Collide in Plain Sight

Chapter 8

Pierce

"I don't want a puppy, Pierce." she says gently, her eyes going wide as she looks up at me. "I want my freedom." she murmurs. 

I feel like an ice pick has been speared through my chest at her words. I've done everything I can think of to make it comfortable here for her. I knew it would take some time for her to adjust. I just never considered what to do if she couldn't adjust.

"You know..." I say quietly. "My mother always told me if you find someone precious in this world, someone that brings nothing but positivity to everything they touch, keep them close. Keep them safe. Take care of them, because it's likely no one else is." I say, looking away from her out the window towards the beauty of the setting sun. 

I watch it for a long time, considering what I'm going to say next. I know it will likely impact how Harlow views me for the foreseeable future, so I need to be careful. I look back over at her, once again taken aback by her beauty. I know she can't see it, but only after a couple of days of being here she looks so good. So relaxed, so calm. There's no more dark circles under her eyes, her shoulders aren't hunched in constant tension, her hair is tousled and down rather than pulled back tight on top of her head. If she had looked like this before, I never would have taken her.  This is how she should always look. The irony isn't lost on me that being kidnapped seems better for her than her every day life was.

"That's what I found in you, Harlow. Something precious. You bring joy to every single person you interact with. You leave them better for knowing you. So I watched you from a distance. Tried to keep you safe. And just like mom said, no one was there to take care of you. Do you remember that night you went out drinking?" I ask. She looks thoughtful for a moment before recognition flashes across her face. 

"Yeah. The girls I went out with were annoying as fuck so I drank way too much to deal with them. All they cared about was who was the hottest or had the best dress, stupid shit like that. Then there was a guy that kept messing with me, too. The whole night was a mess." she says and I nod.

"That guy? He didn't just mess with you, Harlow. He followed you." I say.

"What do you mean?" 

"When you left the bar, by yourself because your friends just left you, he followed you towards that alley. He went to grab you, but I was there. I got to him before he could touch you." I admit, my hands clenching as the anger from that night resurfaces. "That's when I knew you needed someone." I say. "I knocked him out, left him there unconscious then followed you back to your house to make it sure you made it there in one piece."

"I had no idea." she murmurs, curling in on herself slightly.

"I didn't want you to. I wanted you to feel comfortable. To feel safe. But that was when my need to bring you here heightened." I admit. "I became obsessed with your safety. I couldn't focus for long without needing to be sure that you were alright. It wasn't so bad when you were at work, I figured you have security guards, buttons you can push if you need help. But you were all alone in that house, sweetheart." I say, feeling my voice go pleading as I beg her to see my reasoning. "Anything could have happened to you. A burglar, a fire, an accident. You could have fallen, broken something, gotten trapped somehow and no one would have knows for days maybe." My voice turns panicked and Harlow reaches out to pat my hand gently. 

"Just calm down." she murmurs. Her touch is enough to settle me and I take a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment before I look back at her. 

"I just... I know this doesn't make sense. That you're confused and probably still a little scared. I'm sorry for that. But please, Harlow. Please, just give this place a chance. Try to see what I'm talking about. To understand me. That's all I'm ever going to ask of you." I say, looking at her for one last moment before standing and walking up the stairs. 

When I get to my room, I close the door behind me, leaning forward to rest my head against the cold, hard, wood. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, questioning my decisions for the hundredth time. I told her I would do anything to make her happy. 

And I will. 

I resolve to let her go, if I truly can't make her happy here. I'll send her back to her life just as it was, but I decide to give her a little more time to acclimate to this new life before I do. 

For the next few days, I leave Harlow alone. I still cook for her, but otherwise I leave her to her own thoughts. I watch her on the cameras, but knowing she's in the house with me seems enough to tamper down my obsessive thoughts, so I'm not doing it as frequently as I used to. On the fourth day I receive a phone call from Charles that the pool is done. I'm hoping a new activity will give her a little more excitement. She's used the last few days mostly to relax, read a few books, work some more on her new hobby, but I worry she's getting bored. After I hang up the phone I walk towards the craft room, knocking gently on the door to get her attention. 

"Yeah?" she asks. 

"Will you come with me?" I ask. 

"Why?" 

"I have a surprise for you." I say with a grin. She rolls her eyes, but there's a slight smile in them when she puts her project down and stands up from the chair. She stretches, her arms going high enough that her shirt slides up to expose part of her stomach. I avert my eyes, trying to ignore the sound she makes until she starts to follow me. 

I don't say anything, I just lead her through the house towards the back. There's a door there that I have never seen used for anything, so I had the construction crew turn it into a door for the pool. I open it and Harlow follows me out. 

"What is this?" She asks, looking at the glass walkway I had put in that would lead from the main house to the structure that holds the pool.  

"I didn't want you to get cold, walking outside." I say, leading her through the tunnel towards the door that opens into the pool. 

As soon as we step inside, the humidity from the temperature controlled air hits me along with the heavy scent of chemicals. I hear Harlow gasp from beside me and look over at her, but she's staring at the glass ceiling with gape mouthed awe. I can't help but grin at the sight. 

"You like the waterfall?" I ask, motioning towards the grotto where a small waterfall covers the opening for the cave where a hot tub is nestled away. 

"Holy shit. Is that a slide?" she asks. 

I nod as she wanders towards the stone looking slide that twists down the side of the grotto and ends at the base of the waterfall. 

"I thought you'd like it." I say, meandering towards one of the walls. 

I push a button and fountains start on the edge of the pool, shooting water in the air and splashing down with satisfying plunking sounds. Harlow giggles a little and looks over at me before something behind me catches her eye. 

"What's that?" she asks, motioning towards a door. 

"The sauna. And those are heated towel racks. And in there is a bathroom. It has a small closet with a bunch of swimsuits for you to choose from." I say, opening the doors and showing her around. 

"What's that button?" she asks, pointing towards a bright red one on the wall. 

"That's for the roof. You can open it when the weather's nice." I explain, pushing the button and letting it open slightly. Cool air filters through the room, making Harlow shiver. I close it and watch her reaction as she wanders around the space. 

"This is incredible, Pierce." she says quietly, looking out at the gloomy, gray, autumn sky. 

"I'm glad you like it." I say honestly. "I thought you could pick out some plants for in here. Make it kind of like a tropical paradise." I suggest. She turns to look at me, her face softening for a moment. She nods in agreement before she heads towards the bathroom. 

"I'm going to change. I can't wait to swim." she says. 

"Alright. Have a good time." I say, turning to head back towards the house. 

"You're not going to swim with me?" she asks. I turn to face her, a gravel of hope jostling around in my chest. 

"You want me to?" I ask. She nods, smiling slightly. 

"I bet I swim faster than you." she teases. I chuckle and shake my head. 

"We'll see about that. Go change, then we'll race."