“No. I’ll just see him later.”
“Okay. I would invite you in, but there is no guarantee of how long he will be gone for.” I get an uneasy feeling creep over me. There is something about this woman that puts me on edge.
“No problem.” I force a smile. I still need to bear in mind that she is Luke’s boss. “Bye,” I say as I turn to leave.
“It was nice to see you again, Charlie,” I hear Andi say as I start to walk away. I don’t turn back around. Instead, I keep walking the way that I just came. I can feel her watching me as I get further away from the building. It makes my skin crawl.
I don’t believe that Luke got called out on an emergency. For all I know, he is sat in that building unaware that I have just turned up to see him. I have never felt so frustrated. I need to speak to Luke tonight. I need to try and get him to talk to me again. And if he doesn’t, then I am seriously going to have to rethink marrying him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I make my way back home, my thoughts whirling around my head. I’m frustrated, confused, pissed off, and hurt. I can’t believe I am having to resort to snooping around, trying to catch Luke out, somehow. It’s not how we work. It’s not something we have ever had to do.
Maybe I am just that fucking stupid, and I have let him pull the wool over my eyes for far too long? The anger I am feeling is partly from Luke, but mostly it’s anger at myself. I should have been more aware of his work life. I should have asked questions before now, and I should never have backed down when he refused to tell me what the fuck was going on.
The minute that Ricardo and Gavin showed up, I should have fought harder, and not walked away when the going got tough. Luke should be able to tell me anything. I know for damn sure that I have no reason to hide anything from him. Well, except the snooping around I’ve had to do, but that’s his bloody fault. If he had been honest with me from the start, then I never would have had to snoop in the first place.
Walking along, in my own little world, I take no notice of anything around me, until I feel a chill creep its way up my spine. I stop my thoughts, and my steps falter as I hear the low rumble of a car coming up behind me. Peering round, I see that a black BMW is slowing down, crawling along the road until it has nearly caught up with me.
The panic coursing through me just reached a new height. It’s off the fucking scale as the passenger side window starts to roll down slowly, and my eyes connect with Ricardo’s.
Fuck. They’re back? Ricardo and Gavin are here? I presume Gavin is driving the car, but I don’t wait around to see because I need to get the fuck out of here. I turn away from them as the car creeps even closer, and I run. My legs move at top speed as adrenaline pushes me to get away from them. I can’t let them get to me. I can’t let them speak to me. I just need to get away.
Luckily for me, I know a short cut back to my house––one which a car can’t drive down as it’s a narrow alleyway just up from where I am now. I push myself harder, my lungs burning as I struggle to inhale enough air. Pushing the burning to the back of my mind, I focus on just getting back to my son. I need to be with him, to keep him safe.
I hear my name being called by that deep, scary ass voice of Ricardo. A cold shiver races through me, my legs pumping to get me away from them. As the car bonnet becomes level with me, I take the sharp turning down the alley and keep running. I don’t look back, not even as I hear a few expletives being shouted, as well as the car coming to a screeching stop. Get away, keep going. Don’t look back.
I emerge from the other side of the alley and dart across the road. Luckily, no cars are coming, as I didn’t even take a moment to look––my fear compromising my road safety instincts. I can see my house, just up ahead, and my eyes zero in on the front door. My limbs hurt, my lungs ache, my heart pumps wildly, but I push through all of that to just get back home. I run up the street and am nearly there when I see the black BMW come hurtling around the corner. Shit, shit, shit.
The car is moving quickly, but not quick enough as I dart through the gate and race to my front door, flinging it open.
“You won’t always be able to run,” Ricardo shouts as I slam the door behind me and lock it. I lean against the door and drop to the ground, trying to stabilise my breathing and calm my racing heart. The next thing I see is Tori come rushing into the hallway, her eyes wide with shock as she looks at me, panting and scared shitless, sitting on the hallway floor.
“What the fuck happened?” she asks, coming over to me and crouching down.
“Water,” I manage to say, my voice quiet, my throat stinging.
“Jesus, Charlie,” Tori exclaims as she quickly goes to the kitchen to get me a drink. I know that she is going to want to know what the hell just went on, once I have composed myself. I wish I had the guts to speak to Ricardo and Gavin, because they could probably shed a hell of a lot of light on Luke’s shadiness, but I don’t have the guts because they are dangerous. Dangerous to me, dangerous to Luke, and dangerous to Oliver.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Well?” Tori asks as I gulp down the glass of water she got for me.
“Give me a sec, will you?” I say as I struggle back to my feet. My legs are shaking, so I lean against the door for support.
“You’ve had a sec, now tell me what the fuck went on,” Tori demands.
“Ricardo and Gavin were following me.”
“What?” she screeches. “I thought that they had gone?”
“You and me both,” I reply, pushing myself off the door and walking past Tori to the kitchen. I go over to the sink and pour myself another glass of water.
“Did they speak to you?” Tori asks, following me.
“Not exactly. I mean, they shouted that I wouldn’t be able to keep running or something, but that was when I got in the front door.”
“Fucking hell, Char,” Tori exclaims.
