Chapter 28

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

BANKS

T he last thing I expected when I finished practice this morning was to see a missed call from Declan. We’ve come a long way since the beginning of August, but random check-ins aren’t something I think will ever become commonplace for us. Regardless, I find myself calling him back as I walk from the natatorium back to my dorm.

“Hello,” he answers on the first ring.

“Hey man. What’s up?”

“Another letter came last night.”

That news stops me in my tracks.

“Is Harper okay?” Obviously, that’s my biggest concern.

“Probably not. The letter came attached to a bloody piece of Annie’s saddle blanket and was thrown through the window by our front door along with a brick.”

“What the fuck?”

“I know. When I find who this sick bastard is, I’m going to make him hurt in every way imaginable.”

“Get in line. Is Annie okay? Has Harper gone out to check on her?”

He snorts derisively. “She was on the back of Cy’s Ducati before she even finished reading the note. Luckily, the horse is fine, and nothing happened to either of those dumbasses running off without us last night.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I stepped on glass and cut my foot open. Ended up needing stitches.”

“Shit. Do you have to miss any of the season?”

“Two weeks minimum.”

“That sucks. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. At least I have more time to dedicate to finding this son of a bitch now.” He sighs. “I’m surprised Harper didn’t call and tell you.”

“She knows my schedule.” We usually talk between the end of her classes and before my afternoon practice, then again before we go to bed. “Plus, my first meet is coming up this weekend, she probably didn’t want me to worry. But I’m glad you told me,” I add quickly.

I am so grateful. If I know Harper as well as I think I do, she wouldn’t mention it until Sunday. Just to make sure my mind is on the pool and not on something I can’t control. Not that I can’t compartmentalize, I can. It’s just in her nature to keep things to herself until it’s convenient for other people.

“Do you have to travel with your team?” I ask, an idea taking root in the back of my mind.

“Not while I’m benched.” He pauses. “Why?”

“You could bring Harper here to be at my meet. It would get her out of town and off this asshole’s radar for a couple days.”

“That’s a good point. He can’t follow us if I fly, either.”

“Exactly.”

We make plans for the weekend, including what time I’ll pick them up tonight. Then he sends me a photo of the letter that she received last night. My blood boils as I read the words. How does he feel so entitled to her? I’ve been her boyfriend for years. If anyone should expect to marry her, it’s me.

She’s mine.

Over my dead body will anyone ever hurt a hair on her head. She’s too good for this world, too pure-hearted and understanding. The way that she never balked when I confessed my sexuality to her, even when she had no idea what I was talking about. It’s rare. She’s rare. I’m going to protect her in any way possible.

As soon as Harper’s feet touch the pavement, she’s running to me with her arms open for a hug. I lean down and scoop her up, twirling her in the air. Nothing feels as good as her hugs, they’ve always been my favorite.

I look over her shoulder as Declan comes sauntering up behind her. His jaw ticks as he watches us. He’s able to push his possessiveness aside though as he gives me a nod of greeting before grabbing their bags out of the back of his plane.

“Should you be walking on your foot?” I ask, noticing a slight change in his gait .

“No, he should not be.” Harper steps out of my arms and heads right for him. “If you pull your stitches, you’ll be out even longer.”

I walk over and grab both their bags while she shoves a pair of crutches in his direction. He tries to pull his bag from me, but I sidestep his attempt. “I’ve got it. Do you need me to do anything with the plane?”

“No.” He nods his head toward a small building about a hundred yards away. “I rented a spot in one of the secured hangers. The ground crew will take care of it for us.”

I lead them over to my car and toss their bags in the trunk. To my surprise Declan takes the backseat, leaving the front open for Harper. As soon as I pull out of the lot, I reach over and grab her hand.

I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be living away from her like this. Even if she was still back in Briarwood Bay instead of Trinity, we’d be a couple hours away from each other. But it’d be easier than it is now for her to get away to come see me.

My dorm room consists of a common living room with a small kitchenette, one shared bathroom, and two small bedrooms. I give Harper and Declan a little tour, which she loves. He, on the other hand, is less than impressed. Rich asshole is shining through today.

“Declan, you’ll take the couch.” I point to the corner of the living room. “It’s a pullout, and I’ll get you all the extra bedding we have.”

He looks at Harper with an irritated scowl. “The only kind of pullout I do is?—”

She leaps across the room and covers his mouth. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

I can see his eyes crinkle in the corners right before she squeals and drops her hand. He doubles over laughing at her. It’s the first time I’ve seen him laugh like this. He looks young and carefree. I love seeing that reflected back in her expression.

“Gross.” She wipes her hand on her shorts. “He licked me.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

I’m torn between my discomfort at anything and everything sexual and wanting to laugh at the shade of pink Harper turns. She turns and disappears into my room where she’ll be sleeping. He looks at me and shrugs while smirking.

“Just so you know, my roommate knows you are her stepbrother, so just keep that in mind.”

I walk into my room and close the door behind me, so we can talk for a few minutes alone. I need to talk to her about the latest letter. She might be thinking about things from a different lens than Declan was.

“How are you after everything that happened?” I sit down in my desk chair.

She drops down to the floor at my feet and rests her head on my lap. “It was scary, waking up to the sound of glass crashing. Then reading the threats and seeing Annie’s blanket.” She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “I thought I was going to get to the stables and find her hurt or worse. I couldn’t face that after just getting her back.”

“Have you thought about moving her to a different facility? Because if this guy got close enough to get her blanket, he was close enough to hurt her. Or you. He could have been there at the same time as you.”

“I know. Where would I send her though? And I just started working at the stables. It’s so convenient.”

“I could look into places around here.” I run my fingers through her long, soft waves. “I’m not a good substitute for you, but I’d go give her treats as often as I could.”

“She’d probably bite you. ”

“I think I can win her over.” We sit in silence for a moment, just soaking each other up.

“I’ve been trying to think of people it could be.” She sits back and looks up at me. “Do you think it could be someone close to Dad from church? Maybe a deacon or something?”

“Several of them did give creepy vibes. Have you gone to the police yet?”

“I think that Cillian is going to make a visit to the detectives that were on my dad’s case. Just to see if they think he could be behind any of it.”

“Is your mom getting the same types of letters and threats?”

“No. Cillian told Declan that hers aren’t nearly as bad as mine.”

“I think you need to tell the police at Trinity. Maybe they could at least drive past on patrol.”

“What good is that going to do?” Declan asks from the doorway.

Harper stands up quickly.

“More eyes on the house? Anything’s better than nothing.” I don’t understand his hesitation. “What happens if one of you isn’t there and she gets hurt?”

“One of us is always with her. The police driving past our house once a day isn’t going to do shit for her safety. ”

“At least they’re trained.” I stand and close the distance between us. “If you care about her half as much as you claim to, you’d be doing everything possible to keep her safe.”

“Because you’re doing so much.” Declan steps up to me.

If we were to fight, I’d say we’re fairly evenly matched. I’m a few inches taller, but I doubt that’d give me much of an advantage. His injury sure as fuck does though. Before I can take another step Harper slides between us.

“We didn’t come here to fight. Plus, Banks has his first meet tomorrow. We’re not going to mess that up for him.” She pokes her finger in his chest. “Are we?”

“No,” he answers begrudgingly.

“Good.” She turns to me. “What do you want for dinner? Pasta?”

My chest warms, knowing she said that because she knows I like to carb load the night before meets, especially when I’m swimming endurance races like the fifteen hundred tomorrow. I don’t know what I did to deserve having her in my life, but I’m so grateful. I’ve been around so many of my teammates' girlfriends, and none of them even come close to being as thoughtful as Harper is. I just hope the other guys cherish her like I do.