of this.
"Yes, but she doesn't need me there." If she knew everything, like I was certain she did, then I didn't wouldn't feel bad about missing her big day. She could have told me.
Better yet, she could have insisted I stay in Sydney. Far away from Dusk Bay and all the darkness and violence. I had a feeling I hadn't even scratched the surface of what went on here.
"Do you know Reuben Brantley? Or Caleb Brantley?" I blew softly on the surface of my coffee.
"I knowofthem," Charlie said carefully. "If the rumours are true, they're up to their eyeballs in some shady shit."
That was what I was worried about.
"What kind of shady shit?"
"I dunno," he admitted. "Illegal stuff. Stuff I don't want to know about, because it would shorten my life expectancy. Why? Do you think those guys are involved with them?"
"Maybe." And by that I meant it seemed highly likely. His confirmation also shone a light on my mother and Leo. Men like the Brantleys usually dealt in legal stuff too, to cover their tracks and look legit. For all I knew, Mum was only involved in that.
I remembered what Mannix said about Daisy Lasalle and her boyfriends being friends with the Brantley family. Did that mean they were also into shady shit?
Wait, did that also mean Zeke Brantley, lead singer of my favourite band, Wolf Venom, was also into shady shit? And the drummer, Asher. He was Ric DiMarco's cousin. If Daze and Ric were into shady shit, then Asher might be too. Hell, the whole band might.
Or maybe I was putting sixty-nine and sixty-nine together and getting six hundred and sixty-six. Just because they were related, didn't mean they shared the same interests, much less crimes. I was my mother's daughter and I'd never even had a speeding ticket.
My head spun so hard it hurt. All I was doing right now was jumping to conclusions. What did I do about that though? Should I go back, sit down with my mother and ask her for the truth? Would she give it to me? Would the guys let me leave again if I stepped foot back inside the gates?
Would they let me live, now I knew what I knew? A cold shiver of fear passed right through me. They hadn't given the man they killed any mercy. They wouldn't give me any if they decided I had to die.
My cup shook and I realised I was trembling. I managed to push the fear aside just enough to still my hands. That was all. I was half a thought away from full-blown terror. I should probably get some hair colour, dye my hair, and then get the hell out of Dusk Bay.
I realised my coffee was cool enough to drink and took a sip. I managed not to make a face at the taste. Go me. Since he'd gone out of his way to pick me up, the least I could do was not insult his coffee.
"What are you going to do about the gym?" Charlie asked. "If you're worried about them being into the wrong things, then them buying the gym might be suspect."
There was no, 'might be,' about it. Although the gym was probably one of those legal businesses they liked to have to cover their tracks. If it wasn't, did that mean I was some sort of accessory to something? In situations like these, often ignorance was no excuse. Especially if the guys had the resources to make it look like I was in deeper than I was.
Fuck in a plastic bucket.
On a scale of one to one hundred, how fucked was I? Any hint of suspicion could destroy any chance I ever had of running my own cybersecurity business. Or getting any kind of job working in my field. Or even one making coffee in a small café.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't know. It's probably the first place they'll look for me. Once they don't find me there…" It might not be safe for Charlie to go back to work, but what else would he do?
"I'll try to figure it out so you can keep it running," I said finally. It wasn't much, but it was all I could do right now. Vague promises were all I could manage.
"I'm sure everything will work out," he said with more certainty than I had. "Even if they are assholes, they won't want to disappoint the kids."
"I'm sure." I wasn't sure. Not at all.
I didn't think the kids were the guys' reason for buying the gym, or even in their top one hundred of their priorities. If they found out Charlie helped me, they may just as easily blow the entire gym up. That would be an enormous waste of money, but I doubted they'd feel it, in the scheme of things.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this." I regretted the day I stepped foot in the gym and met him. If I hadn't, he and Nicola could have gone on living their lives, never knowing I existed. Charlie should have been the last person I texted to help me out. This could all end so badly for him. For us both.
