CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When I finished my session with Dr. Palmer, feeling slightly better than I had before, I found Finn on the phone while he paced in the living room.
“I don’t know how soon. Hopefully in a few days,” he said.
He caught my eye and reached out a hand. I walked to him and took it, stepping up to put my cheek on his chest as he wrapped his free arm around me.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly. I heard the voice on the other end of the phone say something and Finn smiled. “Yes, I’m talking to Charlotte.”
He pulled the phone from his ear. “It’s my mom. She wants to talk to you.”
I took the phone from him, stepping away from Finn and saying hello.
“Oh, Charlotte,” she said, voice troubled. “I don’t want you there anymore.”
“You sound like Finn.”
“Well, then, he’s right. I know he can be suffocating, but it’s only because he cares.”
I grinned, watching Finn’s brows furrow when I nodded. “He can be suffocating.”
Finn frowned and walked to the kitchen. I followed him with my eyes, but stayed in front of the window.
“Seriously, though,” Cecelia said. “I think you two should come here. There will be more people around. We can hire extra security. I want you both safe.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“But?”
“It’s not fixing the problem.”
“Neither is staying there,” she said. Then she sighed just like I had. “But then what, right? That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
Keeping my eyes on Finn as he opened a bottle of wine, I said, “It’s hard not to. It’s like a cycle that just won’t end. I’m ready for it to be over.”
Finn’s gaze lifted and locked with mine.
“I know, sweetheart,” Cecelia said. “But short of provoking Mark, you’re kind of…”
“Stuck.”
“Stuck. God, what an asshole!” She gave a soft laugh. “Sorry, but really, he’s a miserable human being.”
“He is,” I whispered.
“And now I’m depressing you. Charlotte, honey, I’m sorry. Now I feel bad.”
“Don’t feel bad.” My own phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to check the caller. Detective Winters. “Cecelia, I have get this call. Here’s Finn.”
I walked over and handed him the phone as I answered mine.
Detective Winters’ voice came over, sedate as usual. “Ms. Evans.”
I kept my voice even. “Yes?”
“Ms. Portman woke up. She confirmed who was behind her attack.”
My stomach leaped with the words. Finn ended the call with his mother and narrowed his eyes on me.
“She said it was Mark,” Detective Winters said.
“Oh, God,” I whispered. Finn walked around the counter, reaching for me. I clasped his hand in mine. “Is she okay?”
“She’ll pull through, though she’ll be here a few days. She asked about you.”
Finn’s face stayed pensive and he keep mouthing words to me. Who is it? What’s happening?
“She wanted to make sure you were okay,” Winters said. “In fact, she was very distraught and could hardly manage much except to repeatedly ask if you were still here in Oasis. And if someone could check in on you.”
My eyes lifted to Finn’s, worry spreading. “But someone is there with her, right? I mean, I know there’re a lot of people at the hospital, but she needs someone there.”
“Let us handle that, Ms. Evans. We’ll be in touch shortly after we contact Mr. Dublin.”
He ended the call and I set my phone on the counter, feeling sick. “It was Mark,” I told Finn.
“What was?”
“Tracy woke up. She said Mark attacked her.”
His jaw clenched. “He—” His eyes flicked to mine and he stopped what else he was going to say. “We need to get you out of here.”
“Curtis is close by. And Shane and Dustin. You’re here, Finn. He can’t just walk into our apartment.”
“And I don’t want him to try,” Finn said, voice hard. “We need to leave.”
I weighed my options. Leaving meant potentially dodging Mark for now. But he wouldn’t give up. And then what? We’d have to stay on guard forever? Oasis was my home now. I wanted to be here.
“I’d really appreciate if you’d just agree with me for once,” Finn murmured.
“I’m not disagreeing. Finn, I want you to feel okay about this. And if it means us leaving, let’s figure it out.”
He frowned. “It’s not about me feeling okay. It’s about keeping you safe. What’s Detective Winters going to do about this? He knows it’s Mark. Isn’t he worried Mark might make another move? Does he expect you to just stand around and wait until he does?”
“I don’t know, Finn,” I said softly, leaning against the counter and rubbing my hands over my face. “They’re going to talk to Mark.”
“We need to tell Curtis. Let him know what’s going on.”
My hands shook as I walked around the counter to get a glass of water. I could barely fill it.
Finn already had his phone out, sharing a brief few words with Curtis before hanging up. When he turned to me, his eyes went wide. “Charlotte.”
“I’m okay.” But the glass clattered on the counter when I released it. All I could see was Tracy’s bloodied and bruised face, the marks around her neck. I put both hands over my mouth. “Oh, God, oh God. Finn—”
“Charlotte, don’t. You can’t fall apart on me now, okay? We need to deal with this.”
“I know, I know,” I said, but the words wouldn’t stop repeating. “I know, Finn, but he hurt her because of me—”
“No. He did this because he’s a horrible person.” He reached for me carefully, like he thought I might bolt. But then we heard a knock on the door and Curtis’s voice identifying himself. “Shit. Hold on. Just stay there.”
I had to. I couldn’t move. Tracy had almost died. And still she’d been brave enough to ID Mark after she’d woken up. I hadn’t been brave enough the entire time I was with him. And I’d lost my courage several times while at Oasis, too.
How much more was it going to take to get Mark out of my life? For me to finally be through with this?
Dustin walked in with Curtis, his face serious. He met my eyes when we rounded the corner. I tried to give him a smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.
“Ms. Evans,” he said, “you’re pale. Why don’t you sit?”
A million thoughts swirled through my mind at that moment. Ways to fix this. Ways to end it. When I didn’t respond after a long moment, Finn came around the counter again.
He put his arm around me, mouth close to my ear. “Charlotte, you’re worrying me. Do you want to lie down?”
I shook my head. “I want to go see Tracy.”
He jerked back like I’d burned him. “Tracy?”
Drawing in a shaky breath, I nodded. “I’m worried about her. What if—”
“She’s at the hospital. She’s being taken care of.”
“What if she’s still in danger?” I asked. “What if Mark tries again?”
“You said Detective Winters and his partner are going to talk to Mark, right?”
“Yes.” He started to nod, but I shook my head again. “They won’t find him. Not if he knows Tracy’s okay.”
“What do you mean?”
Squeezing my hands together to keep them from shaking, I said, “I don’t think he meant for her to make it.”
Finn’s arm tightened around me. “Charlotte.”
“She wasn’t doing what he wanted, Finn. She was out of control. Coming up to us in the lobby yesterday. I don’t think he planned on that, and then she called me to tell me I was right, and that she should have listened to me. He must have confronted her—shown his true colors—and she realized she was in over her head. That what I was saying was true.”
“We don’t know what went on last night,” Finn started.
“I do,” I whispered, staring at the grains of wood on the floor. “He couldn’t keep her quiet, that’s what happened. She talked to us, then called me, none of which Mark planned. He couldn’t control her, so the only solution was to—to deal with it.”
Finn make a noise of disgust in his throat. “Charlotte, we don’t need to go over this right now.”
I looked up. “Yes, we do.” I turned my gaze to Curtis and then Dustin. “You need to understand what kind of person Mark is. If he thought Tracy was going to rat him out, he couldn’t have that. So he dealt with her—and I doubt he was expecting her to make it. Not when she could back up my side of the story. He did that with me, hurt me so bad I was almost where Tracy is.” Finn’s jaw was clenched, eyes hard. “It was a threat, a show of power. And he knew I wouldn’t tell.”
My stomach clenched with those words, and I choked out a laugh. “It’s ironic, right? That the thing that kept me alive all those years was me being too scared to do anything about it.”
“Charlotte,” Finn said, his voice hoarse. “Don’t do this.”
I squeezed his hand, but turned my attention to Curtis again. “If Mark thinks anyone knows about him, especially the detectives, he’s not going to be around for them to question him—or worse, bring him in.”
“He’ll make his next move,” Curtis surmised.
“We need to get out of here,” Finn said.
“It’s probably safer here.”
“So he knows right where to find you?” Finn spit out. “Hell no. We get out of here, we go somewhere else—anywhere he won’t think to look—and wait for Winters and Stone to pick him up.”
“Finn—”
“We’re not going to be able to negotiate on this.”
And the fact he was keeping his calm this well was impressing me, which is why I kept my voice even when speaking to Curtis. “I understand where Finn’s coming from, but if we leave, it’s just prolonging the inevitable. If we stay right here, yes, Mark will know where to find us. But then we’ll be able to end it.”
“Ms. Evans,” he said calmly as he pulled out his phone.
I dropped my chin. Whenever he called me Ms. Evans, I knew he wasn’t going to agree with me.
“I absolutely get where you’re coming from,” he said, “but my job isn’t to confront the enemy, it’s to keep you and Mr. Moore out of danger. I’ll make a plan, call Detective Winters so he knows we’re leaving.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but there wasn’t any more to say. Curtis was in charge. And he’d kept me and Finn safe this long, so I couldn’t summon the words to argue.
Turning to Finn, I found the anger had left his face. Now he just looked tired. Concerned. Anxious.
“I’d like to go see Tracy first,” I said.
He rubbed a hand over his eyes before nodding to the hallway. “Let’s talk.”
I followed him to the bedroom, tense and ready to do something—anything—to make this stop.
“Finn,” I whispered when he stopped at the end of the bed, his hands on his hips. “I need you to listen to me.”
A muscle worked in his jaw, but he wouldn’t look at me. “I’m listening.”
“Look at me. Please.”
“Charlotte,” he said, voice rough, “you’re asking too much of me right now. I can’t do this.”
My mouth popped open in surprise. “What?”
He kept his distance, eyes clouded with something I hardly ever saw in them. Fear.
“All I can think is that he did this to you. When I saw Tracy’s face, her neck, heard that she was barely breathing, I couldn’t stop picturing you. Knowing he did this to you more than once…I can’t compromise with you. I can’t negotiate about staying. The only thing I can think to do is to get you as far from here as possible. To force you to go if that’s what it takes because I can’t let you stay here where he can get to you.”
My throat dried. “Finn…”
“Don’t make me do this, Charlotte,” Finn said, finally lifting his eyes to look at me. “Don’t make me force you to go somewhere you don’t want to go. I don’t want us to fight, I just want you to understand. But if it means keeping you safe, I’ll deal with you being angry with me.”
“Finn. Stop for a minute.” I swallowed, suddenly nervous he was going to turn his back on me and take matters into his own hands. “We need to be on the same page.”
“That’s why I’m telling you this before we go. So we can be on the same page, so you can understand there’s no negotiating with your safety.”
“I know. I know, I swear, Finn, but—”
“No arguing.” He stepped forward and took my hand with one of his, while using the other to brush a lock of hair from my cheek. “Please, Charlotte, please. I can’t lose you. I can’t deal with the idea of you getting hurt. We just need to go. Let me take you somewhere else. I’m asking you nicely. Please, let me do this.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning in as close as possible, trying to show him it was okay. Trying to make him feel better. His arms locked around me.
“Charlotte,” he choked out.
It broke my heart to hear the fear, the worry, the tension in his voice. “Please, don’t worry.”
“That could have been you in the restaurant instead of Tracy.”
“Finn, no, I’m right here.”
“You have to stay right here,” he insisted. “Right by my side. I can’t lose you.”
“I know, Finn,” I soothed. “Please listen to me. I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to lose you either.”
He turned his face into the curve of my shoulder, the stubble on his chin brushing my skin. I let him hold on for another moment. I wanted him to know I was going to be here, by his side, no matter what.
Things had gotten too real, too fast. I was afraid Mark was closer than we thought, afraid to leave Finn’s side anyway, because then I’d be alone, facing Mark again when I had no idea if I was strong enough.
“I need one thing,” I told Finn.
He straightened, but didn’t release me.
“Please, listen. This is important.”
His wary eyes met mine. “What?”
“Tracy.” He exhaled, already shaking his head, so I touched his cheek. “Please, Finn. She got hurt because of me.”
“That’s not true. She—”
“She’s in this mess because I didn’t stand up to Mark earlier. And she got hurt last night because I didn’t do anything to help her.”
“Charlotte, both Powell and I discouraged you from doing anything. It’s not your fault.”
“Regardless,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “I’m still worried about her. I don’t want her to be alone there. Detective Winters said she kept asking about me. I want her to know I’m safe, and I want to make sure she is, too. If they’re not having someone watch her room, Mark could get to her again.”
“She’s in the hospital, Charlotte. I don’t think—”
“Finn. Stop. Mark isn’t thinking rationally, or he wouldn’t have done what he did. Right?”
He didn’t respond, but I knew he got it. I took a small breath and stepped back from him. He frowned, but only propped his hands on his hips again.
“I would never forgive myself if something happened to her,” I said. “She stood up to Mark. Now there are more of us, and he won’t get away with this anymore. Nothing can happen to her, Finn, and you know it. Not just because I’d never be able to forgive myself, but because we need her. We need her to get Mark, right? Now that the detectives know for sure what kind of person Mark is, Tracy needs to stay safe. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he answered.
Fighting for patience, I ran a hand through my hair. “I know. Don’t you think if it were me in Tracy’s shoes, you’d want someone to help me?”
He grimaced, and I knew I shouldn’t have put that picture in his head again, but he needed to understand.
“I’ll go wherever you want me to go. I’ll do whatever Curtis asks me to do. I just want to make sure Tracy’s taken care of.”
“I can see if Curtis will send someone over there.”
“I need to see, Finn. Please, please understand.”
“They might not even let you in to see her,” he warned.
“Then at least I’ll know she’s safe and I can make sure someone is there with her until Mark is caught.”
The battle he fought was written all over his face. For a moment, I thought he was going to shake his head, say “no” and start packing. But, finally, he lowered his chin.
“You have to stay close,” he said.
“Of course.”
“And do what Powell says.”
“Makes sense.”
He frowned. “I’m not taking this lightly, Charlotte. I don’t like you going there.”
“I’m not taking it lightly either, Finn. But I can’t stay in here all day. Eventually we have to leave the apartment.”
He sighed and turned to the hallway again. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The ride to the hospital felt like hours, though it was only about twenty minutes. We pulled into the parking garage, with Shane behind the wheel. Dustin remained at Oasis, preparing for our departure later that afternoon.
I had no idea where we were going, but at this point, I didn’t care as long as everyone was safe. I could only hope the detectives could get to Mark fast and this would all be over.
“Charlotte,” Finn said, breaking into my thoughts.
“What?” The car had stopped, and I automatically reached for the door handle. “Sorry.”
Finn caught my hand. “No, wait. Not yet.”
Curtis glanced back from the passenger seat, his eyes barely meeting mine before he scanned what he could of the area. “You need to stay close.”
“We will.”
“If you lose sight of me for any reason, Shane will be right there. Stay with him.”
I nodded, growing anxious again. They couldn’t really think Mark was at the hospital, could they? He was probably hiding somewhere like John had. Maybe making more plans, but surely not this soon. He’d get caught. People were looking for him. That was the last thing he wanted.
“Charlotte,” Finn said again.
“Yes?”
When I didn’t look at him, he reached out to grip my chin. “Focus,” he whispered. “You have to keep an eye out just in case he’s here.”
Forcing my mind to engage, I nodded again. “You’re right. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, kissing me briefly. “Just make sure you stay by me and let Powell or Shane know if you see anything strange.”
“Okay.”
My stomach was in knots, but I did as Curtis said. Stayed close as we got out of the car, as we entered the hospital, as we wound through the endless hallways until we reached the section of rooms Tracy was staying in.
I looked around for police, another detective, but didn’t see anyone yet.
“Where are they?” I asked Finn.
With my hand tight in his, he turned, shoulder brushing mine. “Where is who?”
“Someone should be watching her room, right?”
“I’ll check,” Curtis said as we paused by the desk where a few nurses sat or filed charts.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked, his fingers brushing my cheekbone. “You’re still pale.”
“I’m nervous.”
Finn didn’t answer, and when Curtis turned away from the desk, I leaned in. “Can I see her? Tracy?” I asked the nurse.
“Are you family?” the nurse asked.
“I’m a friend. She was asking about me. Charlotte.”
She conferred with another nurse and then nodded. “I’ll check to see if she’s awake, and then you can go in. But only a few minutes.”
We followed her down the hallway and around the corner, where I was relieved to find a police officer standing outside her door. He eyed us as we walked up, body tensing.
The nurse spoke with him briefly, but he shook his head. “I don’t have the authorization to let anyone inside.”
“Detective Winters,” I said. “Call him. He knows me. Charlotte Evans. I just need to talk to Tracy for a few minutes, let her know it’s going to be okay.”
Curtis’s eyes were alert, scanning the hallway one direction while Shane looked the other. “Five minutes,” Curtis said, “and then we have to go.”
“Please,” I said to the police officer, dipping my hand in my purse to grab my phone. “I can call him if you want.”
Finn set his hand over mine. “She’s safe, you can see that. There’s someone here for her in case.”
I pleaded with the police officer with my eyes. Finally, he gave a brief nod. “Let me check.”
While he called Detective Winters, Finn wrapped his arm around my waist. “We should go.”
“A few more minutes,” I insisted.
His grip tightened, but he didn’t say another word. When the officer ended his call, he gave a short nod. “Five minutes.” When he saw Finn’s grip on me, he said, “Just you.”
“I’m okay,” I told Finn, ready to follow the nurse inside. “It’s fine. Five minutes.”
His eyes connected with mine. “Make sure she’s okay, then we have to go.”
I nodded, but barely heard his words. I was preparing myself to see Tracy again, to see bruises I remembered well from the last few years with Mark.
It was quiet inside, and Tracy had a room all to herself. She appeared to be sleeping, making my heart drop. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her it was going to be okay. To thank her for standing up to Mark.
“I’m not going to wake her,” the nurse said quietly. “She needs her rest.”
I swallowed, hardly able to take my eyes off her. “I know.”
She needed rest, and more, she needed healing. Her face was barely recognizable underneath the swelling and discoloration. Her hair was dull and stiff, probably from the blood and what they’d been unable to clean. Her cheeks were swollen, and I could still see the bruises on her neck.
A low sob slipped out. I reached for her hand, touching it gently. “Oh, Tracy, I’m so sorry.”
Her eyelids flickered. It took her a moment to focus. “I’m…”
The nurse reached for the water on her tray, shaking her head. “Don’t try to talk too much.” She glanced at me. “Her throat is bruised. It hurts her to talk.”
Nodding, I leaned in closer to Tracy so she could see me. She took a sip of water, but wouldn’t take her eyes off me.
“You’re okay now,” I assured her. “There’s someone outside, keeping watch. You’re safe.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “Safe,” she said.
I nodded. “Right. Safe. Right here. And you’re going to be okay.”
“Ma…”
My stomach clenched. “Mark. I know he did this. He—” I broke off at the nurses warning look. I didn’t want to upset Tracy more. “You’re fine,” I assured her. “Safe.”
“Not safe,” she said, voice scratchy.
“Yes, you are. I promise. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”
“You…not safe.” She blinked, winced, and then squeezed her hand on mine. “He…angry.”
I pressed my lips together tightly, but couldn’t stop moisture from filling my eyes. “I know, Tracy. But you don’t have to worry about that. You need to focus on getting better. I’m fine.”
“No.” Tears leaked from her eyes.
Frowning, the nurse shook her head. “You’re going to have to leave. She doesn’t need to deal with this.”
“I’m sorry.” I tried to extract my hand from Tracy’s but she held on with surprising strength. “Tracy, relax. Get some rest. Everything will be fine.”
“You…help,” she said. She tried to clear her throat and ended up coughing. “Not yet. Charlotte.”
I met her eyes, saw the intensity behind them. “Tracy, what is it?”
“He won’t stop,” she said, voice scratchy again. “He said…Paige?” She squinted her eyes, trying to remember. “Someone…your friend? He’s going…after her.”
The words jolted me, and with a start of panic, I tore my hand free of Tracy’s. “I have to go.” I glanced back to the nurse. “Take care of her.”