“No!” I screamed and turned to run into the kitchen. We had a back door and if I could just get to that, I could get outside and run for help.
Even though my legs didn’t want to move, I forced them to. The adrenaline flowing through my body helped me make it to the back door, but the door was locked.
Oh my God.
No. No. No.
My fear roared in my ears and I gritted my teeth against the nausea forcing itself upon me.
Even though I knew Rogue was right behind me, I turned. I had to. The key for the door was in my bag and I had to at least try to get it.
He stood right behind me when I turned, and because I’d anticipated that, I kneed him in the balls and shoved him hard so he stumbled back.
As he screamed obscenities at me, I hurried to my bag, but then I had another idea. I decided to keep heading for the front door instead of fumbling in my bag for the back door key.
“You fucking bitch!” he shouted and I realised he was close again.
Shit.
I was half way to the front door when his hand latched onto my shoulder and he yanked me back. His strength was too great for me to struggle against and I fell back into his grip.
“You’re gonna regret messing with me, Harlow.” His breath crawled across my face as he pressed his mouth close to my cheek.
No asshole, you’re going to regret messing with me.
Thank God Scott taught me some self-defence.
I dropped my weight and then aimed my elbow up and back at his head. At the same time, I stomped on his feet and then rotated out of his hold. I kicked him hard in the balls again and when he doubled over in pain, I took a step back and kicked up under his face as hard as I could which caused him a great deal of pain.
He held his face as he stumbled around yelling at me. When I was satisfied I’d slowed him down enough, I turned to run as fast as I could away from the café to go in search of help.
As I turned, a car’s brakes screeched outside and in the next moment, something smashed through the window.
Flames came alive right in front of me and I screamed out as they licked my arm.
The glass in another one of our windows smashed and an explosion of fire almost deafened me.
And then everything went black.
14
Scott
I’m going to fucking kill Rogue.
I stalked into the hospital and up to the room where I’d been told Harlow was. We’d received the call nearly an hour ago that there’d been a fire at her mum’s café, and the traffic had been a bitch, so a trip that should have taken me half an hour at the most had taken me almost double the time.
When I finally found her room, and saw her awake and talking to her mother, I let out a long breath of relief. I hadn’t realised I’d been holding it in.
She turned to look at me, and gave me a smile. “Hey, baby.”
I sat on the edge of her bed and took hold of her hand. “Fuck, you had me worried.” I was pretty sure the minute I’d heard the words ‘molotov cocktail’, my heart had stopped beating.
“I was just lucky one of my customers turned up in time to drag me out of the café before I got burnt.”
Guilt that she’d been affected by Storm business washed through me. Raking my fingers through my hair, I said, “I’m so sorry this happened to you.” I turned to Cheryl. “And to your café, too.”
Cheryl nodded. “It’s not your fault, Scott.”
Anger punched through me - at this, and at everything threatening Storm. My gut twisted with that anger and for a moment, I felt like nothing we were doing was working. One step forward and two fucking steps back was what it felt like.
Harlow squeezed my hand and centred me again. I breathed through it and focused my attention back on her.
“Rogue tried to attack me, Scott,” she said quietly, almost as if she was afraid of my reaction. “He is not a good man.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about your problems with him?”
“I didn’t want to burden you with it so I spoke to Blade about it. He’s investigating Rogue for us.”
“Yeah, he told me today. You don’t need to worry about Rogue anymore, sweetheart, okay?” God, it killed me that she’d had to even worry about him in the first place. All I wanted was for Harlow to be safe, and I’d fucking put danger right in her path.
Her eyes widened. “Did he die in that fire? I thought he got out, too.”
I placed my finger to her lips. “All you need to know is that he won’t ever get in your way again. I want you to promise me something, though.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll always come to me with this kind of stuff in the future. I need to know any concern you ever have. I need to know that you’re safe at all times.”
“I promise.”
I bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thank fuck.”
She bit her lip as I straightened, and I knew she had something to tell me – Harlow only bit her lip that way when she was keeping something from me.
“What?” I asked.
Her mouth curled up in a smile and her hand rested on my forearm. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, and for the second time today, my heart skipped a beat.
And then it sped up.
“The baby’s okay after the fire?” Jesus, I’d torture Rogue before killing him if the baby had been harmed. Fuck it, maybe I’d torture him anyway.
“Yes, thank God. The doctor just wants to keep me in overnight to make sure.”
Even though my legs didn’t want to move, I forced them to. The adrenaline flowing through my body helped me make it to the back door, but the door was locked.
Oh my God.
No. No. No.
My fear roared in my ears and I gritted my teeth against the nausea forcing itself upon me.
Even though I knew Rogue was right behind me, I turned. I had to. The key for the door was in my bag and I had to at least try to get it.
He stood right behind me when I turned, and because I’d anticipated that, I kneed him in the balls and shoved him hard so he stumbled back.
As he screamed obscenities at me, I hurried to my bag, but then I had another idea. I decided to keep heading for the front door instead of fumbling in my bag for the back door key.
“You fucking bitch!” he shouted and I realised he was close again.
Shit.
I was half way to the front door when his hand latched onto my shoulder and he yanked me back. His strength was too great for me to struggle against and I fell back into his grip.
“You’re gonna regret messing with me, Harlow.” His breath crawled across my face as he pressed his mouth close to my cheek.
No asshole, you’re going to regret messing with me.
Thank God Scott taught me some self-defence.
I dropped my weight and then aimed my elbow up and back at his head. At the same time, I stomped on his feet and then rotated out of his hold. I kicked him hard in the balls again and when he doubled over in pain, I took a step back and kicked up under his face as hard as I could which caused him a great deal of pain.
He held his face as he stumbled around yelling at me. When I was satisfied I’d slowed him down enough, I turned to run as fast as I could away from the café to go in search of help.
As I turned, a car’s brakes screeched outside and in the next moment, something smashed through the window.
Flames came alive right in front of me and I screamed out as they licked my arm.
The glass in another one of our windows smashed and an explosion of fire almost deafened me.
And then everything went black.
14
Scott
I’m going to fucking kill Rogue.
I stalked into the hospital and up to the room where I’d been told Harlow was. We’d received the call nearly an hour ago that there’d been a fire at her mum’s café, and the traffic had been a bitch, so a trip that should have taken me half an hour at the most had taken me almost double the time.
When I finally found her room, and saw her awake and talking to her mother, I let out a long breath of relief. I hadn’t realised I’d been holding it in.
She turned to look at me, and gave me a smile. “Hey, baby.”
I sat on the edge of her bed and took hold of her hand. “Fuck, you had me worried.” I was pretty sure the minute I’d heard the words ‘molotov cocktail’, my heart had stopped beating.
“I was just lucky one of my customers turned up in time to drag me out of the café before I got burnt.”
Guilt that she’d been affected by Storm business washed through me. Raking my fingers through my hair, I said, “I’m so sorry this happened to you.” I turned to Cheryl. “And to your café, too.”
Cheryl nodded. “It’s not your fault, Scott.”
Anger punched through me - at this, and at everything threatening Storm. My gut twisted with that anger and for a moment, I felt like nothing we were doing was working. One step forward and two fucking steps back was what it felt like.
Harlow squeezed my hand and centred me again. I breathed through it and focused my attention back on her.
“Rogue tried to attack me, Scott,” she said quietly, almost as if she was afraid of my reaction. “He is not a good man.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about your problems with him?”
“I didn’t want to burden you with it so I spoke to Blade about it. He’s investigating Rogue for us.”
“Yeah, he told me today. You don’t need to worry about Rogue anymore, sweetheart, okay?” God, it killed me that she’d had to even worry about him in the first place. All I wanted was for Harlow to be safe, and I’d fucking put danger right in her path.
Her eyes widened. “Did he die in that fire? I thought he got out, too.”
I placed my finger to her lips. “All you need to know is that he won’t ever get in your way again. I want you to promise me something, though.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll always come to me with this kind of stuff in the future. I need to know any concern you ever have. I need to know that you’re safe at all times.”
“I promise.”
I bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thank fuck.”
She bit her lip as I straightened, and I knew she had something to tell me – Harlow only bit her lip that way when she was keeping something from me.
“What?” I asked.
Her mouth curled up in a smile and her hand rested on my forearm. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, and for the second time today, my heart skipped a beat.
And then it sped up.
“The baby’s okay after the fire?” Jesus, I’d torture Rogue before killing him if the baby had been harmed. Fuck it, maybe I’d torture him anyway.
“Yes, thank God. The doctor just wants to keep me in overnight to make sure.”
