Too Good to Be True

Matt had always been good at controlling his temper when it came to Charlie, and somewhat when it came to everyone else. It wasn't to say that he didn't ever show his anger to Charlie, just that he never let it get beyond a little yelling. He'd been in this situation before, where he was angry with Charlie and fighting hard to keep himself from lashing out. But when Charlie hit him, Matt felt something inside of him snap, and he reached out to wrap his hand around her slender neck, pressing just hard enough on her neck that he knew he would leave a bruise.

"Do not ever hit me again, do you fucking understand me?" he growled. He squeezed just a bit tighter. "You must really want me to just kill you, Charlie. And I really don't want to do that. But it would be so easy. I'm so much stronger than you Charlie, you seem like you've forgotten that. All I'd have to do is squeeze a little tighter. Just like this." He looked into her eyes as he pressed even tighter against her windpipe, but released the pressure after only a few seconds.

"Now, I don't give a fuck what you want, we're going to take a shower, and then we're going to bed. In our bed," he added. He gripped Charlie by the elbow and dragged her upstairs, shoving her into the bathroom. "And tomorrow, we're going to finish our conversation about your job and school. I'm sure you'll see my way eventually."

There was a moment where Matt got gone from looking annoyed to flat out pissed the fuck off. It was at that moment that Charlie realized how bad of a mistake she had just made, her eyes going as wide as saucers, her lips parting just a bit. An apology was lost somewhere in her mind as his hand wrapped around her throat. Her hands went to his fingers, trying unsuccessfully to loosen his grip.

Charlie was listening now, the words being absorbed right down to her core. She gave as much of a nod as she could muster at the question, attention pinned on Matt. Her clawing at his fingers became more desperate as he squeezed, really beginning to struggle to breathe. Her vision was just starting to get dizzy as he released her neck.

Her breathing was exaggerated as she followed Matt up the stairs, offering no resistance. Charlie's free hand massages the tender skin around her neck, tensing as she was shoved into the bathroom. She shed her clothing easily, not particularly wanting to piss him off any more than she had already.

"I can always do schooling online," Charlie mumbled, trying to show that she could at least compromise on the situation. She only hoped that he would as well.

Matt locked the bathroom door, going over to the shower and turning on the water. He could hear Charlie undressing and when she spoke, he turned around to look at her, a somewhat smug smile on his face. "I knew you'd see things my way eventually," he said. He touched her elbow, gently spinning her around to face him. With his other hand, he reached up to touch her neck, running his fingers over the places on her neck where he could already see bruises starting to form. "And since you seem to be willing to compromise...I guess I can, too. You can keep going to work, since that seems to be so important to you. But I'll be dropping you off and picking you up, and of course either myself or one of the guys will be there almost at all times. Because, you know, I really can't have you accidentally running your mouth. And you'll have to think of a way to explain away these bruises on your neck," Matt added, smirking slightly. "But I'm sure you'll think of a way."

Matt gave Charlie a short, chaste kiss on the lips before he turned back to the shower. He felt the temperature of the water and adjusted the knobs, and when he was satisfied, he turned on the shower. He stepped back, shedding his clothes before pulling the shower curtain open. "Well come on then, I'm tired. Let's hurry up and shower and then we can go to bed."

Charlie couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of her mouth. She had leaned into Matt's touch despite herself, finding comfort. His touch had never offered her anything else until tonight. With everything that had happened, she was forcing herself to relax. She doubted there was going to be an argument worth having that would lead them to go separate ways. Not any time soon anyway.

A gentle smile on her lips, she climbed into the shower. She was subconsciously rubbing at the side of her neck, which was still the most painful. Once Matt had climbed into the shower, Charlie took a deep breathe and looked to the side. She didn't want to admit it but there was no way to avoid the situation. "Lanie would ask questions if someone was there every day, when I'm working. I'll just... I'll put in my notice and say that I just need to focus on school. She'll accept that," she said, her voice a bit guarded. Would he be mad that she was shooting down his compromise? She winced, turning around to face him, letting the water run down her body. "It's probably for the best, any way."

Matt just smiled as he listened to Charlie speak. Despite her many arguments earlier, she seemed to be agreeing with his stipulations. He was glad, because no matter how important it was to her, he would really rather not have Charlie going to work. And her quitting would save him the trouble of having to get her fired. "Well if that's what you want," Matt said, hooking his fingers around Charlie's chin. He tilted her head up, forcing her to look up at him. He'd always towered over her and it always made him feel incredibly powerful. "It saves me and the guys a lot of trouble, you know, not having to watch after you."

Matt moved away from Charlie, reaching above her head to grab her shampoo from the shower caddy. He turned her around before opening the bottle and squirting a bit into his palm. He worked the shampoo into her hair, gently massaging her scalp as he did so. He knew Charlie was probably both mentally and physically exhausted after this evening and she was probably traumatized. He figured the least he could do was try and comfort her a little, even if he wasn't so sure she would would or even get any comfort from him anymore.

As much as Charlie wanted to kick and scream, the will to fight had left. She found herself wanting nothing more than to pull on comfy pajamas, curl up in Matt's arms, and sleep until she couldn't sleep a moment longer. She was put off by the comment but simply nodded, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'll just go to school full time online... It'll keep me occupied," she murmured. It was the best option in Charlie's mind because if there was one thing she had learned after so many years at the cafe, it was that her boss was a spitfire. A short little Italian woman that would never take no for an answer.

Every time that Matt moved, Charlie would tense and it would take a moment for her to relax again. She let out a small, appreciative noise as Matt began to massage the shampoo into her hair. Part of her wanted to hate Matt and what he was asking of her but any time she tried to nurture the feeling, she felt awful. Worse than she had the entire night. "Don't let any of this change things between us," she spoke suddenly, reaching behind herself to set a hand on his thigh. Physical contact had always been a large source of comfort for her. With everything that was going on, and that would happen in the future, she knew she'd have to enjoy the little moments

Matt smiled softly when he felt Charlie's hand on his thigh and heard her soft spoken plea. After everything that had happened tonight Matt never would've thought that Charlie would be asking him to stay, to keep things the way they were. But he would try to keep them that way, at least between the two of them. "Of course not, darling," Matt whispered, pressing a kiss just below Charlie's ear. He finished with the shampoo and reached for the detachable showerhead. He slowly rinsed the shampoo from her hair, using his fingers to work through any knots the water had created. After returning the showerhead to its place, Matt placed his hands on Charlie's hips, using the leverage to turn her around once again.

"No matter what, things will never change between us," he said, leaning down to give her a soft, sweet kiss. His fingers rubbed circles into her hips as he pulled her just a little closer. "Because no matter what happens, never forget that I love you, Charlie. And...And I'm sorry for letting my temper get out of control. I really don't want to hurt you, Charlie. And I just hope you don't give me any more reasons to."

The first time that she had realized she had fallen for Matt, they had only been walking his dog, Bella, and she had gotten stung by a bee. Turned right into a big baby and Matt had fed into it, taking everything in stride. He was a big man but he was a bigger teddy bear, at least around Charlie.

She hated that he still knew exactly how she worked, what relaxed her. She didn't want to but there was no denying that despite everything, her feelings hadn't changed for Matt. She was in far too deep for them to change just like that.

Charlie shivered as she was pulled toward him, reaching to wrap her arms around his neck. She massaged the back of his neck, willing herself to relax. "I shouldn't have hit you though," she answered back, shaking her head. Charlie shook her head at the end of his apology, put off by it but she said nothing. There was no point in an argument right now.

"Here," she murmured, stepping back and pulling Matt with her, so he was under the water. Charlie began to wash his hair, grinning as she made a Mohawk with the shampoo. "Very attractive," she teased, smirk on her face

"No, you shouldn't have," Matt agreed. He smiled slightly as Charlie massaged the back of his neck. He'd be lying if he said he couldn't use one. "And maybe now you've learned your lesson." Matt let Charlie pull him back, closing his eyes as the warm water washed over his head and face. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of Charlie's nimble fingers working through his hair, only opening them when he heard Charlie speak. "Well of course it's attractive, I'm attractive," he said, matching her smirk. "But not nearly as attractive as you, my darling."

Matt remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on Charlie, how he'd been absolutely blown away by how beautiful she was. Blonde hair, blue eyes with a smile that looked so good it almost hurt - she was exactly his type. And over the past few years, she'd only grown more beautiful in his eyes. Matt leaned down, pressing his lips to Charlie's in a tender kiss. He was glad that the events of that night hadn't affected how Charlie felt about him and the way things were between them, because despite his threats, he didn't want to lose her. Sometimes, he thought that she was the only thing that kept him sane.

Charlie huffed at Matt's words, pouting as she shook her head. "And to think it's that ego that pulled me in," she murmured, rolling her eyes. She was still grinning as she washed the shampoo out, enjoying the simple gesture. She watched as he slowly relaxed. A part of her knew these tender moments would be what got her through the rough days that were undoubtedly ahead. She had no real idea what Matt expected from her, enough that she was still hesitant. How far involved he would want her to be in his business was the major thing that had her on edge.

Eventually, the water had started to run cold and Charlie twisted around to turn the shower off. As if on cue, Charlie yawned, her eyes fluttering shut as she did so. She leaned into Matt's chest for a moment before straightening up, a lazy sort of smile on her lips. "I think the bed's calling my name," she said, moving to climb out of the shower. Grabbing a towel from the small closet, she handed one to Matt. Wrapping one around herself, she made her way into the bedroom.

(you can feel free to skip if you want )

The next morning, Matt was drawn out of sleep by the sound of his phone vibrating on the table. He rubbed his face, cursing whoever was calling before reaching over and rejecting the call. He didn't feel like dealing with anything right now. Thirty seconds after he'd rejected the call, Matt's phone vibrated again. This time he was ready to answer and give whoever was calling a piece of his mind, but it only vibrated once and then stopped, which meant he only had a text message. "Better be fucking important," he grumbled, reaching for his phone.

We've got a situation that needs to be handled as soon as possible. Like, today. After reading the message from Zacky, Matt glanced over at Charlie, who was still sound asleep. If he was going out to work, she would have to come with him. And if she could barely handle burying a body, he couldn't imagine that she'd be able to handle the interrogation and extortion or watching someone actually be killed. And if things went anything like they did last night, Charlie would end up seriously pissing him off again. And he hated to think about hurting her the way he had last night.

"Charlie, wake up," Matt said, reaching over to shake her. "I've got a few errands to run and you've got to come with me."

Charlie hadn't gotten the type of sleep that she had been hoping for. She had wished for the type of sleep that was so deep that when you woke up, you were refreshed and ready to conquer the world. She had tossed and turned throughout the night, scenes from the night before playing over and over in her mind. Stirring at the sound of the phone ringing, Charlie returned to sleep moments after it had stopped ringing.

She jerked awake when she felt a hand on her shoulders, eyes shooting open. Her apprehension was as clear as day as she looked up to Matt, only relaxing when she realized that it wasn't just some morbid continuation of a nightmare. Her brows knit together as she processed what Matt was saying. "Why?"

"Oh," Charlie spoke again after a moment, feeling her stomach flip flop. She was supposed to go because Matt didn't trust her alone in the house. "Right," she mumbled, reluctantly pushing the blankets from her body. Charlie kept telling herself that it was just going to be something stupid and they could return home after an hour or two. Deciding on a pair of jeans and a plain black shirt, Charlie opted for a scarf - it would hide the bruises along her neck that she was actively avoiding looking at. A breakdown wouldn't exactly help, not with how urgently Matt was trying to usher her out of the door.

"Can we stop by the cafe? I just need to talk to Lanie about my notice," Charlie spoke, once they had climbed into his SUV. This was nothing serious. After everything the night before, Charlie had herself convinced nothing could be as bad as it had been prior to today.

"Hurry up so we can go, I'm in a hurry," Matt said, moving away from the bed. He went over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and and a dark-colored shirt. He and the guys usually dressed in as dark clothing as possible when they were working, since dark clothing showed less blood. He also selected a jacket - the one he'd worn last night - and sprayed on a bit of cologne before going to check on Charlie's progress. "Are you about ready? We need to leave."

Matt frowned as they climbed into the SUV. He really was in a hurry and he was sure the guys were waiting on him - he didn't want to stop. But he supposed it was necessary if Charlie was going to quit her job, which was what Matt had wanted. "I guess so," he said as he backed out of the driveway. He made the short drive to the cafe, feeling a bit of sadness when he remembered the times he'd driven there just to see Charlie, just to hear her laugh and see the way her face lit up when she saw him. He left the SUV running when he stopped in a parking spot, looking over at Charlie. "Ten minutes, okay? I'm in a hurry," he said.

After Charlie had slipped into the cafe, Matt pulled out his phone, opening the old message from Zacky. On the way. Just have to deal with some of Charlie's shit. Minutes later, his phone vibrated again and Matt frowned when he read the message.

Are you sure it was a good idea to bring her? If you think digging a grave traumatized her, imagine how she'll feel watching us torture someone.

Charlie was quiet as they drove toward the cafe. The place that had been like her second home for the past five years. She had laughed, cried, and yelled within the walls. Lanie had always been there to support her, the thought of having to say she was going to quit had her ready to puke all over again. God, she didn't want to upset Lanie but she had to. Endangering the people she worked with was the very last thing she would ever want.

As they pulled into a parking spot, Charlie's breathe hitched. Tears had already welled in her eyes, she wasn't ready to say goodbye. She forced a tight smile to her face as she looked to Matt, giving a light nod of her head. "Okay," she whispered, afraid to speak any louder. Crying wasn't needed right now.

Charlie couldn't help the grin that spread across her lips as she headed into the little cafe, her coworkers greeting her the moment she was spotted. She took a deep breathe when she asked if Lanie was in the back, only for it to be confirmed. She had almost hoped that the woman hadn't been here. That way she wouldn't have had to go through with this. At least not yet.

"Hey, uh, Lanie... I need to talk to you."

Charlie sat opposite one of her best friends, her eyes resting anywhere that wasn't her boss. She drew in a deep breathe, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth to speak. "I... school's getting to be a lot. Especially since I'm in my final year. I really don't want to but I think I have to resign. Focus more on schooling and.." she trailed off, realizing she was rambling way too much.

---

Ten minutes later, Charlie walked out of the cafe, two drinks in hand. Hers, just a mocha, and his a plain latte. She needed caffeine. Climbing into the suv, Charlie held out the drink to him. "Just a plain latte," she murmured, her gaze cast downward.

She'll be fine. And the more she sees, the less likely she is to talk.

Zacky didn't respond and Matt sat in relative silence until Charlie returned, handing him a latte while she looked downwards. Matt took the coffee from her and took a sip before setting the cup into the holder. He looked over at Charlie, reaching out to nudge her chin up so that she was forced to look at him. "I know this isn't what you wanted to do," he said softly. "But it's for the best, I promise. And I really appreciate you doing it for me." He gave her a short kiss before he moved away, shifting the car into reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. He drove for about thirty minutes until he reached a neighborhood that he was sure Charlie wasn't familiar with, pulling up behind Brian's silver car. He climbed out and motioned for Charlie to follow him, waiting for her at the front of the SUV and taking her hand.

"So since you all are just standing around, I'm going to assume he's not home yet," Matt said, looking around at the guys. All of them shook their head. "Well let's go, then. We'll wait for him inside his house, give him a nice little surprise when he gets home from work." They were walking to the house, since having so many cars parked along the street would likely arise suspicion in the man they were trying to capture. Matt and the guys had dealt with the man before, using their tactics of fear and violence to try and get back the money he owed them. However, that so far hadn't worked and today they would be collecting once and for all, whether that be money or a life.

Johnny was the one to break in, since he knew how to do it without alerting neighbors or the homeowner whenever they might arrive. The house was dark as they all slipped inside and Matt looked around with disgust as they walked through to the staircase. "This motherfucker can afford all of this nice shit but he can't pay us back?" he hissed. He smirked. "That's okay. He'll figure out eventually how wrong his priorities were."

Charlie looked up to him, her eyes a bit wider than normal. She didn't want to admit it but now that they were out in public, she was afraid of him all over again. If she stepped out of line in public, she could only imagine that he wouldn't control himself once they got home. She was quiet for the ride, sipping away at her drink. Watching the scenery go by, Charlie's stomach was filled with a nasty strain of butterflies. She wanted to ask what they were doing but she had a feeling the answer wouldn't be something she would like so she opted to stay quiet.

Climbing out once they pulled to a stop, Charlie hesitated before she took Matt's hand, allowing herself to be led over to the boys. She gave Johnny a slight smile before glancing down to her feet. She shouldn't have been here, she was offering no sort of help. When Johnny went about breaking in, she turned away, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "We shouldn't be doing this..." She mumbled under her breathe, not expecting to be heard. Not that any of them would have cared for her input.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the next, Charlie glanced around the home. It felt so incredibly wrong to be in someone's home, unwelcomed, when they weren't even home. She tugged on Matt's hand gently, "can't I just stay in the car?" She asked, wanting to escape before things got nasty

Matt looked back when he felt Charlie tugging on his hand. He frowned at her question. "No," he said sharply. "You're just as much a part of this now as we are. You're staying. And besides, we might need your help." Matt gripped Charlie's hand tighter as they continued to move through the house. He could already sense that she was going to end up pissing him off today, much like she had the night before. His work had him constantly on edge for a very good reason and it didn't take much to make him angry. Matt paused at the bottom of the stairs, trying to quickly think of the layout of the house. He directed Johnny to wait near the back door and Zacky to hide near the front, in case the man tried to escape. He, Jimmy, and Brian headed upstairs to wait in the master bedroom, with Matt dragging Charlie behind him.

It was Jimmy who stood by the window, the curtain barely pulled back as he looked out onto the street. After only twenty minutes or so, Jimmy gave Matt a signal with his hand and it was only at this point that Matt released Charlie's hand, pushing him back behind her. Soon he heard footsteps ascending the stairs and then the bedroom door opened. The man was texting on his phone and so he didn't notice the visitors in his bedroom until it was too late - Matt had already lunged, knocking the phone to the ground as he wrapped his arms around the man's torso. "Did you think you could hide from us forever, Lundy?" Matt hissed, stomping hard on the phone. "You should know better than that." Matt ignored his cursing and squirming, turning his head to look at Charlie. "Charlie, darling, get me a sock from the dresser, and a tie if you can find one. I gotta shut this motherfucker up and tie him up before we take him to back to the house."

Matt's tone when he replied to her was enough to tell Charlie how today was going to be. There was going to be some point where she stepped out of line and she was going to piss him off. The only thought in the back of her mind was that she hoped it wouldn't be quite as badly as last night - she could live without a hand around her throat again. She opened her mouth to argue but then decided against it, this argument wasn't worth any potential repercussions. At least not right now. She took to staring at her feet as the boys' prepared for the man to come home. Her heart was ready to burst from her chest as she was pushed behind Matt. Using the wall to help support herself, Charlie leaned against it, eyes on the door. She should yell... alert the man that something wasn't quite right. Instead, she kept silent as he walked through the bedroom door.

Her eyes went wide as she watched Matt lunge for Lundy. She went to take a small step forward, only to realize her legs weren't going to let her move. Charlie wasn't here to stop Matt or anyone else from what they were doing, she was cemented to her spot to observe. A frown on her lips as she studied Lundy, she couldn't help but wonder what his full story was. There was always two sides to a story, after all. Her attention shot to Matt when her name was said. Oh. This wasn't just meant for her to watch. He wanted her help. "I... no?" The words came out sounding more like a question than they really should have. Charlie knew that she wasn't going to help him, not in such a way. The consequences didn't matter - the idea of helping hurt Lundy, or anyone else for that matter, wasn't something she would be able to get over.

"You're fucking useless," Matt spat at Charlie. He knew it was a little harsh, but his anger had spiked. He didn't bring her along to just stand in the way and watch and she certainly should've learned from last night not to press his buttons. "Brian, get some socks and a Goddamn tie. I know this motherfucker has one." He only had to wait a few seconds before Brian was shoving a sock at him. He stuffed this into Lundy's mouth and held his hand out again for tie. When he finally had one, he wrestled Lundy's arms behind his back, securing them tightly with the tie. "Alright, let's get the fuck out of here. Time to show Lundy here what happens when people don't reply their debts." Matt shoved him at Brian before going over to Charlie, grabbing her by the wrist and jerking her out the door.

"I didn't bring you along so you could just stand around and get in the way," he hissed in her ear. "You're going to fucking help whether you like it or not. And if you keep pissing me off, you'll be the one to pull the trigger." Matt waited downstairs with Brian and a still struggling Lundy until Zacky had pulled Brian's small silver car around and then the two of them forced the struggling man into the trunk. Matt then hurried to his own SUV, dragging Charlie along behind him. "I really don't want to have to hurt you, Charlie," Matt said as he followed Brian back to his and Charlie's house. "And I would've thought that after last night, you would've learned your lesson."

Charlie cast her gaze downward at Matt's remark, forcing back the waves of emotion that washed over her. She closed her eyes tightly, not waning even catch a hint of the situation in front of her. One arm crossed her body, hand clutching the other elbow so that she could dig her nails into the flesh. This was just one big horrible nightmare that was going to end. It had to. This wasn't Matt, it couldn't be. Not the Matt that she had fallen in love with, at least.

"I didn't want to be here to begin with," Charlie argued, following after him without much fight. She knew that she had pissed him off and yet, she wasn't ready to apologize. Not when he wanted her to participate. Watching had been one thing...

Charlie's entire body was rigid as they started the long drive home. She let out a small noise, half between a sob and a whimper. "I'm already compromising. I quit my job because you want me to. I'm not about to hurt someone... Matt. Im trying here but you can fuck right off if you think I'm going to kill someone."