Harper couldn’t sleep that night. She stayed up, pacing her apartment, her hands either clutched behind her back or yanking at her hair. She needed to stop or she would pull out a chunk of her scalp. She couldn’t think logically anymore. She couldn’t sit down and write her article without Zach’s face flashing in her head. She knew a little bit about the law and knew there wasn’t sufficient evidence that she knew of keep him in jail. He would have the opportunity to bail out, but the hours passed and he still hadn’t shown.

She was going to kill Bryan. How dare he go to the police! She was going to go down to the police department herself to issue a statement about how Zach was simply defending her but stopped. She didn’t want to make it worse, and she had a job and the team to think about. Zach could afford a good lawyer, he could afford bail, he could…

She shook her head. She wished she had friends she could to talk to about this. Harper was tempted to call her grandmother, but she knew the old woman would go on a tirade about how awful Bryan was, and she didn’t particularly want to talk about Bryan right now when the mere thought of him infuriated her to no end.

Harper knew he was bad news. She knew he was trouble. She just didn’t think he would ever do something as crazy as this. Which was stupid on her part. She should have known better.

And Zach… She hoped Zach would still want to be with her, but that was a stretch now, considering. And she couldn’t blame him. Why the hell would he want to be with a girl whose ex literally got into a physical altercation with him and then got him arrested for assault? Probably not any sane person, that much she knew for sure. Which meant this new, fragile beautiful thing she had with Zach could be threatened because of a stupid choice she made when she was younger.

Maybe she could fix this. She had no idea how, exactly, but maybe there was something she could do to get Bryan to change his mind and drop the charges. Maybe there was a detective assigned to the case she could give her statement to.

She hated not being able to do anything. She felt helpless, and while pacing helped her burn some calories, it did nothing for her nerves.

At that moment, there was a knock on her door. She jumped at the sound of it, hoping, praying that it was Zach. She all but dashed to the door and sprung up on her toes in order to look out of the peephole.

Bryan.

Harper frowned. Definitely not who she expected to see. But maybe this was a good thing. She took a breath and opened the door. She would not cower when she saw Bryan face to face. She would not be afraid. She would demand he drop the charges and then get out of her life, once and for all.

“Yes?” she asked. Her entire body was tense – not because she was afraid but because she wanted to brace herself in case he attempted to push through the door as he had before.

“Is that how you greet an old friend?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and giving her what had once been a charming smile. Before he choked her. Before he had Zach arrested.

“No.” She paused, waiting for him to say something. Her eyes burned with frustration, anger, and she felt those emotions that she used to be so afraid of gave her confidence and faith in herself. She felt stronger simply by experiencing these emotions and not backing down.

Harper wouldn’t lie. She was still afraid of Bryan. There was a small part of her that might always be afraid of him. But that part was small and ignorant. This new woman used that fear as a strength rather than a weakness.

Bryan gave her a flat look. “We should talk,” he said.

Harper pushed her brows up. “I agree,” she said with a nod of her head. “So talk.”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.

“No.”

He clenched his jaw. “I would prefer not to talk about this in public,” he told her. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you at all. I could just walk away, let the law implement its justice.” He turned his head so Harper had a clear view of the black eye on Bryan’s face and she bit back a smile.

“Oh, please, Bryan,” she said. “You know one of my friends works for Newport PD, right?” She looked at him like he was a moron. Which he was. “What happened after what you did to me? Even though I had bruises on my neck from when you choked me, did charges ever get filed? Or did they drop charges because there was insufficient evidence against you, despite the bruises on my face? The only good that came out of it was the restraining order.”

“That expired, by the way,” he said.

“Something I’m going to remedy very soon,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Actually,” Bryan said, extending his pointer finger, “I don’t think you want to do that anytime soon. You want me to drop the charges? I have a deal for you.”

“Why would I want to take you up on a deal when charges are going to get dropped anyway?” Harper asked.

“Are you absolutely sure they will?” Bryan asked, tapping his chin and tilting his head to the side. “Are you sure his case won’t get sent to the young, hotshot LA fan, looking to throw the book at some Newport Beach hockey player in order to prove a point about violence in athletic settings – even on a professional level – and make a name for himself? Can you really guarantee that?”

Harper clenched her teeth together. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She couldn’t guarantee that this wouldn’t go to trial. Yes, Zach would bail out. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go to trial. It didn’t mean the young, hotshot assistant district attorney wouldn’t push for more investigation. That could bring up stuff Zach didn’t want to get out, stuff about what happened in Toronto. It would put his family drama in the spotlight. It would ridicule Seraphina – again – for taking a chance on a problem player. The team itself would be ridiculed, perhaps even the sport due to its violent nature.

As much as she hated to admit it, Bryan was right. She couldn’t guarantee anything.

“What do you want?” she all but spat. Her eyes were still burning, and there was a part of her – a small part of her – that hated him. It was the same size as the part of her that feared him, and even though the majority of her was indifferent to Bryan, the part that hated him was at the forefront of her body right now, taking over her emotions and causing her temper to flare.

He smirked because he knew he had her. She wanted nothing more than to slap that smirk off of his face. Her fingers twitched and she had to shove them behind her back in order to keep herself from actually indulging in temptation.

“I want to be given the opportunity to start over,” he told her, his voice as smooth as silk. It didn’t seem that he cared about their past, about the effect he had on her now and how his actions caused life-long repercussions. Because Bryan didn’t care about her or her feelings for him. As long as they were together, that was all he cared about. “I want us to reconnect. I want us to have a second chance.”

“That will never happen,” Harper told him. “You said it yourself: I’m with Zach.”

Bryan flicked his wrist dismissively. “Trivial matters that can be rectified with time, patience, and forgiveness,” he told her. “Maybe you’ve shared a couple of dates with the guy, but you and I have a history. That counts for something.”

“Not when the history between us is filled with yelling, fighting, and abuse,” Harper pointed out.

“I didn’t abuse you,” Bryan snapped, his entire body contorting into a defensive hunch. “I lost control of myself. It was a mistake, a mistake that will never happen again.”

“That’s what they all say,” Harper quipped before she could stop herself.

Bryan narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have to give you this chance,” he pointed out. “Zach can rot in the courtroom for all I care. You think I don’t know he’s going to bail out? Of course I know that. I’m not an idiot. He’ll be out for a few weeks until the prosecutor pushes for a quick court date and he’s forced to go to trial. Then, they’ll bring in character witnesses. You know what those are, right? They portray him a certain way. You know the first place they’ll go, right? Everything and everybody will be dragged in the mud. But you can prevent that.”

Harper looked at him skeptically. “So all I would need to do is go on one date with you?” she asked. “I don’t have to be with you. I don’t have to go on a second date. Just one date?”

Harper didn’t want to agree. She wanted to be far away from him at all costs. But she knew that what he told her still had some truth sprinkled in. It wouldn’t surprise her if they tracked down Gordon Brewer’s wife and she spewed her lies on the stand, despite being under oath, just to get back at his rejection.

Bryan nodded. “I can’t guarantee you that there won’t be more than that, should your old feelings start to resurface,” he said. “But yes. I will drop all charges if you agree to go on one date with me.”

Harper clenched his jaw. “Once the charges get dropped,” she said finally, “I will agree to one date mid-afternoon in a public place.”

“One date at night where you have to dress up,” Bryan pushed, “and then I’ll drop the charges.”

Harper shook her head. “Charges get dropped first,” she insisted. “You don’t think I know that it’s at the DA’s discretion whether or not they prosecute a case? What happens if you go ask for the charges to be dropped, and your friend, the hotshot ADA refuses to drop them? You make good on your word and I’ll go on a date with you.”

“At night,” Bryan put in.

Harper’s nostrils flared. “At night,” she agreed, though she did not want to. “I will dress up.”

He stuck out his hand. “You have a deal,” he told her. “Expect a phone call in the next couple of days.”

Harper dropped her gaze to Bryan’s outstretched hand before looking back at his face. There was no way in hell she was going to touch him in any capacity, not even to make their deal official.

He dropped his hand when he finally realized she wasn’t going to shake it and nodded his head. “I’ll see you soon, Harper,” he murmured as he turned around to leave. “Very, very soon.”

Harper all but slammed the door shut, taking extra care to lock it. She leaned against it, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She pulled at the roots of her hair gently, but just enough to feel a pull of pain. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

All that mattered was getting Zach out and keeping him there.