Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 23 - Charlotte

Night watch with Jericho was odd. Sitting up in the watchtower was tedious and drove her insane. She would much rather sleep for 12 hours straight. It was one of her bad habits. Oversleeping when her ex-lover couldn't sleep to save his life. It created a strange dynamic, and truthfully, it did annoy her sometimes. She was sure that made her awful. What Jimin lost was something Charlotte would (hopefully) never understand. Regret blossomed in her stomach, but she had to force it down when Jericho cleared his throat.

"It's not a bad night. I like the cool weather more," Jericho said, Charlotte chuckling.

"Not surprised. It's getting colder every day. We might get snow soon."

Jericho wasn't wrong. It was a nice night. The pallets making up the box of the tower were shivering with Charlotte, her hands rubbing her covered arms. The long-sleeved shirt she had on was much too tight for comfort. It was left in the closet from the maybe two times she visited the hideout. The others were stuck in their old clothes until they could go to a department store and stock up. Until Ivan came and took them to their new home.

Breezes brushed by, basking both of them in a wave of chills. The night sky was clear, the moon so bright she mistook it for the sun. She had to do a double take as she switched her eyes between the twinkling sky and the barren terrain. There were blades of grass dancing in the wind, waving at Charlotte. She waved back with the pistol she was holding, tilting it back and forth as if searching for a target.

"It's kind of romantic," Jericho said, and that made Charlotte burst out with laughter. "What? I can appreciate a romantic setting."

"Okay, Mr. Romantic. If you know so much about romance, tell me a pickup line."

"In your dreams."

They snickered at one another, Jericho keeping his steady gaze on the ground below. Charlotte couldn't take her eyes off his back. His clothes were torn and covered in muck due to their journey. Charlotte admired the way his shoulders were sharp and defined. Jimin and Ivan had a similar build, but there was something about Jericho's form that had her captivated.

Her eyes darted back to the ground. There was nothing there. As always. She should be relieved and praying for no activity. Sure, it was boring, but it meant they were safe. Throughout her time as a leader, she had seen more than enough action. A relaxing vacation to Italy sounded pretty good to her. First she had to get out of their little mess. All she had to do was execute Madam. No big deal. Should be easy.

"You know, I've been thinking," she said, pausing to collect her thoughts.

"Did smoke come out of your ears?"

"You're in hitting distance."

"I've been shot before, so bring it on," he replied, and she rolled her eyes. It wasn't in an annoyed way. In fact, quite the opposite. Jericho knew what she meant, and that showed in the way his lips tugged up into a smile. He wasn't facing her, but the light shone at just the right angle to capture the side of his face. She stared for a beat too long before she continued.

"I don't know how to feel. About you, Ariel, this whole situation. It's like sensory overload. I'm doing my best to keep making plans and move forward, but sometimes that's not enough. The problem is, I don't know what would fix this. I don't know if anything could make this better."

"We can break it down," he said, and she peeked back at that. He was still staring at the ground. "What exactly about the situation is making you feel like this?"

Charlotte had never been to therapy, but she was sure this was what it felt like. Sitting down and talking about feelings. However, Jericho raised a valid point. What was it that had her heart stirring with all the wrong emotions? They could have been the right ones. It was hard to tell.

In a way, this was what she wanted. She made her choice, and she was facing the consequences of them. Remorse for dragging the others into this was the primary emotion she felt. Jimin she didn't feel so bad about since he would've came either way. Kayden, Ariel, and Jericho were her three concerns. Jericho made a choice too, but Ariel didn't. Kayden didn't. They were all terrible people. Yet Charlotte thought they still deserved a choice. She had been dreaming of making her own choices. How hypocritical it was for her to make choices that took another's freedom away.

"You got dragged into this. That's not fair to you," she said, rolling the words around her tongue as she said them.

"I made my choice. I could've let them kill Asa and Theo."

"Not much of a choice if you ask me. It doesn't take a genius to know you love them."

Jericho shut his mouth and didn't open it again. Charlotte wished she could pry his head apart and see what thoughts were brewing inside his mind. For now, she respected his desire and didn't add more to the conversation. That was until he actually did speak again. Much sooner than she expected.

"What about Ariel. How do you feel about Ariel?"

That was a much simpler question, yet it appeared more complex. At least she knew this situation was a possibility as she was making her plan. Ariel was a wildcard that Jimin brought into this. It wasn't his fault. She wasn't about to make him kill a child, especially since Ariel was proving she was innocent to all this. It didn't help that the idea of harming kids made Charlotte's stomach churn.

"She's just like me. Someone raised by a family who doesn't love her. A family that won't miss her," she replied, her grip on the pistol tightening by an unnoticeable amount. "Kids shouldn't have to deal with this world."

"If you had to kill a kid to protect us, would you?" Jericho asked.

"Why would I have to?"

"It's a theoretical question. If Ariel got dragged into this, there's a chance other kids will too. If you were facing down a kid threatening to kill us, spill information on us, whatever. Would you kill a kid if it meant protecting us?"

The question was one she hadn't considered before. Although she highly doubted there'd ever be a situation where a kid was the biggest threat, it was better to prepare for the worst in the off chance that did happen. A slim chance wasn't no chance.

"Would you?" she asked.

"I asked first."

She cursed at herself for hesitating. The scenery didn't offer any distractions. It was the same old wasteland they arrived in. No movement. Not even the trees were disturbed by the steady wind.
"I wouldn't," she said.

Silence followed. Charlotte wasn't sure if the answer was what he wanted to hear or not, but she didn't care. She didn't need his approval. If there was a kid threatening them, Jericho could do it himself-

"I wouldn't either." His voice quivered as if haunted by words he didn't say. Analyzing him was futile. He was already moving on, clearing his throat. She peeped at him and saw he was staring back. "And me?"

That was the most difficult question he had asked. A sea of darkness clogged her vision as she battled with her brain to create a response. Charlotte would have preferred it if a distraction came. A person or item in the grasslands that made up their home. No such distraction ever appeared.

"Jericho Novak. Leader of Unmei, my rival for years. Here we are, in the same space. Armed. Why aren't we killing each other?" she asked.

"No point. Besides, you're kinda growing on me."

"Oh really?"

"Like a tumor," he said, and she chortled at that while he smiled. His gums flashed her when his lips curled up.

Crickets became the only noise between them after that. Charlotte knew she should have elaborated what she meant, but she wasn't sure of herself yet. Without knowing why, tears swelled into her eyes and threatened to poke through her body. She squeezed them back and used the back of her hand to wipe her running nose, not caring how gross it was. Her sniffle didn't go unnoticed by Jericho, and a beat later, a hand rested on her shoulder.

She jumped and turned to see Jericho was there. He abandoned his side of the tower to instead come to her. Their eyes touched in what seemed like a staring contest. Then, Jericho parted his lips and kept his voice low. Smooth and warm like a hug, but stern as if trying to convince both of them that what he was saying was true.

"It's gonna be okay, Char," he said. The nickname didn't sound strange coming from him. Yet another thing she was confused by. "Can you trust me?"

His eyes were shadowed by a sheet of sorrow, soft specs of solitude swimming in his irises. There were two options. Either she trusted him, or she didn't. Her rival was gazing at her, asking her to trust him while on the journey that could end their lives. There was no reason for her to say yes, but she said it anyway.

"I'd like to try," she replied, and his eyes twinkled in the light.

Jericho kept his hand on her shoulder. He gave it a squeeze, staying for a second longer before deciding it was time to focus on watch. It was highly unlikely anything would happen, but they needed to stay on alert to make sure that unlikely stayed just that. Unlikely.

The rest of the night was serene. For a few minutes, Charlotte thought she was back in the greenhouse, not in a military watchtower. Plants and white roses were with her, right under her fingertips. In their rush to leave, Jimin lost the white rose she picked for him. She'd do anything to get him another.

Their peace was short-lived. Right as Charlotte was beginning to descend into her thoughts, the trees seemed more lively than usual. She perked up, Jericho noticing based on the way she heard him click off the safety of his pistol.

Her eyes narrowed on the territory ahead. After countless breaths, a figure presented itself through the trees. Charlotte couldn't see the face from where she was, but she knew shooting first would only cause more problems. There was no guarantee she'd hit a shot from that far away, not to mention it was only one person. It could have been someone stumbling upon the base as odd as that seemed.

"Jericho," she said, and he made a noise that seemed like a grunt.

"Nothing on my side. Only yours?"

"Only mine. I don't know who it is. They're alone, and definitely no big guns. I think I would've seen those by now."

No more sounds were exchanged between them. Charlotte steadied her arm in case she needed to shoot. She never did. What happened was the figure came closer and peeked around. Charlotte knew they had to investigate, otherwise the stranger might find the others while they were sleeping.

Using only her eyes and hands, she motioned for her and Jericho to check it out. He caught on too quickly for her liking, but she wasn't in any position to complain. They descended down the countless flights of stairs, taking turns tracking the new foe. After two careful minutes, they got to the bottom and planned to take this mission together.

The walls of the building were crushing her as she pressed herself against them. Jericho stayed with her, insisting on going first, but she pushed him back. It was her responsibility to protect the group. That included Jericho. She dragged them into this mess, and she would drag them out of it. No matter what it took.

Footsteps reverberated across the land. The grass seemed to move faster in the breeze, Charlotte quivering from the drop in temperature. She inched forward and let her clammy hands glide over the metal of her weapon. As she crept closer, she heard jagged breaths. The figure was close. Perhaps too close.

The military outpost was vast, providing her with a shelter in case the encounter went awry. She prepared herself for the worst case scenario, allowing the moonlight to bring her temporary consolation. Then, she stepped out and pointed her pistol at their adversary.

Familiar dark eyes stared back at her as he held up his hands. She almost mistook him as Jimin, but the light adjusted and displayed the frame of Ivan Belmour. Pants sang as they left his parted lips, moisture dripping down the sides of his face. Damp clothes hung off his body, a backpack strung on his shoulders. It was so large and heavy it looked like it'd knock him over.

"I know where to go," he said, using the back of his hand to dab his face. Finally, Charlotte and Jericho lowered their weapons. "It's a little over 9 hours away by foot."

"We have an SUV," Jericho said, but Ivan caught his breath, swallowed, then shook the idea away.

"You're lucky you haven't been spotted yet with that. Sink it in water and start walking. Stolen vehicles get you no where if your plate gets caught. We can't take any risks. Besides, we'll be walking through clearings. We'll have high visibility, easy to spot someone following us if we have someone talented on our rear."

"I'll put Jimin on it," she said, holstering the metal in her hands. "You have a map?" He nodded and took it out of his pocket, unfolding it to show it off. "Good. When do we leave?"

"Wake everyone. To make the best time, we have to pack and leave now. From there, we can get new IDs and start over. My friend is great at what he does. We'll be off the grid and ready to make our next move," Ivan replied.

"And if someone finds him and tortures him for our location? If he sells us out to make millions on our bounty?" Jericho asked.

Ivan froze up at that, his eyes bobbing between wide and narrow. He came closer and gave the map to Charlotte. She glanced at it, noting how their path was highlighted. Ivan marked their current coordinates, and the coordinates of the place they needed to go. It was far, but she was sure they'd make it by tomorrow night. If they didn't stop for breaks, maybe even tomorrow afternoon.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I can't guarantee our safety at this hideout. I have backups of every hideout anyone's ever given me. The entire New York Underworld knows we're close, so guess where they're gonna search first?"

"Your backups," Charlotte mumbled, folding the map back up. "Okay, Jericho and I will get the others and we'll leave. No one followed you?"

"I checked over two dozen times. I hope not."

"We can't gamble everything on an 'I hope not'. Jericho, have Kayden and Asa scout the area before we go. Keep Jimin on our rear, Theo in the middle for the most protection. Ariel can go wherever the hell she wants, she won't listen to me anyway." She shifted back to Ivan. "Are you sure you want to do this? No one knows you helped us, you still have a chance to turn back."

Charlotte thought Ivan would at least think about her words. Humor her by giving her a few extra seconds of silence. But Ivan didn't so much as pause. His lips twitched up to form a sad smile, his eyes crinkling with it.

"I have to. It's the only way I can atone."

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