There’s one more chamber, one more pull of that trigger and I’ll lose my future. I know that’s what she is to me, and even if she never wants to be with me, knowing she is alive is all I’ll need.
“I’ll miss you, Cupcake.”
“You’re just saying that because you have to.”
“I never have to do anything,” I state with a hard edge. “I never say something I don’t mean, so I’m going to say this, you do this, you pull the trigger, and he wins, Charlie. He wins. You give him what he wants. Don’t. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
Her hand shakes and her bottom lip quivers. “I didn’t think about it like that. I’m so scared, Whistler,” she admits. “I’m afraid of the world. “
“Are you afraid of me?”
“I should be, but something tells me not to be.”
“Good, then I’ll take on the world for you and you’ll never have to be afraid again,” I say, watching the indecision change the expressions on her face.
“I can’t. He’ll never let me go.”
He never had you.
That’s what I want to say, but I know right now isn’t the time to tell her everything I know. It might set her off more to know she was never married to Kenneth in the first place. Even the social security number on the form was wrong. The man played her and she’s falling right into his trap.
“I’ll make sure he never touches you again, all you have to do is come with me. Put the gun down and let me in. Let me in, Cupcake. I swear your world will change for the better.” I get to my feet and stand.
“I’m not worth your efforts, Whistler. You deserve someone who isn’t broken.” She lifts the gun again and the acceptance she has in her eyes makes me sprint. I launch myself through the air when I’m close enough and wrap my arms around her. She slides off the truck as I tackle her to the ground and the gun gets knocked out of her hand.
A gunshot echoes across the lake and my ears ring. My heart is going a million miles an hour and I can hardly catch my breath. I touch her all over to make sure she isn’t shot.
That was too close.
I was a second away from losing a chance of a lifetime.
She’s weeping to the point of gasping; I’m worried she can’t breathe. I gather her in my arms and bring her to my lap, cradling her like I would a small child. I press her head against my chest, and I know she can feel the wild race of my heart, the adrenaline and fear still pumping strong inside me.
“I got you, Cupcake. You’re safe. You’re okay.” I push her hair back and kiss her forehead. “I have you.” I rock her from side to side as she lets free these guttural roaring wails, the kind that comes from a jaded, injured soul.
A tired soul.
One that has been lost, but I’m here now.
“I’m-I’m-sorry. I’m so-sor-sorry,” she tries to say through broken attempts. Her hands are clutching my shirt as she claws at me. “I’m sorry,” she repeats.
“It’s going to be okay, Charlie.” I tilt my head back and stare at the sky, hating how beautiful the stars are in a moment where something so awful nearly happened.
“I’m so tired, Whistler. I don’t want to go back.” She curls up in my lap and grips my cut, her wet cheeks shining against the moonlight.
Even devastated, she’s the prettiest woman this world has ever seen.
“Don’t make me go back, please. I’ll do anything. I don’t want to go back to him. He’ll kill me. I was supposed to be home and I didn’t plan on going back.”
I cup her face and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. I tilt my chin down and peer at her through my lashes. “You will never go back to him. You’ll go wherever you want, Charlie. Okay? You’re safe now.” I kiss her forehead, closing my eyes as the warmth of my lips kisses along her skin. I can taste the salty sheen of sweat and it doesn’t bother me. She’s warm. She’s alive. She’s in my arms.
I want to be the place she chooses to stay, but I know trust comes in time and with everything she has been through, I expect earning that trust will take a while.
I’ll use the rest of the time I have on the earth. Even having her in my arms is more than I could ever want. I know it means nothing to her, but it means the world to me.
If all I can be is a friend, I’ll take it.
“If you weren’t here, I would have killed myself.” She’s able to talk now. It’s been thirty minutes of holding her while I sit on the ground.
“Well, you almost did even with me here. I can’t allow that.”
She stays silent for a few seconds. “I don’t want him to win. He’s won for far too long.”
“Let me take you somewhere safe, okay?”
She nods and her eyes close as she leans against my chest. “Just don’t lock me away. Please, I’ll be good.”
I stand and walk to the passenger side of the truck, my brows pinching as I look down at her sleeping face, finally at peace.
But alive.
“You’ll never be locked in a room again, Cupcake.” I kiss the tip of her nose and lay her across the large seat. “He’ll never touch you. He’ll never hurt you. Not as long as I’m alive.” I stroke her cheek and close the door gently until it clicks.
The gun is a few feet away from the truck and in a few steps, I squat down and pick it up. She had to have dropped a pretty penny on this bad boy. I’ll sell it and give her the cash. Whatever she wants, she’ll have. I’ll buy her a new identity. I’ll forge documents, and she can become a new person if she wants.
I don’t want her to. I want her to stay and fight for the life she can have here.
With me.
Wiping the gun off with my shirt so her fingerprints aren’t on it, I tuck the small silver piece in my waistband and head to my bike. I have to figure out a way to get it in the back of the work truck. I knock the kickstand free and roll the bike forward.
When I’m at the truck I pop down the tailgate. “Thank the lucky fucking stars,” I point to the sky when I see the long piece of plywood and some two-by-fours in the back. That’s all I need to help my baby up. I can’t leave her out here.
It takes a few attempts, and I thought the wood was going to snap in half for a few seconds even with the two-by-fours under it, but I manage to get her in the bed and use some rope to tie her down so she can’t go anywhere. I place my arms on the edge of the old Ford and hang my head. My muscles are tense, and my knee is aching again from crumbling to the ground in hopes my begging would deter her.
I’ll get the full story about the gun tomorrow when she’s had time to rest, but a part of me wants to use it on Kenneth instead of my bat. Something about killing him with the gun she bought is poetic to me.
“Whistler? Whistler!” Charlie sits up and calls out for me, panicked again.
I run to the driver’s side and climb in, placing my hand on top of hers as it rests flat against the seat. “I was just putting my bike in the back. I’m here, Cupcake. You aren’t alone.” I slam the door and cringe as the hinges scrape together.
She slides across the seat and places her head on my lap, allowing herself to rest. I stretch my arm along the back of the seat, wanting nothing more than to wrap her up safe in my embrace, but I want her to come to me before I encroach on her space and body.