Charlie didn't speak for the rest of the drive and Moira didn't seem to mind the silence. It wasn't until she turned onto Prytania and they saw Remi leaning against the Audi, hands in pockets, sunglasses on, that Charlie broke the silence. 

"He hasn't been waiting out here this whole time?" she asked, dismay creeping into her voice. Remi hadn't said so much as "boo" to her since the night Tanya had asked her to identify her mother's body. She hadn't been avoiding him, but she also hadn't been keen to see him.

If he was mad about something—which seemed the most likely explanation for him waiting on her—she was just too tired to deal with it. She had her own mood swings to contend with. She didn't need his, too.

Moira pulled in right behind him and put the truck in park. "Doubtful. He's just got exquisite timing. Always has." She threw Charlie a wink. "An important trick of the trade." 

That made Charlie frown, eyes sweeping along his lean figure. He was wearing all black, looking more sinister than usual. When he turned and cocked his head, Charlie heaved a sigh and opened the door. He was dressed to meet someone.

She would have preferred a quiet, private conversation. The idea of going anywhere exhausted her. With her ripped jeans and blue t-shirt, she just knew she was under-dressed. Stepping lightly to the sidewalk, she shut the door and swore under her breath. 

The slam of Moira's door closing made her flinch, forcing her into motion. She walked forward, stepping off the edge of the curb to head toward what would be the Audi's passenger side. Remi opened the door for her, resting his hand on the frame to block her way. 

He slid his sunglasses down his nose, green eyes vibrant in the afternoon sunlight. Charlie turned her head to avoid his stare, watching as Moira and the dog prowled toward the front gate. She punched in the access code, waving once over her shoulder before disappearing into the yard. Charlie let her eyes close for the briefest moment before turning her attention back to Remi.

Before he got the chance to so much as open his mouth, she shook her head. "Don't."

Remi frowned but let his hand fall, gesturing for her to get into the car. She all but fell into the low seat, Remi closing the door for her. Again, she closed her eyes. The exhaustion that had been her constant companion for the past couple days tugged at her, sleep tantalizing with the possibility of oblivion.

Of avoidance.

"Anything...interesting happen today?" Remi's voice cut above the soft purr of the engine. The question hung in the air as the car started moving.

Charlie's brows drew together in gentle confusion before her eyes snapped open. "What do you mean by interesting?" she snapped, her temper suddenly bubbling just beneath the surface.

Remi glanced at her, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Interesting," he repeated slowly, enunciating each syllable. "Of note? Attention-worthy? Compelling? Fascinating?"

"Are you done?"

"No need to snap at me like a gator with a sore tooth," he said, his voice growing a little hard. "I just wanted to ask you about your day, Charlie. I haven't seen you in a while."

Unsure how to respond to that, Charlie bit her lip and stared at the tailgate of the truck in front of them. Her mind couldn't help but turn to her conversation with Tanya. Had Moira somehow tipped him off about their little coffee date? Did he not trust that she could handle herself around Tanya?

Then she frowned. Or...maybe he did trust her. Or maybe this was just a test, to see if she'd come clean about what had happened today. The thoughts spun violently through her mind, making a dull headache throb in her temples. Charlie closed her eyes, trying to track down anything resembling a coherent thought.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing but Tanya showing up as I left today."

"The FBI agent," he said. "Your friend."

"Old friend." She noticed how none of what he'd said had been a question. Maybe Moira had been reporting on her. Charlie opened her eyes, watching out the window. "She had to cancel dinner, but bought me a coffee. We talked."

Remi tilted his head, checking his mirrors. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Charlie didn't plan on keeping any of this from him.

"Mostly about what we'd been up to since high school. How she's back here working organized crime." Charlie let that hang in the air for a moment. "She asked me about...school and...stuff like that," she said, her voice distant in her own ears as she tried to recall each detail of the conversation. Already it was becoming tenuous and slippery in her mind. Unimportant, all of it, except maybe one thing. She chewed thoughtfully at her lip. "Then she started asking about you...and me."

There was silence. Then: "Yeah. I figured it would come up."

Charlie lolled her head to the side, looking at him fully. "Why?"

He snorted. "Much as it pains me to say, people like Tanya aren't stupid. The people she works for aren't stupid. And I would be stupid to think they don't have a bead on me. At least an inkling if they don't have the whole picture." He huffed out a weary laugh. "Crime requires secrecy, but it doesn't stay secret."

Narrowing her eyes, Charlie considered that. "She asked what you did for a living."

"What did you tell her?" The tone of his voice was vaguely amused.

A brief smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "That you were an investor."

A bark of laughter came from him. "Clever girl. That's not even exactly a lie, which is the best kind you can tell."

Something warm fluttered in her chest at his approval, making her sneer at herself. She might have been talking to Tanya, but she'd lied to the FBI. Just like he had they night they'd come knocking on her goddamn door.

"There's no way this stays clean, right?" she murmured, more to herself than him. "It just gets stickier from here."

Remi didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"She asked how we met." She sighed. "She asked if I really knew you, considering that we're supposed to be engaged." Charlie's mouth twisted to the side. "And that I've only known you for a few months. That was a little much." She couldn't resist getting her jabs in. The lie had been a little much. Apparently, Tanya had thought so too.

Remi rubbed a hand over his mouth. "What did you say to that?"

He sounded genuinely curious, which surprised her. Of everything Tanya had asked, Charlie would have thought he'd find that the least interesting. She looked at him, but couldn't read anything from his face. His attention was on the road before them, one hand on the wheel, the other on the shifter. Not even his fingers tapped, a usual indicator of irritation or interest.

Eventually, she just shrugged. "I said I knew you about as well as I knew Grayson. Probably better, considering how that ended."

Remi snarled. "Not exactly a glowing reply."

"I just meant..." She let her eyes half-close, trying to will away her exhaustion. "She basically said I hadn't known you long enough to be engaged. I'd told her about Grayson. About how he was cheating on me and how we met. I was just making the point that it didn't take time to know a person. And sometimes, the people you spend the most time with, you end up knowing the least about."

He tilted his head, not replying for a long time. "Do you?"

Charlie opened her eyes. "Do I what?"

"Know me?"

Frowning down into her lap, Charlie knotted her fingers together. She rubbed at her left ring finger, the tan line from Grayson's ring long gone. What did that question really mean? How did you know if you really knew someone. Her gaze flicked up to Remi, then wandered around the car. 

A dozen memories flashed through her mind. A small room filled with dim light and the smell of blood. A nasty, broken-down street watched over by gangbangers. A bedroom full of moonlight and secrets. The throb of club music matching the beat of her heart, her hand stinging after she'd slapped him. Blood spilling over her fingers as she stitched his skin back together. His arm wrapped around her throat, pretending to threaten her. The brief kiss of a knife against her throat and the fathomless eyes of a hired killer. The warmth of his body shielding hers from the dead cold of a morgue. 

Each of these things was etched into her mind. Each thing had revealed more and more about the man sitting beside her. Had revealed more and more about herself, as well.

His fingers tapped against the steering wheel and she knew he was getting impatient. Another smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Well enough," she finally answered.

"Well enough to wear this?" Quick as a snake, his hand slipped into the inside of his jacket. When he withdrew it, he was holding a little box sheathed in black velvet.

Charlie couldn't do anything other than stare. The blood drained from her face, oozing toward her stomach in a way that made her nauseous. When she didn't move, Remi reached across the too-small space between them. He slipped the box into her hand, closing her numb fingers around it.

"It can mean whatever you want," Remi said, his low voice barely piercing through the buzzing in her ears. "It can just be for appearance right now. Until things clear up a little."

Fingers trembling, Charlie pried the lid open. Sunlight flashed off diamonds and silver metal. It was a simple design, just a line of small gemstones set into the metal. No sharp edges, nothing protruding that could hook or catch on anything. Beautiful, but functional. Something that was actually to her taste. Something completely different from her previous engagement ring.

Her mind echoed like an empty cave. She was so surprised that she couldn't even form a word in her head, much less form one with her tongue. It was a complete and utter shock. 

"Platinum," Remi said into the silence. "Seven diamonds. If you don't like it, I'll go buy something—"

"Is this a proposal?" She cut him off, turning her head sharply. "Is that—are you..." She heaved a breath, fighting through her overwhelmed, scrambled thoughts. "You want to get married?" she finally managed, sounding more exasperated than anything.

Remi snorted, his mouth pulling into a wry line. Then he grew serious. Putting his blinker on, Remi guided the car to the edge of the highway before slowing to a stop. He flicked the hazards on, the gentle ticking sound filling the silence between Charlie's heart beats. 

With careful precision, Remi turned to face her, taking of his sunglasses. He reached toward her, long fingers plucking the ring from where it was nestled in more velvet. As she watched, he flipped the ring over the backs of his knuckles before making it disappear into the palm of his hand. Fingers held in a loose fist, he extended his hand to her.

"If that's what you want to do." His voice was noncommittal. Almost monotone. "Or it can just be something pretty to wear on your finger."

"Is it what you want to do?" Charlie shot back, crossing her arms though her gaze stayed glued on the ring hidden in his hand.

Remi slowly unfurled his fingers, revealing an empty palm. Charlie blinked, raising her eyes to find him watching her face with a keen expression. He closed his hand and opened it again to reveal the ring once more present. Charlie was briefly fascinated by the sleight of hand, but couldn't be distracted from her question.

"Do you want to marry me?" she pressed.

Again, he flipped the ring across his knuckles, a light frown creating a wrinkle between his eyebrows. "Yes."

Charlie blinked rapidly, a startled gasp catching at her throat.

"Things are..." He sighed, rubbing at his temple with his free hand. "Things are moving more than normal. And now the FBI is sticking its government nose in." He held up the ring. "It's not exactly a bulletproof vest, but it's some protection at least."

Charlie still couldn't force herself to say anything in response.

He gave a slash of a smile. "For both of us. People in my world will understand you're not just a plaything. And wives don't have to testify against their husbands."

"Do you really think it'll come to that?" she whispered

"It might." He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "It never hurts to think ahead."

Once more, he held his hand out, offering her the ring. The sight of it made her stomach clench, a nauseous pressure rising in her throat. It's not like Grayson. He's not even pretending like it's anything more than what it is.

At the same time, she knew it meant more than what he was saying. He wasn't hiding that meaning: She was important to him. Important enough to offer something like this.

"So what happens when we decide married life doesn't suit us?" She crossed her arms, slumping back in her seat.

He huffed a laugh. "You file for divorce and I end up paying alimony?" 

Charlie couldn't help but snicker. She chewed at her bottom lip and reached forward, carefully picking up the ring. Holding it up, she watched the sparkle of light play over the diamonds.

This certainly hadn't been the conversation she had expected. When she had told Moira that she and Remi needed to reevaluate some of their choices, she'd been thinking along the lines of separating themselves a little more. At least until Tanya was no longer around to ask questions and Remi's issue with the Russians was resolved. 

It hadn't crossed her mind that binding themselves tighter might offer even more protection. For both of them. She pursed her lips, running her thumb across the smooth metal on the inside of the ring. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of taking the time to think about it. But that initial response of nausea was receding, leaving her with the realization that she didn't mind the idea of marrying Remi so much as the idea of just getting married.

The last time she'd tried it had left a sour taste in her mouth. Maybe second time was the charm.

"I bring you divorce papers, you sign. No argument, no nothing?" she asked cautiously. Even if she didn't mind it, she still wanted to know there was an escape route.

He shot her a dry look. "Would you like Leon to draw us up an agreement?"

Charlie bit her lip against a smile, imagining the put-out face Leon would pull. Slowly, she slid the ring onto her finger, using her thumb to spin it around in circles. Remi put his sunglasses back on, and put the car in first, moving back into the flow of traffic.

"What if I want a million-dollar wedding?" she asked, staring at the ring, unable to so much as hazard a guess at its price tag. 

"Why not a two-million dollar one?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't bother at another attempt to needle him. Instead, she stared blankly out the window, evaluating how she was feeling. Unlike Grayson's ring, Remi's didn't seem to weigh like a ton of bricks on her hand. There was no guilt attached to it. No tepid affection or fear keeping it on her finger.

She'd put it on because she wanted to. He hadn't made her. Deep down, she knew that if she'd handed the ring back, nothing would have changed between them. He might have been mad, his pride wounded, but he would still pay for medical school. She would still have food and clothes and a roof over her head.

He wasn't asking for her to love and obey. He was just asking her to stay. Behind his argument about protections, she knew he just wanted her to stay with him. Why he wanted that, she didn't exactly know. She had no idea what about her he found so compelling. But the ring was an admission.

Or, at least, she thought it was. Even now, she still couldn't say she knew exactly what he was thinking, what all of his motivations were. That was okay, though. She knew he probably didn't know what she was thinking either. 

It wasn't until they crossed over into the Lower Ninth that she began to grow curious. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"A warehouse of mine."

She waited a moment, then turned her head toward him, annoyed. "Why?"

His small grin let her know he was messing with her. It disappeared quickly, though, his expression growing sober. He rubbed his thumb and index finger together, something she knew he did when he was thinking.

"I've been busy these last couple days," he said. Charlie nodded, waiting. He sighed, driving a little faster. "We found them faster than I thought we would—the people who killed your mother."

Her heart stopped beating. Her eyes widened so much she was sure they'd pop out of her head. Her lips moved soundlessly for a moment before she realized she had no idea what to say.

Distantly, she realized that she was annoyed that Remi wasn't telling her more. At the same time, her brain was so overloaded she afraid any more information would completely fry her. And she needed to be sharp here. She needed to comprehend each and every tiny little detail.

Gravel suddenly rumbled beneath the tires of the car and Remi was slowing, then stopping. Charlie blinked, the motion feeling so slow it was almost like time had slowed down around her. Her breath rasped in her ears, each one feeling long and drawn out.

"You...you found..." Her mind was still working overtime, in stark contrast to her physical body. She could barely form the words. She couldn't even begin to sort the emotions they provoked.

A door slammed, making her jump. In what seemed to be almost the same instant, Remi was opening her door, offering his hand. Unsure if her muscles would follow directions, she took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She gripped his arm tightly, her heart beginning to stumble in her chest.

He walked them across a short stretch of dirt and gravel, the sound of a door opening echoing in Charlie's head. It took a long time for her eyes to adjust. When they did, her gaze was immediately drawn toward a scene a couple dozen feet in front of them.

Two men lay on the cracked concrete floor, bound and gagged. Sitting at a nearby workbench, three other men sat playing a round of cards. They looked up at the sound of the door, one of them getting to their feet when they saw Remi.

This one looked familiar, though she had no idea why. He had dark brown skin and hair cropped close to his head. He wore an over-sized, dark red jacket over a loose black shirt and dark jeans. A diamond glittered in his right earlobe, but otherwise nothing about him was terribly attention-grabbing.

Why do I know his face?

She only thought about this for a moment before deciding it didn't really matter. Instead, she turned her attention to the bound men. They were Latino, with vicious, dark eyes and hair shorn almost to the scalp. One had a neck ringed by tattoos with nasty-looking ink. That one was staring at her, his teeth bared in a snarl around the rag stuffed into his mouth. His companion had his neck craned back, wild eyes drilling into Remi's back as he talked quietly with the man who had stood.

Footsteps drew her attention and she shifted her attention to Remi.

"You know for a fact?" she whispered harshly. "Them?"

"Dalen's sure," he replied, gesturing back to the man he'd talked to. "These guys don't exactly keep quiet about stuff like this."

After that, the silence stretched, broken only by muffled grunting from the two bound men. 

"What do you want to do?"

Charlie gaped at him. A dozen feverish, wretched thoughts swirled through her mind as she understood this was for her. He was letting her make this decision. He was giving her the opportunity to defeat her own monsters.

A steady pressure was building in her chest and her head. Horror, longing, rage and about a million other things blazed inside her, turning her hollow.

"Do you want them dead?" she asked, trying to deflect. Trying to make it his fault, not hers. She regretted saying the words instantly.

"Do you?" he whispered in her ear, one hand on her elbow to steady her. Anchor her. "If you don't, other arrangements can be made." His grip tightened. "But you need to tell me what you want."

Fun Fact: The following memes basically wrap up how it was writing this chapter. What did you guys think? Too much? Too out of the blue? Too ridiculous? Lol.

I hate when these things cut themselves off. *Jungkook is trusfrated...*