Her voice turned weak. “I wasn’t very nice to her when we first met. I wasn’t nice to anybody, actually. That Trish even gave me a chance was a miracle.”
“How did you meet? I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”
“It’s not that interesting. I was in a rough spot. Trish helped me out. That’s all.”
“In what way?” Maya hadn’t really noticed before, but this part of Harper’s life was a void. Anytime it might have been brought up, Harper deflected. Or distracted, which Maya had to admit she was worryingly good at.
“It’s just what Trish does,” Harper said. “Her whole adult life. Can’t help herself. She finds girls who’ve been dealt a bad hand and helps them move past it. She actually got me set up with a waitressing gig at first, but it didn’t take long before I realized the best part of that job was flirting tips out of strangers. I could do that more lucratively in another line of work.”
Harper’s voice turned distant. “We were the only ones who stuck around. Evie, Nell, and I. Everyone else took the second chance she gave them and started over elsewhere. But she gets a bunch of Christmas cards every year, so… that’s something.”
Maya almost prodded further. Wanted to hear exactly what hardship she’d been through. To learn how she found the women who had saved her from whatever situation she’d been stuck in.
But she had a feeling that Harper had already shared more than she usually did. Her walls were high. Necessarily so, perhaps. A few glimpses behind them might be all she would allow.
“I’m glad you have a family like that.”
Harper took an uneven breath. “Me too. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” She cleared her throat. “I know I said you should stay out there. But do you know how long it’ll be? Before you come back?”
“I have no idea. Until this matter in St. Louis is resolved, I’m guessing. So maybe weeks. Me being present is an effective defense, as long as it isn’t tested.”
“I think you’re selling yourself short.”
Maya looked at the traces of dried blood on her hand. “I think I’m selling myself above the asking price, actually.”
Harper laughed quietly. A brief reaction, followed by silence.
“Where are you right now?”
Maya looked at the cabins marking the edge of the outpost. She hadn’t wanted to invite either stares or comments, so she’d stayed near its periphery.
“Close to camp. I’ve been wandering between the trees for most of our conversation.”
“Are you alone?”
“Mostly.” Maya’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
Silence. A long silence, broken only by a slight rustling sound on the other end of the call.
“Because I’m feeling bored. And lonely.”
Harper’s voice was low now. Not quiet, exactly, but softer. It was similar to how she’d sounded in the Lotus private room, which Maya was a little embarrassed to admit had spellbound her for several minutes.
She glanced towards the cabins. Shadows moved between the buildings.
“Harper, there are people nearby.”
“Then hang up,” she whispered. And chuckled when Maya didnotdo that.
That chuckle struck her like a flaming arrow. Hot, alluring, and used with devastating precision. A sensual noise that sounded like pure sex.
“I’m all alone in my apartment,” Harper said. “I can do whatever I want. You know, since no one’s around to stop me.”
Maya swallowed, her fingers tightening around the phone. “What are you doing?”
A recognizable whirring came out of the phone speaker.
“I think you have an idea.”
