Page 51 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter fifty-one

Charlotte

I wasn't sure what time Alexander and I crawled back into bed, but I woke feeling strangely energized. The light peeking through the curtains told me it was still early. Rolling over, I checked my phone. Just after nine.

"Go back to sleep…" Alexander muttered, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. I couldn't help but smile, grateful that I had him. Lex was my rock, my shoulder to cry on; the kind of man who held my hair while I puked my guts up in a disgusting club bathroom.

"I love you…" I pressed a kiss to the top of his head before I slipped out of bed.

I pulled on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants as Alexander began to snore again.

Padding into the kitchen, I put on a cup of coffee and returned to my seat at the counter, picking up where I'd left off reading only a few hours before.

A soft smile spread across my face as I looked over the page, trailing my fingers over the notes that Alexander had added while he read over my shoulder. I was nearly finished with the manuscript when my phone rang. I glanced down at the screen, a picture of me and my father lighting it up.

"Daddy, sorry I haven't called—"

"Hi, Charlotte." The blood drained from my entire body, my breath catching in my throat.

"Adam…"

"You know, Daddy is a pretty heavy sleeper. He didn't even wake when I broke the glass on the back door," Adam mused in a taunting voice. I could imagine the sinister smile he was wearing .

"What are you doing, Adam? Involving my father in this? Really?" I asked, hoping I sounded pissed rather than anxious.

"You involved him, Charlotte, my love. The moment you urged him to speak to my father," Adam replied smugly. "I have a gun, you know…" The phone nearly fell from my hand in horror.

"No, you don't…" I denied, shaking my head in disbelief.

"I do. Do you want to see, little Lottie?" he asked. There was a long moment of silence and then my phone vibrated. My stomach rolled, my hands trembling as I pulled the phone from my ear and pressed the notification. Oh, my God…

Adam had a gun, clear as day in the photo, and my father was asleep in the background, his phone in Adam's hand. I had no time to think, putting the phone to my ear with a shaking hand. "What do you want?" I croaked.

"What I've always wanted, Charlotte," he replied simply. "You."

"You understand that this is crazy?" My throat felt like it was shrinking as I tried not to panic.

"Perhaps," he agreed. "You remember where we had our first date?" Of course I remembered. It had been loud and overwhelming, and some idiot had spilled a drink on us at the end of the concert.

"The fairgrounds?" I asked softly.

"You have an hour, Charlotte. Come alone. Do this, and I'll leave daddy dearest be."

"Okay," I agreed numbly. This wasn't about me anymore. This was about keeping my father safe. "I'll come."

"Good. See you in an hour, baby." The line went dead, leaving me standing in the kitchen, feeling like my innards were going to spill out of my chest. An hour…

I didn't bother getting dressed, pulling on my sneakers that were sitting by the door.

I paused, thinking about Alexander, sleeping in my bed only feet away.

My sweet, caring Alexander who had turned my entire world upside down.

God, I loved him so much. All the more reason to do this.

Adam needed to stop, and I couldn't see the people I loved hurt or killed because of me.

I pulled a piece of paper from my purse and scrawled across it with trembling fingers.

I love you… Short and to the point. I wanted to add that I would see him later but promises were useless. I didn't know what Adam had planned, too terrified to even imagine where his mind was at. No, I just wanted to get the confrontation over with and move on with my life. With Alexander…

Laying the note on the coffee table, I sucked in a steadying breath and walked out the door, leaving my entire world asleep in my bed.

The drive was taking too long. Every time I glanced at the clock, three or four minutes had passed.

I began to panic, praying to whatever Gods would hear me that I made it in time.

I pulled into the deserted parking lot with three fucking minutes to spare, my head whipping around in search of Adam. I was there, so where the fuck was he?

At one hour, on the dot, my phone rang. I answered it immediately, my heart pounding in my throat like a war drum. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," I croaked.

"Send me your location," he demanded bluntly. I did exactly as I was told, sending him the information. "Good. I'll be there in three minutes; you better be alone." He hung up without another word and I was left sitting in silence in the middle of the parking lot.

Adam rolled up in his Mercedes exactly three minutes later, the music blaring as if he was simply out for a fun drive. As the window rolled down, the music was lowered, and he smirked at me.

"You're not dressed," he commented idly.

"There wasn't time," I replied, my voice little more than a shaky whisper. "Adam, let's talk about—"

The security car pulled up beside him before I could finish. "You two can't park here! We're closed!" he called as he stepped out of the vehicle.

Adam smiled, completely unperturbed. "No problem, officer.

We were just leaving." He turned to look at me, lowering his glasses and giving me a pointed stare.

"Let's go, Charlotte." As the security guard rolled away, I turned to climb into the Jeep, ready to follow him, when he coughed.

"Get your cute little ass in my car, Lottie. "

"But… my Jeep," I replied.

"Leave it."

"Adam—"

"I said leave it, Charlotte!" The smile completely fell from his face.

"Leave everything but your wallet." I nodded, wracking my brain with ideas on how to get out of the situation without completely fucking over Lex or my father.

As I leaned over to pull my wallet from my purse, I dialed Alexander and dropped the phone on the seat.

"I don't have all day!" Adam called out through the open window .

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you promise to leave my father alone and tell me where you're taking me. Why can't I bring the jeep?" I challenged, crossing my arms over my chest.

"We're going on a little vacation, baby. All you need is your ID," he replied. I left the keys and the phone on the seat and slammed the door, climbing into his car.

"You know this is insane, right?" I asked tensely. "People will come looking for me."

"That doesn't mean they'll find you," he replied, cranking the music back up as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Buckle up, sweetheart." I clicked the seatbelt into place, gripping my knees as he began to weave through traffic.

My legs twitched anxiously as I stared at the road ahead, trying to figure out where we were going.

When I couldn't take it any longer, I turned the music down.

"Do you really have a gun, Adam?" The question left an acidic taste in my mouth.

"Damn right, sweetheart," he affirmed, pulling the handgun from the side of the door and holding it up for me to see. The lump in my throat slipped into my stomach, writhing like a nest of snakes as I gaped at him, feeling like I was going to vomit.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I can keep you all to myself," he replied. "You'll get used to it, sweetheart. And once you do, you'll remember why we belong together." Remember… I couldn't ever recall thinking we'd belonged together. Hell, he had never even been all that nice to me.

"Adam, you can't just lock me away for the rest of our lives." Didn't he understand how insane his little plot was? Kidnap me and hide me away? How on earth was he able to rationalize it?

"Of course, I can, Charlotte," he said, smirking as he watched me out of the corner of his eye.

"And you think I'm just going to go along with all of this?" I snapped. Adam laughed. Genuinely laughed, his head falling back and everything.

"You're adorable, baby. You're already going along with it, aren't you? Because you want to keep your father safe…" I didn't answer.

Fuck, he was right. I'd been so stupid to think there was any chance of talking some sense into him.

"Once I put a baby in you, you'll feel differently. Then, I'll be the only Daddy in your life. Right, Princess?" A baby? That wasn't going to happen. Ever.

I glared at him from the passenger seat, clenching my wallet between my hands. He wasn't allowed to call me that. Alexander called me that.

I didn't realize where we were going until we pulled into the parking lane. The fucking airport?

"Adam, where are we going?" I asked, tightening my hold on my wallet .

"The beach house," he replied.

Florida. Adam was taking me to Florida. Under normal circumstances, an impromptu flight to the beach would seem romantic, but this was anything but.

Adam was forcing me to go somewhere no one would think to look for me, not for days, at least. And by then…

I guessed Adam already had some kind of plan to make sure we weren't found.

"Adam, please… Think about this. My father; my job. Your job… You're going to go to prison if you take me."

"I'm not taking you, Charlotte, you're coming willingly.

Aren't you?" he asked, his eyes cold as he turned to look at me.

All I could think about was that picture he'd sent, of what he would do if I refused.

I nodded silently, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

"Oh, baby, don't cry. It will be fun," Adam crooned, rubbing my thigh.

"In a few years, we'll come back and see your dad; introduce him to our child. "

He was fucking insane if he thought I would ever let him put a child inside me. Then again, he was insane enough to think kidnapping me was a solution.

Adam parked the car on the roof of the garage, clamping his hand tightly around mine as he helped me from the car. "You don't think people will wonder why I'm in my pajamas?" I asked.

Adam shrugged, pulling his side bag from the trunk. "People travel in their pj's all the time."

"What if I get cold on the plane?" I countered, trying to think of any excuse not to go inside the airport with him.

"I'll get you a sweater,' he answered smoothly. "Come on, our plane leaves in less than an hour."

Less than an hour… Less than an hour, and I would be flying across the country. Flying way from Alexander…