Chapter 26

(Aaron) 

Charlie killed her husband. What the actual fuck? How? Why? 

Holy crap. 

After she dropped that bomb on me, I walked to the control panel to open the gate. My mind was racing as I walked back to my car. What happened to this woman after I left her in London? What did Franklin do to her other than the obvious?  

I watched her get back in her Mercedes and drive up my driveway. Part of me feels a sense of foreboding at what is to come, while the other part is happy that she felt it was safe to come to me. I will analyze the first after I hear her story. 

My first thought after I pulled up to the house was to call Rylan to let her know that Charlie was here, but then I realized that I never told her about Charlie. I will call her after I hear what my friend has to say about what happened after I left London. 

Twenty minutes later, we are sitting outside by the pool with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. She looks at me with a slight smile on her face, but winces a little as she does. This confuses me. Why would she be smiling at me after the bomb she dropped earlier? 

“What happened, Charlie?” 

She takes a drink and then takes a deep breath before looking me in the eye. Her face is bruised, similar to what I saw on Rosalie’s face. She has a black eye, a bruised cheekbone, and her lower lip is cracked from where it was split. It looks like it hurts like hell, and it looks like whoever did this tried to strangle her, too. I can see finger marks on her throat.

“I killed my husband; well, he isn’t dead yet, but he will be as soon as the mob boss he borrowed money from finds him.” 

Wow, talk about a woman scorned. 

“Ok, I am going to need the full story. What happened after I left? I thought you were filing for divorce.” 

She laughs, then grimaces as if her lip hurts. “Oh, I did that, and I also moved into my own apartment. I thought that would be the end of it, that he would let me go since he thought I was such a whore. I was so very wrong.” 

Charlie pauses to drink the last of her bourbon, then pours herself another glass. Her green eyes are glittering with rage when she looks back at me. I vowed right then and there never to cross this woman.  

“He found out where I had moved to from the manager at my gallery. I came home a few nights ago, and he was sitting on my couch. At first, he was sad-looking and apologetic for how the last several months had been. He bought me my favorite flowers. That should have been my first red flag, but I ignored it.” 

I get up to grab a box of tissues from the mini bar when the tears start to fall. The thought of calling for female assistance crosses my mind when I sit back down. I am not entirely equipped to handle this kind of situation. Violence is my answer to these situations.  

Getting on a flight to London so I can kick Franklin’s ass sounds very appealing right now. Knowing that the mob is after him makes me smile. They will do far worse to him than I would.

“He begged me not to divorce him, and I had no intention of backing down from that plan. I had already filed, and he had been served the signed papers. I paid a hefty sum to have that expedited, and I fully intended to follow through.” 

“Did he seriously think you were going to cave after all he had been putting you through?” 

Charlie scoffs and nods her head. “He did, and the more I stood my ground, the angrier he got. Want to know why I think he wanted me to change my mind?” 

“Money,” I tell her. 

“Yes, it all came down to the money he would lose if we got divorced. The income from the gallery or from any of my paintings that I sell. Jokes on him; the prenup he signed stated he gets none of that. When I showed him my copy and read that clause about it, he was enraged. That was when he started punching me, screaming at me that I always ruin everything. That was when he told me about the life insurance policy that he had on me.” 

Oh, I see where this is going. If he can’t have her money, then he will kill her for the life insurance money. I should have kicked that greedy bastard’s ass while I was still in London. I didn’t, because it wasn’t worth the trouble at the time.

I look at her as she stares off into space after telling me all that happened. She looks tired, but angry enough to keep going for a few more hours. The idea of letting her stay here for the night pops into my head, then out just as quickly.

I have a girlfriend to think about now. Having a woman that Rylan doesn’t know stay in my house, even for one night, would not be wise. See, I am learning quickly the dos and don’ts of a relationship. 

“How did he plan to make your death look like an accident?” I ask. 

“I don’t think he thought that through before I kneed him in the balls and punched him in the throat. I grabbed my purse and my car keys, and I got the fuck out of there. I didn’t stick around long enough to ask that question. I figured it was more prudent to get out fast.” 

“That makes sense. I don’t blame you at all for wanting to put distance between you and that bastard. Now how does the mob tie in to all this?” I finally asked the question that piqued my interest the second Charlie mentioned them. 

This time her face transforms into something I have yet to see from her: wicked glee, almost pure malice. Franklin really did a number on her for that look to cross her face. That is the look of a woman scorned. I kind of like where this is headed; she let someone else do her dirty work.

“I ran right into this huge mountain of a man as I was hightailing it to the garage. He held a knife to my stomach and asked where my husband was. When I laughed at him, he frowned.” 

“Holy shit, Charlie. That was probably not the best thing to do to a mob enforcer’s face.” I shake my head in shock and with a small bit of admiration.

“Admittedly, I was still full of adrenaline from what had just happened in my apartment to think before I spoke. Had I been thinking clearly, I probably would have cried and begged for my life; instead, I asked how much the bastard owed, and it was my turn to be shocked. That fool borrowed over a million dollars from the mob, and he put my art gallery up as collateral.” 

“What the fuck? Did he assume it was marital property?” 

She nods her head, then takes a swig from her glass. “I told the thug that Franklin was in my apartment right now and he could go try to collect, but good luck since the gallery isn’t his to pony up. Whatever papers he gave them were counterfeit, and there was no way they could get money from them. Then I lied and told him that the bank owns the building that I use for the gallery.” 

“Holy fuck, Charlie.” I laugh when she just shakes her head. This woman is full of surprises today. “What happened after you told him that?” 

“He got really pissed off, but backed away from me. When he asked if Franklin was the one who did this to my face, I just nodded. He got a really nasty look in his eyes, then walked towards the door to the stairwell. I told him good luck getting his money, then asked what he planned to do to my husband.” 

She smirked at me, and I can already guess what the thug said.

“He said that was up to his boss, but it didn’t look good, so he told me to be prepared to be a widow. I heard from Franklin an hour later; he was calling me all kinds of names. He is hiding from the mob now, and I am just fine with that. It means he won’t be bothering me anytime soon.” 

“That seems like a fitting end to him; even if he wasn’t always an asshole, he will reap what he sows soon enough, it seems. Now, what are your plans? Why did you come here, of all places?” 

“I have an art show here in San Francisco in a few days, and once that is over, I will be going to New York for a couple of months. I have a friend from art school who has a large studio apartment and is willing to let me stay for a while. Eventually I will go back to Europe, not sure where I will go from there.” 

“Where are you staying while you are in town? I would offer up one of my guest rooms, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to Rylan about you, and I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about us.” 

She gives me a knowing look but smiles in understanding. “So, you took my advice and got the girl?” 

I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face. It was good advice, and I am beyond happy that I listened to it. “Rylan is my girlfriend now. I am nervous that I will fuck it up, but happy that she is willing to take a chance with me.” 

“That is normal, Aaron. We all think that way when we get into new relationships. Take it slow, and I believe it will all work out for the best. I can’t wait to meet her. From everything you told me about her, she sounds like an amazing person.” 

We spent the next few hours talking about my developing relationship with Rylan, how the big talk with my parents went, and my therapy plan. After I was done with all of that, she filled me in on the progress of her art show. She showed me the catalog of the paintings she would be showing and hopefully selling. 

Her artwork is extraordinary. The portraits she does of people are so lifelike, it almost looks like you could reach into the painting and actually touch the people she paints. I still have no idea what I am going to do with the portrait she painted of me.

It looked very intimate, but it wasn’t. I was just her model. I have a feeling that when Rylan sees it, she will think that I slept with the artist, which is far from what happened. That also reminds me that there is no way in hell that I am putting that painting on any wall in this house. 

It will either stay in storage or I can give it to Rylan after I explain how it came to be in existence. I just hope she doesn’t insist on burning it. I wouldn’t put it past her to demand that I do. 

“All of these are exceptional, Charlie. There is no doubt that they will all sell quickly.” 

“Will you come to the show? Bring Rylan so I can meet her.” 

“I will ask her. She has a lot on her plate right now, but a night out at an art show could be fun for us both.” 

“Grand, now I should head to the hotel; it is getting quite late.” Charlie stands up. 

I stand up, then pull her into a hug. “What hotel are you staying at?” 

She rattles off a name; it is one I know well. It is a reputable hotel with great service, and the security is impeccable. She will be comfortable and safe there. 

We walk to the front door, chatting about Rylan as we do. I can’t wait for the two of them to meet, yet I am scared that Rylan will get the wrong idea of who and what Charlie is to me. Too many women have the frame of mind that men and women can’t be friends without sex being involved. 

Yes, I may have thought about fucking Charlie, but we never did, and I am glad. It is refreshing to be able to be who I am without holding back with a woman that I have no intentions of ever sleeping with. I just hope Rylan sees it the same way I do. 

After watching Charlie drive out of the gate, I set the alarm and headed upstairs to get some much-needed sleep. The last few days with Rylan have been great, and I look forward to more time with her in the future. I can’t wait to take her on our first official date soon.

I crawl into bed with a smile on my face as I plan that out in my head. When my phone rings, I look over to see where it sits on my nightstand. I set Rylan’s picture as her caller ID, so when I see her face flash on my screen, all I can do is laugh.

“Miss me?” I ask when I answer the call. 

“You know it. Is this normal? This missing each other even though we were just together a few hours ago?” 

I have no idea, but I like the feeling. “I like this feeling, Ryan. You make me believe that things will be alright, hopeful for a future between us. Do you remember that night years ago in that shitty ass bar, the one where we got trashed, and we kissed?” 

Her sharp intake of breath let me know that she did.

“We were so drunk that night, and it didn’t surprise me at all when you threw yourself at me. I wanted so very badly to take you into one of the dingey bathrooms and fuck you until you couldn’t think straight. I didn’t because I knew that once I had you, there would be no going back. I wasn’t ready for that back then.” 

“Really? I thought you just didn’t see me that way.” 

“Baby, I saw you that way from the moment you arrived in our camp all those years ago, and now that I have had you, I want more. Not just sex, Ry; I want it all. I want to experience life with you, see it through your eyes, and share our hopes and dreams with each other. Everything, Rylan; I want it all. Are you ready for that?” 

“Hell, yes, I am.” 

“Good, because I am never letting you go. Now, get some sleep, and I will see you for lunch tomorrow.”