28. Twenty-Eight
TWENTY-EIGHT
J ax
Harley is practically in a catatonic state. The only thing she does that indicates otherwise is silently cry. With each tear that rolls down her cheeks, I grow more and more infuriated.
Not at her.
But at every single person that made her question her worth.
I watch her in the mirror as I dry her hair. There's a far off look in her eyes while she stares at the counter. I want to fix it. I want to do anything to stop the tears from falling and see that fire in her eyes.
Dropping the towel to the floor, I stare down at the bottles of hair product that Harley slid off to the right of the sink. There's only three, but I don’t know what order they're supposed to go in. Honestly, if I had been paying attention the last time she did it, I would know exactly what to do.
But instead, I was admiring the shape of her ass in a pair of boy shorts that made it nearly impossible to string one coherent thought together.
“Harley,” I murmur, lifting one of the bottles and putting it back down. “I don't know what order to put these in your hair.”
In the mirror I watch her eyes trail across the counter before stopping on the bottles. She picks up one after the other, lining them up in order from left to right. Without a word, her eyes move back to the spot they were staring at before. I don’t even think she realizes she’s staring at nothing.
Lifting the bottle that reads detangling spray , I quickly read the instructions before spraying it into her hair. I follow the instructions to a T, even dividing her hair into sections to ensure maximum coverage.
The next bottle reads coconut oil . Reading the instructions, I do two pumps into the palm of my hand and rub my palms together. I work my fingers through her hair until all the oil no longer coats my skin.
As I reach for the last bottle on the counter, Harley reaches out and grabs the wide tooth comb off the counter and holds it up in the air. I take the comb from her hand, watching her reflection in the mirror. Tears still periodically fall from those gorgeous blue eyes as I carefully comb through the curls in her hair.
When I’m finished, I grab the last bottle labeled curl cream and read through the instructions before squeezing a quarter sized dollop into my palm. I drag my fingers through her hair, taking my time with the last step to her hair care routine.
I walk out of the bathroom and grab one of my shirts from the dresser. This part I did watch, because it was intriguing as fuck. Folding the sleeves and collar over the body on the counter, I gently move Harley in front of it. I don’t have to tell her to dip her head upside down. When she does, I carefully wrap her hair in my shirt, making sure not to make it too tight.
Grabbing her hand, I guide her back into the bedroom. Before ushering her to crawl back into bed, I slip another one of my shirts over her head. Just like my jersey, it swallows her. The hem falls mid-thigh.
My heart twists in my chest at how small she looks. Paired with the defeated slump to her shoulders and her downcast gaze, it’s impossible to think about anything other than her. I’d change everything about the life she’s lived if I could.
And I’ll be fucking damned if she’ll go another day without realizing the lengths I’ll go to see her smile.
Pulling up to her parents estate has every alarm bell ringing in my head. The property is exactly as I had expected it to be. It’s flashy as fuck for Bridgedom. Something that grates on every single nerve in my body.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” I ask for the umpteenth time.
Harley jerks her head from side to side. She still hasn’t said a single word all fucking day. It has me ready to crawl out of my skin.
It killed me inside watching her get ready for this dinner. She braided her hair in the middle of my bed with her eyes closed. That’s when I realized that her far off stare, from earlier this morning after getting out of the shower, wasn’t because she was lost in her head.
She won’t fucking look at herself.
She won’t even look at me.
And fuck if that doesn’t have a burning rage boiling my blood with every pump of my heart.
“I’ll be right here. I’m not leaving,” I state in a low rumble.
Harley rolls her bottom lip between her teeth before nodding once. She reaches for the door handle, hesitating with a white knuckle grip for what feels like a lifetime. Then, without even a brief glance in my direction, she throws the door open and gets out.
I wait until she disappears inside before dragging my hands down my face. Muttered curses pass my lips, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to run after her. The control I’ve been holding onto with both hands is slipping with each agonizing second.
Grabbing my phone out of the cupholder, I tap the screen a few times before the sound of the phone ringing echoes through the car speakers. It only rings three times before the call connects.
“Hey,” Ross says.
I don’t say anything back, because honestly, I’m not even sure why I called him to begin with. Pulling up his contact just seemed like the only option right now.
His heavy sigh surrounds me as I sink into the driver seat. Harley’s scent lingers in the air enough to provide the smallest ounce of comfort. Pressing my fists into my eyes, I release a pent up breath.
“What can I do, Jax?” he asks softly. “How can I help you?”
“I…I don’t fucking know, man. I’m really struggling. I hate that I can’t protect her from what the past has done to her. And I really fucking hate that she doesn’t want me in there with her after everything that happened last night and this morning. It’s not sitting right with me.”
“Then go inside,” Ross suggests flatly. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“She told me no,” I clip dryly.
He barks out a loud laugh and says, “Like that’s ever stopped you from doing something before.”
A noncommittal hum vibrates my chest as I run a hand through my hair. “This is different.”
“Why? Because you’re literally chomping at the bit to mark her?” Ross asks in a calm tone.
“I…fuck, Ross. Is it that obvious?”
“You’ve done nothing but lay claim to her since the moment she arrived at school. Yeah, you’re pretty fucking obvious to everyone but yourself. So why the fuck are you sitting in your car, talking to me, and not barging through that front door and claiming her as yours in front of her asshole parents.”
“How do you know they’re assholes?” I demand.
Ross gets quiet for a long moment, and when he realizes I’m not going anywhere until he tells me what I want to hear, he finally admits, “I was at the house with Justin when you had him look her up. Did you not look into the file he sent you?”
“I looked at it briefly,” I mutter.
“Her mom sent her to a fat camp, and if I’m not mistaken, that’s probably the reason I found her running for her life on the treadmill last night.” I grind my teeth, but he doesn’t stop there. “She ran close to eighteen fucking miles in two hours.”
I didn’t even look at the number on the treadmill when I picked her up off the floor. I couldn’t. Because I knew that she was already in a bad headspace and I didn’t even think to help her through it. I fell asleep without a second thought to where her mind had been all day and night.
“That’s only the beginning of it, Jax. Her parents are fucking bad news.”
“Fuck it,” I mutter before disconnecting the call and throwing my car door open.
As soon as I slam the door shut, the muffled sound of glass breaking has the hairs on the back of my neck rising to attention. It’s followed by yelling that has me closing the distance between me and the door in long strides.
I don’t even knock. I throw the door open and inhale sharply through my nose. A woman tries to stop me before I make it into the house. I ignore her, gently pushing her to the side before following Harley’s intoxicating scent forward. When I step into the dining room, my eyes land on her.
“Who the fuck are you?” Charles Thomas demands, eyes landing on me.
I’m your worst fucking nightmare, Charles. Nice to meet you. “Harley,” I say softly.
For the first time in the last twelve hours, her eyes lift to mine. Her lower lip quivers and her eyes become glassy. I take slow steps toward her as I flick my gaze to her father.
He stands with his fists pressed to the top of the table. His face is beet red and anger radiates from him. As I round the table, I see a broken vase on the floor behind Harley.
My hands clench into fists at my sides. “Did you throw a fucking vase at her?”
“You’re not welcome in this house,” he sneers, his lip curling in disgust.
“Good,” I say, baring my teeth in some semblance of a smile. “I couldn’t care less.”
Pulling Harley’s chair out, I hold my hand out for her to take. She places her warm palm into mine, grounding me for the time being. I can feel the erratic beat of my heart as much as I can hear hers.
“We’re leaving,” I mutter in a menacing tone.
His eyes land on mine and Harley’s intertwined fingers before flicking up to her face. “You leave this house, you can kiss your studies goodbye.”
I can feel the shake in her body. Bringing her hand up to my lips, I brush the softest of kisses to her knuckles. “Go wait in the car, pretty girl.”
“Zayden,” she whispers, her voice trembling.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I say softly, holding her father’s lethal stare.
I give her hand a small squeeze before dropping it and taking a step toward her father. My t-shirt stretches tight with the coil of my muscles. It’s taking every last bit of control to not shift right here and now. I want to tear his throat out and rip his body to shreds.
“Don’t you dare walk out of this room,” Harley’s mother hisses under her breath.
I turn my head just in time to see Harley yank her arm free from her mother’s hold. Her heels click softly on the wood floor with every step she takes as she disappears down the hall. Pride swells in my chest.
Bringing my attention back to Charles, I take two more strides before I’m standing in front of him. I tower over him, causing him to straighten his spine. He glares up at me, his disdain for who I am written all over his face.
If only you fucking knew, Charles .
“Threatening her with money isn’t going to stop her from leaving,” I say coldly. “Let me make myself fucking clear.” I take another step, closing all the distance between us and bringing my face to his. With a low growl, I say, “She’s fucking mine , Charles. Take your money and shove it up your pathetic ass for all I care. Better yet, choke on it. You come near her or my family again, and there won’t be a place on this earth you can fucking hide from my wrath. I will gut you like the pig you fucking are.”
His eyes look close to popping out of his head. “Get out,” he mutters, his voice lacking the vibrato he had previously.
“Gladly,” I snap, flashing him a cold smile.
I check him with my shoulder as I move to circle the table. Harley’s mother stands stunned, staring at her husband with her mouth dropped open. I stop at her end of the table and shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
“All of that goes for you, too, Natalie ,” I seethe through clenched teeth. “Stay the fuck away from Harley.”
I walk out of the dining room, down the hall, and through the front door. Once I pull it shut behind me, I release a harsh breath of air. I need to run this anger off, but I need Harley more than that.
I can feel her eyes on me as I round the hood of my car. Settling myself down into the driver's seat, I press the clutch and brake before turning the key. The engine roars to life and I shift the car into first, second, and then third as I race down the driveway. The moment I turn the car on the main road that takes us back to Kill Ridge, I reach over and grip her inner thigh.
My fingers press into her soft flesh, and when she places her hand over mine, I know with every beat of my heart that I’ll do anything to keep her by my side. Starting with killing her useless parents.