“Leave. Me. The. Hell. Alone.” I grit the words through my teeth and try to shove him out of the way, but he doesn't budge. “Don’t fuck with me right now, brother.”
“You need to calm down and think this through.” There goes that damn voice again.
“Don’t tell me what the fuck to do. You have no idea what the fuck this feels like. How in the hell did she disappear, man?” My voice fades away, but I try to maintain my composure. I’m about to fall apart. I have no control right now, and I feel my strength slipping away.
“Yeah, I do. The hollow feeling where—”
The ringing of my phone interrupts, indicating Meara calling on the screen.
“You heard anything?” I’ve called both Meara and Pierce to let them know what was happening. They checked her place and have been looking, too.
“She’s fine, she’s okay.” Breathless, Meara continues, “She’s at a hotel by the interstate. Some pay by the day thing.”
That’s in a shitty part of town. How did she get there?
“I’m on my way.”
“Wait!”
I barely hear her as I pull the phone away to hang up. Brandon stands with his arms crossed eyeing me expectantly as I mouth Pay-By-Day Motel and get in my car. I’m already pulling onto the street before I put the phone back to my ear.
“What’s up?” I need to get to Charlotte.
“She told me not to call you, Travis.”
“What?” I whisper, hurt she doesn’t want me. It doesn’t matter. I’m getting her back.
“She told me what happened. Well, I barely understood because she was crying so hard, but she told me. Listen, I wanted you to know she’s okay.”
“I don’t give a fuck if she doesn’t want me, I’m going.”
“Travis, I—”
“I don’t fucking care! She’s mine to take care of, Meara. Mine. This running away shit has got to fucking stop. I’m done with it.”
I hear her hesitate. “Maybe you should give her some time.”
“Nope. Not happening. Thanks for the call.” I hang up on her and throw the phone in the passenger seat. I do a double take when I notice Char’s purse on the floor in the back. She has no money, no phone. Jesus. The hammering in my chest creeps into my head, and I shake the horrible thoughts jumbling my mind right now. I’m so mad at her; but really, I want to hold her. I need to hold her.
“I called Dad. He let everyone know and said they’re available if we need them.” Brandon followed me here and flashed his badge at the old lady working the desk.
Pay-By-Day is a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. It’s dirty, small, smelly, old, and nasty. We’re waiting for her to look through her book, and the trash littering the floor moves, I actually jump a bit.
“The garbage is moving,” I whisper shout to Brandon.
“So?”
“So, what the fuck is this place?”
“Primarily it’s where druggies go to get laid. You can pay by the hour.”
I raise my eyebrows in question.
He rolls his eyes. “I’m a detective; it’s my job to know this shit.”
The attendant insists nobody is here by that name. Brandon holds me back before I reach over and grab the keys to check every room myself.
“I’m really sorry, boys. Nobody has checked in since yesterday.” She wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and shrugs her shoulders. “You can ask the maid if she’s seen her. She’s all the way at the end. Number twenty-five.”
“We’ll do that. Thanks for your help.” Brandon taps the counter, and we walk out.
My feelings have turned into this nervous energy of anticipation. I know she’s here.
“I’ll ask the questions since you have such a pleasant bedside manner,” Brandon says as he reaches up to knock on the door marked twenty-five. Well, I’m assuming it’s twenty-five since it’s the last one on the end. The number two hangs on by a thread, and the five is missing.
“Chicago PD. I need to ask a couple questions.”
Hushed voices sound through the cheap wood door, and I can barely make out Charlotte’s voice. But I can still hear it. She’s in there.
“I swear to Christ, Charlotte, if you don’t open this damn door, I will break it down.”
“Dude.” Brandon elbows me, but I ignore the sting.
The distinct sound of metal chains and deadbolts unlocking rings through the silent parking lot, and the knob finally turns.
Brandon takes a step back, and when the door opens, the woman on the other side gasps at the same time Brandon’s knees buckle. I grab his arm, and he steadies immediately.
“No. No.” I recognize the soft, throaty voice, but it takes me a minute to put a face to a name.
“Mary?” I ask, confirming she’s who I think, an old friend of my brother’s.
She nods her head, and tears roll out of her eyes that never leave Brandon’s. His expression is one of turmoil and heartbreak. He shakes his head as if to clear it and takes a step toward Mary. She takes a step back. He flinches like she slapped him but keeps walking until he’s in her room.
I look in and see my beautiful girl on the bed, with her knees bent and arms wrapped around them. Her hair is windblown and messy, her face clear of makeup. Faint black lines surround her eyes from where she must have wiped them.
She kneels up on the bed, and I take a step in. Brandon and Mary are standing off to the side, staring at each other, not saying a word. When my knees hit the mattress, Char throws herself at me and begins apologizing.
“I’m so sorry, Travis.”
“Are you okay? I was fucking terrified something bad happened to you.” I rub her back and talk so only she can hear me. “Please, don’t ever do that again. No more running, sweetheart, I can’t go through that again.”
“I won’t.” Her arms and legs wind around me, and I lift her off the bed. When I turn for the door, I lift my head at Brandon, and he briefly looks away from Mary and shakes his. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.
“Thanks, man. Good seeing you, Mary.” Neither of them answers me, and with Charlotte in tow, I walk out and set her in the car. Before I shut the door, she grabs my wrist.
“Promise you won’t leave me.”
My lips tip up in a small smile, and I lean down and kiss her cheek. “I will if you will.”
Chapter 17
Charlotte
“I’M SORRY. I CAN’T do this!” I jump out of Travis’ arms and immediately miss the warmth they provide.
As soon as I’m out of the front door, I run. Fast. I don’t know where I’m going, but I need to get away. My thighs burn and my breath is ragged. I pick up the pace when I faintly hear Travis yell my name. Convinced this is one of the most messed-up situations ever in the history of the earth, I run even faster. The nice neighborhood his parents live in is far behind me now. The houses become smaller and the litter more abundant. I crouch down between two buildings in an attempt to catch my breath.
I’m exhausted. I’m petrified. Looking at my surroundings, I’m also lost. In my haste to get away, I didn’t grab my purse out of Travis’ car, so now I have no money and no phone.