Chapter 16
Elias
Calm down, raging heart. I take one more deep breath and head out of the bathroom. A quick glance around the break room reveals there’s no Harmony.
Is she back in the cafe without me? My feet move on their own. The bell over the door rings, and I narrow my gaze at the entrance. A customer enters, blinking owl eyes at me. Two more customers stand in line, chatting in hushed voices as Barb works alone behind the counter.
My heartbeat thrashes in my ears when I don’t find her.
I turn on my heel and charge toward the storage room.
The door is open a crack, and I go inside.
Harmony is meticulously organizing boxes in order to fit our new boxes that we’ve neglected to put away while Abigail, our co-worker, is on vacation.
Harmony hasn’t seen me, and I can’t help but notice the way her jeans hug her waist. She bends over, and I look away. That’s a whole other level of torture.
Just because we almost kissed, doesn’t mean I can look at her in a sexual way, and I can’t forget it.
What happened in the bathroom shouldn’t have happened.
But her running away from me can’t continue.
I had a single lapse in judgment. That’s all.
I went on a few dates, but it never led anywhere, especially not the bedroom.
Now the moment Harmony’s back, my self-control snaps, but no more.
My assignment to protect her is more important than my resurfacing feelings.
Resurfacing? Like they had actually gone away.
Maybe all I need is a little release. Yeah, that has to be it. But it will have to be when she’s asleep. Fuck. She’ll be sleeping in my house while I jerk off. That by itself is enough to drive me insane.
I need to make myself known before she spots me, and I look like a creeper. “Do you need any help?”
Harmony jumps and lets out a little yelp. “Can you announce yourself next time?”
“Isn’t my question enough for an announcement?”
A look of determination overtakes her face as she strides over to the bags of coffee beans. “I’ve got it.”
I lean against the doorjamb and cross my arms over my chest. “Fine. Be stubborn. I have a lovely view from my spot.”
She shoots daggers at me with her eyes. “Don’t you have a job to do?”
I laugh. I can’t help it when she gets frustrated. “Yes, and I’m doing it right now.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“But it’s the job that matters.”
She heaves the last bag, and a memory pops into my mind. “Do you remember the last time we did this together?”
She points at me the best she can while holding the heavy beans. “Don’t you even start.”
“What?” I raise my hands in front of me. “I wasn’t the one who was too stubborn to ask for help. That bag had a huge hole.”
“But did you help when it all started spilling out?”
I press my mouth into a straight line to smother a laugh. “Nope.” And I’m not ashamed to admit it.
“Exactly.”
After what happened in the bathroom, I’m not sure why she has an attitude. I take a deep breath and hold it before getting in close so I don’t get another whiff of her scent. I want to break the ice, not torture myself. Pointing at a spot on the bag she holds, I ask, “Is that a hole?”
“What?” She attempts to turn it around, but it slips from her grip.
I close the small gap between us, to help catch the coffee.
The skin on my back pinches, and I wince.
As my hand grazes hers, electricity shoots through me, but I don’t let go.
She stumbles backward, her back hitting the shelves, and the bag falls to the floor.
Her wide eyes flutter. The rack shakes, and she gulps in air as a small box from the top shelf falls.
Right before the package hits her head, I grab her hand and pull her to me.
Wrapping her in my arms, my heart thumps so hard I’m sure she feels it. After a minute, neither one of us has let go. I have to release her.
So why can’t I?
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I look into her wide eyes. “Are you okay?”
Her long eyelashes flutter more. “Yes.” She untangles herself from my arms. “I’m fine. Let me put this last bag away.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I think it will be best if we keep distance between us.” She never minces her words. I suppose that didn’t change during her absence. “Just a few minutes ago, you almost kissed me, and now you pulled me into your arms. Do you really think that’s appropriate when we are living together?”
My mouth gapes at her.
“Not to mention that after all of this is over and I help my sister with something, I’m leaving again.”
Her words are like a smack to the face. I didn’t expect us to hook up. But I also assumed that she’d stay here in Granite Falls. Now that she graduated and had her fun in NYC, I thought she’d finally settle down.
With me.
I shake my head. Absolutely not. She made that abundantly clear. Presently, I’m her bodyguard, and these types of thoughts are a distraction. And distractions get people killed.
“Why are you leaving?”
The fire in her eyes almost pulls me to her. “There’s too much bad here for me.”
I cock my head to the side. “Too much bad?”
Harmony nods once. “Yeah, bad memories.”
Pressing my mouth into a thin line, I refuse to ask the questions that want to burst free. Memories of us? Memories of her mother? If she wants to tell me, she will. It isn’t my place to push.
She goes back to work, and I exit the storage room without a word. She’s safe where she is, so I’m not concerned about a threat as I head toward the cafe. The back door is video monitored and always double locked. If someone enters through the front door, they’ll have to get through me first.
I stop in my tracks.
“There you are!” Kami strides over to me with a ceramic coffee cup in hand. “I was just asking Barb where you were.”
I force a neutral expression onto my face. The feel of Harmony in my arms still lingers, and Kami always figures me out. Especially the juicy stuff.
“I had to finish something out back.”
“I’ve been hearing some interesting talk around town, and Barb confirmed some of it.”
I motion to where a customer still sits at a table. “Why don’t we talk about this later? I’m working.”
Before Kami can respond, Harmony walks out, and my sister’s dark brown eyes light up with excitement. I have to get Kami out of here before she starts a gossip train without realizing it. It won’t be easy, though. The calculations in my sister’s brain are already written on her face.
Kami turns fully to my ex, and my heart drops. “Hey, girl. Long time no see.”
Harmony’s cheeks flush. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been back to town for a while.”
“Well, now that you’re here, would you like to come to Tía Vicki’s birthday party this weekend? We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Harmony’s head swivels, looking between my meddling sister and me. A mix of emotions I can’t place splash across my ex’s face. She hesitates for a moment before saying, “If you want me there, of course I’ll come.”
My stomach knots. I can’t go to the party without Harmony, and Kami knows it.
She, Serenity, and Tía Vicki are the only people who know about our situation.
But her plan won’t work. What if they track us here and are plotting another attack?
I can’t even allow the possibility. The only reason I agreed to us coming here is because I own the place and needed to pay Barbara.
“Perfect.” Kami claps her manicured hands together, pulling me back to the women. “I’ll have Elias give you the details.”
Before I can say anything, my watch flashes with a text message.
Sully
We went where our lead told us the “middleman” was, but the place was empty. So, for now, it’s a dead end.
Well shit, our only lead went nowhere. Maybe they really are satisfied that Harmony left. Or perhaps they think they scared her off with the attack in the city. If so, does that mean she’s safe and no longer needs me?