Chapter 12

Harmony

“I’LL BE RIGHT BACK. I’M just going to the bathroom real quick,” I whisper to Willow, and she takes her eyes off the screen to look at me.

“I told you not to get the extra-large soda,” she mutters, and I grin at her.

“Whatever.” I stand and duck out of the theater, hearing everyone laugh behind when something funny happens. Wanting to get back so I don’t miss anything, I hurry toward the bathrooms then stop when I run into a huge body. “Sorry.”

I look up, feeling my lungs tighten and my heart stutter when I see my own refection staring back at me through a pair of dark sunglasses. I turn to get away and start to scream, but before I can even make a sound or take a breath, my mouth is covered by a large hand holding a cloth.

I suck in a lungful of air that burns my throat and buck back, feeling my feet come off the floor. Feeling something jab into the side of my neck, my eyes that are suddenly too heavy to keep open start to close, and my body feeling like deadweight falls. I hear people chatting and try to fight, try to open my mouth to yell, but it’s useless as I’m dragged into the darkness.

Hadley

As the credits on the screen start to roll, I stand from my seat, grabbing my purse, my half-eaten bag of popcorn, and my empty soda cup. I smile at the couple that had taken up the seats next to me and scoot past them, not bothering to stick around for the extra feature. Heading down the steps and out of the theater with the crowd, I toss my cup in the garbage and tuck my popcorn away in my bag, figuring I paid close to ten dollars for it, so I might as well pretend like I will eat it later.

Stopping at the restrooms, I wait in line forever for a stall, and by the time it’s my turn, the bathroom is almost empty, so I quickly use one of the stalls, wash my hands, and leave. Going to the exit closest to where my car is parked, I push the door open and start down the sidewalk, hugging my jacket around me to ward off the cold night air. When I see movement out of the corner of my eye, I turn my head and my heart drops into my stomach as I watch a figure dump what looks like an unconscious woman into the trunk of their car and slam it shut.

“Oh, God,” I breathe, covering my mouth with my hand, and then I quickly duck behind the hood of a truck when the person stops and turns my way at the sound of my voice.

Did that just happen? No. No way. I close my eyes, trying to convince myself that I’m imagining things. Hearing a car start up, my lungs compress and I take off at a run without thinking, crouching low behind two cars and down an aisle to where I parked. When I get into my car, I start the engine and grab my cell phone out of my purse. I don’t even know what I’m doing as I pull out after the car, but something in my gut urges me to follow it.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“I just witnessed a man put a woman in the trunk of his car!” I shout into my phone hysterically.

“Where are you, ma’am?” the woman asks, and I tell her the theater name then hold my breath when the light in front of me goes from red to green.

“The light just turned green. We’re leaving the theater parking lot now!” I cry, holding on to my steering wheel tightly as I press down on my gas.

“Which way are you heading?”

“I don’t know. Can’t you track my cell phone or something?” I yell, panicking as the car in front of me speeds up.

“Ma’am, please calm down. Do you see any street signs?” Calm down - is she crazy?

I scan the road, but there is nothing. “I don’t see anything. I’m in a bright blue Nissan Altima. He’s in a black Ford.”

“We’re looking for you,” she says, and I swallow then jerk my head to the right, seeing a sign.

“We’re on Bitterknot Road. I don’t know what direction we’re going, but I just passed mile marker five.”

“Good, that’s good.” She sounds relieved, and I let out a deep breath while sending up a silent prayer. “Ma’am, I’m transferring you over to an officer,” she tells me, and I nod. “Are you still there, ma’am?”

“Yes, sorry, I’m still here.”

“Transferring you now,” she says, the line going quiet.

“This is Detective Cobi Mayson. Who am I speaking with?” a deep voice rumbles in my ear, and I swallow. Cobi Mayson. I know him—or knew him—when I was in high school. Okay, I hadn’t actually known him, but I knew of him. Everyone did. At least, every person with a vagina did, and since I have one of those, I knew him. “Hello.”

“Sorry… Um… Hadley… um… Hadley Emmerson,” I whisper, clutching the phone to my ear.

“Where are you now Hadley?” he asks, and I look for a mile marker on the side of the road.

“Mile maker eighteen.”

“Good, that’s very good. I’m about five minutes behind you,” he says, and I don’t close my eyes in relief even though I want to.

“Thank God,” I whisper.

“You holding up okay?” he asks softly.

I shake my head, then answer, “I just saw someone put a woman in the trunk of a car. It’s dark, scary dark, and now I’m following them, so I’m going to go with no, I’m not okay,” I reply.

I swear I hear a smile in his voice, when he mutters, “Good point.”

Keeping back so I’m close but not too close to the car in front of me, I watch as their brakes light up and they slow, then I watch as they pull off the highway, onto a small dirt road surrounded by trees.

“They just pulled off the road,” I whisper through the fear that has suddenly lodged in my throat.

“Pardon?”

“They just pulled off onto a dirt road!” I yell. “Oh, God, what do I do?”

“Keep driving, we’re on our way,” he orders.

“I can’t do that,” I whisper, blinking away the tears filling my eyes.

“Hadley, pull off the road. Me and other officers are en route. We’re close. Pull over.”

Shaking my head, I hang up the phone and drop it into my cup holder. The idea of something happening to that woman before the cops can get to her, and me just driving by and not doing anything to help, would kill me. Turning off my headlights, I slow down and turn onto the dark road I saw the car pull onto.

Harlen

Hearing my cell ring, I pick it up off the coffee table and look at the screen. Not recognizing the number, I’m half tempted to let it go to voicemail, but with Harmony out at the movies with Willow, I answer. “Yeah.”

“Harlen?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck… okay… it’s Cobi. Willow called. Harmony went to the bathroom during the movie and didn’t come back.”

“Pardon?” I sit up, and Dizzy, who had been lying on my lap, jumps off me and then the couch.

“About two minutes after I got the call from Willow, Dispatch called. A witness saw a man dump a woman in his trunk, and they have been following them.”

“Where are they?” I growl, pulling on my boots.

“On Bitterknot Road. I’ll call and let you know when I locate Harmony.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Harlen—”

“I’m heading that way.” I hang up then dial Wes, Everett, and Mic, letting them know I might need them, and each of them instantly agrees to have my back.

Going to the bedroom, I open my safe in the bottom of the closet, grab my gun, and shove it in the back of my jeans before going to the kitchen. Snatching my keys off the counter, I grab my leather jacket off the back of the stool at the bar, put it on, and then head out the door, not bothering to lock it behind me. As I kick my leg over the seat of my bike, I start the engine, put on my helmet, and back out of the driveway, fear and rage warring in my gut as I take off to find my woman and bring her home.

Harmony

My body feels heavy, my limbs feel stiff and awkward. I blink my eyes open, seeing nothing but darkness while smelling oil, gas, and dirt. It takes a second for my brain to start working, for me to remember what happened. Deep breathing, I look around the dark confined space. I know I’m in the trunk of a car and that the car is moving on what must be a dirt road. The ride is too rough to be paved.

Feeling around my pockets for my phone, my stomach starts to turn with nausea and tears fill my eyes when I don’t find it. Harlen. God, if he knows I’m missing, he’s probably losing his mind with worry right now. No, he’s probably looking for me, and he won’t stop until he has me. I know he won’t.

My lungs burn to scream, and my hands itch to pound against the trunk, but I don’t do that. I don’t want him to know I’m awake. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. If I’m going to make it out of this, I need to use every advantage I have, and one of those is surprise.

“Think.” My eyes close, and I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. My eyes fly open, and I tip my head back, scanning the trunk as my hands feel along the walls. I know I watched a news story a while ago that said all cars are required to have an emergency trunk releases. I just need to find it, which is awkward, since there isn’t a lot of space to move. My legs are bent, my neck crooked. Finding the pull switch, my heart starts to pound. I won’t have long when I pull it to get out and run. I also have no idea where we are, if there is somewhere for me to run to for cover, or if I will be a sitting duck. But running is better than going to wherever he’s taking me right now.

Pulling in another deep breath, I wrap my hand firmly around the lever and pull down. A gust of air fills the trunk, but I don’t let go, I hold it tight and try to peek out. I can’t see much, but I can see it’s dark—that darkness partly because of the trees on either side of the car.

Heart pounding, I let the lever go and throw myself out of the trunk. The car’s not going fast, but I still fall hard, my body rolling across the rocky ground and my knees and hands scraping against the earth. When I see red from the brake lights bounce off the trees around me, I push myself up off the ground and start to run in the opposite direction of the car.

Suddenly, I scream when a car comes out of nowhere without headlights. My eyes meet those of a woman’s through the windshield, and her eyes widen, right before she jerks her car to the side and runs into a tree with a crunch. I watch her airbags deploy, filling the small interior of her car, then see the driver’s door open.

“What are you doing?” she screams, her face pale as a small trickle of blood runs down her forehead. “Run!” she wails, right before the sound of a gun going off fills the woods, bouncing off the trees surrounding us. I run toward her, grab her shaking hand, and pull her with me into the trees, hearing another shot, this one so close I feel bits of wood splinter off a tree.

“He has a gun,” I pant stupidly, fear filling my stomach as adrenalin rushes through my veins.

“I know.” She trips over a fallen tree and cries out, crashing to her knees. I help her up, dragging her with me. “I…” she starts, but I hear her breathing go strangled, like she can’t get any oxygen into her lungs. Hearing that, I know that even if I don’t want to, she needs me to slow down.

I look behind us and don’t see anything, just trees and darkness. I try to listen, but all I can hear is the sound of my heart pounding hard, sending blood rushing through my veins, and our heavy breathing. Seeing a large tree, I lead us there hoping it will provide enough cover for us to stop for a couple minutes. She falls against it when we reach it, her body doubling over, her breathing harsher than before. I scan the trees, my eyes searching for any sign of movement.

“Do you have a phone?” I whisper to her, and she jerks her head side to side. “Of course not.”

“C-cops,” she chokes out harshly.

“I know,” I whisper. “We need to get to a road and flag someone down.”

“No… I… I called. Coming.”

“You called them?” I ask, and she nods. “Do they know where we are?” She nods again, and relief fills me, but it only lasts a second. I hear a branch break close to where we are, too close to where we are. She hears it too; her head comes up and her already pale face loses color. Holding my finger to my lip, I watch her eyes widen.

“I hear you breathing,” we both hear at the same time, and my lungs get tight, my body locking at the sound of a deep voice—a voice I know. “There’s nowhere for you to run,” Dr. Hofstadter calls, and another branch breaks, this time even closer than before. “Do you really think I’d let you ruin my life?” Another branch breaks even closer. “Let your fucking boyfriend beat me up and not pay you back for that?”

We need to run. I just don’t know where to run to. Looking down at the woman, when her eyes meet mine, she must read my thoughts, because she nods. I motion to the side away from his voice, and her eyes close right before she nods, taking my hand I hold out to her.

Harlen

I slow down my bike and pull off on the side of the road behind two police cruisers that are parked blocking the entrance of a dirt road cut between the trees. I shut down my engine and listen to Wes, Everett, and Mic’s bikes shut off when mine does.

“Harlen?” an officer asks, as I prowl toward him, lifting my chin. “Cobi said you need to stay out here.”

“I bet he did.” I move past him and head for the road that he’s trying to block with his body. Unfortunately for him, he’s about a foot and sixty pounds smaller than me, making it easy for me to shoulder past him.

“You need to stay out here,” he repeats, grabbing my arm, and I tug from his hold, turn on him, and shove my finger in his face.

“You do not want to fucking touch me right now,” I growl, and he swallows, looking behind me, his body going even more alert seeing my boys at my back.

“You’re not—”

“Let him go, Don,” another officer cuts in, and he looks at him then at me, and steps aside.

Jogging down the road, I slow when I see a car against a tree, the airbags deployed. “Fuck, I knew you wouldn’t listen,” I hear behind me, and I pull my gun, Wes, Everett, and Mic all doing the same with theirs. “You better have carrying permits for those,” Cobi says, and I grit my teeth, shoving it back into my jeans.

“Where is she?”

“We’re looking. We just cleared this area two seconds ago. I have officers searching the woods, the car up the road, and the cabin farther up. Uncle Nico’s on his way. We’ll find her.” Fuck. I scan the dark, my gut twisting thinking of her out there somewhere, alone and scared. “It’s Hofstadter,” he says, and pain expands throughout my chest and my body jerks. “She’s also got a woman named Hadley with her.”

“Pardon?”

“Hadley, saw him put her in the trunk. I lost contact with her when she decided to keep following after him. That’s her car.” He lifts his chin to the wreck against the tree. “She’s gone. I’m expecting that when we find Harmony, we’ll find her.”

“Right.” I lift my chin and start toward the woods, done with talking.

“You’ll need a flashlight,” he tells me, shoving one toward me, and I take it.

“Tell your officers there are four other men in the woods looking and not to shoot us,” I order, and he lifts his chin.

“Let’s fan out,” Wes says quietly from my side, and my eyes go to him. “We’ll find her.”

Unable to speak, I lift my chin then watch Wes go to the left. Everret follows, and Mic takes off to the right. Staying straight, I keep my breathing natural, unholster my gun, and listen. That’s when I hear a shot ring out, and I take off.

Harmony

“Oh, God!” I cry out as pain explodes through my thigh. I fall forward to the ground, my hands catching me at the very last moment as my head comes up and swings around, looking for where the shot came from.

“Come on.” The woman tugs on my hand and I get up, feeling warm wetness slide down my leg and start to fill my boot. She tucks herself under my arm and wraps hers around the back of my waist, holding me up as I limp as quickly as I can.

“He’s close,” I whimper, tears filling my eyes—not from the pain in my leg, but from the fear that’s starting to overwhelm me. Hearing another shot, we both stumble and fall forward, my awkward weight bringing us both down quickly. I start to push up, but then he’s standing over us, his gun pointed right at me.

“Don’t!” the woman screams, as his finger starts to pull back on the trigger. My eyes close, every moment I’ve had with Harlen flashing behind my closed eyelids. Him asking me to celebrate my new job with him. Him standing in my kitchen holding Dizzy. Him making me laugh as we unpacked. Us standing under the night’s sky at a bonfire. Me tucked against him riding on his bike. Him claiming me as his. Us planning a future. And him putting a ring on my finger. A loan tear escapes my eye as the gun goes off.

Something wet hits me in the face, and I scream, hearing the woman shriek too. Then my eyes shoot open, and I watch Dr. Hofstadter’s eyes go blank as he stumbles to his knees before falling face forward onto the ground. Scrambling away from him, I see a large hole in the back of his head.

“I’m gonna be sick,” the woman whimpers, and I turn to look at her. I feel my body tense as something moves in the dark, and then my eyes widen when Harlen steps into view shining his flashlight on us.

“Honey,” I breathe, and his eyes come to me, scanning me from head to toe, his face going white when he sees my leg.

“You’re hit.”

“I’m okay.” My hands shake and I start to shiver. Coming to me, he drops to his knees at my side. “I’m okay,” I repeat, but he doesn’t hear me, or he ignores me, as he takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. Taking off his plaid shirt, he ties it high up on my thigh.

“Hadley,” he calls, and the woman pulls her wide fear-filled eyes off the back of Dr. Hofstadter’s head to look at him. “I need you to hold it together and go yell for help. As soon as you see someone, tell them we need an ambulance,” he instructs, and she nods. “Go, now.” She gets up and takes off, yelling as she goes.

“You found me,” I whisper, feeling tired, and Harlen’s eyes come to me.

“Stay with me, baby.”

“You found me,” I repeat, my eyes getting heavy as he picks me up, holding me against his chest.

“Stay with me, Angel.”

“I am with you.” My teeth chatter together.

“Stay with me. Don’t go to sleep.”

“I’m just a little tired,” I admit, my body feeling heavy.

“I love you, Angel,” he whispers.

“I love you too.” I whisper back, right before I let the darkness take me.

Hadley

With tears streaming down my cheeks I watch the big bulking man as he climbs into the back of the ambulance with the woman still in his arms. Even with the distance between us I can still see he looks stricken, worried out of his mind. Wrapping my own arms around my middle I look at the doors to the ambulance close then I see it pull away; the sirens blaring, the lights flashing. God I hope she’s okay. I close my eyes only to have them spring right back open when a vision of that man with a hole in his head fills my mind. Looking around I wonder what I should do, I hid myself away in the tree line out of the way when everyone was running to the woman and her man but now… Now I don’t know what to do. Walking slowly toward my car I look at the hood, it’s bad but it’s not horrible. I can probably even drive it, in a daze I open the driver’s door and take a seat turning the engine over.

“Hadley,” I turn my head at the sound of my name and look up into a bright light squinting my eyes. “Jesus, fuck me, fuck me, Jesus.” Two large hands capture my face and I blink trying to focus on the face in front of mine. “Get another fucking ambulance.” The man in front of me roars and I flinch at the sound. “Fuck, sorry baby, fuck, shit, sorry.” His hands still holding me shake and I blink again.

“Mayson, ambulance is en route.” I hear someone say right before I pass out.

Harlen

Three days later standing at the window in Harmony’s hospital room, a room filled with her friends and family, I stare out over the parking lot, sending up a silent prayer to my parents and anyone else who had been watching over her.

After I carried her out of the woods and got us to the road, I found there was an ambulance waiting for us. She had passed out; her body had gone into shock from everything that had happened, and from blood loss. When we arrived at the hospital in the ambulance, they sent her right into surgery, leaving me outside the double doors. I wanted to go with her, but I couldn’t. It went against everything in me to trust they would take care of her.

What seemed like a lifetime later, a doctor came out to tell her family and me that she was going to be okay. The bullet just missed arteries and bone, which was a miracle. If an artery had been hit, she would have died almost instantly, without question. I already knew I was lucky before the doctor told me how things could have ended. But hearing how close she came to losing her life, and seeing firsthand how close to death she was, I knew I was lucky.

“Saved my girl.” Nico’s voice cuts into my thoughts, and I turn my head to look at him, watching him swallow hard. “Fuck, two seconds, and she would not be alive right now. His finger was on the trigger. You saved her.” I do not need a reminder of what almost happened, what I almost lost. That moment is burned into my brain in a way I know I will never go a day of my life without seeing it, without remembering the fear I felt, the way time seemed to stop as he pointed his gun at her and I made a split-second decision to take his life before he could take hers. “Thank you.” He pulls me in for a hug, pounding my back hard, and I do the same before letting him go.

Hearing the sound of Harmony’s laughter, I look at the hospital bed and see her mom and sister on either side of her, a stack of wedding books and magazines on the table over Harmony’s lap, and all three of them smiling at something. Fuck, I knew I loved her before, but now that I know what losing her would feel like, and I know I will never, ever take a moment of time with her for granted.

Lifting her head, her eyes meet mine and I fight back the wetness building in them as she mouths, I love you.