Chapter 67
The Queen Takes the King
Harper
Jack brings in my dad’s laptop and sets it on the coffee table we’re all sitting around.
“Give me a minute.” Jack hooks up the monitor to one of his spare laptops with no information on it. He brought a couple just in case we needed to download things from the internet. After a few minutes of typing, Jack straightens. “Try now.”
After a few seconds, nothing happens.
“Hello.” The voice is low-pitched, but not masculine or feminine.
“Thought it would be easier if we could communicate vocally.” Jack sits beside the computer.
“You wanted something from me?”
I clear my throat and glance at all my guys. “We need to know why William Foster believes my father left evidence after all this time. Especially, if they all thought they’d destroyed everything.”
The voice sighs. “That’s on me. I’ve been keeping an eye on you through an old friend. She alerted me to some issues you might be having with your present company.” They clear their throat. “I pressed a button thinking you needed help. I didn’t realize it would bring them back together.”
My eyes meet Caden’s and he nods. It’s just what he suspected.
“What did you tell them?”
“If their spawn didn’t back off, that some very damning evidence would make it into the hands of the district attorney.”
Luke chuckles and shakes his head. “My dad has the D.A. in his pocket.”
“That’s why I also mentioned media. I didn’t mean to get them to focus on Harper.”
“They think I know something. Why would they think that?”
“Your father’s body was never recovered.”
My insides twist.
They continue, “While everyone believes he’s dead, I might have brewed some doubt in them. After all, they didn’t know I exist.”
“So William thought you were my dad contacting him?” A warm hand touches my shoulder, and I lean back into Nico.
“That’s what I suspect. Which means he thinks Sean has been in contact with you to know what’s happening. It doesn’t matter if he thinks it was Sean. He knows someone is looking out for you and has information on him. That’s enough for him to suspect you know more than you do.”
I could ask them who they are or who they were to my father, but they haven’t been forthcoming with that information. And if I press on that, will they disappear? We need their help. Jack can’t do everything on his own.
I blow out a breath, and my gaze collides with Luke’s. His eyes are hard. It’s his father terrorizing all of us. And that’s the next part.
“We need a favor.” I return my gaze to the laptop.
“If I can.”
“We need something to give William that Luke found to get them to back off for a while.” I don’t know how this person will take this. “William’s looking for the evidence my dad might have hidden.”
“I’ll email you a zip file to put on an old flash drive. It will be encrypted, but have a few of the files Sean sent me to review. Nothing damning, but something to tide them over while you continue to look.”
“Thank you.” I release the breath I’d been holding. It would be nice to have William off our backs, even just for this week.
“Jennifer told us you were a friend of Sean’s.” Caden leans in and narrows his eyes on the computer. “Homecoming is this weekend. Will you be in attendance?”
“No. Homecoming isn’t my thing.” Still not giving us any answers, but if my father trusted this person with me, they must be a good person. “I’ll keep working on the laptop though and get it open.”
“We actually have a problem with that.” Jack meets my eyes. “The laptop might not be safe in any of our homes.”
“Jack Hill, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Your house might be the safest. Out of your fathers, Sean trusted your father the most. That doesn’t mean he didn’t backstab Sean. But if it’s going to be safe anywhere in that town and not where Sean put it, then hidden in your house might be the last place they’d have access to it.”
Fuck. Did Jack’s dad betray mine? Is he the reason he didn’t come back from the quarry that night? Maybe our friend is talking about another time my dad trusted Jack’s.
“Look, I know I’m being cagey about identifying myself, but I have enough going on in my life right now. Sean helped me when no one else could. I owe him more than my life and am grateful to finally have a way to help him.”
“We’re glad to have your help,” I say.
“You were young when your dad left.” Our friend sighs.
“You should have heard him when he found out your mom was pregnant. You’d think he’d been given the second coming.
And then to know you were going to be a girl.
He bragged and bragged until I wanted to punch him to get him to shut up.
But there’s nothing like the look on his face when he held you as a baby.
Like nothing in this world would stop him from protecting you.
He loved you and your mother so much, Harper.
It breaks my heart that he isn’t here for you now.
That you missed all those years with him. ”
Tears roll down my cheeks. I can’t say anything as I turn into Nico’s arms and he holds me.
“I’ll be in touch, Jack.” Then there’s only silence as I cry softly against Nico again.
Jack holds me from behind and kisses my shoulder. Nico strokes his hand over my hair. I’m loved and they’ll hold me together as everything we’re learning tries to tear me apart.
Luke
Harper’s been quiet since the conversation. I don’t know what to say or do to help her. She’s cried so much this weekend. Her tears make me helpless, and I don’t like that feeling.
When she finally comes up for air, she slips away to the bathroom. We all fall into working on whatever is left. She comes out and joins us.
The sun has been filling the room, inch by inch. Harper has moved around, leaning against each of us for a while as she stares blankly at the screen. What’s happening in her head? She’s usually an easy read for me, but I can’t read her this time.
Knowing my dad had something to do with her father’s disappearance, how could Harper still want me after seeing how much love her father had for her and her mom?
How could she love the son of the man who took her father from her?
Maybe I should just take care of the problem.
Take my father, and potentially myself, off the chess board entirely.
Finish the problem. She’d still have the others to take care of her.
“Luke?” Harper stands in front of me with her hand out. Her huge brown eyes are focused on me. Does she know what I’m thinking?
I set my laptop to the side and take her hand, standing with her and drawing in her vanilla scent. The need to drag her into my arms and never let go rides me, but I let her lead me away from the others.
I would follow her anywhere.
She brings me upstairs into the room we shared and into the bathroom. Releasing my hand, she closes the door and locks it before turning on the shower. My pulse quickens in lust, in worry, in love.
This girl holds so much power over me. Over my heart. Over my future. I can’t see anything beyond her. The carefully engineered life I wanted for myself crumbles for her. Whatever she needs. Whatever she wants. It’s hers.
My life is hers.
I don’t know if she realizes the power she holds over me.
When she gets the temperature where she wants it, she dries off her hand and walks over to me.
“Are you okay?” she asks. Her hands tug my shirt up and I help her take it off.
I narrow my eyes at her as she works on my pants next.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I tip her chin.
Her eyes swim with unshed tears. “How do we fix this?”
“What do we want to fix?” I smooth her hair from her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. Fuck, I want to make this world perfect for her. To take away all that pain that’s in her eyes.
“My dad. Your mom. All the shit that’s piling up around us. Everything.” A tear slips down her cheek, and it hurts my heart to see it. To feel that frustration and all the things we can’t fix.
When I draw her into my arms, her warm tears run down my chest. “I don’t know, princess.”
I press my lips to the top of her head as I hold her against me. This is the only thing that feels right in my world. Harper, Caden, Jack, Eli, and Nico. Loving this girl who binds us together tighter than brothers.
She takes a breath and pulls away. For a second, I don’t let her go. She surrenders in my arms and sighs.
When I release her, she gives me a watery smile and wipes at her eyes and cheeks. Then finishes taking off my shorts before she reaches for her sweatshirt.
I brush her hands away, and her eyes lock with mine as I take off her sweatshirt and pajamas. My hand settles on her hip as we stand naked before each other. I can’t begin to tell her what she means to me or how I feel about what my father did to destroy both of our families.
Drawing in a breath, she takes my hand and leads me into the shower.
“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like?” Her voice is quiet as she fills my hand with soap and then her own. Her touch brands me as she rubs the soap over my shoulders and chest.
“What would have been like?” I wash her slowly, thoroughly. Cataloguing every freckle, every mark we’ve left on her, every little scar.
“Our lives if our parents had lived.” Her words are soft and wistful.
“No, I don’t.” The words are blunt, so I try to soften them. “My father didn’t let me believe anything but the cold facts of life. If I stepped out of line, he’d hurt me or something I loved. So I stopped trying to forge my own path and stopped loving anything he could hurt me with.”
“Luke,” she whispers and tears well in her eyes again.
I smirk and shake my head. “Don’t cry for me, princess. You’ve cried enough today.”
She shakes her head and focuses on cleaning me. Her touch is firm and warm as it strokes over my body. My muscles twitch, eager for her touch.
“I don’t know if your dad would have changed, but I imagine your mom would have done anything to protect you.” Harper glances up at me.
“And I would have killed him for hurting her.” I sigh and lean my head against hers. “I don’t think anything we would have done would have turned out a fairy tale. My father may be a monster, but that’s the way of the world. Sometimes the monsters win.”
“And sometimes they can be saved.” She leans in and kisses over my heart.
I can’t help the small smile as I shake my head. “Was I your monster, Harper?”
I pull her under the water to wash away the soap from our bodies.
She lifts her head and meets my gaze steadily. “In the beginning. But probably not in the way you think.”
“What way is that?” I brush her hair from her face and warmth floods my chest. Fuck, I love her. It’s this crazy, wild feeling that has me in a chokehold and won’t release me. I don’t want it to.
“You came at me hard with determination and focus like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” She trails her fingers down my body, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “You woke me up and dragged me from my boring life. You refused to let me hide anymore.”
“You couldn’t have hidden forever, Harper.” I cradle the back of her head in my hand as my fingers glide over her slick skin. Her breasts. Her nipple. Her trembling stomach. “I always would have found you.”
She smiles and her hand curls around my cock, stroking it gently. “You didn’t notice me like Caden or Eli did.”
I back her against the shower wall and lower my mouth to her ear. “You’ve always been mine, Harper. We just didn’t know it.”
“What do you mean?” Her cheek grazes mine.
I raise my head so our eyes can lock. “You’re a part of me. I can’t picture a world without you in it.”
“I’m the something soft you needed?” She cocks her eyebrow.
“You’re all I ever needed, Harper. I’ll make this right. I don’t know how yet. But my father will pay for what he did.”
She cups my jaw and searches my eyes with her worried ones. “Not at the cost of losing you. I need you, Luke. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” I lower my head to capture her mouth, tasting her, teasing her lips until she opens beneath me. Lifting her against me so our mouths are better aligned, I press her into the wall of the shower. Her legs wrap around me tight.
Everywhere we touch is like fire and sparks between us. I’ve never felt this consumed by anyone before. I need her touch. I crave her kiss. I want her.
She threads her fingers into my hair and pulls a little as her kiss becomes aggressive, needy.
“Luke,” she whimpers into my mouth.
That need claws at her too. I reach beneath her legs wrapped around my waist and position my cock against her entrance. Lifting my head, I tip her chin up so I can watch her eyes as I ease inside her.
Her lips part. Her breath catches, even as her body welcomes me.
“I love you,” she whispers when I’m completely inside her. “Don’t leave me.”
I barely hear those words, but they grab at my heart. “I never plan to.”
Our eyes lock as we slowly grind together. Our slick bodies press against each other. It’s not about chasing the release. I don’t know that it’s ever been like that with Harper.
I need to be part of her. To feel her take all of me, no matter what I’ve done in the past. No matter how hard I pushed her.
“I love you, Harper.”
She arches against me as her pussy squeezes around me. Her forehead rests against mine as I continue to fuck her, feeling her pulse around me. Her release sweet and all mine.
“Make me yours,” she whispers as her hips rock against mine.
Her eyes captivate me as I drive into her one final time, giving her everything I have. She gives me a soft smile as we both come down.
“I’m never letting you go, Death.” She tightens her hold in my hair.
Something settles into place inside me. “Good.”