Too Good to Be True

"Yeah, and I tried to compromise and say that you didn't have to quit your job, so you can quit fucking whining about that," Matt hissed. "And you'll do what I say, Charlie. One thing you're going to have to figure out really fucking fast is that I'm in charge here. You got yourself into this shit, so you do what I say whether you like it or not. Stupid bitch." Matt pulled into the driveway, ripping away his seatbelt before climbing out of the SUV. Charlie was probably making it worse for Lundy without even realizing it, because the more she pissed him off, the more Matt would have to take out on their poor captive. "Get out of the fucking car, you're going to help me get things ready. And I swear to God Charlie, if you argue with me you'll be the next one in that Goddamn chair."

Inside, Matt dragged a chair from the kitchen to the living room. Next he went upstairs and went to the closet in the bedroom he shared with Charlie and from the top shelf he grabbed a box. He carried this downstairs just in time to see the guys coming through the front door, Jimmy and Brian dragging Lundy. "Put him in the chair," Matt barked. He opened the box and pulled out a rope, which he tossed to Charlie. "Tie him down, Charlie," he said to her. "And don't fucking argue with me. I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

Charlie shook her head, crossing her arms as Matt bit back at her. She wasn't going to say anything to him, part in fear and part because she didn't want to cry again. After yesterday, she was tired of the act. Reluctantly, she climbed out of the vehicle, only to freeze at Matt's words. While Charlie hadn't witnessed anything, not really, yesterday, she had an idea of what being tied to the chair meant. Ultimately, it had led to death for the man the night before. By the way they had been speaking about Lundy earlier, she could only imagine it probably meant the same for him.

Standing in the living room, Charlie stared at the chair that Lundy would be in momentarily. She was biting into her lip hard enough that she was sure she could just about taste blood. Jerking her head up at the sound of the door opening, Charlie moved out of Brian and Jimmy's way. Her frown deepened as she watched how hard Lundy was struggling. He was putting up one helluva fight, even if there was no chance of getting away. Instinctively, Charlie caught the rope that had been tossed her way. She closed the distance between her and the chair. Refusing to look anywhere but at the task in front of her, Charlie began to tie each of his limbs to the chair. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, not even able to look up at him anymore. "I'm sorry," she repeated again as she finished with his other arm before stepping backward.

She didn't want any part of this. Desperate to get away from what was about to happen, Charlie turned to Matt and without actually looking up from his feet, she spoke, "I should go cook something. You guys will be hungry," she said, knowing how ridiculous the words sounded but if it got her away from the living room, Charlie wouldn't care

Matt frowned as he watched Charlie tie Lundy's arms down to the chair, hearing her soft spoken apologies to him. And when she came over to him, eyes cast down at his feet, and suggested that she cook, Matt scoffed. He gripped her chin, roughly nudging her chin up so that she was forced to look him in the eye. "You're not fucking cooking," he hissed. His made sure to keep his voice soft, so that no one else would hear him speak to Charlie. "If we're hungry when we're finished, then we'll go get something to eat. I know you're just trying to get out of this, and it's not going to fucking work, Charlie. All you're going to end up doing is pissing me off. And I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last night?" Matt smirked as he moved away from Charlie, giving her a shove in Lundy's direction. "And don't fucking apologize to him. He doesn't deserve a Goddamn apology."

"I don't know how the hell you got a girl like her, Sanders," Lundy said, speaking up for the first time. "She's too nice for a piece of shit like you."

Just like last night, when he'd had his hand wrapped around Charlie's throat, Matt felt something inside of him snap. He swung out and caught Lundy hard on the chin with his fist, hard enough to send the chair toppling over backwards. "You're a Goddamn idiot, and you deserve every fucking thing we do to you," Matt hissed, giving Lundy a kick in the ribs. He turned around to the first of the guys he saw, which happened to be Jimmy. "Get me a hand towel and a pitcher of water from the kitchen. And fucking hurry." When Jimmy returned with the items Matt wanted, Matt took the towel and held it down tight over Lundy's mouth nose as he started to pour water over it. He smirked as Lundy started to struggle. "You wanna tell me I'm a piece of shit now?" he growled. "Say it again. I fucking dare you."

Charlie flinched as Matt nudged her chin up. She felt stupid, he had never quite hit her so why was she flinching? "That's not... it," she mumbled, wincing as she spoke. There was no denying it, despite the words that fell from her lips. Both of them knew exactly what she was trying to do. Her eyes cast downward, even with her chin tilted upward, so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye. His touch wasn't nearly as gentle as it had been, Charlie didn't know what she wanted to do. Scream, cry, or kick? At the mention of the night before, she reached up to touch the bruises that littered her neck. Charlie let out a whimper as she was shoved toward Lundy.

Her eyes shot to the man as he began to speak. Colour drained from her face as they made eye contact for the first time. Charlie realized right then that he wasn't going to make it to the end of the night.

She let out a scream as she watched Lundy fall to the ground, eyes widening in shock. Charlie covered her mouth, lips still parted in a perfect 'o' of surprise. Her heart, it was going to beat out of her chest, she was almost sure of it as she glanced toward the kitchen. A little pained noise sparked from the back of her throat as she watched Lundy start to struggle. "Matt, stop it! You're going to kill him!" God, she knew it was stupid but standing there watching Matt made her sick to her stomach. "You can take his house. His car. You'll get it all back," she tried to reason from her spot in the middle of the room.

Matt didn't stop when he heard Charlie's shouting. He was in a strange place in his mind, one he went to during times this, a place that told him it was okay to do these things to people - after all, they'd wronged him. Why shouldn't they pay for it? Only when the pitcher was empty did Matt stop, tossing the empty pitcher at Johnny and telling him to refill it before pulling the towel away from Lundy's face. The man sputtered on the water in his mouth, gasping for the air he'd been denied for the past ninety seconds or so. Matt smirked at Lundy as he got to his feet, going over to Charlie where she stood in the middle of the room. "Matt, stop it! You're going to kill him!" he mocked, scoffing when he finished. "Don't you think that's the point? What the hell did you think we were going to do with him, Charlie? Have a Goddamn playdate?" He paused, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He knew Charlie wasn't doing it on purpose, but she was doing a damn good job of pissing him off. "And it's not as simple as taking his house and his car. If all I wanted was my money back, I'd go get a fucking lawyer and take the motherfucker to court. But it's about fear. It's about showing these pieces of shit that they can't disrespect us and get away with it."

Matt moved away from Charlie when Johnny returned with the now full pitcher. He took this over to Charlie and grabbed her hand, wrapping it around the handle. "And now I'm going to show you what happens when you don't listen to me. I want you to take this pitcher of water and do exactly what I just did to him. And as a little incentive, I'm going to tell you this. If you argue with me or tell me no, I'm going to shoot him. Right in front of you. And I'll make sure you're watching when I splatter his brains all over the living room wall. So. Charlie, darling, are you going to do what I say now?"

Charlie's hands were shaking as she stared at Matt. Even the night before hadn't been quite this bad in her mind. She hadn't watched her boyfriend of three years torture someone. She had assisted in burying a body. But the choking sounds coming from Lundy made her skin crawl. Human beings weren't supposed to make noises like that. "He's a Goddamned human, Matt! I don't care about this stupid fear! Or the money he owes you!" She shot back at him, shaking her head. She scoffed, "I was wrong last night, wasn't I? To trust you?"

By that time Johnny had returned. Charlie watched Johnny warily, silent tears running down her cheeks. She wasn't sad, or afraid, nothing of the sort. She was admitting to herself that Matt wasn't who she thought he was. There was no vindication to be had - this was the real Matt. Charlie's blood ran cold at Matt's words. Looking up to him, the hurt was clear on her face. "You're not the Matt I thought you were," she whispered, not caring who heard her at this point.

Charlie closed the distance between her and Lundy. She knelt beside him, her hands shaking horribly. Enough that small bits of water had splashed out of the pitcher. She swallowed, refusing to look Lundy in the eye again. "I'm sorry," she mumbled the same two words again as she placed the cloth over his nose and mouth. Charlie began to pour the liquid into his face, aiming for just above the edge of his mouth, hoping it would at least be a little less painful for the man.

When Matt looked at Charlie and saw the hurt on her face, it felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He was so used to seeing hurt and fear on people's faces - it was something he'd grown callous to over the years. But when he looked at Charlie and saw the hurt, all he could think about was the first time he'd seen her smile and thought to himself how he never wanted to do anything that might make it go away. For the first time in a long time, he felt something he'd never felt in a situation like this - remorse. And it made him feel conflicted, especially as he watches Charlie pour the water over Lundy's face and saw how she was purposely trying to miss his mouth, heard her whispered apology to him. He wanted to scream at her that she was doing it wrong and force her to do it right - to hurt Lundy - but for reason he couldn't.

"Give me the damn pitcher," Matt said gruffly, going over to Charlie. He took the half full pitcher from her hands and forced her away, pulling the towel taut before he started to pour the water again, directly over Lundy's nose and mouth. When the pitcher was empty, Matt tossed it aside and got to his feet, smoothing out his shirt. "Don't refill it," he said, seeing Johnny bend down to pick the pitcher up. Johnny gave him a peculiar look. "Give him a few minutes. I'm done with that. But sit his chair up." As Johnny and Brian did what they were told, Matt went over to Charlie. "Why am I not the Matt you thought I was?" he asked.

Charlie's heart was racing as she listened to Lundy struggling under the water. She hated herself right then because she really didn't want to do this but she was hopeful that if she only complied, Lundy may have a chance. She knew it was unlikely but if she stepped out of chance, there was none at all. Flinching as Matt pushed her away, Charlie pushed herself further away. She stood slowly, feeling the sensation of her lungs beginning to struggle. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. Any sort of meltdown would serve no one in the room any good.

A gut reaction to Matt's question, Charlie couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh. "Do you want to take a little guess, Matt?" She asked, voice void of emotion. She was shutting down emotionally because she knew if she lashed out, both her and Lundy would end up suffering. "The Matt I knew wasn't someone willing to kill over money. That Matt would never hurt someone. He was just a giant teddy bear," Charlie's voice started to crack. She tensed, taking a few, slow deep breathes. Her chest still hurt but she was forcing herself to remain as calm as she could handle. "But that's not you, at all. Is it?"

Matt's head was filled with a flurry of thoughts, his feelings of confliction rising to a peak. He hated to think that the side of him that Charlie had gotten used to - the side that made him still feel human - was fading. He was terrified to think of what would happen if he didn't have that side of him anymore. But it wasn't exactly like he could push away the other side, his darker side. Years of doing what he did had made him too callous for that. Matt turned around to the guys. "Take him to the basement, let him smoke a cigarette or something," he mumbled, motioning to Lundy. All five of the guys shot him strange looks, but it only took a pointed glare from Matt to get them to do what he said.

Matt waited until the guys had dragged Lundy down to the basement before he went back over to Charlie. He reached to touch her face, running his thumb over her cheek. "That Matt is still here, Charlie. I promise," he said softly. "It's just that now...you're seeing the other me, too. I've always been both, for as long as you've ever known me. Okay? And I promise that no matter how terrible I seem during times like these...I'll still be your giant teddy bear, okay? You just have to promise me that you won't forget that."

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief when Matt ordered Lundy to be taken downstairs. At least she wouldn't have to watch him struggle to breathe anymore. Or listen to the struggling against the onslaught of water. Her eyes slipped shut until she heard the basement door open, not wanting to so much as catch a glimpse of Lundy.

She wanted to so badly lean into Matt's touch as his thumb brushed across her cheek. She wanted to lead in and bury her face in his chest, her arms wrapped around him so they couldn't be separated. She started shaking her head the moment he started to talk, taking a step away from Matt. "Don't," she paused, holding up her hand. Charlie knew she had no real sway on what Matt did. He would do whatever he wanted, she couldn't exactly stop him. "Don't touch me."

Charlie looked up to Matt, biting into her lip. Did she keep pressing or did she just play the part that he wanted her to? She never had been one to roll over and give up, it wasn't going to start now. "Right up until I piss you off because I won't hurt someone. Or because I won't do what you told me to. Right? Or do I get to do what I want now and we just have to pretend yesterday and today never happened?"

Matt frowned when Charlie moved away from him, shaking her head. As he listened to her speak, he realized that he would probably never be able to explain the division between the two parts of himself to Charlie as well as he would like. To her, there were two separate versions of the same person but to him, his two personalities were like two entirely separate people. "We're never going to be able to pretend like yesterday and today never happened," Matt said finally. "And do you seriously think you haven't pissed me off over the past three years? And you hardly do anything I say, no matter what the situation was. And did I ever turn into this monster that you think I am? No, I didn't. Because it's you, Charlie. You make me feel human and...and sane, Charlie. I'm not on edge when I'm around like I am when I'm working. Okay? Don't you remember last night? The good parts? I'm both Matts, Charlie, you just have to be able to tell the difference. And I know that sounds crazy and it might be, but it's the truth."

Matt let out a ragged sigh, moving past Charlie and going down to the basement. He was tired if arguing with her about this. She wasn't ever going to see things his way - she was too stubborn. And if he kept trying to force her, they were going to butt heads and he was going to get pissed. "Alright, play time's over," Matt said flatly, yanking the cigarette from Lundy's mouth. He threw it to the ground and stomped it out, reaching for the gun hidden in the waistband of his jeans. "I'd originally planned on dragging this out a little longer, but you know what? I'm tired. I want to go to bed. But first we've got to take care of you." He flicked the safety off on the gun, raising it to point at Lundy's temple. Out of habit, the guys backed away, moving behind Matt so as not to get any bloodsplatter on their clothing. Without even blinking, Matt pulled the trigger, not able to help the slight smirk on his face as Lundy slumped forward in the chair. "Untie him and take him upstairs," he barked at whichever of the guys was closest. "I want this burial to go more quickly than last night, understood?"

Charlie knew she was feeling some kind of emotion but it was almost like they had been placed behind a wall that she couldn't hope to break through. She just stared at Matt as he spoke, his words bouncing around in her mind but not quite taking hold. Charlie didn't want to react this way. She wanted to wrap herself up in Matt's arms and sit on his lap. Talk about all their dreams for the future, staring up at the night sky. Often times when she got too emotional, Charlie found herself sitting in their backyard and just taking in the night sky. It had always been calming for her and Matt often joined her, where they'd talk about important things and unimportant things. So long as they were talking, Charlie was able to relax.

Not budging when Matt moved around her, Charlie stood and stared at the blank television. Slowly, she made her way over to the couch where she sat down. And boy was she thankful that she had. She jumped off the couch at the sound of a gunshot, clamping her eyes shut. I'm sorry. Charlie choked back a sob, putting her face in her hands. She had wanted to try and help Lundy but that hadn't mattered. Now the only thing running through her mind was that she hoped he wouldn't drag her along.

The guys nodded and Brian and Zacky untied Lundy before they started carrying him upstairs. Matt followed behind them, waiting for Jimmy and Johnny to pass by before he closed the basement door and locked it. He never liked to leave it unlocked when he wasn't home, especially when there was blood that needed to be cleaned up. He turned to the couch and saw Charlie sitting there, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Matt felt a little bad for her - this wasn't ever going to be as easy for her as it was for him and the guys. She was too innocent, too kind-hearted. He went over to her and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her up to her feet and against his chest. "We've got to go now, okay? You...You can sit in the car this time if you want, but you've got to go with us, Charlie." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, leading her out to the SUV.

Zacky was waiting by the driver's side door again, keys in his hand, and Matt nodded at him. He opened the back passenger door and helped Charlie inside, finding Johnny on the other side this time. They drove to a different location this time, one that was a bit further away. At the sight, Matt didn't bother to say anything to Charlie or even touch her as he exited the SUV. It seemed like some of her emotionless had rubbed off on him, and he wasn't quite sure if that was better or worse than his volatile temper.

Charlie was fresh out of tears at this point but her nerves were completely shot, making her shoulders shake. She lifted her head a bit at the sound of the basement door opening but then, decided against it. There was no way she wanted to see whatever was coming through that door. Lundy was dead, she didn't want to see another dead body. Not now, not any time in the future. She tensed as she felt a hand under her elbow, pulling her up. Charlie didn't offer any resistance. She gave a slight nod of her head to show she understand, leaning her head against his shoulder despite herself. Her mind was telling her not to but her heart was aching for some sort of comfort.

Climbing into the suv, Charlie offered Johnny the smallest of smiles. She settled into her seat and began to play with the edge of her shirt. Normally, she'd talk. Say something to end the awkward silence but she didn't have any clue what to say. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief when the boys exited and she was left there. Matt was staying true to his word, for now at least. Charlie leaned her head back, staring at the sky through the moonroof. It wasn't quite dusk yet.

Pulling her knees to her chest, Charlie set her head on her knees and focused on her breathing. It was enough to keep her thoughts from straying too far.

Since he wanted this burial to go more quickly, Matt helped the guys dig the grave. He didn't like doing this when it was still light outside, anyway. It was part of the paranoia that had plagued him since he started this line of work, a paranoia that was only exasperated by the fact that Charlie now knew what he did. And now there was a fear in the back of his mind that Charlie would leave now that she knew, and if he were being honest, he was more scared of losing her than he was of her going to the police. He'd never been lying when he said he loved her, and to him the thought of living without her was worse than the thought of getting caught, because he knew that he would probably be given a death sentence. He would do anything to keep her, even if that meant hurting her or threatening her to make her stay.

Once the body was buried, Matt handed his shovel off to Johnny, telling him to put it in the back with the rest before climbing back into the SUV. He looked over at Charlie, trying to see if he could read her face, but he couldn't. It was too dark and he was sure there wasn't anything there, anyway. The ride home was silent, the whole vehicle filled with the strange sort of tension that flowed between Charlie and Matt. He just wanted to get home, wait for his temper to wane a bit, let Charlie decompress, and then talk to her. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he was sure that she knew that he really did love her, and that the Matt she saw wasn't the only Matt there was.

Charlie's shoulders were tense the entire ride home, staring down at her lap. Her mind was racing. She was lucky to have had today off but she was scheduled to work tomorrow. She couldn't just call in sick, not when she had already handed in her notice. She wasn't even sick... But what that would mean to Matt, she wasn't sure. The moment they reached home, Charlie was out right after Johnny. She reached for his hand and squeezed lightly, dropping it a moment later. If there were any of the boys she wanted to be around at the moment, it was Johnny. He'd helped her more than he would ever realize.

"I work tomorrow," Charlie announced as Matt closed the door behind them. She kicked off her shoes and turned to him finally. "It's just a short four hour shift," she clarified. In the back of her mind, Charlie realized neither of them had eaten today. Normally, she would have freaked out and demanded that Matt eat. She tended to worry more than really was necessary. But she wasn't the least bit hungry herself. All she wanted to do was take a bath and sleep. "You don't have to worry I won't say anything," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words as she turned to head for the bathroom

With a frown, Matt reached out and grabbed Charlie by the elbow. He understood that even after putting in her notice, Charlie couldn't just stop going to work. But what about having him or one of the guys there didn't she understand? He would just have to send one of them anyway, without telling Charlie beforehand. It wasn't like they'd kick whoever it was out if they were a paying customer. "Don't you walk away from me," Matt said, trying hard to keep himself calm. But he could already feel his anger rising - he was still on edge from the recent events. "I know you don't want to, but we need to talk." He pulled Charlie back over to him, using his grip on her elbow to guide her over to the couch. He took a seat and made Charlie do the same.

"I want you to actually listen to me this time, Charlie. I know you're weren't earlier, I could tell by the look on your face." Matt sighed. "I just...I really want you to understand that I love you. No matter what kind of monster you think I am, I do. And yeah, things between us aren't going to be the same as they used to be. But they'll be kind of close. Because as long as I'm not working, I'll be the same Matt I've always been, I promise. Okay? And I know it seems impossible, but you'll get used to all of this eventually. You just have to give it time." Matt leaned forward, pressing his lips to Charlie's. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her body against his. He knew this was probably the last thing she wanted, but she could always push him away.

Charlie tensed as she felt the all too familiar hand wrap around her elbow. She wanted to pull away and storm off anyway but his words made her hesitate. There was an underlying edge to his tone, she hadn't missed it. Hanging her head, she followed after Matt. She turned her head away from him as she listened, shrugging her shoulders once he had finished. "You can say that now but it's only until I ma-" Charlie was cut off as his lips connected to hers. Her lips parted more in surprise than anything as she was pulled against him. Her hands settled on his shoulders and she began to push him away.

"You just said I have to give it time," Charlie snapped, her anger spiking all over. "And then you try to kiss me? Do you think that your kisses are magic or are you just fucking stupid?!" She knew she was being harsh. If they were going to make this work, they were both going to have to give their all. Charlie squirmed out of his grasp, moving backward so there was at least a bit of space between the two of them.

Matt felt his anger flare at Charlie's words. He wasn't stupid. He was trying to make things easier for Charlie, but it seemed that she just wasn't having any of it. And now he was done trying. If Charlie thought he was a monster now, then she had no idea. "You know what? Fuck you. If you don't care, then neither do I." He stood up, grabbing Charlie by the wrist and yanking her to her feet. He pulled her close to him, but this time his embrace was much more cold. "You have no idea how much of a monster I can be. It can get worse, I promise. And since you want to continue to piss me off and push me away when I try to apologize, I'm going to show you." Matt dragged Charlie towards the basement door, digging the key from his jacket pocket as he went. He unlocked the door and threw it open, but before he took Charlie down the stairs, he searched all of her pockets for her phone, stuffing it into his own pocket when he'd found it.

"That nice Matt that you love so much, Charlie?" Matt hissed in her ear. "He's never going to come back if you keep acting like this." Matt couldn't recall ever being this angry with Charlie, or anyone really, and when they'd only gone about halfway down the stairs, he released her wrist, shoving her hard down the stairs. He walked around her and picked up the ropes that had been used to hold Lundy before going over go her and lifting her unceremoniously to her feet. He forced her to sit in the chair where Lundy had been sitting while they'd tortured him and then bound her wrists down with the rope. "Maybe if I leave you down here tonight, you'll learn your fucking lesson," Matt said coldly before he left the basement, flicking the light off as he went. He made sure to lock the door, slipping the key back into his pocket.

Charlie's brows knit together as Matt stood. She started to open her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing. Hopefully he would leave the room and she could go about the rest of her night the way she had intended once they got home. As she was dragged to her feet, her stomach sank. Something was wrong. Matt's eyes were cold - they weren't frustrated or angry or any variation of. Colour drained from her face as she was pulled flush against him. Nothing about the way he moved was careful and she wondered for a moment of other people had been in her position before, if this was the exactly feeling that they had felt. "Matt, what're you doing?!" She began to try to pull away as they came to a stop at the basement door. She yanked at her arm to no avail, tensing when Matt began fishing in her pockets. "St-Stop," she spoke as she gritted her teeth, pushing his hand.

Stumbling forward as fast as her legs allowed, Charlie struggled to keep her balance. She let out a shrill cry as she was thrown to the ground, her arms out to try and catch herself. Charlie groaned as she held one wrist to her chest, each sending small shockwaves of pain through her body. She had been paying no attention to Matt so when she was dragged to her feet, she looked up to him, fearful. "Matt, stop," her words were hoarse, trying to contain emotion. "Ple-" Charlie stopped dead when he began to tie her wrists down. No. Matt wasn't going to do that to her. He wasn't going to kill her. He loved her. Charlie's mind was racing with worst case scenario is as she struggled against the rope that had her secure now.

Charlie looked up as he approached the door, tears welling in her eyes. "M-Matt," she called out, biting hard into her lip. She flinched as the door closed, beginning to struggle against the ropes now.