Page 53 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter fifty-three

Charlotte

E very time we passed by an employee or security guard, Adam's hand tightened around mine, his grip bruising and painful.

He seemed to think I was going to run off and beg for help, which had been my initial plan.

As we moved through the airport, I realized that wasn't going to happen.

He watched me like a hawk, and I imagined the moment I ran he would drive straight back to Daddy's house.

So, I watched the clock on every screen we passed, dragging my feet.

"I need a sweater, Adam," I insisted, wrapping my arms around myself.

It wasn't cold in the airport, but I imagined it would be in the plane.

The plane I didn't plan on boarding. His arm wrapped around my waist, his touch almost tender. Almost.

"Pick whatever you want," he instructed as he guided me into one of the gift shops.

I browsed as slowly as I could, praying the minutes were passing as quickly as they had during my drive to meet Adam.

"Come on, Charlotte, just pick something," he growled next to me, glancing impatiently at his phone.

I selected a sweater and handed it to him.

"Can I get a book or something? For the flight?

" I asked innocently, my voice soft and pleading.

It worked like a charm. Adam's eyes softened and he nodded, lacing his arm around me and walking me to the book rack in the corner of the shop.

"How long is the flight?" I asked, looking up at him uncertainly, still wracking my brain trying to figure out how I was going to get away from him.

I handed him some thriller book and a crossword puzzle.

"Get me a pen. I have to go to the bathroom. "

As I turned away, Adam's hand snapped out, closing around my wrist. "You're not going anywhere without me, Charlotte. "

"Adam, the bathroom is right there. You can literally see it from here!" I complained. Lowering my voice, I leaned toward him. "I think I might be starting my period."

Adam grimaced, letting out a sigh. "Alright but hurry up. Boarding starts soon. Do you need pads?"

"Please," I whispered, turning and hurrying across the wide hall. I wasn't meant to start my period for a week, but Adam didn't need to know that.

I entered the bathroom, my heart pounding, and approached an older looking woman at the sink. "Ma'am, I really need help. Can I use your phone?"

Her eyes raked me over, lingering on my state of dress.

"Please, I promise I'm not going to run off with it.

I need to call my dad," I pleaded. I didn't know if it was the desperation in my whisper or the state of appearance, but she finally nodded, pulling her cell from her purse. "Thank you," I breathed.

I didn't remember Alexander's number, so I called my father.

"Hello?"

"Daddy, I don't have a lot of time, please listen." I spoke hurriedly into the phone. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay, Charlotte. Alexander said Adam kidnapped you. How the fuck am I supposed to be okay?"

"But you're not hurt? No one has been following you?" I asked anxiously.

"No, baby. No one has been following me."

"Okay, then. I need you to listen. Adam brought me to the airport. We're in terminal three and the plane to Florida is boarding in about five minutes. Please, just send somebody to help. I have to go… Be careful, Daddy."

"Wait, Charlotte—" I hung up, knowing I only had a minute left before Adam would storm into the bathroom to check on me.

"Thank you," I told the woman, handing her the phone.

"Is everything alright?"

"It will be," I replied, the words more of a prayer than anything else.

"Charlotte, we gotta go!" Adam called impatiently from outside.

"Thank you!" I whispered again, leaving the bathroom. "False alarm," I told Adam as I exited the bathroom.

"Good, I want to spend as long as I can fucking you," he replied. I felt the coffee in my stomach churn, rising in my throat. Snatching the sweater from him, I tied it around my hips, before reaching for the bag of items he'd bought me. "Your boarding pass," he murmured, handing me the ticket.

"First class?" I asked, glancing up at him in surprise as we approached the gate .

"Don't get too used to it. We won't be flying for a while," he replied. I wondered if Andrew knew his son was spending his money on kidnapping plots. It didn't matter anymore; nothing Adam did mattered anymore. Daddy was safe; he wasn't being followed.

"Attention passengers. Due to an unforeseen safety concern, flight three-seventeen to Miami, Florida has been delayed." The sound over the speaker above the gate sent a wave of relief through me, my shoulders relaxing for only a moment before Adam gripped my arm, squeezing roughly.

"What did you do?!" he snarled, looming over me.

"I didn't do anything!" I replied, trying to pull my arm away. Adam reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded knife and flicking it open.

"I swear to God, Lottie—"

"How the fuck did you get that through security?" I gasped as he pressed the knife against my stomach. It was small, oddly shaped; I didn't understand how it hadn't been detected.

"Ceramic," he murmured, smirking at me, pressing the tip into the fabric of my shirt. "If you did anything to fuck with our plans—"

"I didn't!" I insisted, shaking my head. "There's probably an issue with the plane. I'm sure they'll have a new one for us any minute." That's when I noticed the security. TSA agents, more than one or two, slowly edging around the terminal gates.

Daddy… Daddy called for help.

Unfortunately, Adam seemed to notice at the same time I did, yanking me closer and pressing the knife against my neck. The world around me went silent, everything narrowing until all I could see was Adam's furious expression; all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

"You realize that if I can't have you, no one will," he whispered the threat, leaning in to kiss my temple in a way that should have been intimate and tender; instead, filling me with dread.

"Charlotte!" It was the most glorious sound I'd ever heard. My head snapped up, finding him sprinting down the terminal, his blue eyes wide. My Alexander.

Behind me, Adam cursed under his breath, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him, the knife pressed to my belly again. It wasn't just an act of possessiveness. I was his hostage, his human shield.

Alexander halted the moment he caught sight of what Adam held in his hand. His eyes were wide and frantic, red, like he'd been crying.

"Please, Adam. Hasn't this gone far enough?" I asked in a gravelly whimper.

The moment I caught sight of Alexander, the dam inside me broke. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks, burning my eyes .

"I'm not going to fucking prison, Charlotte," Adam hissed in my ear. "If this is over, you're coming with me. To Florida, to hell; it doesn't really matter, as long as he doesn't get to have you…" I didn't think it was possible. Adam wasn't a killer.

But the tone of his voice was unmistakable. Panicked and breathless, I met Alexander's gaze, my heard racing with fear. It couldn't happen. Alexander was my happily ever after. He was no prince charming, and I was certainly no perfect princess, but I was his princess.

With no other ideas, I did the only thing I could think of, something I'd only ever seen in movies. "Adam, please, think about this," I pleaded as I slipped my hand into the giftshop bag, wrapping my trembling fingers around the pen.

"I've thought about this a thousand times, Lottie.

This—" His words morphed into a pained snarl, his eyes widening in shock as I turned in his hold, jamming the pen into him as hard as I could.

There was no spurt of blood, but the pen pierced through his shirt and sank deep into his skin, embedding itself in his shoulder.

Adam recoiled on sheer instinct, and I took my chance, shoving forcefully against his chest and whipping around. I sprinted down the terminal, throwing myself into Alexander's outstretched arms.

The force nearly knocked us both over, Alexander clutching me to his chest as I broke down, thick, petrified sobs wrenching themselves from the deepest parts of me. I screamed when the gunshot pierced the air, slapping my hands over my ears as Lex tightened his arms around my shoulders.

Alexander wouldn't let me turn to look. He cupped my face in his hands, keeping me still as he rained kisses over my skin. "I've got you, princess. It's over," he breathed, kissing me over and over again as we both cried. "I'm here baby…"