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I’m at a complete loss, which is unlike me. I have something to say for every situation, but apparently, not this one.
We exit the elevator in silence and I unlock the apartment door. Doja comes running, a streak of furry black headed straight for her owner and Charlotte bends down to scoop the cat into her arms and hold her close.
“I missed you so much, Doja. I did,” Charlotte coos. Doja’s purring so loud she reminds me of the Chevelle’s engine.
“Oh, Miss Charlotte. You’re home.”
We both glance up to find Jasper standing in the middle of the living room, his hand resting on his chest, over his heart. Looking ready to keel over in utter relief. They lock eyes and Charlotte bursts into tears, scurrying over to him so he can hug both her and Doja close, offering comfort in murmured words and fatherly squeezes.
I watch them, still at a loss, envious of the easy relationship they share, which is ridiculous on my part. He’s her butler and familiar to her, but he’s also more than that. He’s the parental figure she never really got from her actual father growing up. Jasper is the one man she could count on. The one who took care of her from a young age. Who watched over her and made sure she was always safe.
I bet he hates that she ran off to Paris and had such a disastrous experience with that McFucker. He might even hate that dude as much as I do. Jasper and I, we have a lot in common.
We always want the best for Charlotte.
“Shall I draw a bath for you?” Jasper asks her at one point, minutes after they’ve finally withdrawn from each other and she’s still cuddling with Doja. I shake my head at him.
“I’ll take care of her tonight. You go get some rest,” I tell him.
Jasper sends me an appreciative look. “Thank you, sir, for finding her. I was worried. And guilt-ridden.”
“Oh Jasper.” Charlotte wraps him up in another hug, holding him close with Doja wedged between them before she releases him. “Don’t feel guilty. I was the dumb one who went down to meet Seamus without my phone.”
I visibly flinch at her saying his name out loud and it’s as if she realizes it a second too late, her guilty glance flitting to mine before she looks away.
“And without me,” Jasper reminds her.
That old softy would’ve tipped right over the moment McFartlick grabbed Charlotte but I just smile and humor him. I don’t want him feeling guilty. It’s not his fault Charlotte was abducted, even though he blames himself.
I take a lot of that blame too. I should’ve come home early. Why did I think Jasper could protect her? He’s done a pretty solid job so far, but she’s never dealt with a serious threat before.
And that asshole who used and abused her and fucking abducted her is a serious damn threat.
The moment Jasper leaves the room, Charlotte turns to face me, a little frown on her pretty face. “He feels guilty.”
“He’s felt guilty since the moment he called me and told me you were gone,” I admit.
Her frown deepens. “He was the first one to tell you what happened?”
“Actually no. Your uh,ex, sent me text messages with photos when I was still at the office.” I grimace just remembering those photos, tamping down the fury that wants to rise.
I’m not going to turn into a raging dick. Not in front of Charlotte, at least. She needs to be taken care of. And I need to be calm for her. She’s been through enough.
“Oh right.” Her gaze goes distant for a moment, as if she’s remembering the moment and I wish I could wipe her brain of the memory. “The photos. You know they were just for show.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“He kept me tied up in an empty room, but the tape over my mouth was really only for those photos. I had no idea who he was sending them to. I figured you and maybe my parents.”
Ignoring what she said about being tied up in an empty room, I admit, “Your parents don’t know.”
“About what happened to me?”
I slowly shake my head.
“Oh.” She drops her gaze, her attention just for Doja, who suddenly starts squirming in her arms. She lets the cat go, and Doja darts off, hiding under the coffee table. “They probably wouldn’t have cared anyway.”
Her softly spoken words grip my heart in a stranglehold. It kills me how she believes her family doesn’t care about her. And maybe she’s right, though I witnessed how quickly Finn and Grant went into action when they found out their sister had been abducted. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t have done anything.
