Trapped in her darkness

4- Convincing her

James PoV

I should have expected that they would not be thrilled with my proposal.

“To be clear, I meant both of you will be moving in with me. Given that you, Connor, took her in your car, you could easily become a target.”

This further explanation did not seem to appease either of them.

I suppose that Connor, being completely infatuated by Harper, was not happy that he will not have her only for himself.

I glance at my brother, and I notice that he is more than not happy. He is fuming. If he wants to score with her, he needs to be more subtle in his approach.

Weird enough, I am glad that he is not good at this!

I glimpse at Harper… Well, let’s say that Harper is looking at me as if I proposed to skin her alive!

“I cannot move in with you! I have already put Connor’s life in danger! I will not do that to you or your whole family! Oh my God, do you have kids? Oh no. no. I should really leave.”

This should not be my priority, but I vehemently do not want her to think I am married or that I have kids.

“Hey, Harper, Breathe! I am not married, and I do not have kids. I live alone in my house, but it is a very secure house. And you know who we are up against. You will both be safer at my place. At least for now, until we have a plan.”

“No, No. I cannot move in. I think it would be best if I slept here for tonight and I will leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Ok. And then, where would you go?”

“I…I will…” she stammers.

I see her struggling to answer me and I know it is because she does not have a plan. I just need her to realize that it is safer to come with Connor and me.

“I … will leave the city. I will go somewhere else where they cannot find me.” she finally says, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Except that you have done that already. Didn’t you just tell us that you have been to twenty different cities in the past five months? And still, they managed to find you every single time?!”

“James is right, Harper. Come with us and we will protect you.”

“Or you will get hurt because of me! I cannot do that. You have been so nice to me, I cannot bring trouble to your doorsteps.” She whispers.

She is not looking at us, her head is held down, but I know that she is crying. Her voice cracks every time she answers me.

“Let us help you, Harper. Please, I cannot imagine setting you free in the dangerous streets.” Connor pleads.

Connor can be a bit of a drama queen, but this time, I think he is right.

She abruptly stands up and starts pacing in Connor’s living room.

“You are right… I cannot move to another city… It is of no use… I… I know! I will steal some money! I used to steal money for my parents… I can do it again. Yes, that’s it! I will steal money and give it to the MS-13 gang as a down p*****t or something.”

She looks so cute, pacing right and left in the living room, stopping from time to time to think and weigh her options, speaking incoherently, and then pacing back again.

I smile at this adorable scene in front of me. I wish the situation was not serious, to just sit and watch her ramble and babble.

“How much do your parents owe them?” Connor asks her.

She stops in her tracks and looks at him, a pained expression covering her face.

“A lot…”

“How much?”

“One million dollars…” She whispers, almost ashamed

“WHAT! How can two junkies owe that much money to a drug ring?” Connor exclaims, flabbergasted.

“They were not only junkies, they were distributing drugs for the gang…” she tries to explain, but her voice cracks again and she shakes her head, desperation in her eyes.

“And not only did they not pay for their drug consumption, but they also ran away with the merchandise…” I continue for her.

One million dollars… If the gang gets their hands on her, she will spend all her life at their service. They will never set her free.

What f****d-up mother would do that to her daughter!?

I am infuriated!

“But I think if I steal for a couple of weeks, I can amass ten or maybe twenty thousand dollars. If I give them that much money as a down p*****t, they will let me go, right? Because they see my… what is it called… goodwill.”

Is she really that innocent and naïve?

“Harper… Twenty thousand dollars will never be viewed as a down p*****t for such a huge debt. If you go to them with twenty thousand dollars, they will lock you down and...”

I do not finish my sentence, out of consideration for her, but also because I cannot fathom seeing her dragged into prostitution.

Her eyes budge out of their sockets when she understands what I am implying.

“What? Noooo. I would never… I mean stealing is wrong and bad. I know that. But I must do it…I do not have a choice… It is better than selling my body… God, I would die if…”

“No! You will never have to go through this! I will help you, Harper. We will help you.” asserts Connor, his voice unrecognizable.

I suppose he is as worked up as I am by all those revelations and by those f****d-up cards Harper was dealt.

Conner strokes her cheeks gently, wiping the tears away, then looks at me, with an unreadable expression.

I maintain eye contact, trying to understand what he wants, and then when he tilts his head towards Harper, I get it.

And this is the stupidest idea ever. This i***t wants to pay her debt! Does he think it is that easy? What the hell is wrong with him?! There is a long list of things that could go wrong… No correction... that WILL go wrong.

You know what, I am not doing this now. I need a Scotch first before I tear him off a strip.

“Harper, how about we take this, one step at a time?”

She tilts her head to the right, her beautiful brown eyes focused on me. It is impressive how expressive her eyes can be.

I clear my throat, forcing myself to focus on our priorities.

“There is no need for a plan tonight. We are all tired and need to rest. So, let’s go to my place, get some rest, and tomorrow, we can strategize and decide jointly how we can help you. Do you agree?”

She stands there like a statue, thinking about my proposal. After a few minutes, she sighs and nods her head.

“Good. Very Good. Thanks, Harper.” I thank her, relieved that she will not go through with her crazy plan for now.

“Connor, do you need to pack a bag?”

“Yes, go ahead and we will follow up. I will drive Harper to your place.”

“I think it would be best to leave your car in the garage for now. Just in case.”

“I’ll take the Range.”

“Showoff!” I cough, mocking him.

“Jealous!” retorts Connor.

I hear a giggle, the most enchanting sound ever, and both Connor and I turn around to look at Harper who was laughing at us, her hand covering her mouth to muffle the laughs.

“Is she laughing at us? Are you Miss?” Connor pretends to be offended.

“I am not!” she takes a step back, raising her hands in the air in surrender. A big and beautiful smile illuminates her face.

I shake my head laughing at their banter... I don't know why, but it warms my heart to see her smiling.

“Keep an eye on her. Her sassiness is dangerous.” Connor jokes as he goes to his room to pack this stuff.

When we are left together, an awkward silence fills the room.

“I have not laughed since forever…” she whispers, her eyes on the floor.

She was blushing, and boy did I want to hug her and kiss those pink cheeks. The effect she has on me is scary… Is she a witch or something?

“It’s been five months?” I ask her, given that she has been on the run for five months now.

“Say rather five years.” She sighs.

“I am sorry you had to go through all of this.”

“I am used to it. I will be ok. And I promise I will be out of your way tomorrow morning.”

“You…”

“Please believe me when I say that I did not want to come here with Connor. I just wanted a lift to get away from them. I begged your brother to drop me at the bus stop, but he refused.”

“That’s my brother.” I reply, smiling at her.

“He is a really nice guy.” She says, her eyes filling up with guilt and sadness.

A message notification beeps on my phone, cutting our chat short.

I check my phone and it is a message from Ethan:

EVERYTHING OK, J?

I promised I will keep him updated and I just noticed that it has been over two hours now.

I text him back:

ALL GOOD. WILL CALL YOU IN FIVE MINUTES.

“I am ready!” Connor says as he comes back with two duffle bags in hand.

“Let the slumber party begin.” he jokes as he grabs Harper’s hand and walks out of the apartment with Harper by his side.

I roll my eyes at his carefreeness. I hope he is just trying to lighten up the mood because otherwise, it would mean that my brother does not understand the gravity of this situation!