Chapter 29 – Midnight Call

Ring, ring, ring.

Eric groaned as he blindly reached for his phone. He peeked at it, cringing at the bright light. Unknown number? Ugh... Do scammers really have to call at all hours of the day? He denied the call and closed his eyes again since it was still dark out.

Ring, ring, ring.

Ugh, go away. He denied the call again, but they kept calling back. I should just block them... but what if it's not just a scam caller? I've never had them call me so many times from the same number...

Eric picked up the phone, but stayed silent.

"Did you finally pick up the damn phone?" a man's voice came through.

"Who is this?" Eric asked and looked at the number again. I don't recognize it at all... Not that I remember phone numbers these days.

"You don't recognize my voice? Let me give you a little hint. You're in a fake relationship with my woman."

"Must have the wrong number than, sorry."

"Don't hang up!" Dean yelled at him. "Or you'll regret it!"

Eric held his finger over the button for a moment and sighed, holding the phone back up to his head. "What do you want? And how'd you get my number?"

"It's not hard to get someone's phone number, and I called because we need to talk, in-person."

"Ha, why would I do that? I don't trust you, which means I don't want to be near you unnecessarily."

"What if I said it's necessary? Unless you don't care about the car accident coming to light, that is."

Eric froze, ice flowing through his veins. "What... car accident?"

"Going to play dumb, are you? I know that butler of hers went to go hide what had happened, but he was too late. My informant already gave me the videos. I know about Charlotte hitting you with her car. I know she visited you a bunch of times at the hospital, and I know you ended up living and working for her after that. I'm sure you do care for her in some form, but what you're doing isn't right."

"What I'm doing? You're the one who has been in the wrong the whole time when it comes to Char."

"You've been extorting her, haven't you?"

"What? No way."

"Or she's keeping you with her to make sure you won't tell. We all know this won't look good to people, both the accident and your relationship."

"...What do you want?" Eric asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Meet me in an hour in the park at 2880 Major Mackenzie Drive. Don't be late," Dean hung up.

Eric stared at his phone for a moment before scrambling to his feet. He rushed to grab his jacket and headed into the hall. Once he was certain it was clear, and he couldn't hear anyone else wandering the mansion, he tip-toed downstairs and headed for the garage.

"I'm sorry, but I need to borrow this," he plucked a set of keys off the rack and hit the button to unlock the car as he looked around. How many cars does she have? I didn't take her for a collector.

He stood in front of the silver Mercedes.

Damn, it couldn't have been for a clunker of something, could it?

With the address put in the GPS, he took off.

He parked right outside of the park and looked around, though he couldn't see too much in the dark.

"So, you showed?" Dean walked out from the shadows of the trees.

"Isn't that what you wanted? So, now what?" Eric stepped back as he scanned the area.

"There's no one here but me and you. I don't need anyone else; I can deal with you myself." Dean stood toe-to-toe with him.

"Fine, whatever." Eric swallowed hard and clenched his fists, ready for a fight.

"Look, I'm sure someone from the bottom of the totem pole like you thought you hit the jackpot when you were seriously injured by the rich and powerful Charlotte Burne," Dean circled him. "But it's done now. I have all the evidence, and you can't use it against her anymore."

"I never used it against her. I was down on my luck, and she offered a place to call home."

"Oh, so she took you in as a stray? What are you, a cat?"

"There's nothing nefarious going on. We're in a real relationship; no blackmail or anything."

"Even if I believed you, it wouldn't change the situation as it is now. If this gets out, it'll ruin her."

"Then don't release it. If you actually cared about Char, then you wouldn't even think about releasing it."

"I care about her, but unless she's mine, I'll make no moves to protect her."

"How about you just come out and say what you want?" The pit in Eric's stomach grew.

"Leave her, and I won't release it."

"Leave her? I'm not going to break up with Char over this."

Dean leaned in close from behind, over his shoulder. "Oh, I don't just want you to break up with her; I want you to get the hell out of her house. I don't want you anywhere near her. You must vanish from her life. If you care about her, that is."

"Of course, I care about her!" Eric yelled and elbowed Dean.

"Ugh," Dean held onto his stomach and took a few steps back. "You'll pay for that," Dean swung at Eric and clocked him in the chin.

Eric fell back, landing on the ground hard. "Ugh..."

A droplet of water hit Eric's nose, and he flinched back.

"Get out of her life now, or everyone will know what happened. I'm not a patient man, so if I find out you're still around her in twelve hours, then I'll release it out to the world."

"Don't you get it?!" Eric yelled at him. "Even without me in the picture, Char won't be yours. She doesn't like you, and she never will. You screwed up too badly."

Dean stomped on Eric's hand on the ground. "I'll worry about winning her back over; you worry about getting out of her life."

"Ah!" Eric screamed out in pain.

"Have we come to an understanding? Your presence in her life will only make her suffer. You're better off disappearing," Dean ground his heel deeper.

Eric gritted his teeth, refusing to yell out in pain again.

Dean turned to leave and stopped. "Oh, right, you're broke, aren't you? I'm not completely heartless." He took his wallet out and tossed a few hundred-dollar bills at him. "This should be enough for a hotel for a few days while you figure out where to hide. Remember, this is all for Charlotte's future. If you love her, let her go." Dean walked away.

A few more droplets of rain splashed on Eric's face. He laid back on the ground and looked at the sky, which opened up. A cloudburst of rain poured down on him, and he rolled onto his side.

Eric forced himself to sit up and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

I have to, don't I? Tears filled his eyes as he tapped on Charlotte's name to send a text. There's no way I'd be able to do this in person... or even an actual phone call. And I can't tell her why, can I?

'I'm sorry, Char, but this isn't working. I can't be your boyfriend, and I can't live with you. Goodbye.'

Straight to the point is best, right? His tears dripped down onto the phone, blending in with the rain. His thumb hovered over the send button. This is going to hurt her too, but she could be scorned and lose her company if how we dealt with the accident comes to light. I'm so sorry, Char.

He hit send and shut his phone off. He picked up the money Dean threw at him. I'm so pathetic. Eric stumbled over to the Mercedes. I can't take this... I'll mail the keys back later. Wait, but she'll get a ticket... Not if it's listed as stolen? Ugh, I already sent it; I can't go back there now.

Shoulders slouched and head hanging, he wandered in the rain.