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“Fine, I’m on my way to work now. Can you maybe not tell her that I called you? I don’t want her to be mad at me.”
“Yeah, yeah… I get it, you don’t want her to know what kind of person you really are.”
“It’s not like that, Warren,” Valerie huffs.
“Send me the address. I won’t tell her your secret; you can do that.” Hanging up the phone, I start back in the direction of Blackthorn. After a few minutes, a text comes through with the address, and I punch it into the GPS on my phone.
The entire way back to Harper, I contemplate what I’m going to say and how I’m going to say it. I can’t imagine what she is thinking right now. How upset she is, how shitty she thinks of me. Anger surges through me, and I hit the steering wheel with my hand, needing to lash out at something.
As the miles dwindle down, a nervous knot forms in my gut, and by the time I pull into the apartment complex, I’m a wreck. I park the car and look up at the building. It’s similar to the one Harper lived in before, which only enrages me more. I told her she would never stay in a place like this again, and I meant it.
Getting out of the SUV, I walk across the parking lot, and up the front steps. There is no buzzer at the front door, so I go right in. I have to climb two flights of stairs and follow the long hallway toward Valerie’s apartment number.
When I reach it, I let out a harsh breath and try to get my anger and breathing under control. I’m so fucking angry that someone did this to her. Yes, I had threatened to do it, but that was before everything happened.
Making a fist, I beat it against the wooden door.
Nothing.
I repeat the action, a little harder this time.
“Open the door, Harper. I know you’re in there.”
A second later, I can hear footsteps coming toward the door. “Go away, Warren. I hate you, and I never want to see you again.”
“Too bad. Open the fucking door, or I’ll kick it in.” I don’t bother hiding my irritation. All I need is to have her in my arms, to tell her what happened, that I didn’t do it. That will ease the anger, the madness threatening to overtake me.
“No,” she replies, and I scrub a frustrated hand down my face. I doubt anyone would bat an eye if I started to kick in this door. Again, the neighborhood is shit, and the door is flimsy enough that it wouldn’t take much effort.
“Harper,” I warn. “I’m going to kick in the fucking door, and then Valerie’s going to be pissed. Open it or make me go through it. Either way, I’m going to get my hands on you.”
A second later, I hear the lock disengaging, and the door opens up a sliver, Harper’s sleepy face fills the small space.
“Please, go away. You’ve already ruined everything, taken everything from me. What more could you want? Did you come here to embarrass me further? To break my heart all over again?” She sounds as defeated as I feel, and all I want to do is wrap her up in my arms, but I doubt she would let me touch her right now, not without lashing out like a feral cat at me.
“Let me in,” I order, and take a step forward.
“No,” she shakes her head.
“Okay,” I shrug, and then rush forward, shoving the door open. She stumbles back and almost falls on her ass, but I grab her arm in time to steady her. She tries to shrug me off, but I don’t let her. Never letting go, I close the door behind me.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“You know why, and I wasn’t the one who told the school about you living off-campus.”
“Yeah, right. Of course, you didn’t. You were only the one threatening to do so for weeks.” She waves her hands around like she doesn’t know what to do with them, and she somehow needs to let the anger out. “Now you’ve got what you wanted, I’m gone. They are going to take my scholarship—”
“No, they won’t. I paid back what you owed. Your scholarship is fine.” My words have the desired effect, and she stops moving around. Her arms fall to the side of her body.
“You did, what?” she asks, her eyes wide.
“Yes, I told you, it wasn’t me. I don’t want you to leave…” I’m close to telling her why I don’t want her to leave, why I would do anything to keep her close, but my stupid brain keeps getting in the way of pouring my heart out.
“What’s the catch? What do I need to do for you in return?” Even though her reaction is completely justified, it still makes me angry. Maybe more so at myself.
