Harlow (Society Girls #7)

by Crystal Perkins

  “No, there isn’t,” Jade agrees.

  “Okay, now that you’ve totally embarrassed Harlow, we need to get this show on the road,” Darcy tells us.

  I send her a grateful look, and a smile. “Yes, please.”

  After we all pile into a late model sedan with Aiden at the wheel, Darcy outlines her plan to us. The outdoor museum has a good security system, and guards, but none of it is any match for her, or Ainsley. Our computer genius has already patched into the security cameras, and nailed down the patterns of the guards. With that information in hand, Darcy scoped out the best entrance point for us, as well as a contingency plan.

  “Where is the thing we’re getting?” she asks.

  “The thing I’m getting in on the old Stardust sign.”

  She ignores my comment about it being just me, and pulls up the schematics of the Boneyard. “Okay. So, while Aiden keeps the car ready to go, and Jade and Ellie cover the entrance and exit, we’ll make our way to the sign. Where exactly is it attached?”

  I don’t answer her right away, and she glares at me. “It’s behind one of the light bulbs.”

  “So it’s small? That’s good. We’ve got to get in and out.”

  “How did you get it in there in the first place?” Ellie asks.

  “I took a tour.”

  “And?”

  “I pretended I had a pebble in my shoe,” I tell them.

  “How low cut was your shirt?” Aiden asks from the front seat.

  “Very low,” I admit.

  “Risky. What if it was a woman tour guide?” Darcy asks.

  “Wouldn’t have mattered with her rack,” Aiden answers for me, earning another smack on the back of his head from Ellie. “Just being honest.”

  “It was a woman,” I say. “My cousin paid good money for these, so I’m lucky they’ve been useful from time to time.”

  “See. She gets it.”

  “I get it, too,” Ellie tells him. “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be respectful to her, though!”

  Aiden looks suitably chastised. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Har. Really. Sorry if I was an ass.”

  “It’s fine. The girls have gotten me out of plenty of tickets, and into many other situations I didn’t want to be in. They’re both a blessing, and a curse, but they’re mine, so I deal with it all.”

  Darcy shakes her head and glares at all of us. “Can we please focus on the matter at hand? I swear I understand Reina saying it’s like herding cats with all of you sometimes.”

  “You’re included in that, Darce,” Jade tells her.

  “Whatever. Now, do you all know what you have to do?”

  We all take turns reciting our parts, and then we’re there. Well, a couple of blocks away, but that’s where we’re supposed to be. Aiden pulls out his phone, and starts playing around, while the rest of us get out, and split up. I’m not being conceited when I say that the four of us walking together would be noticeable, I’m just being honest. We’re all beautiful, and there’s a confidence to us that can’t be faked. In simpler terms, we stand out, and the only chance we have of sneaking in is if we all meet from different directions.

  I circle around like I’ve been instructed to, keeping my pace steady, and meet Darcy at the designated area. I don’t see Ellie and Jade, but I know they’re here, watching our backs. Darcy and I take the hover board-like gadgets I just learned how to use in class out of the small backpacks that were left in the car for us. We wait for Ainsley to tell us through our ear implants that the coast is clear, and then we’re in the air, and over the fence.

  Stowing the backpacks near the fence, where Ellie will grab them in the event something goes wrong, we run for the sign. There are normally motion sensors, but the system’s been temporarily disabled so no alarms sound as we move. We still only have a few short minutes, because anything suspicious could tip someone off, and we’re not going to waste any time worrying, because we know Ainsley has us covered.

  I immediately kneel down when we get to the sign, and unscrew the bulb that’s hiding the microchip locator. I helped X inject himself with the chip, and it’s literally the only way to find him. I don’t want to give Reina the reader, because like I said, I can’t give up someone else’s life, but I’ll do what X and I agreed on if I ever needed to reach him. He didn’t have to tell me to only do it in an emergency, because we both know I wouldn’t put him in jeopardy for anything less.

  “You got what you need?” Darcy asks, looking around.

  “Yeah,” I tell her standing up, and noticing her eyes darting around. “Is something wrong?”

  “It’s just a feeling…and my feelings are usually right. We need to go.”

  I don’t question her, moving as fast as she does back to where we entered. The sound of motorcycles reaches us before we get there, and she pulls me back. I don’t know how they found me, but we both know they’re here for me. When I start to move, Darcy shakes her head, and puts her finger over her mouth. I want to disobey her, and go to our friends, but I know she’s right. They can handle themselves, and while I’ve been doing well in training, I would be a distraction. I don’t like it, and I can tell she doesn’t either, but we have to hide—and protect what I just retrieved.

  “Hello, gentlemen,” I hear Aiden say as my heart rate picks up.

  “Where is she?” a voice asks. I don’t recognize it, but I know it’s one of them.

  “She? I’m afraid I’m alone this fine evening.”

  “You think I’m some dumb hick you can bullshit, pretty boy?”

  “Oh, you must have me confused with my friend, Scott. He’s the pretty boy. I’m the devastatingly handsome one.”

  “You’re about to be dead if you don’t tell me what I need to know.”

  “Whoa. That’s a big gun! Are you overcompensating for something else?”

  “I could ask you why you’re so desperate to die, but I don’t really care.”

  “Wait!” another voice shouts. “I thought he looked familiar, but damn. He’s the Vice President’s son!”

  “Aww, did you Google me? I Google me sometimes when I’m feeling low. Did you vote for my dad and the Prez for re-election last year?”

  “How much would your daddy pay for you, smartass?”

  “I think it’s my wife you should be thinking about right now.”

  Aiden’s voice is calm, but I can almost feel the coldness in it washing over me, and I shiver a little. Darcy smirks at me, making me feel better about what we’re hearing. I know Aiden’s not afraid to get his hands bloody, but since we don’t know how many guys are out there, I was afraid. I’m not completely unafraid now, but if Darcy can smirk, things can’t be too bad.

  And that’s when the first man screams. From where we’re hiding, I hear more screams, grunts, and yelps, along with the sound of flesh ripping. There are no gunshots, but not knowing what there is makes me a little crazy. Even Darcy is clenching and un-clenching her fists when we hear everything stop. We look at each other, but don’t move yet. Not until bright lights come on, and we hear the sirens. Then, we move.

  Darcy climbs with ease over the top of the signs, and I follow her a little more carefully. We make it over the top of the fence, away from where we heard things go down. Pulling the hidden strings on our clothes, we change their color and look, the material moving and bunching into club wear. A flip of our hair, and a flick of our fingers on our shoes, making them heels, and we’re ready to go. I still want to see what’s happened to our friends, but I know we can’t get involved. A Society girl would never leave a friend behind is she was unsafe, but I’ve learned we sometimes need to leave them with the police. It sucks, but it’s what we all signed up for, and once trained, can handle on our own.

  Bodhi

  I’ve been sitting on the floor of the lobby, ignoring the glares from the apartment guards. There’s no rule against me hanging out here, although the lack of seating options deters most people, I guess. I can’t be deterred, because I
need to see Harlow make it back safely. Besides, I’ve dealt with glares all my life, sometimes from people who are supposed to love me, so these guys aren’t going to intimidate me right now.

  I’ve almost won this level of Zuma on my laptop when I hear the elevator doors open. I know it’s Harlow, even before I see her. I can’t explain it, but I always know when she’s near. Jumping to my feet, I don’t care one iota about losing the level I was playing, because I get a smile from the woman I love instead. Love? Um, I’ll need to think more on that, but that’s a conversation with myself for later. Possibly, much later. Now, it’s all about my girl.

  “Why are you sitting on the floor?” she asks, tilting her head like she’s trying to figure me out.

  “I didn’t want to miss you.”

  She sighs, and her smile is gone. “I have to debrief with everyone, and work out some things that happened tonight.”

  “Oh yeah. Of course,” I tell her, because I should’ve known that.

  She reaches for my hand, and intertwines our fingers, before pulling herself closer to me. “Thanks for worrying about me. I liked walking in to see you here waiting.”

  “Can I see you tomorrow?”

  “Probably. I want to, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, so if you’re free, you know where to find me.”

  Good words, and words I mean, but not the words I was hoping I would say to her. I get that she needs to work. Hell, both our lives depend on what she’s doing. That still doesn’t make things completely better, though. A little, but not totally.

  “I’ll find some time. I promise.”

  Now that’s what I needed to hear. “I’ll take whatever I can get.”

  Darcy passes us, and Harlow nods at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bo.”

  I kiss her softly, and let her go, knowing I shouldn’t be keeping her. I want to keep her, though, and that’s the scariest thing of all. Knowing who I am, and what I do and don’t have to offer her, I should be stopping this now. Too bad that’s no longer an option—if it ever was.

  6

  Harlow

  I’m bone tired, but it’s more mental than physical. Hearing those motorcycles, and knowing they were there for me, chilled me to the bone. I did the BDSM lifestyle, and I’ve been naked in front of a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be scared. I don’t like that part of being human, but unless an alien race shows up to claim me, I’ll just have to deal with my humanity. Somehow.

  “What’s wrong?” Ellie asks, stopping me before we get inside one of the rooms inside the complex, where everyone is meeting.

  Darcy told me they talked their way out of everything, claiming they were just walking by and had to defend themselves from some thugs, but I’m still a little awed by them being here already. I guess being Aiden Ford, combined with the Society influence, can make things happen.

  “Just wishing I wasn’t human,” I tell her with a shrug.

  She waves everyone else in, then pins me with a not unkind look. “It’s our humanity that saves us, Har. It saved me. Don’t ever try to let go of it.”

  “I was scared tonight,” I admit. I told Bodhi it was okay if he was, but I don’t think I’m supposed to be.

  “Good.”

  “Good?”

  “Yes, good. You should feel scared when there’s danger. Embrace your fear, and let it make you stronger. Let it give you the will to fight, and live.”

  “I feel like I should call you ‘sensei’ all of a sudden.”

  “I’m not Zen enough for that, but thanks.”

  “You really don’t think I’m weak for being afraid?”

  “No. In fact, if you weren’t scared, you’d be a danger to all of us. We can joke with each other, and put up a good front in public, but in the real world, too much cockiness can get people killed.”

  “Oh.”

  “Reina does a better job explaining this than I do. Do you want to talk to her?’

  I smile at my mentor. “No. I get what you’re saying; I’ve just never thought of it that way. Thanks for explaining it just the way I needed to hear it.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, we better get in before the boss comes looking for us.”

  “Thanks, El.”

  I think she’s going to hug me, but she ruffles my hair instead. I roll my eyes at her as she laughs, knowing I really am grateful for what she said to me. I needed to hear it, and know that it’s okay to be scared. I think I already knew it, but I wouldn’t give myself permission to believe it before talking to her. Now, I just need to focus on giving Reina what she asks for while also trying not to completely betray my cousin.

  “Okay, Harlow, show us what you picked up,” Reina says as I walk in.

  “I was hoping to do it on my own, and just let you guys know once he makes contact.” Hoping, wishing, praying…all of it.

  “No.”

  “We can’t even discuss it?”

  Reina sighs. “I understand where you’re coming from, Harlow, but this is bigger than your relationship with Xavier. We need him, and he also needs us.” I start to speak, but she holds up a hand. “I know you think he’s fine out there on his own, but will he want to hide forever? Will he want that for his child?”

  I know she’s right. X would happily stay hidden forever, but his son is a different matter entirely. My cousin will want to protect him, but he’ll also want him to have some of the experiences he had. I shake my head, and hand over the chip reader.

  “It’s coded for them, specifically.”

  “This is amazing!” Ainsley says, turning it over in her hands, and holding it up to the light.

  “I’m not supposed to look for him with it, just find the general area, and send him a message.”

  “Like with a newspaper ad?” Audrey asks.

  “No one reads newspapers anymore,” Sierra admonishes her.

  “When you’re not using technology, you do,” I tell my friend. “So yes, that’s one way. Or if the situation is dire, I can call businesses in the area and have them page a man buying his wife an anniversary present.”

  “What if he’s not shopping?” Camari asks.

  “He has his ways of finding out. I honestly don’t understand it all, but he told me he’d know.”

  “We don’t have the luxury of waiting,” Reina reminds us. “We’re going to have to go for him.”

  “Then I’ll have to go with you, because knowing him, he’s got things set up that will at least hurt you if you come close.”

  “I can only imagine,” Ainsley says, a dreamy look on her face.

  “You do remember you’re married, right?” Aiden asks her with a smirk.

  “Don’t pretend you’re not excited to see what he set up,” she tells him, sticking out her tongue.

  “Oh, I am. But I still remember my wife.”

  “Shut up, Aid. You know I love Zack more than life itself!”

  “Just making sure. I’d hate to lose those sweet sideline tickets.”

  “Now that the fangirling has subsided, let’s find them, and get a plan in motion,” Reina says.

  “You know you can’t go, Rei,” Matt tells her. He looks a little frightened to have to say it, but we all know it’s true.

  “Yes, Matteo, I know. Our baby always comes first, no matter how much I want to be out in the field, helping everyone. Besides, it will give me time to get everything ready for the biker who didn’t get away. Once he’s released on bail, we’ll take him, and the girls can start practicing their torture techniques.”

  “Better him than me,” I say, meaning every word.

  “Agreed.”

  I use a combination of fingerprint, eye scan, and saliva to activate the reader, and we find them within seconds. They’re only a couple of hours away by plane, but we’re all too wiped out tonight, and we want the cover of darkness, so Reina dismisses us to get some rest. I barely make it to my apartment, and strip out of most of my clothes, before I
collapse face-down onto my couch, and sleep.

  Bodhi

  “Shit.”

  I whisper the word, because I don’t want to wake her up, but damn if I could keep silent when Harlow’s almost naked on her couch. She’s got a thong on, and I’ve seen her in just one of those before, but not like this. I wouldn’t have come in if I’d known if I was going to find her this way, because I shouldn’t be seeing her like this without her knowing. Her friends said it was fine to just walk in, but now I feel like a dirty old man, just staring at her perfect ass, and the swells of her breasts where they’re smooshed against the couch.

  I should walk out, but I can’t make my feet move. Maybe I should roll her over, because even though I know they’re fake, they probably shouldn’t be mistreated in that way. I’m so busy staring at those marvels of modern medicine that I don’t notice her opening her eyes.

  “Bo?”

  I snap my gaze to hers immediately, and the rambling begins. “Your friends said I could come in. I don’t think they knew you were here like this. I wouldn’t have come in if I’d known. I should’ve walked out, but I couldn’t. I…I’m going to stop talking now.”

  “I’m not upset, and there’s no need to be nervous. You’ve seen everything that’s on display before, and you’ve had your hands on some of it.”

  “Over your clothes.”

  She sits up, her long blond hair brushing her hard nipples. “Do you want to touch me without clothes?”

  I don’t even try to play it cool. “More than I want anything else in this world.”

  “Anything?” she asks, quirking a brow.

  “Well, okay, I’d like to do other things to you—with you—maybe more, but touching is high up on the list.”

  “With your fingers, or something else?”

  Her fingers lift to circle her nipples, and I can’t think straight as all the blood in my body rushes to my cock. “Huh?”

  “Do you want to touch me with your fingers, Bodhi?”

  “Uh-huh,” I say, stepping closer.

  “How about your tongue?”