Chapter 35

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FIVE

HARPER

Detective Sleazeball

You available?

At work.

I type the lie and send it before stopping to think.

Fuck. What if he knows I don’t have a job?

Don’t lie to me Harper.

I’m not.

I lie again and decide to lean into it.

You can call them.

I don’t get off until eleven.

I’ll be there at midnight.

Just you.

Ok.

Eddie left several hours ago suddenly. Informing me that he didn’t have time to explain, he gave me a kiss, a promise of a call, and strict instructions. Under no circumstances am I to leave his place or open the door to anyone .

I pace for a moment, knowing I need to go and meet the detective tonight, but also knowing that Eddie will be fucking livid if I do.

He wants to see me.

Eddie

No.

He’s going to be at the apartment at midnight.

And you aren’t!

I just got to the hospital to check on my friend. I will be home within the hour.

So fucking help me if you leave before I get there.

My thumbs rest against the screen, trying to figure out my response, when another message from Eddie pops up.

Do I need to get back in the fucking car? Or are you going to tell me you aren’t going anywhere?

I’m staying put.

Good girl.

I set the phone down for a second before lifting it back off the table to text Nikki.

Call me.

I wait a few minutes before trying to call her. It goes straight to voicemail, and as usual, her inbox is full.

Do not go home tonight.

Stay anywhere else.

You can come here if you need to.

As promised, Eddie walks through the door within the hour. His arms are immediately wrapped around me, pulling me close— possessively tight— as he places a firm kiss against the top of my head.

“I told you.” He pulls back and firmly cups my face between his hands. “He’s never fucking putting so much as a hand on your again.”

“But the video? Nikki?” I blurt out.

“Fuck the video,” he continues to hold my face tightly. “And she’s a big fucking girl; she can take care of herself. You will never fucking be alone with him again, understood?”

I nod, struggling against the vise that’s keeping my face tilted toward his. Eddie stares down at me, his gaze dark. “You are mine. And he will not touch what is mine.”

Tears well in my eyes, both from his painful grip on my face and his words.

His.

Not my cunt.

But me…

He’s claiming me.

Just after eleven, Eddie sends a text from my phone.

Edmund picked me up.

He isn’t bringing me home.

I can’t get away.

He’ll be suspicious.

Detective Sleazeball

That wasn’t the arrangement, Harper.

“Fuck the arrangement,” Edmund seethes as he hands me back my phone. “He’s lucky to still be breathing.”

Between one of his many trips to the hospital the last couple of days, Eddie went to my apartment and packed a large suitcase with more of my things because he was adamant that I was not leaving his place.

Not while there is the possibility of the detective coming to see me.

I’ve been dodging his texts and giving him the run around for days, blaming it on Eddie wanting me close since the mugging and near-death of his friend. While the detective isn’t pleased, it’s been working.

Detective Sleazeball

Anything?

I told you I’d let you know.

I feel like you aren’t even trying, Harper.

If you really want your family to know how you’re paying for college, I’m fine with that.

It’s been days of threats. With every day that passes, I become even more disgusted with myself about the things I did to keep him silent because he’s shown his hand. He’s not going to share the video. He never had any fucking intention of actually exposing us.

He doesn’t have the fucking balls to go through with it.

I’ll see him tonight.

I will try to get something.

Try hard.

I know first hand how persuasive that mouth of yours can be.

I screenshot the exchange and send it to Eddie.

Eddie

He’s not wrong…

Your mouth is pretty fucking persuasive.

But that cunt of yours could crumble fucking empires.

You sound better.

The kid is getting discharged.

I’ll be home shortly, for a few hours.

All of which I plan to spend inside of you.