Chapter 16
Charlie blinked her eyes open sleepily and groaned as light hit her eyes. She rolled over and automatically reached out to the other side of the bed "Joey..." when she felt only cold sheets next to her she shot up in the bed as memories of the previous two nights filled her head "Oh my God..." she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms securely around them as she felt tears burn her eyes. She glanced to her right and released a small sob as she noticed the picture she had been clutching last night. She picked it up tentatively and gazed at it in contemplation. It showed Joey sitting in between Charlie and Ruby who both had tight grips on her arms to keep her from moving. Despite Joey's reluctance all three girls had bright smiles on their faces.
"Fight for them" Charlie whispered to herself "Get up and fight for them Charlie" she took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes before she jumped up from the bed and began to pull her clothes on.
"Charlie?" Leah looked up as Charlie rushed out of her room "What's going on?"
"Nothing" Charlie answered "Everything's fine...Well not fine because Joey and Ruby are still missing but nothing's gotten any worse yet so..." she glanced around quickly "Have you seen my keys?"
"Kitchen table" Leah responded though concern still showed on her features "Are you sure yo..."
"I'm fine. Honestly" Charlie reassured her quickly "I'm just going out for a while..." she offered Leah a weak smile before she hurried from the room. She jumped quickly into her car and fumbled to start the engine anxious to get to the station. She somehow managed to do so without breaking any speeding laws.
"Charlie..." Watson stood up as Charlie entered the station "How are you?"
"I'm...Fine" Charlie frowned as the lie left her mouth "But I need to talk to you..." she motioned towards her office and walked away leaving Watson to follow her.
"So..." Watson said as she entered the room and shut the door behind her "What's going on? The last time I saw you, you were a bit of a mess and now..."
"Yeah" Charlie winced as she sat down, remembering the past two days "I guess I had some sort of...subtle revelation"
"Oh...So what can I do for you?"
"I need you to come with me to the prison where they're keeping Robbo" Charlie answered slowly "I need to talk to him. And I need you there with me because I'm on leave"
"I don't think that's a very good idea" Watson argued "There's no guarantee that he'll tell you anything..."
"I have to do something" Charlie stated tightly "I can't just sit around here and do nothing while my sister and girlfriend are in danger!"
Watson's eyes widened in surprise. She knew that Joey and Charlie were a couple of course but this was the first time Charlie had outwardly referred to Joey as her girlfriend.
"What?" Charlie tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"Nothing" Watson shook her head "Never mind"
"So are you with me or not?!" Charlie demanded quietly. Her gaze softened when Watson still looked unsure "Please, Watson! I can't lose them" she felt tears rise in her eyes for what felt like the millionth time in the last two days but stubbornly pushed them back.
Watson sighed heavily and raised a hand to her forehead "I can't believe I'm doing this...You shouldn't be working at all never mind chasing after criminals...I'm with you"
"Thank you" Charlie smiled genuinely for the first time in days "This really means a lot to me"
Watson shrugged and glanced away self consciously "Don't worry about it..." she looked back at Charlie "So when do we leave?"
"Now" Charlie stood up and moved quickly to the door leaving the other police officer gaping after her.
"Now" Watson groaned "Of course it would be now!" she shook her head and followed Charlie from the office.
---
"Wakey, Wakey!" Colin grinned as he flung the door of 'the room' open.
"You're out of your mind" Ruby groaned as she raised a hand to her aching head. Joey stood up next to her and faced the man in front of them.
"Probably" Colin nodded sombrely "But whose fault is that?"
"Your own?" Joey guessed, raising an eyebrow at him. His expression immediately darkened when his eyes fell on her.
"No" he muttered "That would be yours"
"I didn't do anything!" Joey exclaimed angrily "I had never even met you before we got on that boat Colin!"
"You're right" The man nodded as he sat on the floor and leaned against the door casually "But you were affecting me long before we met Joey"
"I have no idea what you're talking about"
"You'll see soon" Colin grinned "And then..."
"What?" Joey questioned nervously "What are you going to do?"
"I already told you...I'm going to have our revenge. I'm going to hurt the two people you love the most"
"Just because I rejected you?" Joey asked in disbelief.
"And when you find everything out" Colin continued "You'll see that it's all your fault. If you weren't such a slut..."
"HEY!" Ruby yelled from the ground. She winced slightly as pain shot through her head but managed to stagger to her feet next to Joey "Shut up...Don't you dare talk about her like that!"
Joey smiled weakly at the younger girl before she turned her attention warily back to the amused man in front of them.
"It's quite sad really" Colin commented quietly "That you all care about each other so much...It's just going to make it all the more painful for you all" Ruby and Joey stayed silent and he rolled his eyes at them "Back to the silent treatment?" he got to his feet and observed them closely "This will be so much more interesting when Charlie gets here...Then the real revenge can begin"
"What is your problem?!" Joey exclaimed loudly, growing angrier by the second "I haven't done anything to you! And...Even if I had, why would you want to hurt them?!"
"Because that's what you did to me!" Colin snarled furiously. He calmed down after a moment and smiled smugly "Now you get to go through the pain of watching them hurt...It will all start when Charlie gets here. That's when thing start to get interesting. Yeah..." he nodded to himself, seeming almost oblivious to Joey and Ruby's presences. He looked up at Joey and grinned evilly "If you ask me she looks to be a screamer..."
Joey released a low growl and immediately started towards him. Ruby grabbed her wrist to stop her and held on tightly "Joey...Don't! He has a gun...Remember?" when the older girl stopped struggling Ruby pulled her back to her side and turned her glare to Colin "You're sick!"
"Quite possibly" Colin nodded to himself. He turned towards the door and opened it "I have to leave for a while...I'm sure I'll be back very soon"
"If you touch them..." Joey stepped forward slightly.
"You'll what?" the man laughed without turning to face her "There's nothing you can do Joey...All you can do is wait" he left the room and shut the door behind them.
"HEY!" Joey yelled as she pulled away from Ruby's hold and rushed over to the door "LET US GO!" she banged hard on the door with the side of her fist "Damn it!" she felt tears burn in her eyes and allowed them to fall freely for the first time in days as she punched the door furiously.
"Joey..." Ruby walked slowly over to the other girl, attempting to ignore the pain which shot through her muscles at the movement. She reach out to Joey tentatively and placed a hand on her arm "Stop it...You're going to hurt yourself. And you're kind of scaring me"
Joey stopped her furious battering of the door and turned back to Ruby tearfully "I'm sorry Ruby...I just...I don't know what to do..."
"I know" Ruby whispered before she pulled Joey into a tight hug "I know..." they slumped to the floor together as their tears flowed freely.
---
"Okay" Charlie took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily before looking back at Watson "I'm going in"
"Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?" Watson asked in concern "What if he says something and you hit him?"
Charlie shrugged "I'll try not to"
"But you don't remember him...You don't know...."
"I'll be fine Watson!" Charlie turned toward the door and nodded at the guard who pushed it open for her. She stepped inside and tensed when she saw Robbo sitting at the table waiting for her. He watched her with amused interest as she took a seat opposite him and gazed at him with barely concealed anger.
"Well?" he asked, leaning casually back in his chair "What is it that you want Senior Constable Buckton?"
"Where is Joey?" Charlie asked bluntly "and why has your lackey taken my sister?!"
Robbo's eyes widened in surprise "Your sister?"
"Yes" Charlie nodded "She's gone missing...Kidnapped. I want to know where she is"
"I don't know why anyone would want to take your sister" Robbo shrugged "Joey however...is a different matter"
"Where is she?!" Charlie asked lowly as she leaned across the table slightly "If you've hurt her..."
"Hurt her?!" Robbo laughed bitterly "I'm in prison! What damage could I do?"
"Where is she?" Charlie repeated, glancing self consciously at the guard.
"I don't know" Robbo grinned "I don't really care"
"You were ranting about revenge...Something about somebody else getting revenge for you. Why would you want revenge on Joey?"
"Are you serious?" Robbo almost yelled "I'm stuck in here until that stupid trial because of her, for absolutely nothing!"
"You raped her!" Charlie growled furiously "You deserve to be stuck in here!"
"Whatever..."
"Where is she?!" Charlie asked furiously "Tell me where she is Robbo!"
"Why do you care so much?" Robbo questioned raising an eyebrow at her "It's like you're in...Oh..." he grinned smugly when Charlie fell silent and looked away from him "You're dating Joey?"
"That's none of your business"
"So just because your little girlfriend is missing you decided to come and hassle me?"
"Shut up!" Charlie exclaimed "Just tell me where Joey and Ruby are right now!"
"That has nothing to do with me" the man shrugged "What Colin doe..." he stopped talking when he realised he had slipped.
"Colin?" Charlie echoed "Who's Colin?!"
"Nobody"
"Is Colin the guy who has taken Joey and my sister?!"
"No comment" Robbo replied dryly.
"Where are they?!" Charlie demanded loudly.
"No comment"
"TELL ME!" Charlie stood up quickly causing her chair to fall backwards and slammed her hands down on the table "Where are they?!"
"No. Comment." Robbo grinned slyly. He stood up and stepped away from the table "I think it's time for you to leave"
Charlie gritted her teeth in anger "Robbo?"
"Uh-huh?" Robbo responded casually.
"You're going down for what you did to Joey...I'll see to that" Charlie said quietly so the guard didn't hear them "And after this...You'll be lucky if you ever see the light of day again" she turned and walked out of the room without so much as a backward glance.
"Well?" Watson questioned anxiously "What did he say?"
"Some guy called Colin has them" Charlie replied quietly.
"He told you that?"
Charlie shook her head "He slipped"
"That's good though isn't it?" Watson asked unsurely.
"A name doesn't bring us any closer to finding them..." Charlie said quietly.
---
"Rubz?" Joey questioned hoarsely into the dark room as she nudged the teenager next to her gently "Ruby you have to stay awake"
"Huh?" Ruby jerked awake and lifted her head from Joey's shoulder "What? Why?"
"The cut on your head is worrying me...You might have concussion"
"But I've already been asleep" Ruby yawned sleepily "It's been two days since I got this...Wouldn't we already know?"
"I don't know" Joey responded quietly. She frowned after a moment "God you're shaking like a leaf"
"It's really cold" Ruby said quietly. She whimpered quietly when Joey pulled away from her and so took away her main source of warmth.
Joey turned around on the ground so that she was kneeling in front of the younger girl "Ruby, Honey?" Ruby looked up at her and Joey placed the back of her hand on the teen's forehead "Shit..."
"What?" Ruby coughed "What's wrong?"
"You have a temperature" Joey said softly; worry shining in her dark eyes as she moved gently moved a strand of hair which was stuck to the teen's clammy cheek "You're really boiling up!"
Ruby shrugged and wrapped her arms tightly around herself "It's really freezing in this room" sure enough she was visibly shaking.
"Are you hurting anywhere?" Joey questioned scanning Ruby briefly from injuries.
"I hurt everywhere" Ruby answered quietly "Like muscle aches...But my head really hurts as well"
"Okay" Joey sat back slightly and look thoughtful "Cold, High temperature, Sweating, Muscle aches, headaches though that is to be expected..." she bit her lip nervously "It could be hypothermia...You have been here for quite a few days and it' really cold in here..."
"Cold?" Ruby stuttered, shivering uncontrollably "It's freezing!"
Joey observed the younger girl for a moment before she nodded to herself "Right..." she sat up slightly and pulled her hoodie off, suddenly thankful that she had been wearing it over her t-shirt.
"W...What are you doing?" Ruby asked quietly "You'll freeze!"
"I'll be fine" Joey replied reassuringly "Just put that on"
"But..."
"Come on Rubz" Joey said pleadingly "You're shivering and sick so just put it on!"
"But I don't want you to get sick too" Ruby sniffled quietly.
"I won't" Joey smiled softly "I'm used to the cold...Being out on boats at night can be freezing. So I'll be fine"
"Fine" Ruby reluctantly pulled the hoodie on over her shirt. She patted the spot next to he and Joey resumed her previous position leaning against the wall at Ruby's side. The teenager instantly shifted closer to the older girl and Joey wrapped an arm around her tightly, trying to keep her as warm as possible.
"Is that helping?" she asked quietly after a few minutes.
"Huh?" Ruby jumped, having been on the verge of sleep "Oh yeah. Thanks Joey. Let me know if you get cold, okay? Then you can have it back"
"I don't want it back" Joey whispered "You can keep it"
They fell into silence for a while before Ruby spoke up weakly "Jo?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we're going to get out of this?" Ruby choked out tearfully "Are we going to...die?"
"I'm not going to let that happen" Joey said determinedly though her voice shook with emotion "I'm going to protect you. No matter what"
"It kind of scares me when you talk like that" Ruby said softly as she tightened her hold on the older girl "Makes me think you're going to do something stupid which will get you hurt"
Joey sighed "Don't worry about that"
"You're not, are you?" Ruby questioned worriedly "You're not going to do anything stupid?"
Joey hesitated for a moment "No"
"Good" Ruby sighed in relief and laid her head back on Joey's shoulder "Jo?"
"Mmmhm?" Joey mumbled.
"I miss Charlie" Ruby said quietly.
"I know. So do I" Joey pushed back tears at the thought of her girlfriend's pain.
"She's probably worrying herself sick..."
"Yeah, she will be..."
"I can't wait to go home" Ruby whispered "I hate this place"
"Me too" Joey agreed "When we get out of this...I'm going to take you and Charlie on a boat somewhere, to get away from all the craziness..."
"Hmmn" Ruby hummed sleepily "that would be nice" she fell silent for a moment and Joey nudged her gently.
"Rubz?"
"Huh?" Ruby once again jerked awake "Oh right...Gotta stay awake"
"Uh..." Joey stayed silent for a moment trying to think of a way to distract the younger girl "Tell me something. About Charlie. That I don't know"
Ruby smiled "Okay...Probably not quite the way she expected her embarrassing secrets to come out but, okay" she thought for a moment before she spoke up again "There was this one time when we were younger..."
Joey listened to Ruby though Worry for the younger girl still plagued her.
---
"DAMN IT!" Charlie swiped the files off her desk in one angry motion. She sank back down onto her chair and sighed heavily "Colin...Who the hell is Colin?!"
She stood up and retrieved her file from the floor "I have to keep going..." she glanced at the picture which miraculously still lay on her desk "For them..." she bent down and picked up a stray piece of paper from the floor and scanned it quickly though her eyes stopped on one line.
"Oh My God..."
TBC
