“Charlotte is under my care and protection. If you thought there was something going on, you should have come to me as her guardian. Not berated and terrified her. And definitely not have touched her.”
Allan opened his mouth to say something but Clint held up a hand. “Enough. I don’t want to hear anymore; I’ve got to take care of Charlotte.”
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“She’s a damn thief.”
“Just leave.”
“I can’t leave, who will cook dinner? You need me.”
Clint ground his teeth together. He couldn’t reply. He was too furious.
“Do you want me to call Ellie?” Zeke offered in a low voice.
“We’ll all die of food poisoning,” Allan sneered.
Since when had he become so bitter? And how had Clint not seen it? He had told Charlotte she would be safe here. That no one would bother her.
Allan turned, slamming the can of peaches on the table as he left. Charlotte let out a startled cry that made him want to snarl at the older man but he held his tongue. Right now, he had to do what was best for Charlotte. And that meant holding onto his temper.
Zeke returned to the kitchen, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Ellie said she’s happy to help. She’s worried about Charlie, though.”
So was he.
He stepped closer. She let out a cry and shied back. Then moaned in obvious pain and distress. What the hell was going on? His hands clenched into fists and he had to breathe through his fury. Instead of trying to move closer, he knelt down several feet away from her.
“Charlotte, it me. Clint.”
Nothing.
“Charlotte, I want you to listen to me, okay? I want to come closer to you and check that you’re all right. Can you stay still and let me do that?”
“No, no, no,” she said, rocking herself slowly. “Don’t yell. Don’t hurt me.”
Fuck. What the hell had happened to her? This couldn’t just be from Allan scaring her. There had to be something more.
“Jesus, what is going on?” Zeke asked.
Another cry escaped her as she scooted back further.
“If you can’t stay quiet then go outside,” he told the other man. But his gaze never left Charlotte. Poor baby.
“Charlotte, I don’t care about the food. You can take as much as you need.”
Still nothing.
Maybe he needed to try a different tack. “Charlotte, I’m going to come closer to you now. You need me to look after you. I’m not going to hurt you, but I want you to stay just where you are.” He used a firmer tone. Not harsh or mean. Just letting her know he meant business.
To his relief she didn’t shy away from him as he slowly moved closer.
“Little darling, I need you to look at me. Eyes on me.”
She didn’t move. He slowly reached out a hand, not wanting to startle her. Buoyed by the fact that she hadn’t moved away, he gently touched her thigh.
That was when she started to scream. “No!” She threw her arms out, pushing his hand away then flung herself to the side, crawling along on her hands and feet.
“Shit!” he swore.