Too Good to Be True

Charlie Sommers, 24.

Girls dreamed of the perfect relationship, from their early preteen years to the day they realized they were in their own dreamy relationship. Charlie had been in her fair share of relationships, some were better than others. Some had been with the one or so she thought. But then she had met Matt, three and a half years ago when he came in on a chilly winter night, looking for a drink to warm up with. She had known from that very moment that Matt would be the man she was going to marry. The way that he had smiled, the way that he had just started small talk immediately, her heart had melted when Matt mentioned he would have to come by again, just to see her. Charlie had been hopeful but she didn't really think it would turn out to go anywhere but then, her very next shift, Matt came in toward the end of the night. He had offered to walk her home and strangely enough, Charlie had never felt safer than when she had Matt at her side, he had a certain attitude about him. Strong, confident was what she had told herself. Not deadly, able to make someone disappear with the snap of his fingers.

- - - - -

All Charlie wanted to do was go home and cuddle into Matt's side while relaxing on the couch... or anything... really. Anything that meant that she could relax because after a nine hour shift, she was exhausted. She had texted Matt that she would be staying until close because it had gotten really busy but then it had died completely, since it was the first snow fall and all, so Charlie ended up getting off nearly an hour and a half early. Heading straight home, to the house that Matt and she shared, Charlie half wandered about calling Matt to let him know she was on her way home. But she wanted to surprise him because the pure happiness that was over his face every time she came home melted her heart, each and every time.

Charlie had pulled up to the house but had needed to park on the other side of the street and one down, because all of the spaces in front of their home had been taken. She didn't really think much of it, gathered her belongings and set out for the house. She headed inside, kicking off her shoes before she even bothered to look up. What startled her most was the noise - it sounded vaguely like words but by the time she could make sense of them, she was staring at a horrific scene in front of her. Matt was standing in front of a man handcuffed to a chair, who looked nearly unrecognizable. He screamed for help but it was more like hoarse cries and that was what had alerted Matt and his friends to her presence in the first place.

She wanted to scream, she did, but all Charlie could do was stare at the scene, eyes wide. But then her flight instinct kicked in and she turned, reaching to open the door. Charlie wasn't thinking now, she was trying her best to make it off of their front steps and God, she hoped she did because what she had seen had terrified her to her very core.

Matt Sanders knew he was intimidating. At six foot one and over two hundred pounds of mostly muscle, he cut an impressive figure. And he used it to his advantage. Ever since he was a teenager he'd used his size and strength to get what he wanted and so far it had worked out well for him. Sometimes it was hard to explain away all of the money he made, but as of yet no one was the wiser to his true career path. Except his friends, of course, since they were a part of the whole thing. He'd even managed to keep Charlie in the dark about things until just now, which he thought was quite the accomplishment.

"Grab her," Matt ordered, watching Brian dart after his girlfriend, reappearing soon with Charlie in his grasp. He could see the terror in her eyes and somewhere deep down, Matt felt bad. But right now his highest priority was making sure that Charlie knew this was something she needed to keep a secret. "Boys, take our friend here down to the basement and finish up with him, would you?" Matt said. They all nodded, and as they took the man away, Matt grabbed Charlie by her upper arm and dragged her into the kitchen. "Listen to me Charlie, and listen closely," he started, his voice low. "You weren't supposed to see that. And now...Charlie, I have to keep you quiet. I hope you understand that."

Charlie had denied Matt's advances in the beginning - saying that she had to focus on schooling. She didn't have enough time to dedicate to a relationship but sure enough, he persisted and just like that, she had fallen for him. Head over heels in love with him. Often times, his arms had been the only place she felt completely 100% happy and safe. If Charlie was ever in trouble, Matt would have come running, she had no doubt about that. He always did seem to get a bit paranoid if she was walking somewhere later at night but she hadn't thought too much about it. He was just being a little too worried about her.

Charlie's feet just hit the sidewalk as Brian's arms went around her, dragging her backward. She knew this was the part where she was supposed to scream but she couldn't find her voice. It was completely gone. Her eyes shifted from Matt to Zacky to the man tied to a chair. Tears started to well in her eyes as her breathe hitched - she had no idea why he was here but she felt so incredibly sorry for him. Even more so because she hadn't been able to get help.

Watching the boys begin to drag him backwards, Charlie shook her head. Suddenly, the unasked questions she had about his work had been answered. The mysterious calls that had interrupted dates and the rushing out of their home at a moment's notice because 'something came up at work' were far worse than she could have imagined. Charlie winced as she was dragged into the kitchen, her entire body tense. It was enough to make her sick - she wasn't supposed to feel this way with him.

Charlie backed away from Matt the moment his fingers loosened around her arm, until her back hit the counter top. "I came home early to surprise you..." she trailed off, her voice hoarse as she struggled to contain her emotions. "I guess I'm the one that gets a surprise, huh?" She asked, letting out a sarcastic laugh as she shook her head. Charlie reached up to wipe at her eyes, "Keep me quiet? What're you going to do? Make me disappear, Matt?" She challenged, finally turning her gaze to him.

Matt frowned. In any other situation, that's exactly what he would do. And after many years in this business, it was almost second nature. And Matt knew how to make it seem like an accident. But he couldn't do that to Charlie. Over the past three and a half years, Matt had fallen in love with her and there was no way he could murder her without a second thought like he'd done to so many others. But just because she was a special case didn't mean that Matt could let Charlie continue to walk around like she hadn't just witnessed the scene in the living room. Now that she knew, he had to make sure she kept quiet. Matt was just slightly secretly relieved that his secret had been divulged, because now there were no more secrets between himself and Charlie, and he wouldn't have to work so hard to keep his work from Charlie.

"No, I'm not going to make you disappear," Matt said finally. He stepped forward, closing the gap between himself and Charlie, trapping her against the counter. "But know that you know, things are going to be different around here. First, you're quitting your job. I can't risk you running your mouth to your boss or your coworkers or some random fucking customer. Second, I want you in the house at all times unless you're with me. Adding to that, I don't want you alone. Ever. And I'll be monitoring all of your phone calls from now on, outgoing and incoming." Matt was interrupted when he heard a gunshot come from the basement. He grabbed Charlie's arm. "Alright, come on. We've got to go get rid of this body. And since you can't be alone, you're coming with us."

Charlie tensed as Matt closed the distance between them, her heart racing as he pinned her against the counter. She stared up at him, silent as he spoke. Her face fell, paling as he finished speaking. "You can't make me quit! I've been there for years!" She shouted back at him, eyes narrowed as she shook her head. "I'm not doing it! And fuck you if you think I'm just going to sit in the house like I'm some fuckin' animal, Matt! That's the last thing I would have tho-" Charlie was interrupted by a bang sounding from downstairs. If Matt hadn't been so close to her, she probably would have fallen to the ground in surprise.

Her eyes went wide as she glanced to the basement door, her stomach sinking. In no uncertain terms, Charlie knew someone was dead. She flinched when Matt reached for her arm, "No. I... no. I can't. Matt, please," she pleaded as she was dragged forward. Tears were falling now as she started shaking, violent sobs started racking her body. Reality was hitting as the boys emerged from the basement, carrying a body. All because Matt had ordered it. Charlie closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the scene, biting into her lip as she tried to stop the sobs.

"Well you sure as hell can't stay here," Matt said through gritted teeth. He started to drag her forward, thankful once again for his size and strength. "Put him in the trunk," Matt said to Zacky and Brian. He turned to Johnny. "You, get the shovels from the garage. And make sure you fucking close the damn thing." He waited until the body was hidden in the trunk before he forced Charlie over to the SUV. He hated lingering like this. He never knew when a neighbor might happen to be glancing out their window or taking our the trash. And most of their neighbors were nice people, he would hate to have to kill them. "Get in the damn car, Charlie," he hissed. With his free hand he opened the door and unceremoniously shoved her inside next to Jimmy, climbing in next to her. Normally Matt was the one to drive, but he figured it might make things a little less awful for Charlie if he was next to her.

"Zack, drive. You know the spot." Matt's voice was flat and emotionless as he gave orders to Zacky. The green-eyed man nodded, starting the car and beginning the drive to the place where they would dump the body. It was a somewhat lengthy drive, about forty minutes, and when the car came a stop, they were in a secluded area of the woods. "Alright, get out. Quit your crying, it's your fault you're even here."

Charlie stumbled after him as she was pulled toward the garage. This couldn't be happening. There was no way that Matt was about to hide a body. Nope. She kept repeating that to herself but it didn't seem to matter because she was shoved into the suv. She scrambled away from Matt the moment that she was inside, pressing herself as close to Jimmy as she could. Matt seemed to be in charge - if she was going to be afraid of anyone, it was him. Charlie tried to curl in on herself as the drive began, not particularly wanting to touch either of them.

She had steadied her breathing the best that she could by the time they were stopping. Charlie was still crying but she was quieter now, biting into her lip to stop fro making too much noise. Matt had glared at her enough that she wanted to be quiet. Charlie reluctantly climbed out of the suv, her stomach flipping. She turned from the vehicle, not wanting to watch anything to do with the body. As it was pulled from the truck, she was sure she was going to be sick.

Yup, she was going to be sick. Charlie turned, rushing a few feet away before she lost her stomach contents. Her mind was racing - her life was nothing that she had thought it was. Charlie spat at the ground a few times before standing back up, rigid. Maybe if she stayed by a pile of vomit she would be left alone.

As he watched Charlie vomit, Matt couldn't help but feel a little bad. She was obviously traumatized. She didn't have the stomach for this. But she knew better than to try and surprise him. He didn't like surprises. And now the reason for that was obvious. He gave her a fee minutes to collect herself before he went over and grabbed her arm once again. Matt pulled Charlie over to where Brian, Johnny, and Zacky had started to dig a grave. Jimmy stood as a sentry nearby, keeping watch in case anyone should happen upon them. Matt hoped that wouldn't happen, because he would hate to have to hide another body. Especially one of an innocent person. And he was sure witnessing an actual murder would only make things worse for Charlie.

"Come on over here, you're not going to hide," Matt said, stopping her next to Zacky. "Open your Goddamn eyes and look at this. He's dead right now because of you. If you hadn't come home, we might've let him go. He probably wouldn't have lived very long, but he certainly wouldn't have been buried alone in the middle of the woods. And guess what? Since you're here, you're an accomplice. If we go down, so do you. So you'd better keep your fucking mouth shut."

Matt knew the only way to make Charlie abide by the rules he'd given her earlier was to make it seem like they were for her safety as well as theirs. And if she still didn't want to listen to him, he would have to make things worse for her and he hated to do that.

Charlie stared at her feet, telling herself that this was all just some sort of messed up nightmare. That's all this was. Really. Right? Matt grabbing her brought her back to reality. She followed after him, her body tensing the closer that she got to the grave. She refused to look up from her feet, they were the safest thing for her to look at. No blood, no evidence of a murder. Nothing that would set her back off.

"Me?" The word came out, mixed with anger and confusion. How was Matt trying to put the blame on her? Charlie wasn't about to beat herself up over this. It sure as hell wasn't her fault. There was no way she was going to let him tell her otherwise. She jerked away from his grasp, glaring daggers at him now. "My fault? No, fuck that, Matt. Don't put this on me! I was getting off of work! Where did you want me to go? Back to the apartment that you insisted I move out of?" She snapped at him.

"This is on you guys! You killed him! I was at work, this had nothing to do with me at all!" Charlie started reasoning, angry that Matt was trying to make this out like she was somehow at fault.

Matt felt his anger swell up inside his chest, rushing through him in rough, vicious waves. He grabbed at Charlie again, taking a tight grip on her wrist and pulling her close to him. He could sense the guys' eyes on the two of them, but they knew better than to say anything or interfere. "No, I didn't want you to go back to your fucking apartment. But you should've called to tell me you were coming home. So no, maybe it's not your fault that this man is dead. But it is your fault that you're standing here in the middle of the woods watching our friends dig a grave. It's your fault you're in a heap of shit right now. And I swear to God Charlie, if it comes down to it, I will make you disappear. But I love you and I don't want to do that, so it would be better for the both of us if you just shut the fuck up and do what I say."

Matt released Charlie's wrist, giving her a shove towards the grave. "Now, since you want to run your fucking mouth and piss me off, why don't you help finish with the grave? You can have Brian's shovel, he looks like he could use a break." Brian looked unsure, but a glare from Matt was all he needed to hand his shovel over to Charlie. "Go on. Start digging."

Charlie went to step back when he reached for her again but she had been too slow. She knew the others' were watching them and maybe if she had thought about it, she wouldn't have pressed his buttons in front of everyone. She was glaring daggers at him the entire time he ranted, wanting nothing more to lash at at the man she had been so sure she wanted to marry not even two hours ago. But then the threat was made and colour drained from Charlie's face as she let out a small noise - have between a groan and a whimper. Maybe they really weren't meant to be.

Disappear. I'll make you disappear. the words ran through Charlie's mind over and over as she stared at Brian. He wouldn't... Charlie felt numb as she caught the shovel on instinct. She gave a slight shake of her head, her feet felt like lead. Even if she had wanted to, she wouldn't have been able.

"I...can't," was all that she could muster up the energy to say. Charlie had been from one end of the spectrum to the other in the past few hours. "This isn't right, Matt," Charlie said, her voice suddenly showing just how tired she felt.

"I don't give a flying fuck if it's right, start fucking digging!" Matt shouted. He laid his hand on Charlie's shoulder, squeezing hard as he spun her around to face him. He was starting to see that ordering Charlie around didn't have quite the effect that it did for the guys. And deep down, Matt felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the fear and exhaustion in Charlie's eyes. But the adrenaline was still coursing through his veins and he was angry. He wanted to finish with this and go home so he could figure out what he was going to do now that Charlie knew his dirty secrets. Matt took a deep breath, wrapping his hand around the hand Charlie was using to grip the shovel. "Charlie, baby, I really need you to start digging. Just...please. Dig the Goddamn grave."

"Matt, I think you're being too hard on--" Johnny started.

Matt's head snapped around, turning a glare on the youngest man. "And I think you need to shut the fuck up or we'll be digging your grave next." Johnny paled and cast his attention back to his task, obviously regretting having spoken up. Matt turned back to Charlie. "Now, the sooner you start digging, the sooner this will over with and the sooner we can go home. Unless you'd rather help bury him?"

Charlie jumped as he yelled, curling her shoulders in on herself. She had been wary of pissing him off even before tonight - he was hotheaded. That anger had never been directed toward her so she had never had a reason to really be afraid, until tonight. She looked up to him as she was turned toward him, a stupid little hope spawning in her belly. Maybe he was going to see it her way and just let her stand on the sidelines as the boys finished with the grave. Her heart fell as he spoke again, realizing that her hope had been a stupid little thing that meant nothing.

Her attention shot to Johnny as he spoke and for just a moment, she was thankful for him. He'd been the only to speak up.

Charlie stared as Matt chewed into him, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't particularly want someone else in trouble because she wasn't cooperating. A lone tear fell as Matt turned back to her. "You're a fuckin' monster," she hissed through gritted teeth. Charlie turned away from him, beginning to shovel the dirt from where Brian had been standing.

"You haven't seen shit yet," Matt growled. "Keep pissing me off though, and you'll see it." He stood back and watched, leaning against the back of the SUV as Charlie, Johnny, and Zacky continued to dug the grave. After about ten minutes or so, Brian went over and took the shovel from Charlie. Matt didn't say anything, if only because he knew Brian would work faster than Charlie had. He knew she was probably beyond traumatized and even as angry as he was, when it came to Charlie, Matt had a little bit of a heart.

"Make the burial quicker, would you?" Matt said flatly once the grave had been dug. "We've already been here too fucking long." He went over to Charlie and grabbed her elbow, guiding her over to the SUV. "Come stand over here by me, Charlie," he said. He slid his arm around her shoulders, keeping her anchored close to his body.

Charlie didn't answer back, focused on the task in front of her. Her mind was racing as she continued shovelling dirt away from the hole they were working on. With each scoop of dirt, her heart sank a little lower. Whatever hope that this was some sort of sick joke was long gone. Her mind was elsewhere when Brian walked up to her, so much so that he had to grab her arm to startle her back to reality. She offered no fight when the shovel was pulled from her grip, backing away quickly.

Her face was void of any and all emotion as she watched the boys continue. Charlie's body went rigid as she felt a hand wrap around her elbow. She wanted nothing more than to kick and scream - she didn't want Matt touching her. "Do I have a choice?" She muttered under her breathe as they moved back to the SUV. Charlie curled her shoulders in on herself, wrapping her arms around her torso as she turned away as much as Matt's grip allowed.

Matt didn't miss Charlie's muttering, and he let out an irritated sort of growl. He was trying hard to keep his temper in check because he knew this was far more than too much for her, but she was making it increasingly difficult. "You could at least act like you like me," Matt said flatly. Using the grip he had on her shoulders, Matt forced Charlie to turn towards him and he moved his arm to rest around her waist. He leaned down just slightly, so that only Charlie would be able to hear what he was going to say. "Charlie, darling, are you trying to piss me off even more?" he said, his voice full of false sweetness. "Because to me, it really seems like that's what you're trying to do."

Matt only let Charlie move away when Zacky announced that they'd finished burying the body, and even then it was only to pull her over to the SUV. Just like last time, she would be in the middle between himself and Jimmy. But this time he was less gentle as he forced her inside.

Charlie gritted her teeth as she was turned toward Matt. She hated the feeling in her gut. Fear. She was afraid of the man that was standing beside her. That wasn't what she was supposed to feel for him. She was supposed to love him and go through every single day knowing that at the end of it, he would be there to protect her. Charlie's brow furrowed as he leaned down ever so slightly - just enough to make sure the boys wouldn't listen in.

She climbed inside without any argument, looking forward to getting home. Soon, Charlie would be able to bury herself in a blanket fort and she could pretend this had never happened. She would fall asleep and maybe if she was lucky, in the morning this would all have been some sort of messed up nightmare.

---

They pulled back up to Matt's - all filing out of the vehicle. Charlie was right behind Matt, only steering herself toward Johnny when Matt was turned away. Her head was lowered, not feeling like she could stomach looking Johnny in the eye. "Thank you... for that back there," she mumbled, not wanting him to think she wasn't.

(hope it's alright I skipped!)

Matt watched through narrowed eyes as Charlie talked to Johnny. He'd never really been the jealous type, especially when it came to his friends, but given the current situation, he thought that the fresh anger flowing through his veins was more than warranted. "Alright, bye bye now, Johnny," Matt gritted out, snatching Charlie away from him. He forced her in the direction of the front door. "Charlie and I have a feeling important matters to discuss." Without even waiting to make sure that the guys had left - he knew that would - Matt grabbed Charlie by her elbow once again and dragged her into the house. He clicked the lock shut and then pressed Charlie against the door, placing his arms on either side of her shoulders to trap her there.

"I'm sure you know that after tonight, things are going to change very drastically," Matt started, his voice low. "And if you're as smart as I think you are, you'll do everything I told you earlier. Actually, you really don't have a choice. You're doing everything I said. You're quitting your Goddamn job, you're staying in this fucking house unless I'm with you, and I'm going to monitor every fucking phone call you make or receive." Matt paused, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Now, I know you're tired. So let's take a shower and then we can go to bed."

Charlie had never been the type of girl to sit down and take whatever was thrown her way. She was a fiery girl that would stand up and fight for whatever she thought was right. Sometimes that had gotten her into a tiny bit of trouble where she fought a little too hard with a friend but eventually, things would get patched up. Matt had never really seen her completely ramped up - she had been working on letting things go by the time Matt had been a constant in her life.

The sound of the door locking was oddly loud. Pressed against the door, Charlie stared at Matt's chest. She listened to him, eyes narrowing as he continued on. Slowly, Charlie raised her gaze to meet his. She knew it was a bad idea, he was going to know it was, but then, relapses were normal. It wasn't every day that you could control every little piece of your life. Raising her hand, Charlie slapped Matt as hard as she could muster. "Fuck you. I'm not some animal that you get to fuckin' control, Matt. Hate to break it to you but I'll never be your little bitch," she spat the words. "I'm not quitting my job. I've been there for years. I'm still going to school. I'm not taking a shower with someone like you. Now. Get off of me so I can go sleep in the guest room."