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Come on, Harp. Be strong. Do it.
I repeat it to myself over and over, but my arms don’t move a goddamn inch. So I do the only other thing I can think of.
I scream.
I scream at the top of my lungs. A scream so loud it sounds as if I’m dying. And when I can’t stand anymore, I drop the bat to my side and land on my knees. Ronan follows and holds me in his arms on the floor as screams continue to pour out of me. Logan’s eyes are shut tight, refusing to look at the damage he helped create as I continue trying to purge the blaze from my body.
“I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough. They broke me, Ronan.” My words are barely understandable as I gasp for breath. “He broke me.”
I faintly feel Finn fall to the ground next to me, my body now fully cradled in Ronan’s arms. He starts stroking my face as I continue to sob uncontrollably. Mac follows him but kneels before me, blocking my view of Logan.
“You are not broken, Harper. Do you hear me?” Mac’s voice is uncharacteristically stern, mirroring that of his brother. “You are the strongest person in this room. You are so much stronger than him—than either of them.”
He doesn’t have to say their names for me to know who “them” is.
“They will never break you, Baby.”
With Ronan still holding me and Finn caressing my face, Mac grabs my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing my cloudy eyes to look at him. “You don’t need to do this, Mo Grá. Let me do this for you.”
My chin quivers. “I–I thought I could do it, that I could handle it. But–but I can’t, Mac. I can’t do it.”
“And that’s okay, Harper. I can. I can do this for you. Let me.”
The three of them share a look I don’t quite understand before Ronan stands with me in his arms, and Finn follows. “You two good to stay and help Mac?”
“Gladly.” Dante’s deep voice floats through the room. I forgot the two of them were even here.
“Where–where are we going?”
“To show you that you can handle anything.” Ronan’s deep voice vibrates against the side of my face.
I look back at Mac just as he’s shedding his shirt. Once he pulls it over his head, he winks at me and mouths, “I love you.”
Finn opens the door, and Ronan carries my shaking body from the room toward the elevator. Once the three of us step into the elevator, Ronan turns to the side so Finn can also touch me. With my body safely tucked between theirs my eyes drift shut before the elevator doors even close.
37
Harper
After what feels like only a few minutes, Finn’s and Ronan’s voices pull me out of a light sleep. I’m no longer in Ronan’s arms and am now in what feels like a bed; judging by the rich smell of whiskey and smoke that covers the sheets, it’s safe to guess I’m in his room.
My body feels completely exhausted. I’m mentally and physically wrung out, not only from my evening with Finn but because of everything that just happened in that room. So when I go to open my eyes, and everything is dark, I think it’s simply because my body physically doesn’t have enough energy to open them. It takes a few seconds for me to register the smooth silk fabric draped across my lids. I’m blindfolded.
The moment that realization hits, my body goes into panic mode. When I move to lift my hand to rip the blindfold off my face, my panic only intensifies. My arm won’t move; neither of them will. Gasping for breath, I check my ankles to find I can’t move them either. The same silk that’s wrapped around my eyes is being used to tie me to the bed, and I’m completely naked.
No, no, no, no, no.
I can’t breathe. I can’t handle this. I’m not ready. No. No. This can’t happen.
I’m gasping for breath when a firm hand cups my face, causing me to jump out of my skin.
“Shhh, Baby. It’s just me. Finn and I are the only ones here.”
“Ronan.” I shake my head back and forth on the bed. “Baby, I can’t do this. I’m not ready. I’m not.”
“You are, Baby. You’re safe. You can do this.”
Finn’s hand runs along my leg on the other side of the bed. “You look so beautiful, Angel. Our brave girl.”
