Chapter 14

"T ime to wake up Amelia," Harrison said, and I let out a groan, my head pounding in confusion. The rest of last night, tonight, or whenever it was, slid back through my brain and I wondered what he planned to do.

"Harrison…"

"Shut up Amelia," he says, and I let my gaze slide around the area, my heart stalling when I realized we were on the bridge. He began pacing back and forth in front of me and that's when it hit me that I was tied to the railing, unable to move from my sitting position.

"Harrison what's going on?" I ask through the feel of cotton in my mouth. I wasn't gagged for real, but my tongue was heavy, my mouth dry, and I don't know what on earth is happening.

"What's going on? You just couldn't leave it alone, could you? You had to keep asking questions. I should have read your letter, but I didn't think he'd tell you anything different than what he'd put in ours, and you'd have known it been unsealed," he was saying mostly to himself, and my heart tightened in my chest as panic began to wash over me.

I hate feeling afraid but right now that's all I could possibly feel. "What happened, Harrison? Why did Chad jump?"

"To save you of course! And now…I didn't want to have to do this, but I can't let you just walk away," he shouts as he continues to pace worrying me further.

"Why? Why can't you let me walk away if Chad jumped to keep me from having to deal with his mistakes?" I ask because between the spot on my head where he'd hit me, the alcohol, and the underlying confusion, nothing began to make the slightest bit of sense.

"He didn't deserve you Amelia. That's why he jumped. To save you, protect you from his disgusting life."

"The HIV? He really thought it'd matter to me that much?"

"No, he knew you'd love him despite it, risk yourself for him, but I couldn't let him do that to you. I couldn't let him hurt you but now…now I can't risk you telling anyone else."

"Harrison, how did you know where I was?" I ask as a sinking feeling washes over me.

"I know all about that place. The way you let those men undress you with their eyes. You've been a very bad girl Amelia. I could have forgiven you for that but then you went and slept with him…"

"I didn't sleep with Chad," I say but he shakes his head.

"Not Chad. Him… Rafe ," he said his voice sneering on his name making me wish I had Rafe beside me, holding me, keeping me safe from whatever was going on. It made no sense at all, and I felt panic in a way I never had in my life.

"Harrison…how do you know that?" I ask trying my best to get my hands loose.

"Because I've seen you! You've let him touch you, you've stood at the window with him letting his hands linger on your body, and it's not his—it never was supposed to be his . Chad didn't deserve you and he certainly doesn't either. There's not a single man out there good enough for you but I am— was until you sullied yourself with him ."

My heart stopped seeing the look in his eyes. There was something in it that said he wasn't even close to letting his rage out, not his full rage at least, and I didn't know what to do, how to calm him down and move things forward without being hurt. It was dark out still, no one around for miles and miles. It'd be pointless to scream. Would likely enrage him further if I did, but it was welling up inside me knowing that I was trapped in the ropes.

"I've kept everyone else from you. I've done so much to keep you safe, and you betrayed me," Harrison continues making me wonder what else he's done. "No one was good enough for you and I made sure they didn't stay long. I kept them from hurting you and you never once said thank you. You just ignored me. Then you left and became a tramp like all of the others out there I've taken care of…but you weren't supposed to Amelia," he adds squatting down beside me grabbing my cheeks as he stares into my panicked eyes. "You were the one who was always perfect. Why did you betray me? Why ?" he demands, squeezing my face making a cry slip out of my lips.

"Please just let me go Harrison, I won't tell anyone what happened," I try to reason, but it simply made him madder. His hand came down across my face as he slid the top of my tank top down revealing the lace of my bra.

"I can never let you go. I still can't, not even knowing what a whore you actually are," he stated letting his hand slide along my skin making me sick. "You're still mine. I'll simply have to set you free from your disgusting sins first. The only way to do that is to get rid of them."

"Get rid of what?" I ask as tears well up behind my eyes, prickling them to the point it hurt to hold them back, as I tried to follow his thoughts. I couldn't very easily with my head pounding and his jumping thoughts.

"Not what… who ," he answers lifting the strands of my hair letting his fingers trail through them. "Getting rid of the person who tricked you into acting this way will end your sins, then I can make you clean again, the way I did after Chad died."

"What happened to Chad? Why did he jump?" I ask again trying to draw it out to see exactly what he'd done and planned.

"To save you, keep you safe," he tells me, lifting my chin up almost painfully. "He was standing here, in this exact spot when I found him. He told me that he was leaving town so he could learn to fully live in the world and give you everything you'd ever need, come back to marry you. I told him that would never happen that I wouldn't let him ruin your life that way. He didn't believe me at first, but he finally knew I wasn't playing, and he jumped because he knew I was right."

"No, he wouldn't have," I state but he just laughs maniacally, and my chin starts to quiver slightly.

"I told him it was him or you. That I'd never let you go to him fully. I would stop one of you and it was his choice as to whom. Ah Amelia, don't cry, I never would have hurt you. I simply want to love you, but you make the worst choices and I have to fix them for you. I started with Chad for you, then made Warren disappear," he adds, and I felt the bile rise in my throat.

"Warren overdosed at a party," I whisper, and he simply laughed again.

"He didn't overdose. He was going to go find you to sleep with you and I wouldn't let him do that to you. You're mine Amelia. You've always been mine and I showed Warren the same way I showed Chad. Warren walked away promising to stay far from you, but I knew he wouldn't, so I had to make sure he followed his words. You'll see once Rafe's gone we'll be right back to where we've always been Amelia. I just have to get rid of him."

"What did you do to Chad? Did you push him off the bridge here? Is that what you're going to do to me?" I question, as the tears slide down my cheeks.

"I didn't push Chad…he jumped. I told him if he loved you, he'd save you by taking himself out of the picture for good. It's what I'm going to do to Rafe. I'd never hurt you that way if I could help it, but I have to have you here to lure him. He won't come here willingly but for you he would. So where is your phone Amelia?" he asks me, sliding his hands down my chest.

"I don't know. I think I left it at the club," I lie, and he grabs my neck squeezing tightly.

"You stupid bitch! Now I have to go get it. At least it'll let me burn down the place for what they've done to you. It's just too bad no one will be in it to burn for their sins," he adds, pushing my head back, hitting it against the pillar of the bridge making it swim.

"Don't," I state, but he grabs my face and kisses me, an open mouth kiss that has me shuddering in disgust.

"I'll be right back," he states as it started to drizzle again, making me colder as it coats my already wet clothes.

"Please don't leave me here Harrison," I plead but it simply made him smile as he brushed the hair from my face.

"When I get back, we'll never be parted again, I promise my love," he replies, and I've never felt like throwing up more in my life than in that moment. "You'll always be with me, and you'll see that everything I do is to protect you."

I fought against the ropes as he headed towards the car on the far side of the bridge and nearly passed out when a hand slid over my mouth, keeping me from being able to say anything or utter any sounds.

"Shh, it's just me baby," Rafe says, and I turn my head, meeting his gaze as the tears flow down my cheeks again.

"How?" I asks as he lowered his hand from my mouth wiping them away.

"I needed to make sure you read that letter, so I turned around and headed back to the club. I got there as Sam and Tony were heading out and they said you'd left nearly an hour before that after reading the letter. I saw your car in the lot and called your phone. It rang and I knew whatever was going on wasn't right. You wouldn't have left it and your car there. I headed back this way thinking maybe you'd called Harrison to talk it over. It took me a bit to find this bridge and when I got close I turned the car off not wanting to upset you by acting like a crazy and demanding jealous fool," he adds, and my heart swelled even more with love for him, but knowing what Harrison had planned for us, terrified me.

"You have to go…please," I whisper giving him a pleading look. "Go to the house, get Maggie and leave. He's crazy."

"I heard him say he was going to burn down the club. I'll call Sam and warn her as we're heading home," he assures me, trying to undo the ties on my arms.

"You don't get it Rafe. He forced Chad to jump. Chad did it to save me from him trying to make me do it if he wouldn't, and now he's going to make you do the same thing," I explain, my heart breaking at the idea of him not being in the world. " Please just go get Maggie and leave. Get as far from here as you can."

"I'm not leaving you. I will never leave you, baby," he replies, brushing a soft kiss over my lips seeing the tears shining in my eyes. "I need to go get a knife to get these ropes off you. I'll be right back baby, I promise."

"Rafe no," I try, but he'd already started creeping back down the bridge the opposite way that Harrison had taken. My heart stalled when I saw the lights on Harrison's car flash on highlighting me in them. I turned my head trying to see if it'd shown Rafe, but I couldn't see anything beyond the two bright spots. He backed around to head out of the area and I breathed a bit easier waiting for Rafe to return to me.

The minutes passed slowly, the cold wrapping around me, making me shiver as the fear increased exponentially. I heard steps rushing up behind me and turned my head finding Rafe there again.

"Please just go Rafe. Go get Maggie and keep her safe. I need you to be safe," I urge him again, as he starts to cut the ropes holding me against the pillar.

"Not without you baby. I called Sam and warned her, along with the police. The sheriff might not like getting out of bed at this time of the night, but Harrison is not going to hurt you again. I won't let him," he states, so gently that I couldn't stop from leaning my head against his shoulder as he continued to work on the ropes.

"Rafe…I…"

"Don't, not yet," he tells me, seeing the look on my face as I tried to tell him the truth of how I felt. "Not like this."

"Rafe, please just go."

"Not without you Ame, I love you baby. I can't leave you here and risk losing you."

"He won't hurt me. If the police know then they'll get here and keep me safe. You have to go get our girl. He says he's going to the club but what if he decides to go after Maggie instead? She won't know he's there, Rafe. Please go get her," I add, the panic at the thought of her being hurt was far more greater any fear I felt about myself being harmed.

I couldn't let Maggie be hurt because of me. I had to protect her because Rafe was right; in my heart, she was my daughter.

"We'll both be able to go get her in just a second," he argues, and that's when the sound of laughter chills me through entirely. I lifted my head and spotted Harrison stalking towards us.

"Well look at this," he crows, as Rafe moved between us more, sliding the knife into my hands to continue using it to get free. "Seems I was right in coming back but you'll never get her free…only I can do that. Stand up," he orders, and Rafe stepped fully between us making me unable to see Harrison.

"Let her go," Rafe returns, my heart racing at the deadly warning in his tone.

"I'm not going to hurt her—at least not once you're taken care of, but if you don't do what I say then I'll hurt her because she's mine. She's always been mine and I'll make sure she forgets about you, make her whole again."

"You're not going to touch her," Rafe counters. "It's over Harrison. You've lost."

"No, the only one who's lost is you. Now it time for you to choose…you or her," he replies, pulling out a gun from behind his back. I see it glitter in the light from the moon as Rafe shifts slightly. "If I can't have her then you can't either."

"Is this what you did to Chad? Pointed a gun at him—your own brother—and made him choose that he either jump or you'd kill Ame?" Rafe asks, the furiousness in his voice making me worry he'll do something crazy and get hurt.

"He knew the right choice; the question is, do you? Chad was never going to be the one for her. I made sure of it. Every time he started to get over what happened I'd show him how much his life wouldn't be the same, how much he'd be keeping from Amelia. The concerts he'd never be able to take her to and enjoy. The movies he couldn't go with her to because he wouldn't know what was going on in them. The simple fact that he'd never know when someone was there to hurt her…when I was there to take her from him the same way I'm going to take her from you."

"Just let him go Harrison," I beg, trying to get his attention off Rafe and onto me. "Let him go back to New York and I'll stay here, I promise."

"No you won't, not as long as he's out there," he replies shaking his head. It distracts him long enough for Rafe to jump him, knocking the gun out of his hand as they fought.

My heart stalls as they trade damaging blows.

Harrison shoved Rafe out of the way and dove for the gun getting his hands on it as Rafe covered Harrison's body with his own. He grabbed Harrison's wrist squeezing as he tried to get the gun from his grip again.

Rafe slammed his arm down into the pavement and the gun clattered away as Harrison brought his elbow back up into Rafe's side. I tried to get the ropes to cut faster, but the knife was a bit dull, and I couldn't manage it too well at the angle I was going. I felt them finally give around my wrists and I pulled my arms free of the mess as I worked on the set around my stomach that was biting into my sides.

I sent a glance back towards Rafe and Harrison praying someone would show up soon to help him. There was no way I could lose him, not after finally getting an answer as to why Chad had done what he had. It hurt even more to know, but I couldn't let Rafe make the same choice. He had Maggie to take care of, it was entirely different.

"She's mine!" Harrison yells as Rafe managed to get the gun, tossing it off the side of the bridge to ensure Harrison couldn't use it. He raced towards Rafe, and I shouted in horror as he connected to Rafe's center, knocking him off balance and over the side.

"No! Rafe!" The words were ripped from my throat as a wounded cry followed. The ropes around my stomach fell away and I leaned over, hearing a small noise below me. "Rafe!" I exclaim, seeing him gripping the pipes that ran along the bottom of the bridge and held onto the pillar as I leaned further down. "Rafe…"

"No, it's not possible!" Harrison shouts looking over from behind me. He grabbed the back of my head and jerked it upward putting a hand around my throat. "Let go or I'll snap her neck."

"No," I shout at both of them. I reach up with my free hand and grab his wrist, twisting it quickly as he let out a shout of pain. He grabbed the knife, and I leaned out of the way, as Rafe caught my gaze.

"Ame, I love you," he states as Harrison lunged for me. I saw his hand start to let go and reached down grabbing it, as Harrison put the knife against my throat.

"Let him go."

"No," I shout, spitting in his face before rolling onto my stomach as I grab Rafe's other arm refusing to let go of him.

Harrison stood up and kicked my stomach, knocking a cry from my lips as the pain tore through me.

"Let go baby," Rafe says softly as he did it again.

"No…I love you Rafe. Please, don't leave me," I plead, meeting his gaze and Harrison shouted in rage hearing it.