Chapter 395

• I picked Charlotte up and started moving to the front door. Fifteen seconds. I got her inside the truck and she was fully conscious now. Her eyelids were fluttering a little, her neck red from where his hands had been. I started the truck at the count of 35 seconds and drove off.
• I looked back in the rearview mirror and I saw him in the street, looking at the back of the truck. I turned the corner and accelerated. I looked over at her as she took deep breaths, her hand at the base of her throat.
• “Just breathe,” I said to her. I had to wonder why she had to call me. “Why didn’t you call Max?” I already knew the answer to that question. She didn’t want anyone to know about her history, but I asked the question anyway.