Page 5 of Intertwined Souls
She rises to her knees and inches forward next to me, bringing our faces close. Raising a trembling, aching hand, I cup the back of her neck and pull her close. Gently pressing my lips to hers, she makes a noise in the back of her throat and cups my cheeks in her hands, ending the kiss far too soon for my liking.
Opening my eyes, I meet her tear-filled ones. “Harley…”
“I’m scared,” she whispers. “Not of this—this shit with David, that’s a different story. But I’m terrified I’m going to lose you. We don’t know what’s happening to your body. Cade, I just found you. I can’t lose you yet. I’m not ready.” She shakes her head, a few tears escaping down her freckled cheeks, “I can’t ever lose you.”
“Babygirl, you aren’t going to lose me. The world may be a cruel place, but we don’t meet the other half of our soul only to lose it. I have to believe that.” My chest tightens in a way it never has before.
All these emotions, feelings, her tears—they are foreign to me. And yet, they don’t feel wrong. Everything about Harley feels meant to be.
“Just please be okay. Save your strength. I’ll do what I can.”
Nodding, I press our foreheads together, but we are quick to pull apart at the sound of thudding footsteps coming towards the door. Harley backs away, sitting against the wall next to me. My eyes widen when she takes a shuddering breath, pulls her knees to her chest, hunches her shoulders, and begins silently sobbing.
A lock clicks, and the creaky door is pushed open. It takes me a few seconds to adjust to the brightness, a dark figure coming into focus.
“Ah, you're awake. I’m surprised,” David hums. “Maybe you weren’t given enough.” He tilts his head, staring down at me.
“What happened to you giving me this supposed antidote?” I rasp, glaring at him.
He tilts his head at me as a grin stretches over his face and he slowly glances at Harley. “I’ll think about it. It really depends on how you choose to behave.”
Based on the cocky smile on his stupid fucking face, I’ll bet he doesn’t have any plans to actually give it to me. If he even has something that could help me at all. He just wanted Harley here and under his control in the easiest way possible.
Harley lets out a loud sniffle and raises her head up, letting the tears continue to stream down her face. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you want,” she sobs.
David rolls his eyes. “Please don’t tell me you're losing your fire already. I was very much looking forward to breaking you. I expected more out of you, Harley. Honestly, losing it over some kid?” He raises a brow at her and lets out a dramatic sigh.
Harley cries harder, and the sounds coming from her are heart-wrenching. As much as I know this isn’t fully real—these tears are not fake either.
I want to know what happened. What was said. Did he lay a hand on her? Trying to let my anger rise and take over is futile when I can feel my body getting weaker by the second.
Harley jerks up to her knees, moving towards David. “Please,” she begs, raising her hand to rest on his thigh. He sighs and pets her head. He shouldn’t be fucking touching her. I will my body to do anything, to get up. Help her. She shouldn’t have to do this alone.
Bile threatens to rise watching his hand move through her hair, knowing I’m useless. I’m fucking useless right now.
My eyes droop as I watch him grip the back of her hair in his fist and yank her to her feet. Harley lets out a small gasp of pain. There are fast movements on the other side of the room that I can’t fully make out as my vision blurs and my eyes refuse to stay open.
Blinking quickly, the room spins and my head throbs as my body slowly falls to the side. There’s a loud grunt somewhere across the room.
And then there’s nothing at all.
Chapter Two
Harley
Staring up into the eyes of the man who took everything from my mom, I want nothing more than to watch the life drain from his pathetic body. Slowly… painfully.
But instead, I have to get us the fuck out of here. I can hear Cade behind me, his breathing getting more ragged by the minute. He has been looking more clammy and pale the longer we’ve been here.
He needs help, and he needs it now. Help Cade, I repeat over and over again to keep all the other thoughts shoved back into a corner.
Forcing a few more tears to fall, I blink up at David. “Please.” I beg.
He reaches his hand down and runs it through my hair. My breath catches, and I break out into goosebumps everywhere, but I force my body to stay still, not panic. Bile rises in the back of my throat at the feel of his clammy hands on me, but I swallow it and do my best to shove any and all feelings down.
I can be repulsed when I am not at his mercy. When our lives are not hanging in the balance, depending on my actions in this very moment.
His hand stops at the back of my neck where he fists my hair and yanks me up off my knees. I gasp, the pain seeping in for a split second, but just like my time at Tammy’s I shove it down and stay focused.