by Cameron Hart
“Don’t talk about her that way,” I growl.
“Talk about who, exactly?” I can tell he’s getting impatient.
“Harper.”
Her name hangs heavy in the air as Dan and I stare at each other in silence.
And then Dan laughs. He’s actually belly laughing.
“Oh, Christ, Levi. You and my daughter? Was it really that slim of pickings at the party?”
What the actual fuck?
On one hand, I’m glad I don’t have to fight him on this, but on the other hand, I can’t possibly comprehend his blatant disregard for his own daughter. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. He’s been nothing but cruel to her the entire time I’ve been here.
“I love her, Dan. I was prepared to defend our relationship to you, for Harper’s sake, but now I don’t give a fuck. She’s mine. She will no longer be needing you or Tracy. And for the record, I’m out. I’m done doing business with you.”
His amused face changes in an instant.
“Now, hold on, Levi. Don’t do anything irrational here.”
“Too late. I can’t stand for her to be poisoned by you any longer. Now that I see what kind of man you’ve become, there’s no way I’d ever share a business with you. I won’t have that on my conscience.”
Dan looks downright deadly right now.
“I’ll give you Harper, but you have to sign a contract guaranteeing me five more years in our partnership.” His voice is hard and icy. He’s not fucking around.
“First of all, Harper is not a piece of property you can just give away. She’s a person who can make her own choices. Second of all, the fact that you’re willing to use your own daughter as a pawn to further your own agenda only further proves my point about you being a total dickhead. And finally, I don’t give a fuck about the business. I’m out. Once my lawyers clear up the mess with the lawsuit, I’ll have them work on a deal for you to buy me out. I won’t work with you, Dan. You disgust me.”
I don’t wait for his response. I turn on my heel and pull out my phone to call Harper as I walk out of his office.
And then I hear it. The click of the safety on a gun.
I freeze in place.
“Do I have your attention now, Levi?”
“Yes,” I reply, trying to remain calm and in control. Strangely, I’m not at all concerned about getting hurt. I can only think about Harper, and how I can’t leave her with these people.
“Good. That’s good, Levi. Now. I was trying to be nice before about you sticking around for a while longer. But you’ve forced my hand here.”
My back is still facing Dan, but I hear him get up and walk towards me.
“You might have noticed that I’m pretty sparse on staff around here. Truthfully, it’s been a slow couple of months for the Atlanta branch.”
“But your numbers have been—”
"Not your turn to talk!" He shouts. "As I was saying. We haven't been doing as well as we used to. I made a few poor investments, but I know they are going to pay off in the end. I have some money wrapped up in a sure thing, but I need you to remain here, and carry through on this lawsuit for it all to work out."
“What the fuck are you talking about, Dan? What did you do?”
“Ah-ah-ah, I’m the one with the gun, so I think I get to ask the questions and call the shots, don’t you?”
“Sure, Dan. Can we just talk? I don’t understand what you need from me. Maybe I can help if I know what’s going on.” I have zero intention of helping him, but I need to try and diffuse the situation.
Dan hesitates, but eventually he agrees, resuming his position behind his desk while I take the chair in front of him.
“I got myself into a bit of a bind with the SEC. I was supposed to have cashed in on some investments by now, but they fell through. Our numbers for this branch look fine on paper. It’s the ones from your Chicago branch that are a bit sketchy, hence the lawsuit against you.”
“What? But there’s no evidence. I thought it was some bullshit claim from my ex to bring me down, my lawyers—”
“Are in my pocket. There’s enough evidence to put you away for a long time, my friend. They’re probably finding a pretty nasty trail leading right to you as we speak.”
Well, fuck.
“So, why are you telling me this, Dan? You can’t possibly think I’d just sit here and agree to be your scapegoat.”
“Well, if you just stayed away from Harper and played your part, you could be looking at what, five years in a white-collar prison? But now you’re going to pay with your life. Poor Levi, so wracked with guilt he took his own life. Shot himself in the head, right here in his business partner’s office right after confessing everything.”
I don’t even think, I just duck in front of the desk, right as a bullet whizzes by my head.
“Jesus, Dan, you’ve lost your fucking mind!”
“Insulting a man with a gun, not a smart move, old friend.”
He comes around the desk and I stick out my leg to trip him. He goes down, but not before firing off another shot. This one is even closer. I have no idea how he didn’t hit me. I’m just lucky his aim is as shitty as his investment skills.
The gun is knocked out of Dan’s hand when he hits the ground. I scramble to pick it up and then I tower over his body on the floor, keeping him in place with a foot on his chest and the gun pointed at his head.
“Careful now, Levi. If you kill me, it’ll only make you look guiltier. I found out what you were up to and you had to eliminate the threat.”
“I’m not a fucking monster like you. I I’m not going to end your life, Dan. Knock you out with the butt of this gun, however…”
In one swift move, I hit the side of his head with the gun. He’s out cold. I’m not sure what the best course of action is, but I just bought myself some time. I wipe the gun off and place it back in his desk before storming out.
Once in my car, I wrack my brain for something, anything to hold on to. Any way to prove my innocence.
“Goddamnit!” I yell, pounding my fist on the steering wheel.
I long to go to Harper, to hear her calming voice and have her kiss away the betrayal. I want to take her away from this fucked up mess, but I don’t want her caught in the middle of it. I can’t contact her until it’s all over. I’ll figure something out, and when I do, I’m making Harper my wife. I literally ache for her, but the idea of having a future with the love of my life spurs me on to do what comes next.
I have to go to Chicago.
Chapter 12
Harper
Holy fucking shit. And I don’t say that lightly.
I got a call from Levi in the middle of class. My phone was on silent so I let it go to voicemail. When I got the chance to check it after class I almost just deleted the message. It sounded like a pocket dial. But then I heard my dad.
“I’m the one with the gun, so I think I get to ask the questions and call the shots, don’t you?”
I froze in place and listened to the entire exchange, all the way up until Levi hit dad in the head with the gun. Or, at least that’s what I assumed the dull thud was. I’m so glad I have this voicemail, it’s all the proof he needs to put my dad away and get Levi’s name cleared.
I call him again and again, but I’m sent straight to voicemail each time. I send him text after text, needing to get through to him somehow.
I can’t have a total meltdown in the middle of campus, so I jump in my car and drive to my apartment. I’ll think of something to do, someone to call. Can I call the SEC? Do they have a number? I don’t care, I’ll fly to D.C. myself and hand my phone over to the FBI headquarters if it means Levi can be proven innocent.
I’m shaking as I pull into my apartment building, dropping my keys a few times before finally getting it in the lock and opening my door. I’m so amped up, I don’t even notice Tracy sitting on my couch till she opens her big, stupid mouth.
“There’s my little whore.”
I jum
p out of my skin. I'm already so on edge that her presence almost gives me a freaking heart attack.
“What do you want? Never mind, I-I don’t…I don’t have time for your shit,” I stutter out. I feel myself becoming unhinged with worry, fear, anxiety.
“Language, Harper.”
“Fuck you, Tracy.” Yup. Definitely unhinged.
"I'd be very careful about how you talk to me. I know your secret. I know you've been sucking Levi's dick and letting him have his way with you. But do you know about his criminal activities?"
My face is neutral. I don’t want to give anything away.
“How about his ex-wife, huh? Did he tell you about her?”
That one gets to me. I knew there had been other women, I mean I’m not naïve enough to think I was his one and only, but a wife? That’s a much deeper, more intimate relationship. I try to shrug it off, but Tracy must see the color drain from my face. I honestly feel like I’m going to pass out. Between the adrenaline from the phone call, Tracy’s revelation, and not eating all day, I suddenly feel too weak to stand. I back against the wall, trying to support myself as much as possible.
“I told you not to get involved with him. Did you think he actually cared about you? How could he?”
“He cares, I know he does.” My protest sounds weak even to me. I allow myself to slide down the wall and slump on the floor.
“I’m afraid your punishment is going to be worse than a broken heart.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The apartment. I told you what would happen if you went against my wishes. Your father and I are done paying for this place. In fact, I may have forgotten to pay last month’s rent, so you have about a week to get out of here. You’re being evicted. That’s what I came here to tell you.”
Completely defeated, I close my eyes and rest my head on my knees.
I hear Tracy’s heels click on the floor before she opens the door and slams it closed.
Awesome.
How did my life go from so wonderful and deliriously happy to homeless and lonely and lied to in one day? I take a few deep breaths and pull out my phone to call Emma. God, I feel horrible that my stupid actions have made her homeless too.
✽✽✽
Two hours, two pints of ice cream, and a bottle of wine later, I’ve told Emma everything and I’ve finally stopped crying.
“Emma, I’m so, so sorry,” I say for the hundredth time tonight.
“Harp. Please stop apologizing. It sucks, yeah, but it’s not your fault. At all.”
“But—”
“Nuh-uh. No, ma’am. No more pity party. We’ve got a shit ton of packing to do. And then we’re going to fucking trash this place.” Emma gets an evil grin on her face.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Tracy and Dan are on the lease, and this is all their stuff, right? The dishes, the furniture, yadda, yadda, yadda.”
I nod, still not sure where she’s going with this.
“Right. So, if we trash it, not only will it be a nice cathartic experience that I think we both need to get over the men in our lives, but it’ll probably put them out a few thousand bucks. Seems like a win-win.”
“Okay, well I’m not ignoring the fact that you have a man in your life you need to get over, but time is of the essence. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss that when we’re living on the streets.”
“Pish posh. I’ve been saving up these last four years.”
“Pish posh?” I tease.
“Yeah, your eighty-year-old jargon is rubbing off on me, I guess,” she says as she rolls her eyes.
I laugh for the first time since everything went down, and it feels good.
“Anyway. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. My parents didn’t teach me much, but I learned not to depend on anyone for anything.” I start to protest, but she puts up her hand to silence me. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m so grateful for the generosity of your family, even though I hate everyone but you,” she winks. “But I knew this gig was too good to last. So I’ve been saving away. I have enough for you to get a hotel for the next few days and then put a deposit down on a new place. It for sure won’t be anything as swanky as this, and it might be considered slumming it, but—”
I don’t let her finish, I just launch myself at her, practically tackling her onto the couch.
She hugs me back and we’re both laughing and then crying and then laughing again. She’s the absolute best person I know, and I’ll be forever in her debt in more ways than one.
When we finally separate, I wipe the tears from my eyes.
“Are you sure, Emma? I have some money too. It’s not a lot, but I want to chip in what I can.”
“I’m sure, Harp. You do what you can, I know you’re good for it.” She grins and I know we’re going to be okay.
“Pack first and then wreck this place before peacing out?”
“Oh, my little Harp. I’m like a proud momma peacock.” She wipes fake tears from her eyes.
“Momma peacock?”
“Don’t sass mommy peacock, Harper. Now let’s get packing so we can trash this joint!”
Emma claps her hands excitedly and puts on some loud music for us to pack to. I don’t know what the future holds, and I still need to figure out how to get that voicemail in the right hands, but right now, I need to focus on the things I can control.
Chapter 13
Levi
I’ve been in Chicago for nearly three weeks. I expected to be arrested as soon as I landed, but I made it back home and have been here ever since. The fear isn’t as present as it was when I first got back, but it’s still very much there.
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to prove my innocence. I don’t want to tamper with whatever shit Dan has in place otherwise that will make me look even more guilty. Instead, I pull up proof of my branch’s success, hard evidence that we are doing what we say we’re doing. It’s not much, but it’s something.
I haven't talked to Harper since I left. It hurts every second of every goddamn day, but I need her to stay far away from this mess. I'll come back for her when my name is cleared, that is if she even wants me back. I’m sure Tracy and Dan have filled her head with so much shit about me.
My body aches for hers, my fucking soul feels incomplete. I carved out space for her deep inside of me, and every minute she's not with me makes me acutely aware of how empty I am. I don't know how I survived without her, and I don't know if I can handle it if she rejects me. I might have to stalk her, make her forgive me, make her see how much I love her.
I never even told her that. I regret it every day. I wish she knew. Some part of me believes that she knows. She has to.
As much as it hurts, I had to block her number. I did it as soon as I left Dan and Tracy’s. I’m sure she thinks I’m an asshole, but I have to do this. If Dan really has the evidence he says he does, then me contacting his daughter right after a confrontation with him makes everyone look bad.
I took the first week off to get my affairs in order in case I was arrested. By the start of the second week, however, I decided to resume my life as normal. Not that anything feels normal without Harper, but I have to keep up appearances.
I’ve almost called Harper a dozen times. A hundred times. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last. What’s the protocol on stuff like this? Can I call the SEC and ask if they are ready to arrest me yet? I hate living in this limbo. One more week and I might just break. Turn myself in. Write Harper an apology letter from prison.
It’s the beginning of another miserable week in my own personal hell. I start the day off with a cup of coffee and a side of misery. As soon as I walk in the door to my office, I’m greeted with the most unpleasant sound in the history of the universe. My ex-wife’s voice.
“Levi, hon, you’re back,” she croons in her fake high-pitched voice. I don’t know how I lived with that for seven whole months. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me now.
/> “Haven’t you already caused me enough grief for one lifetime, Gabriella?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, hon,” she says as she waves her hand in the air as if dismissing my reaction.
“You know I don’t like being called ‘hon,’” I growl.
“What? It’s my little pet name for you, you know that.”
“Yes. My point exactly.”
“Why are you such an asshole, hon?”
I open my mouth to argue with her, but I refrain, barely holding myself back. I don’t have time to get sucked into her drama. Running a hand down my face, I take a deep breath.
“What do you want, Gabriella? Why are you here?” I try to say in a calm, even tone.
“You don’t have time for me anymore?” She pouts.
I look her over, unable to imagine what I ever saw in her. It makes me long for Harper. Gabriella is stick thin and cold, whereas Harper is all curves and warmth. Gabriella is fake and desperate for attention, but Harper is genuine and just starting to build up her confidence.
God, I miss her so fucking much.
“Levi. Answer me,” her harsh tone breaks into my thoughts.
“No, Gabriella. I don’t have time for you. You are nothing to me, which means I don’t owe you any of my time.”
She looks genuinely pained, but I know it’s all a front. When I don’t react, her eyes grow hard and she narrows them at me, giving me her best death glare. Gabriella’s face is twisted up in anger and she looks so ugly right now. Not because of her features, per se, but because of her very essence. She is wicked, and it shows in her every expression.
“Fuck you, Levi.” Ah, there’s the Gabriella I know. “I came to tell you it’s all over with. Your hideous, fat girlfriend saved your ass.”
“What did you call her?” I can’t process the rest because my brain is stuck on the fact that Gabriella somehow knows Harper, and that she insulted her.
“She’s far too young for you. Did you fuck her so you could turn her against her father?”
