Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Forty-Nine


I’m not even sure what happened exactly, one minute I was flying at him in a rage, with vague intentions of simply throttling him to death right there on Penny’s lawn.

Then I blinked and I was standing over him, Charlie flat on his back, staring up at me with a bloody nose.

I must have blacked out with the velocity of my pure unbridled fury.

My hands were curled into fists at my sides so tightly that my nails were digging into the fleshy part of my palms.

My breath was coming in sharp and fast, my whole body flushed and shaking with adrenaline.

I was on the brink of really losing it, now that I finally had someone who rightfully deserved all my righteous wrath.

Here he was, sprawled on his back beneath me; I held the power now. And the temptation to beat and kick him half to death right here and now was insanely powerful.

But then a voice entered my mind; kind and calm and sure.

‘You’re better than this. You’re stronger than this.’ Mason told me in my mind. ‘This is your chance. Don’t give in to your fear. Take control.’

I made myself draw a deep, cleansing breath. I slowly unfurled my fingers and winced as I did so. I drew another deep breath, steadying myself.

Charlie scooted back a ways before he began to sit up, swiping at his nose.

“The others?” I said coldly. “There were five of you.”

“Three are in jail, one’s left the country; the other is laying low with his family. I promise you, Annie, you’re not in danger from us. Not then, not ever. We’re not-we’re not those kind of bad guys.”

My lips thinned and twisted together in a grim smile. “Well, what a relief.” I blew out a breath. “Look, I’m not calling the cops, Charlie, and I’m not going to tell Penny.”

“You’re not?”

My grim smile strengthened. “No, you’re going to tell her.”

He visibly and audibly gulped. “Right. I will. I was going to. But I wanted to-it just seemed right somehow, to tell you first.”

Just then Penny came out of the house. “Oh my God, what happened?!” She hurried over to us in her espadrilles. “Charlie, honey, are you okay?”

I stepped back as she squatted down by his side to fuss over him.

God, she had already fallen hard, hadn’t she? Poor girl.

But as at the same time I pitied her, I envied her, too.

I saw the way Charlie looked at her, and let her fuss over him, even seemed to glow with happiness that she cared.

He might not be perfect, not even close, but he wanted to be perfect for her, I could tell, and that made all the difference in the world.

If only Mason was even half as interested in being with me; in being the one that made me happy and kept me safe...

But I couldn’t allow myself those thoughts.

I cleared my throat. “He tripped over the garden hose.” I said in explanation to Charlie’s bloody nose.

“Ugh, well, let’s get you inside, sweetie. I’ll grab my first aid kit.”

As Penny hurried ahead of us into the house, Charlie lightly nudged my shoulder with his.

“Thanks, Annie. I owe you one. And hey, remind me not to piss you off, eh? Shit, girl, been takin’ self-defense classes or somethin’?”

I couldn’t help my dry snort at this. “Something like that.”

I owed Mason a huge ‘thank you’, I realized. I’d go in tomorrow, I impulsively decided. I wanted to see him and I had every right to, dammit.

Maybe I’d bring him some healthy flax muffins I’d been testing out at the bakery, I mused to myself, helplessly helpless in love, despite my best attempts to resist its insidious snare.