This story was living inside of my computer for a long time now... and today I have the first chapter for you!
The war against the patriots is over, the story takes place somewhere after second two, 4 months after that war. Connor came back with Bass, non of the shooting 'thing' with Scanlon and Neville happened. We are going back to Willoughby again...
Bass was on his way to the local bar in Willoughby, when he saw them together. His kid and Charlie. Talking, standing in front of the bar, light streaming from the windows into the street that was getting darker now the sun had set behind the houses at the edge of town.
The war against the patriots had ended almost half a year ago and had taken longer than any of them had expected. Out of all the towns on this fucking continent he had ended up in Willoughby, right in the fucking middle of Texas. Texas.
And yet again, he was surrounded by Matheson's where ever the hell he went. Together with Miles, he had gotten the great task from Blanchard to get this town together again, so that meant dealing with Miles on an almost daily basis. Where Miles went, the girlfriend from hell went, so that meant dealing with Rachel more than he wanted. Never would be what he would be aiming for if it was up to him when it came to her, but he still had to face her every damn week.
And then there was that one Matheson. She had become a part of his life so damn fast, that he still could not believe what and how exactly the hell that had happened since she fell in front of his feet in that empty swimming pool.
Charlie Matheson.
Charlotte when he wanted to piss her of, or when she pissed him of.
She had thrown things in his face where he had other people literally shot for once, and fuck, still would snap somebody's neck for. She was the one woman that never seemed to fall for any of his charms that normally had other woman begging for a just some of his attention. Not Charlie.
She was the one woman that was out of reach. She was the one woman that had been one his mind too much, the one woman he wanted to have under him, the one woman he wanted to taste, the one woman he wanted to hear his own name from, when he would lose himself deep inside of her.
Not Charlie. Not only had she ignored the hell out of him. And when she stopped doing that, when he had thought that maybe he was not batshit crazy for believing there could be something there, at the moment he felt like they were making some progress she had banged his kid.
Damn it, he was 47, he used to run half the continent, but when it came to this kid, woman, whatever, she was able to pull the rug from under him on a daily basis. And he let her. God, she was infuriating.
And hot as fuck.
So now he was here, in this damn town and almost at the town bar when he saw them together. Charlie was tilting her head back and was laughing at Connor. Connor stood in front of her, hands in his pockets with that stupid grin Bass recognised as his own lets fuck later grin.
Bass looked at the ground in front of him for a moment, when he cursed something under his breath. He couldn't care less if his son went back for another scoop. He really didn't. He walked past Charlie and Connor, ignoring their greetings while he grunted something back shortly before he walked into the bar.
When he had ordered his first drink and Miles finally walked the hell in, he turned around and looked through the window where Connor had just stood with Charlie. They were both gone. He emptied his glass and growled for another drink to the guy behind the bar.
'Well, you look like a little bundle of joy,' Miles said drily, before he gestured to the bartender for a whiskey.
'Shut it,' Bass growled, when he looked into the glass before he emptied it again.
The next morning
Bass stood close to the town gate, waiting for Charlie. They were supposed to ride for Austin this morning. Blanchard needed to get some shit taken care of and since Miles was neck deep in other duties. It had been Charlie that stepped up. Apparently spending time with him was not on her hate most do to-list.
Although it had probably more to do with some other argument she had with the Mother of the year she had to deal with on a daily basis. One way or the other, it meant being on the road with her, alone. Something they had not done in a long time. Was it completely fucked up that he maybe kinda looked forward to that?
He moved his weight to his other leg when he started to get impatient. Charlie was late. She never was. And yet, there was no sight of her. The memory of seeing her with his kid last night flashed through his mind. Followed by a memory from a night right outside Vegas, the smooth skin of her face and bare shoulders close to Connor. Damn it, he grunted.
Not much later he spotted Connor across the street. He felt a hint of a familiar blow in his gut when he watched his kid. It was obvious that he did not make it home last night, since he was wearing the same stuff he had been wearing the night before.
'Connor,' he nodded at his kid, his own voice reaching across the street when Connor changed directions and walked over to him.
'Well, good morning to you, dad,' he said, grinning from ear to ear.
'Yeah, whatever,' Bass really tried to ignore the grin he wished he could slap of his kid's face.
'You've seen Charlie?' It was not really a question, more a statement.
Connor pulled his hand through his dark curls. 'Talked to her last night at the bar for a moment, haven't seen her since. Why are you asking?'
Bass really tried not to let the relieve he felt show on his face in front of his kid. He felt rather pathetic for it.
'We were supposed to leave for Austin, but she has not showed up yet.' He started to turn away from Connor, 'Guess I will check her apartment.'
'You want me to go with you?' Connor offered.
'No, I'm fine, son. I'll go check on her.' And with that he turned around and walked over to her apartment. Relieve had changed into something else.
Walking over to her apartment he felt everything between feeling worried and pissed off at Charlie for now showing up. Worried because Charlie was never late and this was not like her. Pissed off because if this was one of those things she was doing to just mess with him a little more, he was not fucking amused. Although something already inside of him told him that Charlie was not like that. She took her shit seriously.
Not much later he found herself standing in front of apartment, knocking on her front door. There was silence on the other door. He knocked again. Nothing.
'Charlie?' He said firmly, 'Charlie, damn it, we were supposed to be on the road now.' He sounded pissed, while worry started to spread through his gut.
No answer. He called for her again. He pounded on the door with more force. Nothing. He had enough.
'Charlie, I don't know what the hell is going on, but if you don't fucking open the door right now, I will open it for you.' He sounded pissed, but this time, cold worry started to flood his gut.
He grabbed his gun from the waistband of his jeans. Without thinking about it he used his shoulder and his weight to open the door with force. The door flew open, crashing into the wall next to it with a loud bang. The wood shattered around the lock.
With the gun firmly in his hands and pointed in front of him, he scanned the room. Still nothing. And then he walked over to the small hallway. There was an almost closed door to his left. He never been here but if he had to guess it was her bedroom. It was too damn quiet. Adrenaline pumped through his veins.
He opened the door. And then he saw her. He swore his heart almost fucking stopped at the sight of her. Bare legs on the floor next to her bed. An oversized t shirt flowing over her upper legs. Then he took another step. Charlie was laying on the floor, her hair over her head.
In the next couple of seconds he had his gun tucked back into his waistband, he had crossed the distance across the room and now he was crouched down next to her, some curse words leaving his mouth. Fuck.
'Charlie...damn it, Charlie,' his voice was hoarse with worry. His voice firm.
He gently pulled some hair back out of her face, and his fingers went over flushed skin. Her skin felt warm and sweat was on her forehead.
He tried to shake her awake.
She tried to talk, he saw her lips moving, but her eyes stayed shut.
'I did not... forget ... not forget...you...'
Her voice was so far away, so weak that he was worried out of his damn mind. He had never seen her like this, even when she came out of her drugs coma in Pottsboro she had tried to kill him within the next five or ten minutes after. But not today.
Today she was pale and not even able to form complete sentences. She even let him touch her, and that maybe was the worst fucking sign. Ever.
'I did...' Charlie started to mumble something, but she was obviously lost in her fever again.
'Hey, I know Charlie.' He said, now gently, feeling like a giant dickhead that he had even thought about the possibility that Charlie would not follow through on what they had agreed on the day before.
He pressed a hand to her forehead. She was burning up.
Damn it.
His mind was racing, while her head was leaning into the touch of his hand.
Next chapter, we will start with Charlie's point of view. Until then? Love from Love