Deception

Chapter 34: Forgiveness

(sorry for the typos, i will edit it later)

Harry stands up first, before I can tell him to wait.

Fear is eating at me from the inside out. It must be the man I saw in the woods.

What if they found us?

Harry slips into his shirt as I stand and search for my bra on the floor. He waits until my shirt is back on to look through the peephole.

"Charlie? He calls.

I stand up abruptly and walk to the door in a panic.

"Look."

I stand up on my tippy toes and look through the tiny hole. There isn't anybody there.

Before Harry can question it, I swing the door open and let the cold breeze hit my bare arms. I look down on the matt at the pure white envelope and frown.

Picking it up with unstable hands, I flip it over and look for a name. As I guessed, it is addressed to Charlotte.

I open my mouth to speak but no words find their way. Harry snatches it from my hands to examine the print.

"I know this hand writing." He claims.

"I...I do too." I whisper. Harry's eyes look up, questioning my words.

"Lets see what it says?" he suggests and my eyes widen. I snatch it from his hand and take a step back. Turning around I rip the envelope open and unfold the letter. I know Harry is behind me looking over my shoulder, but it is too late for me to care about him seeing what it says. The words on the letter are drawing me in.

"Charlotte,

You are just like your mother, so good at running...hiding. But you haven't quite learned yet that I am no fool. You think I have no clue where to look, how to find you, but you are wrong. As I write this, I am staring at your mother, bruises covering her what used to be beautiful face. You see, Charlie, you think I will not kill her. You think. But you do not know me, as I do not know you. She is not needed alive. I found you without her before and as you see, it's not difficult to find you again. Be back in London, at my work, by 5 pm tonight, alone. If you are a minute late, her throat will be slit.

Yours and only,

Gary."

I am not sure if my heart or my knees drop first.

Harry is saying something to me but I can no longer hear him. I imagine my mother with bruises and cuts... because of me.

"Charlie?" Harry whispers gently, his hand rubbing my back. I am crouched in some sort of fetal position with my hands covering my face because I feel so ugly. I feel ugly, like a monster, because of what I have done.

"Charlie talk to me!" Harry yells. I crawl away from him, wiping the tears from my own eyes. Harry is worried. He is looking at me like I am some crying one year old and he doesn't know what to do with me.

"I need to leave Harry. I need to go now."

Harry's eyes lower. "No. I won't let you Charlie. Gary is too dangerous." He says, stepping closer to me. I tilt my head in confusion.

Wait.

"You said you didn't know your boss's name. You said to you and Zayn he was just Boss. How do you know his name is Gary?" I say, my eyes widened.

Harry's face falls for a moment. "I just figured. Who else could Gary be?" he whispers taking a step closer to me. I take another step back.

Holding the envelope as if it could actually protect me, I study Harry's eyes. I see concern... I know see concern.