by Hart, Eve R.
“You okay?” I turned around and asked Harley.
But she wasn’t there, not in her mind anyway. Her body was on the floor, back resting against the foot of her bed. Her eyes were locked onto her dead abusive asshole ex. She was in shock, I guessed.
But then again, maybe it was something else.
Then it was like she snapped. A high-pitched scream of anger and frustration came out of her as she got her feet under her and pounced onto his limp body. Her hands flew, punches landing, making his body rock and jerk with each blow.
“Har,” I said calmly and I moved in. “Harley, it’s okay now.”
Another scream and she was reaching for a knife that I’d failed to notice on the floor.
I closed in on her to keep her from hurting herself, but what I didn’t expect was for her to turn in my direction. Her hand came at me, the blade of the knife sinking into my thigh.
“Fuck,” I roared and stumbled back a few steps.
Her eyes, they weren’t hers. There was a wild look in them that I didn’t recognize. Years of being abused and then living in fear even though he’d been locked up, that was where that look had stemmed from. That was why the rage was there. It had been all this time, lying dormant, waiting for this moment right here. And I had taken away her revenge with one quick move. I understood everything she was going through right now.
She jumped to her feet, her attacks now turned onto me.
I wasn’t the enemy, but in her mind, I had been the one to take away everything. Had taken her choice away. And I was sure she wasn’t even really seeing me as a person right now.
I called her name again as I stood as still as I could.
Her powerful, angry fists beat against my chest over and over again. Wasn’t gonna lie, she had some damn strength behind them.
Unable to bear seeing her like this any longer, I gripped the back of her hair and backed her up against the closet wall.
She kept fighting me and I was afraid she’d hurt herself. So I did the only thing I could think of, I snagged her arms and brought them above her head. My flat palms went to the inside of her elbows and I pressed enough to get her to stop trying to hit me. I knew if I grabbed her wrist, it might cause her to freak out even more. My hope was that pinning her this way, she’d still see that she could get out of my hold but would give up the fight to do so.
She sucked in a sharp breath as her head tilted back and she met my eyes.
“Harley, it’s over now,” I told her calmly, my hands falling away from her arms and moving to cup her face.
She blinked, seeming to snap at least halfway out of it. Then her body was trying to climb up mine. Taken off guard by this move, my hands went to her ass, hauling her up my body and keeping her pinned against the wall.
Her lips were on mine before I could stop her.
And because I needed this from her so badly, I gave in and kissed the fuck out of her.
Adrenaline was pumping through both of our systems and something really fucked up had just happened. This was not the best time for this kind of shit but it was like I couldn’t stop. My blood was on fire and my dick already hard as she wrapped her legs around my waist.
I managed to gain some control and pulled back.
“Not like this, Harley. I want you, but not like this,” I told her, trying to put some distance between us. But her nails dug into the back of my neck and her hips began to grind against my hardness.
So right there with a dead man behind us, a knife stuck into my thigh, and blood on my hands, I let her get herself off against me. I held back, and yeah, it was really fucking hard. But for some reason, she needed this and if she felt safe enough with me to take it, I was going to let her.
Her head tilted back, her eyes closed and she rocked against me even faster. Her legs shook around me and my fingers dug into her ass to keep her from falling.
I was enjoying this more than I should have and if she didn’t come soon, I would be.
Then she let out a long, low moan, her body sagging in my arms. Instantly, I saw the stress and anger drive right out of her body. I knew it would only last so long. And other things would come too once it all sunk in. Regret. Fear. This moment of ‘oh shit.’ Yeah, all that and more.
Her lids blinked a few times before opening all the way. She stared into my eyes, her chest still heaving against mine.
“Blade?” she asked with a whole fuck-load of confusion in her tone.
And I could see it all come crashing down on her, every single thing that had just happened.
Her legs untangled from my waist and she brushed against the knife sticking out of my leg as I helped lower her feet to the ground. I let out a pained grunt because no matter how fuckin’ hard you were, that shit hurt.
“Oh shit! Your leg,” she said as she dropped to her knees and reached for it.
“Don’t!” I barked not meaning to startle her but needing to catch her before she pulled it out. “Leave it. Might not be a good thing pullin’ it out. It’s a little close there.”
“Oh, right, yeah.” She shook her head. “What do I do?”
“Need to…” My words trailed off as I stumbled back. My head suddenly dizzy and I was having trouble focusing. I blinked, trying to clear my vision but it wasn’t working. I wouldn’t be standing upright much longer. “Go take a shower.”
“What? Now? Are you insane?! You need help and there is a…” Her eyes drifted to the other side of the room. I gently snagged her chin, turning her attention back on me.
“I’ll take care of it, go get a shower.”
“Okay,” she said with a shaky breath then got to her feet.
“Might be some people in here when you get out,” I told her. “Don’t need to worry, I got this handled.”
Her head bobbed with a mousy nod and then she was darting into the bathroom a few feet away.
The door closed and I waited until I heard the water start up to collapse onto the floor. My back fell against the end of the bed and I was left sprawled out in an awkward position.
Fuck!
Biscuit.
I looked over at the shut door hoping I could hear her but there was only silence.
“Baby?” I called out.
She let out a little whine and I knew she was okay.
“Stay right there,” I told her and reached for my phone. “Daddy is calling Uncle Charm, okay?”
She gave me a tiny bark to let me know she’d heard me.
“What’s up?” Charm answered.
“Need you. Get Iron. Got a mess and a body on my hands.” I paused trying to get the words together right in my head. “Across from the shop, above Inked Up, around the back.”
That was all I could get out.
The phone was so heavy in my hand and it seemed like my arm just gave up holding it against my ear.
I heard him yelling my name a couple of times but couldn’t respond.
My lids were closed and I’d be damned if I could get them open again.
Things went silent and I couldn’t figure out why.
Sensing someone was close, I snapped myself alert. I might have passed out but I wasn’t sure. Hopefully, it was only for a moment if I had.
I saw a couple of figures closing in and tried to get to my feet, but only managed to move part of my upper body.
Iron was in first. I only knew because the blurry figure approaching me was shadowed by long hair and a beard. Charming’s voice floated into my ears but I couldn’t make out the words or open my mouth to tell him that.
I blinked, noticing a third person. I squinted but didn’t think that I recognize him. I didn’t know many people that ran around wearing suits. Who even wore that shit anymore? Lawyers? Fucking asshole detectives? No one good, that was for sure.
He crouched down on the body across the room, his back to me and I got it right away.
“Cleaner?” I asked and was sure the word came out slurred as if I was drunk.
He chuckled.
“Among other things,” he replied, turning his head to look at me over his shoulder.
There was something about that face that I recognized. However, placing where I knew it from was a little difficult right now.
“Thought we had someone for that,” I said looking at Iron.
He shrugged.
“Yeah, well, think he’s tryin’ to settle down. Figured I’d only call him for the big jobs. And Petra let me borrow Garen here.”
Whatever. I trusted my Prez so I asked nothing further on it. As long as shit got gone and scrubbed clean, then I didn’t care.
I needed to tell him who Harley was and more importantly, that her uncle was the very detective asshole that kept giving us shit. However, I was having trouble putting my thoughts together. I couldn’t get anything else out right now and the dizziness started to hit hard. To the point that I was trying my damnedest not to pass out or puke.
“Help me get him on the bed,” Charm said and a second later, they were dragging me up. “What the hell happened?”
“Stuff,” I grunted out.
I swore I heard him and someone else chuckling.
I figured the scene spoke for itself but I guess some people needed it spelled out. Too fucking bad because I wasn’t expelling that kind of energy right now.
“Stay awake,” Charming said.
“I’m fuckin’ tryin’ to, brother.”
“I’ve got to get this knife out.”
“Yeah, why the fuck you think I called you?!”
“Okay, hold onto something,” he said and gave me no time to do that.
My lips pressed into a thin line and held the growl inside.
“Where’s my girl?” I asked, breathing heavy.
“She’s fine. She’s on the couch in the other room,” Iron assured me.
“Thanks, Prez. She shouldn’t see me like this.”
“I know, brother,” he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. “The shower?”
“Harley,” I told him damn well knowing that explained nothing.
“His woman, unbeknownst to her,” Charm said not stopping the pain he was inflicting on me.
“Don’t say shit like that,” I playfully scolded him— or tried to. “She knows it, just doesn’t want to admit it yet.”
“Fuck me,” Prez grumbled under his breath but loud enough to where I could hear it. “You can fix him?”
“Maybe,” Charm answered. “I don’t think it hit anything vital. But he’ll definitely be on his ass for a few days.”
I grunted, unhappy with that.
“I’m not taking a chance on you tearing your stitches this time.”
“I was fine,” I argued.
“You’ve lost a good amount of blood, I’m a little worried.” I didn’t like the way he said that.
“My chest hurts,” I told him feeling like it was starting to get harder to breathe.
“Fuck,” Charm said and a second later, I felt pressure on my chest from his stethoscope. Good thing he brought all the gadgets tonight. “Slow breaths.”
“Right,” I told him sounding unhappy.
He started feeling around and I was pretty sure I didn’t have a broken rib. I’d had a couple of those in my life and knew what the hell that felt like. Maybe cracked but definitely not broken.
“We need to get him back to the compound,” Charming said to Iron. I opened my eyes to see Prez pulling out his phone.
“Wake me up when it’s time to roll,” I said and then was out.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Harley
I was okay. I was.
Well, not completely but I was more okay than I thought I would be. More than one should be given all the shit that had just happened.
My asshole abusive ex was dead. The fear of him finding me had become real and as quickly as it was here, it was gone.
All thanks to Blade.
Not me, of course, because when it came time for all that training I’d done to kick in, I froze.
I knew he had come for me with the intention of finishing the job he’d started two and a half years ago and I just stood there. He had been able to drag me around and had me on the ground before I finally started fighting back. But it was too late by then.
If Blade hadn’t come…
I’d be dead.
Yeah, I couldn’t even try to play that one off.
There were so many unanswered questions in my head. Some of them, I knew I’d never get the answers to. Not with Jeffery now dead. And maybe it didn’t really matter how he’d found me or how he knew I was there or how come my uncle didn’t know that Jeffery had left Texas. The only important thing was that he was no longer breathing.
Which led me to thinking about Blade.
Why was he here? How did he know what was going on?
I shook my head, letting the water run down my face and body trying to rid myself of this horrible night. It wasn’t that simple and I knew it, no matter how much I wanted to believe I could move on and forget.
I hadn’t moved on from the things he’d done to me before.
I hadn’t forgotten.
And deep down, I knew I never truly would.
Those kinds of things only dulled with time. But the fear, the pain, it stuck with you for a lifetime. It was now a part of who I was and who I’d be from that moment on. It changed me as much as I wished that it hadn’t.
I was trying hard not to think about the other things that had happened tonight. I didn’t have enough headspace to deal with that. I barely remembered some of it but somehow I was all too aware of what happened.
I stabbed Blade.
Again.
Man, if I was thinking about a relationship with the guy this should have been a big neon sign telling me to run in the opposite direction. Or him, I guess. No one wanted to be with a crazy chick that made a habit of impaling them with sharp instruments all the time.
Talk about a toxic relationship.
Not that I planned on doing that to him ever again. And sure, the first time he had startled me and I just reacted. Then there was now, I wasn’t really aware of what I was doing or who I was attacking. But neither of those were really a good enough excuse to me.
I mean…
Was there really a good excuse for stabbing someone? Well, someone that wasn’t really a threat to you, that was. Both times he had been around me because he was doing something nice. I guess. Or saving me. Yeah, I couldn’t deny that he had saved me tonight. I couldn’t explain why, but it made me happy and pissed-off all at the same time. Though, to be fair, most of the pissed-off part was more at myself.
The water started to chill and I knew I had to thrust myself back into reality.
I wasn’t really looking forward to facing Blade, let alone anyone else that might be here by now.
I didn’t really know any of his people and had no clue if I could trust them or not. I supposed I didn’t have any other choice.
I pulled on one of the nightgowns that I stored in the bathroom. Thank God I also had a pair of panties in here too. I snatched up my silky robe from the back of the door and slid it on, glad that I had something to cover up with. My nightgowns weren’t exactly your granny kind. Well, maybe when your granny was in her twenties and a hot sexpot.
Right, you don’t want to think of your sweet, old grandma like that.
Sorry.
I took time brushing my hair but didn’t bother with the curlers now. I was pretty sure it would be pointless.
It was time to face the music— or strange people in my space, rather.
I could hear them out there, murmuring low.
With a shaky hand, I turned the handle.
“Watch yourself, darlin’,” a man with long hair and a beard said halting me from stepping out of the bathroom. “You got shoes?”
“Uh, yeah, next to the bed,” I said pointing. My attention followed the direction just to make sure my slippers were still there, but my gaze stopped when I saw Blade sprawled out on m
y bed with some strange guy leaning over him. “What are you doing to him?”
My leg lifted like I was going to step forward, but I stopped remembering the long-haired man’s words.
I was sure there was broken glass and at least one ceramic vase in pieces somewhere.
“Calm down, let me get your slippers.” The long-haired man made quick steps. I was sure I heard him let out a short laugh as he picked up my house shoes. “When you said slippers, I wasn’t expecting this. Though lookin’ around, maybe I should have.”
He smiled and it set his rough, hard face at ease. It did something to me, almost letting me think everything would be okay.
“Thanks,” I told him with a shrug as I took them from him. I quickly put them down and slid my feet into them, the little heel giving me a tiny lift. And yes, they had light pink fur on the top of them if you were wondering. “Is he okay… I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Iron,” the man with the long hair said and I got the feeling he was in charge here. Maybe not just here but in general. “Charming is on the bed with Blade patchin’ him up. He took a few hits but I think he’ll be alright.”
“Okay,” I said leaning to the side to take in the guy that was currently looking over the dead body of my ex and didn’t fit in with the rest of the men around. “And he is?”
“Not important,” the man called out, not bothering to turn in my direction.
“Got it,” I said with a nod as my mouth snapped shut.
“Are you okay?” Iron asked, his eyes roaming all over me like he was trying to see if I had been hurt.
“I’m fine,” I waved him off.
And I was. By some miracle, I hadn’t been hurt.
He stared at me for a good long minute before deciding that be believed me.
“Alright,” Iron said with a nod. “I’m gonna need to know what happened here, darlin’.”
Did I want to relive the bits and pieces I remembered of what went down? Not really. Especially not when I had a good feeling those bits and pieces would eventually turn into a whole picture for me.
I didn’t want to put it together.
I didn’t want to find the parts that I couldn’t remember right now.