WHERE ARE YOU CHARLIE?

NOW - CHAPTER 15

When I told Mrs. Fields that I was going to spend the weekend at Tasha's, she decided, since Sam would also be away, to get some much needed alone time with her husband but as she browsed the destinations that were advertised that day, she found an offer she could not refuse: a seven days' trip to Paris for two.

She looked so shy when she came and asked me whether I'd be ok on my own with Sam until they'd be back the following Sunday. She literally jumped up and down when I told her that I didn't mind at all and that Sam and I would survive just fine.

Mr. Fields hugged her for five good minutes that evening when she announced they were leaving to the French capital the next day. That was when I realized just how much pressure my presence had put on them.

I was glad they'd be away for a week. That way, if ever things took longer than planned in Franklin, they wouldn't know about it. I just hoped that Charlie had had enough time to organize whatever plan he'd come up with. Because one thing was sure, I knew without a doubt that going to that bikers' club and telling Cole's uncle that his green-eyed nephew was missed in Chamberlayne wouldn't work.

So I'd come up with an alternative that would probably make many people frown but I trusted Charlie more than anyone else in the world. He encouraged me to go there, which meant that he had my back somehow. He'd warned me I may have to suffer a couple of blows which in his language meant a lot. My only fear was that my plan might backfire on Cole. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to him.

Franklin was a thirty minutes' bus ride from Chamberlayne. It was a small town inside the country. I'd never been there – I imagined it had something to do with the fact that it belonged to Mr. Bradford's club – but it was on the same route as our old house and my heart had sunk when we drove by our old bus stop.

That was when it occurred to me.

"I can't promise you won't get a few more bruises before the two of you are really free, but I know you'll survive..."Charlie's words had been bothering me all week but I'd been incapable of saying why.

My hands started shaking slightly at the realization. "Before the two of you are really free..." He'd said, meaning that if his plan worked, Cole and I would no longer be a part of our families' war.

The only way for me to be free was if Jim died. Was it the same for Cole? Would his uncle have to die for him to come back to school?

I really hoped Charlie wasn't expecting me to kill them. I shuddered at the idea.

No it couldn't be. He'd said that what he'd taught me would prove useful which meant that all I had to do was survive. He'd never taught me to fight or hurt somebody, only to defend myself which wasn't quite the same thing.

My thoughts were interrupted by the big brown and white sign welcoming people to Franklin. I pressed the nearest STOP button to let the driver know I'd get off here and waited for him to park at the next bus stop which I knew was on the small town's main street.

I hopped off the bus and found myself in front of a small grocery store. I knew where the club was but I wasn't ready to go there yet so I decided to take a walk around. My stomach grumbled loudly as I passed a small diner that advertised The best cheeseburger in town for three bucks fifty!

This might very well be your last meal, I told myself to justify why I was about to order what looked like a huge burger with French fries and a soda less than an hour after eating a chicken sandwich as an early lunch at the Fields'.

Now guilt-free, my mouth was watering in anticipation of the delicious food I'd ordered. I felt suddenly giddy as I realized that I was about to eat out on my own, using my own pocket money. I really hoped Charlie's plan would work because I was truly loving that newfound freedom.