plan had already been destroyed by Wallace’s greed. I doubted he would have ever taken the risk of leaving me alive, regardless of any promise I may have made.
“Pardon me?”
“You never intended to let me leave that house.”
He smirked. “Think about it, though.” His laugh was almost indecisive. “If you had been here when Wallace rummaged through the place, you’d surely be dead by now. Sort of funny, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I grimaced. “Hilarious.”
“You really are too smart for your own good, young lady.”
The words hung in the air like something heavy. I didn’t know what else to say. How could I respond to something like that? Perhaps Ben wouldn’t hurt me or order anyone else to do so for the sake of Charlie. But that very well could be the only reason for his mercy.
I went slack at the sound of Charlie’s footsteps. I knew they were his just from the swiftness of the steps alone, and I was monumentally grateful that he was coming back to me.
Charlie’s eyes darted from me to Ben before settling on Ben. “What did you do?”
I felt myself light up, ready to dive into him if he would let me.
Ben looked me over and returned his glance to Charlie. “Oh nothing. We were just discussing things.”
“Outta here,” he instructed. “Now.”
Ben smiled at me and took his leave. While I was glad for his honesty, I was even happier to see him go. There was only so much honesty I could handle in a single sitting.
After a moment of shushed whispers and more profanity, Charlie returned. I was practically bouncing on the bed, overjoyed to have him to myself.
“Are you okay?” He smiled as he sat next to me.
“Right as rain.” I looked toward the sky.
His smile grew wider. “What did I tell you ‘bout lying?”
I nuzzled myself against his arm and felt the muscle go slack there. “What did I tell you about getting angry all of the time?”
He tensed again, but pushed himself closer to me. “Everybody ‘round here talks too much. I walk in here and you look like you’re ‘bout to keel over.” He pulled my face away from his, squaring my chin between his hands so I was forced to look him in the eye. “Ben telling you things he shouldn’t have?”
I shrugged, tried to seem indifferent. “Only true things.”
He growled low in his chest and pulled me back to him. “I oughta start welding lips shut.”
“It’s okay. They were things I needed to hear.”
We were silent for a few moments and I enjoyed the feeling of his heartbeat aligned with my own. I listened and waited, only after several moments realizing that I hadn’t been counting them.
“You sure you’re okay?”
I laughed again and nodded into his shirt. I could smell the fresh scent of soap and cigarettes. I squeezed him tighter.
“Yes.” I quivered as I felt his lips on my forehead. “You know, if the circumstances were different, you wouldn’t have to be so protective of me.”
He laughed. “That ain’t hard to imagine. You got more than enough in that pretty little head of yours to take care of yourself.”
I pulled away and sat up. It felt good to stretch the muscles that had gotten cramped. “What were you and Ben talking about just now?”
Charlie’s eyes followed my expression. “There’s some food missing from the pantry, kind of stuff nobody would think to look for.”
I froze. So Wallace definitely was here. There was no denying the danger Charlie was in now.
I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth. “I see.”
He stood up then, wrapping his arms around me when he saw me shiver. “It’s still okay, right?”
I nodded and leaned into him. “I’m sorry, Addie. I won’t let you be afraid of me again.”
Chapter 14
I sat back on the bed, bundled up in one of Charlie’s sweatshirts. I zipped it all the way to my chin and pulled the hood over my head, basking in the Charlie smell. It was helpful, as my clothes were still soaking wet. I also sipped from time to time at the water Charlie brought for me, trying not to chug it all and hear the swooshing in my empty stomach.
“I’m sorry your sketchbooks got trashed.” Every few minutes I would plow my brush through my hair, desperately trying to detangle the mess. Charlie watched me as I paced the room. I saw his eyes lull as he sat on the bed, hesitating to reopen after blinking.