The Last Chicane

Blackmail

CHARLES POV

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!

Blake showed up the same time Alex was leaving. Well, I had to practically force Alex to leave, but same difference.

I knew I had hurt her, and the look on her face as she stepped away from me made me want to rip my heart out and hand it to her.

If only she had let me explain what had happened.

________________

There was a knock on the door.

"Just a minute!" I yelled at whoever was on the other side of the door.

I was making my way to the door when the knocking started back up.

I grabbed the door knob and started opening the door.

"Oh my god would you stop knocking? I said I was com- What the fuck are you doing here Alex?" Shock washed over me. We only ever spoke during the interviews that my manager forced me to do with her now.

Alex had a mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"Charles. Mind if I come in?" She started to make her way inside and I abruptly stopped her.

"Actually no, you may not." I stepped in front of her. "Actually, I think you should just leave." I went to close the door in her face.

She slammed a palm against the door to keep it from shutting.

"Oh really? I thought you might like this back." She shoved Blake's necklace that I had got for her through the crack of the door.

I opened the door, "Where did you find that?" I reached out to grab it from her and she snatched it back.

"Not so fast." She smiled at me, knowing she had won. "Lets try that again. Mind if I come in?"

I hated this, hated her. But I opened my door and let her come in, desperate to find out what exactly she knew. And to get Blake's necklace back.

I sat down on the couch across from her.

"Okay, what do you want?" I asked.

She looked around the house, seeming unbothered by this whole thing.

"I love what you did with the place. Did you paint the walls a different color?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Cut the shit Alex and just tell me what you want so you can leave."

Her gaze made its way back to mine, her eyes burning into me.

"What I want, is 50,000 euros."

I burst out laughing. "You're delusional. Why would I do that?"

She smirked at me, holding up the necklace again. "It would be a shame if the world somehow found out about Blake Rivers- a nurse working in Houston- secretly dating Charles Leclerc, wouldn't it?"

My face blanched. I could deal with her threatening me, but not Blake. Blake was innocent in all of this- in my world.

"Its really simple Charles." She said sweetly. "Just pay me what I would normally get paid by the media."

I didn't say anything.

"Oh come on, Charles. We both know that you make that with your eyes closed."

We stared at each other, I wanted go call her bluff. But considering what she did to me, I knew she wasn't lying.

I sighed, accepting defeat.

____________________

I needed to find Blake. I needed to set things right with her.

I pulled out my phone, texting the one person that she would be comfortable enough to call after she left here.

Me: please at least tell me she's safe.

I stared at my phone, waiting for him to reply.

Max: She's with me and she's safe. She finally fell asleep on the couch. But mate, I gotta ask. What the hell happened? You really did a number on her...

I sighed, it crushed me to know that I hurt Blake.

Me: long story short- my crazy ex is blackmailing me to keep Blake's identity a secret. And Blake just so happened to run into Alex on the way out of my house. Thank you for that- by the way. A heads up would've been handy.

It was several minutes until my phone buzzed again.

Max: She made me promise, mate. I'm sorry. I couldn't break my pinky promise.

I half smiled. Typical Blake. Somehow making grown men pinky promise things and they actually keep them.

My phone buzzed again.

Max: Keep your phone on you. I'll see if I can talk to her. She flies out in two days by the way.

Me: Thanks mate. I owe you one.

I stared at her necklace that was now in the palm of my hand. The aut viam inveniam aut faciam burning into my skin. Hoping that she would give me the chance to talk her before she went back home.

I just hoped she would listen to me before I lost her for good.