“You on your way back?” she answered cheerfully.
“No, that’s why I’m calling.”
“You’re not coming back—are you.” It wasn’t a question.
“I—I just don’t think I can.” I wiped a tear from my face.
The line was silent for a minute, “I understand, I was actually going to talk to you because I’ve been offered a huge contract and they offered to help me start my own fashion line. I didn’t want to take it and leave you here by yourself though.”
“Sarah, that’s great! You should take it. I’ll know somebody famous!”
She laughed loudly, “When are you going to come get your stuff? Make it a weekend event because we are all going to hit the clubs!”
“I’ll talk to Ryder later and let you know, send me your schedule and we’ll work around that.”
“I’m gone this coming weekend but home the following, so how about that weekend?”
“Sounds great, call me this week. I’m going to be so bored not having you around.”
“You have that hot piece of man candy, I don’t think you’ll be bored. If you are—he’s doing something wrong!”
I laughed, “Okay, love you. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you too, later.” She disconnected the call.
On the drive back to Ryder’s house he kept asking me what my parents had talked to me about. “Do you get to live with me? You should have asked your dad why he hates me. Why won’t you tell me what they said? Say something!”
I looked over at him, “Impatient?”
“What? Oh my god.” He rolled his eyes.
“You look like you’re having a seizure when you do that.” I threw his words back at him.
He looked at me out the corner of his eye, “Learned it from you.”
Chapter 19
Losing our friend Star was by far the worst thing that had ever happened to either of us. Trying to stay strong for Harley was hard but she let me break down a couple of times. Some would say that made me a pussy but Star was like a sister to me.
When Harley told me she didn’t want to go back to school I was shocked but thankful. I wasn’t ready to let her leave and knew that her stress level would be through the roof. I honestly believed that her parents, especially Bryan, would never allow her to live with me and I was fully prepared to argue with him. Back at the house she hummed around the kitchen while she cooked and tried to avoid telling me what they said.
“I swear to god Harley if you don’t tell me what they said I’m going to bend you over and spank your ass until it’s nice and red.” I growled into her ear when I walked up behind her.
“Hmmm, that sounds fun.” She smiled but wouldn’t look at me.
“Harley—“
“Ryder.” Her smile grew bigger.
“Just fucking tell me, please.”
She turned in my arms and slipped her arms around my neck and stared at me, “They said that it’s up to me.”
“Really?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“So—“
“I want you to make sure that you really want me here. If it’s going to be like having a roommate then I’ll stay at my house. I won’t be very happy if you drag some chic home and think I’m fine with that.”
I drew my eyebrows together, “Why would you even say that? I haven’t had anybody in this house since that day that Elise was here, and I sure as fuck haven’t been with anybody else but you.”
“Are you sure that you really want to do this though?”
“Fuck yes.”
“Okay.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed me.
~~~~
She would go work at the fitness center while I worked at the shop, sometimes we would get to have lunch together and sometimes we wouldn’t see each other until she got home. I loved hearing her call out my name when she would come in the door. Don’t get me wrong over the weeks after she moved in we did have our fair share of arguments where she would lock herself in the bathroom or spare bedroom. Or I would lock myself in the shop so I could drink a beer and calm down. The things we would fight about were stupid little things, like me loading the dishwasher wrong. I know now that all silverware should face down and that when I do laundry it’s not okay to wash her clothes with mine. I guess the plus side to fighting is we always had amazing makeup sex, those were Harley’s words not mine. I come to the conclusion she would pick fights just for that reason, most of the time.
The weekend that we went back to campus to get her stuff, Sarah about tackled us both when we walked in the door. I was pretty sure her and Clayton had been staying in contact because every so often I’d mention her and he would get a sheepish grin on his face. Knowing Sarah, I knew that once she had a few drinks she would tell us everything about their quote un quote—relationship.
We went to the same club as before and the same bouncer lifted the red velvet rope for us to get in. Harley explained the he was an ex of Sarah’s sister or something along those lines I couldn’t hear her over the pounding bass. The drinks were delivered to our table, just like last time we each took a shot of tequila and washed it down with beer. Some of Harley’s classmates stopped and visited with us, one petite red head would stare at me then blush and look away when I smiled at her.
“Names Ryder!” I held my hand out to her.
“Chloe, I don’t mean to keep staring but you are absolutely gorgeous. You’re a perfect mix of Jeremy Meeks minus all the tattoos and William Levy. It’s like if they could make a baby together you’d be the product of them.” She laughed.
“I have no idea who Jeremy Meeks is.” I told her truthfully.
Harley gasped, “He’s only the sexiest criminal EVER! Have you been living under a rock?!”
Sarah typed something on her phone, after a minute or two she whipped it in my direction, “That is Jeremy Meeks! I knew you looked like somebody but I couldn’t figure out who!”
“I look like a criminal?” I raised an eyebrow at all of them.
“No…no that’s not what I meant. I should have just kept my mouth shut, I’m so sorry.” Chloe kept apologizing.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I laughed.
“Let’s go dance.” Harley whispered in my ear.
Don’t tell ‘Em by Jeremih started playing. I pulled Harley against me then spun her around and locked my hands on her hips. Swaying our hips together she lifted her arms in the air and moved her body with mine. This song wasn’t one of my favorites but Harley seemed to like it, if the way she was grinding against me with perfect rhythm was my first clue. She turned in my arms and draped one arm on my shoulder the other was swaying in the air in time with the music. I licked my lips and lowered my mouth to her neck, the hand that was on my shoulder slid into my hair holding me in place. As the song started to fade out I pulled away. “Keep that shit up and we’ll be going back early.” I whispered.
She laughed, “Not tonight. I’m going to go use the restroom. Will you order me another shot and beer please?” she kissed me quick then disappeared through the crowd of people. I had to wait in line for close to ten minutes before a bartender was able to take my order. With drinks in hand I went over to the table where Sarah and some of their friends were visiting.
“I’m going to miss you guys, we have to try and get together on weekends.” Sarah said when I sat down.
“We will, you know Harley will bug you and me nonstop if we don’t hang out.” I laughed.
“Where’d she go anyways?”
“Bathroom.” I handed her a shot.
“Bottoms up!” I toasted her shot and we both swallowed them down. Thank god for Taxi’s in this town.
I looked at my watch, it had been close to ten minutes and Harley wasn’t back at our table. “Want me to go see where she’s at?” Sarah asked.
“I’ll go with you.”
We pushed our way through the crowd, there was a line to the women’s restroom and she wasn’t in that line. Sarah walked past them all an
d into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later she came out. “She’s not in there.”
“What do you mean she’s not in there?” I shouted.
We both pulled our phones out, I tried calling her phone but it went straight to voicemail. Sarah tried next and the same thing happened. “What in the hell.” She stared down at her phone and typed out a text. I tried Harley’s phone again it rang twice then went to voicemail.
A lady that I recognized from the dorms as the R/A was about to walk by, “Hey! Have you seen Harley around?”
“Uhmm,” she was drunk and staring at me like I was about to be her next mission.
“HEY! He asked if you’ve seen Harley.” Sarah yelled and got in her face.
“She went out with the Chloe to get some fresh air.” She pointed at a side exit door. I moved her out of the way, with Sarah running behind me I pushed the door open. The alley was dark and reeked of piss and vomit.
I called out Harley’s name but couldn’t hear because of the music coming from the club. Sarah shut the door and yelled for her. We used the flashlights on our phones and pointed them both directions. The more times we called out her name and she didn’t answer my blood started to run cold.
“Did you hear that?” Sarah grabbed my arm and slowly started edging toward the darkest part of the alley. She called out her name a few more times.
That’s when I heard it, the muffled cry and gagging from behind a stack of cardboard boxes. I yanked them back and there she was, her face bloodied, her lips cut and bleeding, and the bottom part of her dress ripped off and tied around her face so she couldn’t yell. She flinched when I grabbed her and pulled her to me. “Baby wake up…wake up Harley!”
Sarah was on the phone with 911 giving them the club address. She was sobbing so hard she had to repeat it a few times. “Ma’am stay on the line with me until they police and ambulance arrive please. Ma’am?”
“I’m, I’m here.” Sarah cried harder when she knelt down closer to Harley and me.
I gently untied the piece of cloth around her head. She gagged, and through her puffy eyes tears started to fall.
“Hang on Harley help is coming.” I rocked her and held her in my arms. It seemed like it was taking forever for them to get there.
Headlights and emergency lights started down the alley, a blinding spotlight from the cop car shining on the three of us. The EMT’s pulled a stretcher over to us and had to practically pry my hands off of Harley. She whimpered and tried to hang on to my shirt. “It’s okay baby I’m going with you I’m right here.” I laced my fingers with hers. Her knuckles were cut up, the palms of her hands were covered in broken glass and dirt. The ambulance crew wouldn’t let Sarah ride with us so she had to ride with the police officer to the hospital. I kissed Harley’s hand and whispered into her ear how much I loved her. “Come on Harley, squeeze my hand.” I waited. “She…what the fuck.” Her hand went limp in mine.
“Sir calm down, her body is going in to shock, our ETA is three minutes.” The EMT radioed to the hospital. “Assault victim, female, multiple lacerations,” he looked at me and asked how old she was, “nineteen years old.”
When the ambulance pulled up into the Emergency lane of the hospital, they quickly lowered the stretcher to the ground and Harley’s cold limp hand fell from mine. Inside the emergency room a flurry of nurses and doctors surrounded her as they pushed her into a room and shut the door in my face. I pounded my hands against the door and screamed at them to let me in. Another nurse walked up behind me, “Sir, I need you to come with me. They need to do their job.”
“Fuck you I’m not leaving her!” I yelled.
“Sir, please.” She grabbed my face and looked up at me. “I’ve been in her shoes before, let them do their job.”
With my back pressed against the wall I slid down and started shaking. Who the hell would have done this to her, why did she go out into the alley with that other woman. Sarah was rushing down the hall toward me, her mascara running and fresh tears streaming down her face.
“What are they doing? Why isn’t he in there? Why is he on the floor?” she was shooting questions at the nurse so fast she didn’t have time to answer.
The nurse held her hand out to me, “I’m Faith, come with me to the waiting room. As soon as the doctors have had a chance to assess her injuries they’ll come speak with you. They’d rather you be in the waiting room not within tripping distance of the door.” She gave me a small smile. I took her hand and numbly walked with her and Sarah.
“Do you need me to call her parents?” Sarah wiped her eyes and grabbed my hand.
“I’ll do it. I can’t fucking believe this.” I shook my head. Her mom answered on the second ring.
“Hey Ryder,” Theresa sweet voice made a lump form in my throat. “Ryder? Hello?”
“I… you guys need to come to the hospital, something happened to Harley.” I choked out and handed the phone to Sarah. There was no way I was going to be able to look at either of her parents. I had promised them both that I would always keep her safe and I had failed. My blood was rushing in my ears so loud I couldn’t even understand what Sarah was telling Theresa. Her hand on my shoulder finally brought me back from the thoughts of how bad Harley was hurting.
“They’ll be here as quick as they can be.”
It felt like hours had passed before a doctor walked into the waiting room. My parents and Harley’s parents were all there waiting with me and Sarah. “Ryder McAllister?” the young female doctor looked up from the chart. I jumped from the chair.
“Here. Can we see her?” Dad gripped my shoulder stopping me from walking out of the room to find where she was at.
“I need to talk to him in private.” The doctor said.
“Tough shit, we’re her parents and these are our best friends. Tell us what is going on!” Bryan yelled.
“First off, I’m Doctor Kathryn. Harley was brought in with injuries related to a very violent assault and…sexual assault.”
I felt like I was going to puke, I sat down in the chair next to Theresa that was now sobbing. “A trained member from are Sexual Assault Response Team has performed a rape kit on her, with that they are going to gather as much DNA evidence that they possibly can. She started to go into shock on the ride here, it’s the body’s natural way of trying to block out the trauma. We did a sonogram on here and I’m sorry to say that the baby did not survive the sexual assault that happened to her.”
The room got so quiet you could have heard a pin drop, “What—did you just say?” I looked up at her.
“Ms. Russell was approximately nine to ten weeks pregnant. Did you not know this?”
“She…that can’t be right. She hasn’t missed a period.” I would have known because that time of the month for Harley turned her into a raging hormonal man hater. The only thing men do right is make chocolate and give us chocolate this time of month.
“I’m one hundred percent positive, and I’m sorry.” Kathryn squeezed my shoulder. “She’s being given medication for the pain so she’s sleeping. You will be allowed to go in and see her two at a time. Before she fell asleep she asked me to pass a message along to you. She said to tell you she’s sorry and whispered what sounded like the name Hunter.”
Chapter 20
I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t open all the way. I could only see tiny slivers of light. My first thought was I was having some kind of allergic reaction to something at supper with Ryder and Sarah. Or that we had been in some kind of accident. Panic started to course through my body, I tried to lift my hand to wipe my eyes but searing pain shot throughout my body causing me to cry out. My throat was so raw and sore I couldn’t even talk, I needed Ryder to take me to the hospital. Something was obviously wrong. I licked my lips; the copper taste of blood covered my tongue. “Ryder help!” I strangled out a whisper and hoped he would hear me and wake up. “Ryder help me.” My own voice sounded strangled and weak.
“Harley baby,” there was Ryder. He woul
d see me and know something was wrong. I thought I heard him say something about getting the nurse. “Baby I’m right here.” His hand on my sent pain up my arm.
“She’s waking up! Harley honey…” was that my mom?
“Baby girl can you hear us? Squeeze Ryder’s hand if you can. The doctor will be in here in just a second.” That was dad. I tried again to speak but my mouth and throat were so dry it hurt. I gently squeezed Ryder’s hand. A warm cloth swept across my face and lips.
“Harley, I’m your nurse, Faith. Can you try to open your eyes for me sweetie?” the warm soft cloth swept across my eyes again. It took a few tries before I was finally able to open them. The light from the room was so bright my eyes started to water, which actually helped me.
I could faintly see Ryder standing to my right, my eyes watered more so I blinked a few times to clear up my vision. I tried to say his name again but couldn’t.
“Harley I know you’re mouth and throat hurt, if you can open your mouth just a little I can let you suck some water off of this little straw that has a small sponge full of water on the end.” Faith said. My head ached when I turned to look at the nurse, “Hi pretty girl.” She smiled and held out the little straw thingy. “Open.” I groaned in pain but managed to open my mouth enough for her to insert the small water soaked sponge in my mouth. “Do this a couple more times then I’ll gently raise your bed up and we’ll see if you can sip some from a straw.” The water she had given me lubricated my tongue enough that it didn’t feel so swollen and dry.
“Careful baby girl.” Dad said, he was standing at the foot of my bed as the nurse pressed the button on the bed to put me in a more upright position. After taking a few sips of the cool water I was able to finally speak although my voice was still raw.
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