“We wouldn’t be here if you would have done the one thing I paid you to do.” Tanner sounds bitter and throws something against the house.
“Raping a girl is a very delicate operation.” Zach sounds smug and it makes me want to fuck him up. Patience is hard when he’s talking about Harper. “No one told me she’d be having a sleepover with her friend and Luke fucking Foster. I had bruises for weeks.”
Harper trembles in my arms. I rub my thumb over her shoulder. I’ll do what I have to to keep her safe.
“You should be thanking me.” Zach leans against the house and pulls out another joint. “She wouldn’t even be with them if I hadn’t damaged her tire. They were done with her shit. Besides, you should have fucked her at your cozy little lunch.”
“It wasn’t public enough.” Tanner blows out a breath. “She needed to be destroyed.”
Alex walks up. “There’s nothing. No one’s here.”
Zach inhales and says, “It’s nothing. Probably a dog you scared off by running over here. Masters was right. Eli’s probably balls deep in that little cunt.”
He blows out his smoke and the smell of weed hits us.
“Don’t worry.” Zach slaps Tanner on the shoulder. “You’ll get a turn.”
“Like I want their sloppy seconds,” Tanner mutters as he walks away. My fists clench. The door opens and shuts.
“Aren’t we done with that sorry asshole yet?” Alex kicks at a stone and it rolls under the bush toward us.
I don’t even breathe.
“Nah.” Zach inhales. “We’ll keep him around for a while. He may be an ass, but he’s a useful one. Besides, someone has to take the fall for us. Do you know a better asshole to blame it all on?”
They walk away with a low laugh. Harper tucks her face into my shoulder and wetness soaks into my shirt. Fuck, I hold her close, letting her cry quietly. We’ll leave when I’m sure we can get out without stirring any more suspicion.
Luke
Zach and his crew are back in the room, smoking weed and playing cards. They pass around a bottle of vodka. It’s off season for them, but they’ll be back in training soon. If their coach knew about this, he’d have their asses in training already.
I pace the floor. They didn’t find Eli or Harper. Eli hasn’t reconnected his phone either, which probably means they found a place to hide. Tanner leaves after ten more minutes. That’s when the shit talk starts about him.
Good, no one likes that fucker. I’m not sure what’s left of Tanner’s that I can take away, but I’ll find something.
We never would have targeted his sister for what he did. No, if someone needs taking down, we don’t go after their weakest link. We go after them. That’s the difference between us and those guys.
They’re targeting Harper, not us. Like fucking pansies.
“Eli will keep her safe.” Jack’s confidence almost makes me punch him, but the guy looks tore up as it is. Dark circles hang under his eyes and an energy drink sits next to his computer.
“You need sleep.” I glance at Caden, who nods. He’s watching his phone like a hawk. Turning back to Jack, I ask, “Any luck on the mystery hacker?”
“Just an IP address.” Jack runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. “It’s got to be a high school student though.Sidney’s mom might have set her up with someone to break in, but this had a signature on it. Someone wanted to show off.”
“Maybe you have an admirer?” Nico suggests, pausing his screen. We’re on information overload. And I can’t do a damn thing to help because my mind won’t stop racing. Harper is right under their noses and they could find her at any moment.
And I can’t stop them.
“Great, just what we need now.” Jack shakes his head with a rueful smile. “A stalker determined to get my attention.”
“We just need someone else who can help you with this shit so you don’t suck at the game on Friday.” Nico hits play on his screen again.
“They’re moving,” Caden grumbles.
My insides loosen a little. I won’t feel right until I know she’s here, safe in my arms. My father’s shit can wait. These guys are coming after Harper without remorse.
I sit on the edge of the couch and stare at my phone. “Why hasn’t he called? Or she called?”
