28. Harley
harley
. . .
I felt like a new woman. Walking on cloud nine.
All my dreams had come true. I had Laura at my side, and not only was she willing to stay—she wanted to. She didn’t shy away from the darkness inside me.
She encouraged it.
I couldn’t have asked for a better woman.
If I believed in a higher power, I would be sure that they had put her in my path because they knew we were fated.
Once I saw her, nothing in this world would have stopped me from getting close to her. It wouldn’t matter if we were countries apart, if we spoke a different language, or if she was already taken.
I would still have shown her she was meant to be mine.
And I did.
I just never expected Laura to have her own bit of darkness inside her.
Maybe that was why we had been so compatible since the beginning.
I did see her when she tried to have me killed—adorable—but I don’t think either of us knew just how much our separate darknesses were trying to reach out to the other.
Not until the night I finally got rid of that bastard Julian.
She did all that for me. She even went as far to hire her own personal clean-up crew.
I walked into Laura’s office and gave Ana a polite smile as I passed. It had been four days since I’d last seen her this time; because of my scheduling and hers, I allowed a slightly longer time apart.
Part of me was wondering why we still kept to the rules of the contract. Why we didn’t just rip it up and be done with it. But she hadn’t brought it up, so I hadn’t either.
Her trial was of the utmost importance. The client was a big deal. I thought I had done enough by killing the prosecutor, but apparently I was mistaken. It took two more bodies and a bloody warning before the whole thing was “sufficiently clean” and she was sure to win.
“She’s in a meeting with her client now,” Ana said. “But Laura said to send you in whenever. Ax wants to meet you.”
I gave her a nod and went straight back to the office, flowers in hand. She would be wearing the yellow heels today, having been to court, so I prepared accordingly.
I opened the office and peeked inside. Laura was sitting at her desk, her back straight and her eyes focused on the woman in front of her.
The woman in question turned around to look at me. Her honey hair glinting in the light matched her eyes, which narrowed when they saw me.
Her cold demeanor made me want to comment something that I knew would annoy her just to get under her skin, but for Laura, I would curb the urge.
“Flowers. How thoughtful,” Ax commented when I walked around the table. Her tone was bored, giving no indication of what she was thinking. “You must be Harley.”
I paused to give Laura a smile before looking at her.
“I am.”
Her head tilted to the side, and her calculating eyes traveled over my face, as if she were searching for something. Until recognition flashed across her eyes. It was so quick I would have missed it if I wasn’t paying attention .
“I’ve seen you at the club,” she said.
Laura’s gaze felt heavy on me, like she was burning holes on the side of my face.
“Yes,” I admitted. “I’ve been there once or twice.”
Ax let out a noncommittal sound and stood.
“Well, thank you both for your work. The charges were dropped when the prosecution decided not to show up for the trial.”
Ah, yes. That guy. He begged for his life when I shoved a needle into his neck. The police still haven’t found his body. They never would. I made sure to destroy it, along with anything that might connect him to us or her client.
Ax’s words meant Laura had told her a whole lot, which meant she was trustworthy. And if Laura trusted her, then I did too.
“All Laura,” I said with a smile.
Ax looked me over once more before nodding.
“You’re both welcome to the club anytime.”
And with that, she left the office. It took about two seconds for Laura to jump into questioning mode.
“So that’s where you found me, huh?”
I turned to her, a sly smile spreading across my face.
“You mad I kept it from you, my love?”
She held my gaze for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, but it all makes more sense now.”
Oh? Curiosity tickled my senses.
“Do tell me what’s starting to make sense in that beautiful mind of yours,” I said as I leaned close to her. She didn’t pull away. She hadn’t since that night in the hotel. She met me with a fierce smile that had my heart speeding up in my chest.
“Just that there was no way you thought my track record was impressive enough that you of all people needed me on your side.” She paused before she added, “It was a relationship contract after all, but where did you get that crazy idea?”
I let my hand trail up her neck and ran my fingers across her jaw .
“Because I took one look at you, and I knew you had to be mine. I saw you at the club. Saw how you looked at the girls on stage,” I admitted.
“Love at first sight. Like my darkness called to yours.” I sighed, and she raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest. “And then I went back and watched you get fucked on a couch by someone who had no idea what they were doing, and I had to do something.”
“I remember that night… Wait, what do you mean do something? ”
“The person who was on stage with you didn’t give a shit about you. It was all to fuel their ego. They bragged about it afterwards, and I couldn’t take it.”
“Harley, what did you do?”
“I killed them. I killed them for daring to touch what was mine and leaving you unsatisfied at the same time.”
“You killed someone because they didn’t make me come?”
“Aren’t you glad I’m the only one now? And that I know how to get you off every time?
” She opened her mouth to speak, but I went on.
“I couldn’t leave you alone after that. I even got an apartment across from your office so I could watch you.
Don’t think I didn’t see how unsatisfied you were with Ax’s present either. ”
“Don’t tell me you killed that girl too.”
“Would you be mad if I did, my love?”
Her smile told me she wouldn’t. Not one bit.
We really are meant to be.
“No, but I’m pretty sure Ax wouldn’t like it and I’d have some explaining to do.”
I laughed at that, and she let out a shaky breath before intertwining her hand with mine.
“How long were you watching me anyway? You’re obsessed .”
She was joking. Laura was teasing me. My lips twitched.
“Maybe so, but I will always love you the way you deserve.”
She paused for a moment before speaking again.
“Speaking of our relationship contract… Do we still need that?” Laura asked .
“We never did,” I answered honestly.
“Okay, so maybe you can give me back the footage from the alley? It would make a nice souvenir of our meet-cute.”
I leaned forward, bringing my voice to a whisper.
“There was never any footage, my love. The camera was just for show. I just needed a way in.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
It was a rhetorical question, but I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
“Yes, but I’m your brand of crazy.” And then I whispered, “The one that really turns you on.”