Separately Together

Chapter Ten: 2/2

"Unless you want to be buried under the next construction site, leave." Harley grabbed my upper arm and tugged me down the stairs and right past the men that were meant to be my end.

"What in the hell have you got yourself into, sweets?"

~.~.~.~.~

We rode in silence. My failure to explain what landed me in this situation left the car feeling tense and uneasy. A feeling I'm not used to feeling around Harley. His involvement with everything intrigued me interest but how could I expect him to explain that to me when I wouldn't, or rather couldn't, explain my situation to him? It would be unfair.

After about thirty minutes of driving, he pulls into a gated community. The guard posted in the station sees the car and the gate opens. No, I.D., he didn't even have to roll his window down.

I can't help but let my eyes roam around the community, it was nighttime, so everything was lit up by only streetlamps, but many people were still out walking on the sidewalks, and a few teenagers riding their bikes.

Friday nights, I wonder what it must be like growing up behind these gates. Never having to glance over your shoulder to make sure that you weren't being followed. This community, Skylight Cove, probably produces well rounded straight A students.

It was a fully functional neighborhood. I could faintly make out the map that had the location of a grocery store and a few more shops, you wouldn't ever have to leave the gates if you had a stay-at-home job and good health. They might even have a local doctor.

I glance at Harley, his appearance seeming gloomy, when he feels my gaze on him, his jaw tightens, making me miss the flirty goofball that he was a couple of hours ago.

This place didn't suit him, at all. He pulled into the house that was at the end of the main road. It was navy blue with white accents. It was modern and well-built, fairly new if I was right.

The yard was up kept as was every yard in this gated haven. He goes to open the door, but I stop him. I needed to fix this before we go inside. Maybe I should give him a brief outline of what was going on, he might even tell me how he got us out of that back at my apartment.

"Harley. " He exhales deeply before letting go of the door handle and turning to give me his attention. "I was seventeen. Very impressionable. I-I g-got stuck at the library."

My head spins as the memories I locked away with a million locks and threw away all of the keys flood through me. tears gather up in my eyes, but I push them away because I didn't want to cry in front of him, didn't want him to know just how bad the full truth was.

I wanted, needed, to save that for just myself.

"Finnic had a late night at the physical therapist and my mom was out of town seeing Aunt Ellie. So, I was sitting outside of the library just waiting on him to get through when he..." I sneer out the last word, starting to panic on the inside just knowing that he wasn't behind bars anymore. "Vickers Oliver. He offered to take me home. Pretty much didn't give me a choice. He got into some trouble on the way, killed a man, and when I threatened to tell. He roughed me up. By the time I got away, they, the Forefathers, had hidden the murder. Finnic pushed the police to lock him up for putting his hands on me. He got a five-year sentence but got out two years early for good behavior. I guess he's got his men getting his revenge." I tried to spare as many details as possible, there was no need to relive it all, or put it all out there. My brother was the only one that knew, and I was going to keep it that way.

"You're going to stay here for a while. Until we can figure out something." He explains. "I'll be working most of the time, but the place is secure. No one comes through those gates that don't live here or are guests."

He seemed to get through it with ease. Maybe they had tags or something to identify the residents. I was reading too much into everything ever since he got us out of that bind at the apartments.

"I can't do that. I don't want to bother you." Harley has already done a lot for me here lately and it just seemed like I would be a bother to him here. This was the only place he had to himself. He worked a lot of his life; wouldn't he get tired of me being here all of the time?

"You're not going to bother me. I'm hardly ever here. Plus, it's either this or it's a ticking time bomb on your head, Maddie." He curses under his breath distressed. "Finnic didn't know what he was getting you into."

Finnic didn't, but Harley does.

"Why did they get so scared?" I whispered it not daring to meet his gaze. It wasn't a miner detail; the Forefathers were people that wouldn't back down easily. They're not picking a fight, speaks volumes. I don't know what the tattoo meant or even what it was, but it meant something serious.

My mind swirled with possibility but none of them seemed like Harley, or maybe just not like the Harley I know.

He opens his door and steps out ignoring the question. I assumed he would storm off into his house, but he walks around the car and opens my door holding his hand out for me to ease myself down out of the slightly lifted blue truck.

He doesn't move when I step down, instead, he stands firm looking down at me, our breaths mingling. My green eyes bounce between each of his searchings for something I wasn't sure of. The tension could light a fire and put it out all at the same time. every breath I took my chest grazed his slightly. Just enough to cause the friction to pebble my nipples. He was going to be the death of me.

"They will get to you, over my dead body."

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