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“Charlotte,” Gashsaid.
“Go away.I’m gettingdressed.”
She wiped away the tears that shehadn’t realized had fallen.Standing up, she stared at herreflection, and was transported to a distant memory.
“It’s done,” Jeffsaid.
“Done?”Charlotte croakedout the word, holding the blanket up to her chin.“What’sdone?”
“You don’t really think we’d letyou carry his child, did you?It’s so stupid what you did,Charlotte.You were never supposed to be part of this, but I guessyou just couldn’t help but stick your fucking nose in where itdoesn’t belong.”Jeff pressed his hand against her head, and leanedin close.“Now, you will pay.”
“You took my baby?”sheasked.
“You were going to fightus, Charlotte.”
She whimpered, and placedher hands on her stomach as she was overcome with a deep wave ofsadness.“You killed it?”
“Yes.The baby you had,it’s now gone.”
Charlotte screamed.Reachingacross to the pitcher of water, she slammed it against him.Thepitcher smashed, and as she grabbed a shard of glass in her hand,not caring that it cut her deeply, she tried to attack him.Herbody was not her own, and as she stood on the glass, pain shotbetween her thighs, and on her feet.She tried to attack him,slashing him with the makeshift blade.
Charlotte came out of thememory, and shivered.Nurses had rushed into the room, strappingher down.The next time she came to, Jeff had been gone, along withher baby, and she had tried to kill herself.After trying to endher life three times, she was committed to apsychiatric hospital where shespent the next five years trying to ease the pain in her heart byusing every chance she had to take her own life.It was only when agood doctor finally got through that she started to fight.It wasironic.Gash got out of prison at the same time that she got out ofa hospital.She wasn’t the same woman who entered that hospital,and for the past two years she had tried to make a life forherself.
Gash coming back into her life hadgiven her the best kind of medicine that he didn’t even realize hewas offering.He gave her a chance at revenge, at killing the manand woman who did this to her.
Staring at her reflection, she wiped awaythe last of her tears.
You can dothis.
She pictured Jeff Wright in her mind, andhow damn smug he thought he was.Coming back from her business tripto discover that Gash had been falsely accused of rape and murder,she’d been about to get in touch to tell them the truth about Gash.Charlotte had heard the date that Gash was supposed to have rapedRebecca then murdered her boyfriend.She knew without a shadow of adoubt that it wasn’t him because that night, Gash was with her,making love, giving her a baby that was later torn from her.Gashwould have known she’d be able to help him because when he woke upthe next morning, he’d seen her.
Charlotte had been his alibi, and he’dknown it, which was why he came after her.He didn’t know what theydid, what they made together, nor what was taken from her.Gash hadknown he’d been at the apartment that night with her, and that wasall.
Getting dressed, Charlotte tied herhair back and made her way out to the kitchen.Gash was at herstove cooking pancakes, or better yet, he was burningthem.
“What are youdoing?”
“Cookingbreakfast.”
“We can eat on the road.”She grabbed her purse and jacket.
“I’m sorry about thismorning in your bed,” he said.
“You’re apologizing?”
“I’ve never taken something thatwasn’t offered before in my life.I’m ashamed of myself, and eventhough we were once friends, and now I consider you—I don’t knowwhat I consider you—it’s still wrong.”
His apology took her bysurprise.
“Okay, wow, Iaccept.”
“Good.”He dumped the pan intothe sink, and moved toward her.She couldn’t look away as he pulledhis Skulls leather cut onto his shoulders, and ran fingers throughhis hair.He really was a good looking man, and one that alwaysaffected her.
Think aboutJeff.
She and Gash were never going to havea relationship.Too much crap had passed for that to everwork.
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