Page 83 of Hardy

“Just my luck.”She dropped herbag and made her way toward the kitchen.

Charlotte was grabbed frombehindandslammed up against the wall.She squealed, and someone gripped herneck.The pain was instant, and Charlotte tried to stop whoever wasattacking her.

“It has been a long time nosee, Charlotte.”

She recognized that voice.Thatsame voice filled her nightmares, and terrified her.This was the voiceshe’d been trying to forget for so long.This was same voice thathad sent her crazy.

“Get off me,”she said, fighting for herlife.

He wrapped his fingers aroundthe front of her neck, and squeezed, cutting off her air.She clawed at hishands trying her hardest to fight him, to breathe.

Gash spun her around, andpressed her against the wall.He was close enough for her to see him in thedark.In the last few years he’d aged, and his features hadhardened.This wasn’t the same man she remembered.

“Where the fuck is she?”heasked, snarling each word at her.

“Who?”

He held her around the neck tightly butgave her enough air to breathe.“That fucking bitch, Rebecca.Wherethe fuck is she?”

“I don’t know.”

Gash pulled her from the wall andslammed her against it.

Charlotte screamed, and he cut her airoff.

“I will kill you.Now tell mewhere she is.”

“I don’t know.I’ve notseen her in years.I don’t know where she is, or what the fuck hashappened.”She kept hold of his hands.

It was strange to her to remember in thatmoment the way he’d touched and stroked her.

“Why didn’t you come andtell the truth?”he asked.

“I couldn’t.”

“They locked me the fuckup, nearly threw away the bastard key, and the one woman who couldhave helped me, was you.”

“I didn’t know whathappened until it was too late.”Then her testimony wouldn’t havebeen worth shit.Who was going to trust a crazy person?

Gash squeezed once again, and for thefirst time in over five years, Charlotte didn’t want to die.Aspark had ignited from his touch.

Suddenly, he dropped her to the floor,crouching down beside her.“You’re going to help me,” hesaid.

“I don’t know where sheis.”

“You’re going to help mefind Rebecca, and when I do, I’m going to kill her.”

“If I don’t?”

“Then I’m going to killyou, and everything you love.”

Charlotte laughed.Everything she everloved had been taken from her.“I’ll help you find her, and when wefind her, you’ve got to do me a favor,” she said.

“You think I’m going to helpyou?”

A quick plan formed in her mind, and shesmiled.“I’ll hurt Rebecca, but I want you to take out the guy whomade sure you were sent down.”The only thing Charlotte had beenfighting for was the chance to end the bastard who ruined her life.Gash didn’t know what happened, but they had both been screwedover.

They could get their revengetogether.

“Jeff Wright.You want me to takehim out?”

“Do we have adeal?”

Charlotte had lost her life, her soul,and she was already in hell.It was time to take the bastards who’dtaken from her, with her.She only hoped by the end of it, Gashwouldn’t hate her.

She loved him, always had.They shared onenight together, but he couldn’t remember her, or the child they’dmade together.

One day she’d tell him the truth, justnot today.

The End