After about a half hour, I decide it’s now or never. Zane has no idea I’m coming, but that’s how it needs to be. I need to see if what he said is the truth. If they’re going to be alright with us together, me here. Not to mention, I haven’t seen Zane and I have no idea what is going on behind these walls. I walk up to the door and pull it open. When I step inside, I’m impressed with how good it looks. I haven’t been inside since I was a kid and it didn’t look anything like this. It’s comparable to mine. It’s clean, the lighting is decent, and the crowd is really great. The girls are familiar and I want to run out of there. My goddamn father. He’s taking their talent. Fuck.
I’m suddenly pulled aside. I yank my arm away and look over at Kace. “Fuck, Kace.”
“What the hell are you doing, Harper?” he hisses.
“Relax, I’m here for Z. I promise,” I say.
He looks at me and takes a step closer. “What the fuck?”
“Please don’t,” I say, touching my cut up, swollen face. “How are you?”
“Z is going to lose his shit when he sees you,” he warns.
I swallow and look up at his serious face. “I know. Seriously though, how are you? I heard what happened.”
He gives me a smile and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I’m alive, sweetheart.”
I laugh, nodding my head. “Yeah you are. Are you still with Rachel?”
“I’m not staying with someone who can’t be bothered to help when I’m on my deathbed.”
“Shit, sorry,” I say. “She was a bitch anyway.”
We both laugh and he sighs. “You want me to call Z up here?”
“No, I need to see something for myself. If you could just tell me where he is, that would help.”
“He’s in the back with Brooks. You can’t just go back there, Harp,” he warns.
“No shit. I’ll just sit and wait,” I say, walking away from him.
I’m not here to hide. I’m here to see how welcome I really am. Reid and Alex come to sit with me for a few minutes. I’m taken aback by the hugs I receive from them. They both ask how I’ve been and say they are going to kill my father for the way my face looks. It’s almost like I belong here. So far, anyway. But, when the doors open and Zane walks out with Brooks and Enzo, I’ll admit, I put my guard up. I glance at the exit and back at them. When they reach the table, Brooks is the first to smile. Which for him is strange. He’s a miserable asshole, so it’s a red flag.
“Harper, it’s good to see you,” he says. “Christ, what the hell happened?”
Zane pushes everyone out of the way and grabs my hand. He pulls me to the back without a word. He turns down a long hallway and I know it’s the rooms they stay in when they decide not to go home. It’s either to escape or to fuck. I hate the idea of either. Especially when we go into the room and he locks the door behind us. I notice a lot of his belongings and it makes my stomach drop.
“You’re staying here?” I ask with disgust.
He gently touches my face before turning around and punching the door. “Is this because of me?”
“No, it’s because of me,” I say.
“What the fuck happened, babe?” he asks, his voice low and pained.
I go to sit down on the bed, but think better of it. Who the fuck knows what’s gone on, on there. I lean against the dresser instead and cross my arms. “You know how I like to run my mouth,” I say, trying to joke about it. He steps closer, no sign of amusement on his face. I decide it’s better I go with the truth. “My father and Dom. I said some shit they didn’t like.”
“Fuck,” he mutters. He once again gently strokes my cheeks. “I’m gonna fucking kill them both.”
“It’s not worth it. It’s over and I’ll heal.”
“The fact that this doesn’t enrage you, enrages me more. How the fuck can you just let them do this to you and just take it? I know you’re stronger than that,” he yells, pacing the floor.
I grab his arm to make him stop pacing and look up at him. “It does enrage me. Go look at my fucking kitchen. But, there’s nothing I can do. The more I say, the more I get.” I close my eyes briefly and sigh. “Except Dom. I’m gonna kill that asshole myself.”
He wraps his arms around me and holds me tightly to his chest. He kisses the top of my head before resting his chin on it. “There’s my girl.”
He keeps a tight hold on me for what feels like hours, before I pull away. “I’m not here to talk about that. I’m not looking for you to rush in and save me.”
“I know that,” he whispers.
“I’m here because...fuck...you said all that shit and then just disappeared. What the hell do you want, Z?”
I hate saying it, but I won’t just let him wrap his arms around me and pretend. This isn’t a game. It’s real and it’s scary. I need to be steps ahead of my club at all times. If I’m not, I’ll end up in a fucking body bag.
“I meant every word I said, babe. You think it’s easy to stay away from you? I did it because you were nervous about your old man. Obviously, I made the right decision. If this wasn’t because of me, I’d fucking hate to see what would be. I know he left a few hours ago. I was going to be at your place tonight,” he says.
I search his eyes and I know he’s being honest. It relaxes me and makes me feel like a fool. I’m always expecting the worst. Not because
