Harrison
She was pissed. And I was pissed off.
She was doing her best to screen herself from me in the throng of dancers. The strobe lights made it difficult to see, and the music was bloody dire, the loud, thumping beat giving my headache a headache of its own.
Working my way through the crowd, I positioned myself better. The view of Lily’s swaying arse and the flow of her long, auburn hair were only just visible.
I’d been glued to her for six days – a whole one hundred and forty-four hours of pure hell. She was stubborn, feisty, and a nightmare to shadow, always vanishing right from under me. But it was her funny quirks, her humour and, I’ll admit, the fact that she was easy on the eye that had made those hours almost bearable.
I’d intercepted a few nasty notes and it was now a certainty that someone had taken a real dislike to Lily Cooper. Most of the letters had been religious babble, condemning her to hell, but one had sent a cold shiver up my spine with the vehemence behind the words. I’d sent them off for examination, but I didn’t hold out much hope of any forensics. This person wasn’t an amateur, far from it. The first letter had been sterile, and I knew the others would be the same.
“Can I get you a drink, handsome?”
Shaking my head and glancing at the blonde fluttering her eyelashes at me like it would make me rip her clothes off and give her the hard fuck she was after, I turned my gaze back to Lily. “Nope.”
I felt her tense beside me, my sharp tone offending her. Nevertheless, it worked; she got the message and teetered off on her ridiculously high heels towards another poor bloke.
Lily smirked and danced her way towards me, her legs intertwining as she swayed across the dancefloor. I was surprised she could see me; her heavy-lidded eyes weren’t actually in focus. “You smooth talker, Harrison.” She giggled and supported herself with a hand to my chest when she wobbled sideways. “You have such a way with women. Although, don’t get me wrong, her tongue was licking the tips of your shoes, she was so hot for you. You’re more than welcome to take her up on her offer. I’ll be fine with the guys and Kit as long as you don’t screw her at my house,” she shouted in my ear over the loud din.
“I won’t be screwing her anywhere, Miss Cooper.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically, the alcohol running through her bloodstream exaggerating her expressions. “Lighten up, Harrison. You’re such a stickle brick.”
“A stickle brick?”
Her striking chocolate eyes looked up at me as she nodded erratically. “A stickle brick,” she repeated with a slow slur. “A prickly brick.” She laughed loudly, her eyes shining with glee. “I’m surprised I managed to say that right.” Her eyebrows dipped when she concentrated. “Did I say that right?”
She hiccupped and held a hand to her chest, blanching as she wet her dry, pale lips with the tip of her tongue. “Eww,” she muttered as she swallowed hard.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” She pressed against me and placed her ear to my mouth. Her tits squashed against my chest, unwillingly causing my dick to stir in my pants. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. What?”
“I asked if you were alright. You seem a little… green.”
She poked me in the chest and nodded once. “Yep. I’m a little vomity, Mr Cole.” I didn’t miss the glimmer of tears in her eyes, but she blinked harshly, sealing them away before they escaped.
Vomity? Was that even a word?
“Do you need some air?”
Once again, she nodded and prodded me. “Sounds like a good idea.”
Taking her by the wrist with my thumb and forefinger, she curled her fingers into my palm, and as if impulsive, I enclosed her small fist in my large one. I notified her friends that Lily needed some air and we would be back shortly, and then I led her outside.
She leaned back against the brick wall and sucked in vast amounts of cold air.
“Do you usually get so inebriated?”
Her brows shot high and she giggled. “Inebriated? What the hell, Harrison? How old are you exactly?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Going on eighty-eight,” she mumbled under her breath, but I caught it.
“I’ve been reading your file,” I stated, choosing to ignore her remark. “I’m surprised your case was never closed.”
She scoffed. “That’s because they never found them.”
I nodded, surprised she was so open. I’d understood from her parents that the subject of Lily’s abduction was never to be discussed. However, I now wondered if that was for Jax and Eve Cooper’s self-preservation and not Lily’s sanity.
“Is it possible that it could be your captors that are once again tormenting you?”
She shrugged and leaned forward, grabbing her knees as she blew out long stabilising breaths. “Maybe, but I can’t see why. It’s been eight years. Why now?”
“Generally, I find the purpose is the least plausible consideration.”
She frowned at me as she tried to figure out what I had just said. I knew that sometimes the way I spoke baffled her. Lily Cooper was a say it like it was kind of person, whereas my upbringing gave me a more ‘distinguished’ tongue, even if my foster parents had tried to beat it out of me on many occasions.
“I will need to go through everything you can remember. It may dig up some corpses, I’m afraid, but it may give me something to work with.”
“Sure.”
A loud squeal from over my shoulder had my training kicking in, and I quickly moved Lily behind me so I could shield her. Spinning around, I rested my hand on the handle of my piece in preparation for a fight.
“Oh - My - God!” A girl shreiked as she jumped up and down with her friends. “I’m right, aren’t I?” She looked around me, peering at Lily with wide eyes. “You’re Lily Cooper from Quantum Rock!”
Lily softly placed her hand on my forearm and smiled at me. “It’s okay, Harrison. She’s just a fan.”
Nodding, I moved aside but remained vigilant.
“Please can we have a pic with you?” another girl asked, her face glowing with excitement. “I love all of your music.”
“Can you tell Cage that I love him!” Another gushed.
“If you’re ever inclined to sleep with a woman, let me know!” The first girl offered as she thrust her phone at me and posed for a photo with Lily and her friends.
I scoffed at that one. Lily laughed and promised she’d let the girl know if she ever wanted to have lesbian sex.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” Lily stated after the girls got their photograph and tottered off inside the club.
“It is rather intrusive.”
Settling on a small wall, she looked up at me and asked, “So, Harrison Cole, what’s your story?”
“I don’t have one.”
“I very much doubt that. You’re quite a serious dude, something in life made you grumpy.”
There was that runaway mouth again.
“Nope.”
“Nope,” she parroted.
I scanned the vicinity when, instinctively, the hairs on the back of my neck raised in warning. Nothing seemed untoward. Drinkers milled around the place, laughter and drunken singing filling the air. Yet, I couldn’t settle the sense of being watched, the apprehension in my gut making me step in front of Lily once again.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, standing up but remaining behind the protection of my body.
Drawing out my phone, I called Lily’s driver and told him to bring the car around. I had specifically ordered him to park nearby, so within minutes he was pulling in front of us.
Guarding her, I ushered her into the car and slid in behind her. “Call your friends, tell them you’ve gone home.”
She did as I asked without argument. Anxiety poured from her and I frowned when I noticed her digging her long nails deep into her inner thigh.
“Don’t do that.”
She blinked, unaware of what she was doing. Following my gaze, she looked down at her leg and turned her face towards the window to hide her embarrassment.
“What happened back there?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” She scoffed. “Then why bundle me into the car and scare the ever-loving shit out of me?”
“Precautions, Miss Cooper.”
“Jesus! That’s all I get? ‘Precautions’,” she fumed. “And can you not just call me Lily? You make me sound like a frigging school teacher!”
I wasn’t sure if I preferred her drunk. The frustration that had suddenly changed her happy mood had me narrowing my eyes on her. She was wringing her hands together, her left leg was twitching, and the way she gnawed on her bottom lip was a cause for concern. She was edgy and agitated.
Trying to ease her worry, I gently placed my hand on her jiggling leg to hold it still. “I just had a vibe. Just being cautious and better to be safe than sorry.”
She mumbled something under her breath that I didn’t catch and refused to speak to me all the way back to her house.
Suited me. It was the only time she’d shut up in six days.