Chapter 25
25
HARPER
M y pulse pounds violently in my ears as the helicopter jerks upward, and my breath catches, strangled by fear. I’m helpless, trapped behind cold glass, forced to watch the distance stretch between me and Brody. The earth falls away, swallowing the last solid connection I have to him, my palms pressing against the window, as if I could somehow claw my way back down to him.
“Brody!”
My scream dissolves instantly, devoured by the relentless roar of the rotors. He stands below, rigid as stone, facing Micah head-on, weapon drawn. Even from this height, I can see revenge radiating from him, a violent promise held in every muscle of his body.
My breath fogs the glass, and I smear it away, unwilling to lose sight of him for even a heartbeat. I ache to be on the ground beside him, standing united, but instead, I’m powerless, suspended above this nightmare, every cell in my body screaming to go back.
Movement below jerks my attention, sending ice shooting through my veins. Brody turns his head, and I see sunlight glinting off the metal in his hand. My heart slams brutally against my ribs as terror slices through me like a blade.
“No,” I whisper, trembling fingers pressing harder into the glass, as if that could somehow bridge the distance. “Brody, don’t?—”
Micah halts abruptly, a moment of hesitation before his familiar arrogance returns, moving forward again, every step a taunt. My fists tighten into helpless balls, nails digging into my palms, drawing tiny, crescent-shaped marks of pain. This can’t be happening. Not again. Not now, not when I’ve just found everything that matters.
Then the world shifts violently, shattering what little composure I had left.
A second figure emerges from the trees, stalking silently toward Brody, a dark silhouette unmistakable against the bright clearing. My breath catches, terror exploding white-hot through my chest, squeezing my lungs painfully tight. A gun is aimed directly at Brody’s back. He’s outnumbered.
“Brody!” I scream as if he could hear me, my voice cracking on his name. I pound against the window, as if my desperation can shatter it. Tears spill hot and uncontrollable down my cheeks, blurring everything into a distorted nightmare.
A rush of adrenaline pulses through me, and the helicopter banks away, pulling the terrible scene from my sight. A violent wave of nausea surges through me, bile rising harshly in my throat as I fight the devastating helplessness flooding every nerve ending.
I grab a barf bag, feeling as if I might fill it.
“We have to go back,” I plead brokenly to the pilots. My voice is weak beneath the deafening thump of rotors. “Please, you have to land. You have to?—”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Alexander. We have orders from the Calloways,” he says firmly.
My heart splinters into painful fragments, my hands trembling violently as I fumble for my phone.
My pulse pounds erratically, panic fogging my vision. I can’t think—I can’t breathe—but instinctively, my fingers move, shaking as I type out a message to Billie.
Harper
Brody’s in danger. Micah found us. Please, send help.
I hit Send, clutching my phone, but an error flashes cruelly across the screen: Message Failed to Send
I realize I have no cell service.
“No …” My voice breaks into a raw sob, and I choke on the anguish rising in my throat. “Come on. Please, please go through.”
I lift my phone higher, moving it around the confined space, but the signal bars remain empty, hopelessly blank. Frustration and despair smother me, leaving me hollow and alone.
Brody’s down there alone, fighting for me, risking everything for us, and I’m helpless to stop it.
What if he’s hurt? What if they shot him?
“Please be okay,” I whisper into the emptiness around me, my voice nothing more than a shattered plea, a prayer to whatever forces might listen. “Please, Brody … be okay.”
Hours pass, and I feel numb, like a shell of myself. My body feels weightless, floating somewhere outside of myself. Inside, my thoughts and the what-ifs unravel faster than I can grasp them. Brody’s face is burned into my mind, determination mixed with something darker. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it only sharpens the image. My pulse throbs so violently in my temples that it hurts.
Why didn’t I fight harder? Why didn’t I insist he stay with me, drag him onto this helicopter myself?
The stark notification on my phone stares back coldly: Message Failed to Send
A sob releases from me. It’s guttural and raw. I blink rapidly, wiping tears from my face, my heart twisting painfully in my chest.
“Please,” I whisper again, clicking the message.
Still nothing—no service, no way to reach Billie, no way to know if Brody’s safe.
A thousand terrifying scenarios flood my mind, each worse than the last. What if Micah hurt him? What if that other figure …
Air catches painfully in my lungs, and I grip the seat belt, my knuckles turning stark white. I battle the surge of helplessness and guilt crashing over me. The city skyline looms closer as the helicopter slices through the air. I can’t explain the soul-deep terror that’s currently tearing me apart. No one could possibly understand the nightmare we narrowly escaped or the even darker one unfolding back at the cabin.
Brody’s words echo suddenly. “I’ll come for you.”
Fresh tears spill down my cheeks, hot with frustration. He made me feel safe, protected. But now he’s back there alone, facing danger without me—because of me.
The helicopter banks, descending rapidly toward the rooftop landing pad at the top of Park Towers. The city rushes closer, a concrete maze, filled with unknown threats, and life feels empty without Brody by my side. Reality sets in that I’m here, and he’s there, completely out of my reach.
As soon as the skids touch solid ground, I unclip my seat belt, my heart pounding. The door slides open, and a blast of cold city wind whooshes through the cabin. I’m already moving, practically stumbling out, my legs weak and unsteady beneath me as I get out.
“Ms. Alexander!” a voice shouts, urgent and concerned. Two men in a suit rush forward, extending a hand to steady me. They’re carrying my bags. “Are you all right?”
I can’t answer. Anxiety grips my throat again, and I shove past him, needing to find Billie, Asher, someone, anyone who can help. My phone finally vibrates in my hand, and I freeze, hope flaring painfully in my chest as I move inside the building. I stand in the hallway, glancing down at my phone, noticing I have three missed calls from Billie, along with texts. I open them.
Billie
Harper, are you okay?
Billie
Nick called. Micah found you guys?
Billie
Harper, please answer me!
Billie
Let me know when you land.
My heart leaps painfully at the name—Nick. How would he know? Confusion mixes with chaos, and I can’t seem to put the pieces together.
My fingers shake as I dial Brody’s number, pressing the phone hard against my ear, needing any sign that he’s okay. Each ring feels like an eternity.
“Come on. Please answer,” I whisper, my voice cracking, eyes filling rapidly with fresh tears. I can’t lose him.
It clicks abruptly to voicemail, his steady voice—calm, reassuring, so heartbreakingly familiar—filling my ear. “It’s Brody. Leave a message.”
“Call me. Please tell me you’re okay.” I choke back a sob, disconnecting quickly and dialing again. “Please, please, pick up,” I plead to no one, voice trembling.
Straight to voicemail again.
My heart beats hard, and a fresh wave of dread has my knees buckling. I quickly scroll to Nick’s number, clicking on it with numb fingers as I search for answers.
His phone rings once, twice, and then I get his voicemail.
Nick’s smooth, confident tone is completely at odds with the chaos inside me. “It’s Nick. You know what to do.”
“Call me immediately!” I demand.
I end the call, tears blurring my vision. Suddenly, the phone vibrates in my hands, Billie’s name flashing brightly across the screen.
“I’m heading to my penthouse,” I say before she can even speak. “Micah found us. Brody stayed behind to face him. Someone else showed up as I was lifting off. They had a gun on him. I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t?—”
“Harper,” Billie interrupts, voice steady. “Where are you?”
“At the top of the building, standing in the hallway. Security is watching me,” I tell her as a guy in a suit pretends like he can’t hear me.
“Wait for me. I’m on my way up there,” Billie says.
She has a penthouse here, but doesn’t use it anymore. Maybe she started using it while I was gone.
She clears her throat, bringing me back. “Listen to me. Easton and Weston have a security detail heading to the cabin now to make sure no one is hurt. We know Micah was there; Nick called earlier, saying he was there to back up Brody because he had a feeling about something. We haven’t heard from either of them since.”
“Nick was there?” I shake my head; none of it makes sense. “Someone pointed a gun at Brody. What if Nick is hurt too? What if they were both ambushed?”
“I’m coming. I’ll be up there in less than five minutes,” she says as I sob uncontrollably.
I sink to the floor in the hallway and wait for her.
“It’s going to be okay.” Brody’s reassurance echoes in my mind, but beneath it simmers an inescapable dread.
The thought of losing Brody is terrifying and very, very real. But all I can do now is helplessly wait. My heart is suspended somewhere between hope and fear, and there is nothing I can do.
My fingers tighten around the phone, and I force myself to speak. “How do you know Nick was there?”
“Nick mentioned it to Asher a couple of days ago. He said he had a feeling Micah would find you. He told Asher he was heading there, just in case.”
Confusion transforms into disbelief. “After Mia went missing?”
“Yes,” Billie says with an exhale, and an edge of uncertainty slips into her voice. “He’s been tracking Micah, but I don’t know any details. He just said he was going to make sure you were protected. He’s really fucking stubborn, and he likes to take things into his own hands.”
“I know,” I tell her.
I’ve known Nick since I was a little kid because he was best friends with my brother.
“After that picture of you two swallowing each other’s tongue was posted, there was speculation that you were in Sugar Pine Springs. Nick acted immediately.”
I laugh, but then my breath catches. “None of this makes sense.”
Seconds later, Billie rushes to me with Asher following in her shadow. As soon as she sees me, she pulls me to my feet and holds me tight. For a long moment, we cling to each other; the tension slightly eases.
“Are you okay, Harp?”
“No,” I say truthfully, my head pounding from stress. I squeeze my eyes shut against a dizzying rush of emotions. Nick’s involvement adds another layer to an already-dangerous situation. “Why wouldn’t Nick have told us? We could have been prepared?—”
“Brody is always prepared to protect you,” Billie confirms, placing her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. “It’s why you’re safely in New York right now.”
My voice is barely audible as I whisper, “I’m so scared something bad happened.”
“I know, but right now, we have no answers,” Billie replies. “Let’s get you to your place, okay?” She’s gentle and kind.
“Will you stay with me? I can’t be alone,” I tell her as I cling to that fragile thread of hope.
“Yes,” she says without hesitation.
Asher picks up the duffel bags that are by my feet, and Billie take the weekend bag and leads me to the elevator. She’s my anchor in this storm.
“I won’t leave you until Brody shows up,” she whispers, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “We’ll get through this.”
I meet her eyes, swallowing past the lump still lodged painfully in my throat. “Are you worried about him?”
“No,” she says confidently. “Nick is a fucking punk, but he’s not going to hurt Brody. Trust me.”
“I know what I saw,” I say, and I feel like I’m hyperventilating.
“Breathe. Brody knows how to handle himself. You have to trust that.”
“I can’t lose him,” I choke out. “Not now.”
“You won’t,” she says. Certainty rings in every word as the elevator doors slide open. She guides me out. “Brody could take on Nick and Micah at the same time with his eyes closed. They’re bitch boys.”
Asher chuckles and mutters, “I’m telling him you said that.”
“It’s true. I’ve seen him fight five dudes at once. He’s one of the best shots. Completely lethal. And he’s like a cat with nine lives,” she tells me.
I press my thumb against my door. It unlocks, and I step inside. It feels weird, being home.
“Let’s get you settled.”
Billie guides me into my penthouse, and Asher sets the bags down on the floor. I peer out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Central Park. The sun hangs lazily in the sky, and I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s just past six in the evening, and soon, it will be dark. Hours have passed, and I’ve heard nothing.
Asher gives me a soft smile, but I see concern in his eyes. He squeezes my shoulder, and then they lead me to the sectional that’s close to the gas fireplace. Billie presses a button, and the flames come to life. I stare at them, thinking back to the cabin and the time I spent with Brody over the past couple of weeks.
“How about some tea?” Billie asks. “Always makes you feel better.”
I’m reminded of Micah and how he drugged me.
I burst into tears, covering my face with my hands. “So much has happened.”
Billie sits next to me and places her hand on my back. “Harp, what can I do? Want to punch Asher?”
“Hey!” he says.
“He can take it,” Billie tells me. “Just one hard punch, anywhere you want. I’ll make it up to him later.”
“Do I get a vote?” he asks.
Billie shakes her head and smiles. “He deserves it for giving me hell for years. I’d suggest below the waist.”
Laughter spills out of me, and it’s the first time I’ve cracked a smile since earlier today.
“Ah, there’s my bestie. Now, want some coffee? I’ll order pizza and Chinese, and we can have a buffet while we wait for Brody to arrive,” she says.
I study her. “You’re not concerned.”
She shakes her head and gives me a soft smile. “Not at all.”
“Okay. I’ll take coffee,” I tell her, then turn to Asher. “You’re safe.”
“Thank fuck,” he tells me.
“For now,” I add.
Our bags are on the floor, and I stand, walking to Brody’s to dig inside it. Right on top is his cell phone, turned off. That means he has no way to reach the outside world, and the thought of that makes me spiral again. I hold it in my hand while Billie watches me from the kitchen as the beans grind.
“What is it?” she asks.
“His phone,” I tell her. “I guess that explains why he’s not answering.”
Minutes later, Billie returns with a steaming mug of coffee, placing it carefully in my hands as she settles beside Asher. The chemistry burning between them is impossible to ignore. I watch how Asher naturally holds her close to him, along with the way Billie’s eyes soften when she meets his. They’re perfect together, and I’m so damn glad they ended up together.
“What?” Billie asks as I blow on the steaming liquid.
I smile. “You’re totally meant to be together.”
Asher smirks, and they share a silent conversation. “It was inevitable.”
He presses a gentle kiss to her temple, leaning back comfortably as Billie’s fingers intertwine with his. An ache spreads through my chest.
Asher stands, bending over to slide his lips over Billie’s. “I’m going to grab my laptop from your place. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Billie nods and watches him as he moves to the door. The two of us are alone, and I don’t even know where to begin.
“What is going on with Mia? What happened?”
She starts at the beginning, explaining how they went to lunch together, and when they returned, someone took her. Billie hasn’t been to work since it happened and is lying low, staying at Park Towers because they have the best security in the city due to who lives here.
“I feel guilty, like this is all my fault,” Billie confesses. “He wouldn’t have targeted you if it wasn’t for me.”
“And he wouldn’t have targeted Mia if it wasn’t for me,” I tell her. “I’m so sorry. I allowed the vampire in. He would’ve killed me, Billie. Women are missing because of him. Handfuls of them. I’m so scared.”
The color drains from her face. “What?”
“You didn’t know?” I ask, studying her.
She shakes her head as the realization of what we’re dealing with etches across her face. I can see her anxiety rising. We sit in silence, watching the flames lick up the side of the fireplace. I’m lost in my head, and the only thing that pulls me out of it is a knock on the door. I nearly jump out of my skin as Billie stands to answer it. She looks out the peephole, then swings it open, allowing Asher in. He stops, gives her a sweet kiss, then continues to the kitchen.
She settles back on the couch next to me.
“To have someone look at me the way Asher looks at you—that’s the dream, isn’t it?” I say, sipping the coffee, nearly begging the warmth to seep into my chilled bones.
Billie’s eyes are filled with quiet certainty as she squeezes my hand. “Brody does, Harp. He always has.”
My heart flutters at her words; emotions rise, and I don’t know how to handle them. I blink rapidly, forcing back fresh tears, and Billie shifts closer.
“You two have always had something special. It took you too long to see it, but it’s there, burning so fucking bright.” Billie’s voice is gentle and sincere, thoughtful and understanding. “Trust that.”
I nod, leaning into the comfort of my best friend’s presence, absorbing the reassurance in her words. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed this, missed her. Right now, she’s the glue that’s holding me together.
“Brody’s probably already on his way here now,” Billie says with certainty.
“I hope you’re right,” I whisper quietly, my voice barely audible.
Asher pops into our conversation. “She always is.”
It causes me to laugh because it’s true.
Billie glares at him. “And don’t either of you ever forget it.”
When I look at the two of them, I believe my own happily ever after is possible and that Brody will find his way through the storm to find me. I cling to her words, desperately wanting to believe Brody’s safe.
The evening fades into night as I lie back on the couch and watch The Golden Girls . Billie watches it with me while Asher continues to work. We order food, and I barely eat because I’m too upset. I want sleep to take me under, but it refuses. Every time I close my eyes, the image of metal in Brody’s hand, Micah’s arrogant smirk, and the shadowed figure stepping from the woods appear in my mind. My heart won’t stop racing. Anxiety claws at me relentlessly.
With a frustrated exhale, I finally sit up, wishing the couch would suck me in. Billie’s steady breathing drifts from the other side of the couch. I stand up, placing a blanket over her, and exhale a long breath. The dim light from the lamp casts shadows along the walls.
A quiet tapping on keys draws my attention toward the kitchen island, where Asher is now sitting. His face is illuminated by the glow of his laptop screen.
He glances up, eyebrows lifting slightly. “Can’t sleep?”
I shake my head, moving toward the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. “Every time I close my eyes, it’s just …” I trail off, unable to voice it again, the memories still too raw.
Asher nods with quiet understanding, turning his gaze back to the screen. “I understand how that is.”
I sit in the chair across from him, and he looks up at me.
“How did you learn about Brody and Eden?” I bluntly ask.
His expression softens, and he smiles. “He told you I knew?”
I nod. “How?”
Asher swallows hard, and he hesitates, but his resolve breaks on his exhale. “I learned it through an old letter.”
He gives me a sad smile. “Eden wasn’t the type to settle down with anyone, Harp. She and Nick were very much alike in that manner—stubborn, but unable to commit. If you’re asking because?—”
“I’m not jealous. At our age, past relationships are a part of life. I was just curious—that’s all. We were friends. Not close, but I knew I could count on her. So did Billie. She wanted us to succeed in our business and told us she’d do whatever she could to help us during our many coffee chats. Seems as if you picked up the slack,” I tell him.
He nods, grinning. “I’ll always have your back.”
He glances back at his laptop.
“What are you working on?” I ask.
Asher’s jaw clenches tight, and his eyes are shadowed with seriousness. “I’m tracking Micah’s movements—who he’s been talking to, where he’s going. Patterns, anything to stay ahead of him.”
“Find anything useful?” I ask, chugging water down, hoping it will cool the inferno burning inside of me.
“More than I’d like.” His voice carries a calm determination that steadies me. He studies me closely. “Look, I know you’re really fucking worried right now, but don’t be. That man is tougher than nails. He got shot and lived … twice. Fought in wars. He’s a badass. He’d tear the world apart before he let anything happen to you.”
A small smile touches my lips. “I know, but that’s also what scares me. What if he tears himself apart instead?”
Understanding fills his eyes. He leans back slightly, watching me carefully. “You know, Billie taught me that, sometimes, the people who’ve seen the darkest shit in life love the hardest. Brody’s like that too. He’s been through hell, Harper. He’s lost more than anyone should, but it made him into someone who knows exactly what he has to do to protect the people he cares about. Not someone I’d want to be up against. He’s like a fucking Terminator.”
Laughter bursts out of me. “I thought the same thing.”
Asher smiles. “Because that shit is true.”
His words steady me.
“I don’t know how you and Billie did it,” I admit. “How you made it through everything—all the chaos, the media, the lies.”
Asher glances toward the couch, where Billie sleeps. “You have to refuse to let fear win. You look it in the face and tell it to fuck off and keep going. When you find someone who’s your reason for everything, giving up isn’t an option. You fight until the very end. If it’s meant to be, you make it out to the other side together. Maybe a little scorched, but alive.” His voice carries conviction, the kind forged through battles fought and won together.
I watch him silently for a long moment, absorbing the strength he radiates.
“Brody loves you, Harp,” Asher adds, his eyes steady on mine, “in a way that doesn’t ever break.”
I inhale, the tightness in my chest loosening slightly. A glimmer of hope fills the hollow space left behind by fear. “Thank you, Ash. For staying, for helping. For being here.”
He gives me a grin. “You’re Billie’s best friend. The two of you are a package deal. I’d do anything for you. So would Nick, Easton, and Weston. Especially Brody. You have an army standing behind you, and there is a light at the end of this dark-as-fuck tunnel.”
I nod, his words etching into my bones.
For the first time since flying away from Brody on that mountain, I let myself truly believe that strength and love will be enough to bring him safely back to me.