Trapped in her darkness

8- Judgement Day

James PoV

They don’t warn you about alcohol for nothing! Alcohol can make you say and do things you know you will regret when morning comes… But when you add jealousy to the mix, the result is even more explosive!

I hear the words come out of my mouth, but I have no control over them. It is like an out-of-body experience… I already hate that she fears me, and with this s**t show of mine, I am sure she will not come near me any time soon.

I promised Ethan to go home and sleep on it, yet here I am initiating a confrontation at 1a.m.!

“Umm. James, I… I don't feel comfortable. You are too close.” she says in a brittle voice.

I hate that I am scaring her…I hate that I saw her in Connor’s arms… I hate everything about this f****d up day!

Connor tries to push me away, but he is not as strong as I am.

“James, let her be.”

“Step aside, Connor!” I snarl, my eyes focused on the little angel whose eyes were bulging with fright.

I know I need to back down and go to sleep, but alcohol and jealousy get the best of me, and I continue with my aggressive interrogation.

“What is your full name little harp? What is your mother’s full name? Where was she born? When and where were you born?” I ask.

“W…why are you asking for those details about me and my family?”

“Because this is the minimum that we need... No, that ANYONE needs in order to help you.”

She wiggles trying to free herself from my hold, but I just tighten my grip on her.

“Please, you are hurting me.” she whimpers.

“That’s it!” Connor yells.

He steps in front of me, shielding her from me. And this pisses me off even more.

“Let her go, James. You are drunk.” Connor tries to free her from my hold unsuccessfully.

“She goes when she gives me the information I asked for.” I tell him.

I look back at her, and smirk.

“We want to make sure that you are not a crook!” I sneer at her.

“A.. A crook?” she stammers, her eyes burgeoning with tears.

“Oh my God, you think I am conning you?” she gasps.

“James, stop it!” Connor yells at me once again.

He turns to look at her, cupping her face with his hands.

“Are you OK?” he asks her softly.

I cannot see her reaction as he is standing in the way, but I do hear her voice, and I notice the determination and pain in her voice.

“Yes… I think I should leave.”

“What? No, you cannot leave like that.” Connor begs her.

“Playing the damsel in distress role again?” I mock her.

She pushes Connor to the side and looks me straight in the eyes. Gone the scared little bunny… Her eyes are on fire and her nostrils are flaring.

“How dare you think I am scamming you?” She scolds me.

“I wanted to leave last night. I wanted to leave the moment I got in Connor’s car. You are the one who insisted I stay! And you call me a thief?” her voice rises an octave.

Even though I am at the other end of her admonishment, I am mesmerized by the angry little woman in front of me. If anything, I think I am even more attracted to her now, than to the scared little lamb we have seen in the past twenty-four hours.

“Yeah, what did you expect me to do? To let you go alone in the middle of the night; when you just said that you are being hunted?” I retort.

“No, you are right. Why leave last night with my dignity intact, when you can insult me tonight and then throw me out!” she replies, her voice dripping with venom.

Fuck, who would have thought that the little damsel in distress had that much fire in her?

“You are not leaving.” I state.

“I know when I'm not welcome.”

“You're not leaving tonight. Tomorrow you and I will leave together.” Connor affirms.

“What are you saying, Connor?” I say, surprised by his words.

“You heard me. You don't want to help her? No problem, we will go back to my apartment, and I will help her on my own.”

“Connor, I have already explained to you about the dangers of…”

“You do not have a say in this. You don't believe her anymore, but I still do.”

“Connor.”

“No James. Until a few hours ago, you believed Harper. Even after our discussion with the guys, you believed her story… Right up until our discussion, you and I, back in your office. Do you see the irony? I know what you are doing, and I am not letting her go. I go where she goes.”

Unbelievable! He thinks I am doing all of this out of spite?! Because I can't have her, I don't want him to have her!

I am done with this discussion.

“I am going to sleep. Good night. I expect to see both of you tomorrow morning at this house. I will inform security that you are not allowed to leave.”

I turn around to go to my room when I hear Connor soothing Harper.

“Don’t worry, Harper. I will not let him, or anyone, hurt you.”

Fuck you, Connor! f**k you! I mutter under my breath as I slam the patio’s doors behind me.

I am so worked up that I spend the night tossing and turning restlessly. Snippets of my discussions with the guys, of my fight with Connor, of my argument with Harper… they are all playing in a loop in my head.

I give up at dawn and decide to head to the gym next to my garage. Maybe this will help me blow off some steam and clear my head.

I work out at the gym for three full hours, until my body can’t take it anymore. On my way back to the house, I see Harper and Connor sipping coffee in the open kitchen.

Harper was sitting on a kitchen stool and her face was unreadable. However, her red and swollen eyes are enough to know that the night was not easy on her.

And can I blame her? She has a murderous gang on her ass and instead of being her friend, I accused her of all sorts of felonies.

Connor has his left hand on her back, rubbing it in small circles.

“Good morning.” I say.

“Morning” Harper replies, her eyes on the coffee cup.

“Harper, I apologize for my behavior last night. I was out of line.”

“Yes, you were.” She replies, softly.

My eyebrow shoots up, surprised by her forthrightness. Is the little lamb gone for good? I do not mind dealing with the fiery Harper.

“But you have the right to doubt me. I will leave as soon as you tell your security team. They did not let me leave when I tried earlier.” She adds

“I don’t want you to leave, Harper.”

“I cannot stay, James. I … I cannot answer your questions.”

“Why?”

“Because you do not know how dangerous those people are. If you start searching for my mom, they will notice, and this will open their eyes on you and on me.”

“Harper, I work with the best private investigators in the country...”

“I… I just want to leave.” She says, her voice shaking.

Connor glares at me and he stands up and takes her in his arms.

“Shhh… I got you, Harper… I got you, baby.” He whispers in her ear.

Stupid me! I pushed those two into each other's arms with my outburst last night.

“Listen, why don’t we go to our family brunch and unwind? We can discuss everything when we come back home.” I propose.

“We are not going to brunch today.” Connor says.

“Since when do you skip brunch?”

“Since brunch turned into an interrogation.” He taunts.

I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. It is safe to assume that my i***t brother told her about our discussion with the guys. And now she is afraid and does not want to join us. I cannot blame her, especially after the scene I made last evening.

“It will not turn into an interrogation. I will make sure of it.”

I step closer to Harper, close enough to see the few cute freckles on her face. Her hands were resting on the kitchen counter just next to her empty coffee cup.

I reach out and put my hand on hers. She jolts back, her eyes widening. Not sure whether she is just surprised or feels what I feel… that her small hand fits so perfectly in mine…

“Harper…” I say gently.

She gulps, her eyes on our intertwined hands.

“I would really like it if you joined us for brunch. It is a fun and friendly brunch. I promise.”

She looks at Connor, who is brooding, most probably unhappy with the proximity between us. Then she looks at me, and for the first time ever, she does not look at me with fear in her eyes. Unfortunately, I see pain… Raw pain.

I am not sure why I brought such emotions in her, when everything I was trying to do was to reassure her.

I gently squeeze her hand, and smile at her.

“I hope my smile is not creepy this time.” I wink at her, referring to our first encounter.

“No, not at all.” She laughs, her beautiful face lighting up.

“Good. Let’s go get dressed and meet back here in thirty minutes. OK for you two?” I ask.

Harper nods as Connor sighs and follows suit.

I lean down and kiss her on her cheek. I hear her gasp, but she does not flinch.

“Thank you, my little harp.” I whisper.