Harry's POV—
As I walk away quickly with adrenaline pumping through my veins, I don't even have to look back to see if Melody is following behind. I clench my jaw but smirk slightly, imagining the inevitability of one of my men dragging her helpless ass to my tent just like I instructed.
My mind runs wild thinking of all the possible "punishments" I could throw at her. Fuck I'm fuming.
Ethan is the fucking "flog". I shake my head and huff loudly, his words echoing in my ears like a never ending annoying ring.
As I had expected, he took the bait of Melody's outfit we prepared earlier. I know the dick has been scoping her out ever since we brought her here, and I just knew he wouldn't be able to resist putting his grubby hands all over her once he got a glimpse of how she was dressed. I needed him to touch her to fuel my anger even more and he did just that.
If you had a chance you wouldn't be able to resist her either, my subconscious reminds me but I shake the thought from my mind.
I have to remind myself that his true betrayal was to this gang, and need to stop picturing and keeping my focus on that creep with her.
I need to focus on the task at hand, and now that the fuckwit Ethan is dealt with, there's only one thing taking up my mind;
Melody is next.
Melody's POV—
I can't ignore the shooting pain rising up from my foot as I am being made to shuffle quickly by two of Harry's men. My heart races in my chest at the memory of watching Harry's fist meet Ethan's face over and over again, and I try to steady my breathing as I notice we are only moments from arriving at Harry's tent.
What will he say? What will he do?
Will he hurt me? Surely not... Right?
"Trying to escape huh, bitch?" One of the men who has one of my arms seethes in my ear as the other man opens up the tent door and I clench my jaw, avoiding his gaze. I begin to build up the courage to fight back but before I can, an angry voice speaks up from inside the dark tent.
"Shut up, Mack" Harry's voice grumbles, and the man I learn to be named Mack huffs, roughly releasing my arm and flinging me forward. Due to the throbbing pain in my ankle I fall to my knees with no trouble, tears pricking my eyes but I refuse to let them fall or allow my lower lip to quiver. Surely by this point my leg is broken.
The tent is quiet for a few moments while the other man who silently walked me here with Mack lights a match and holds it to a lantern, immediately engulfing the tent with a warm light.
I look up to be met with Harry's eyes glaring down at me but he breaks his gaze for a moment to dismiss his men with a flick of his head.
I almost feel the urge to ask them to stay, fear filling me as I think about being alone with Harry while he is in this ravaging state. I just swallow and wait quietly for him to say something as his men leave the tent and pull the door down behind them.
I watch him skeptically from my position on the floor as he begins to slowly pace back and forth in front of me. He brings his finger to his chin in a thoughtful manner before stroking it and humming.
"Oh what am I going to do with you?" He asks in an absent-minded way.
"You could let me go" I manage to say, but much to my annoyance it comes out as a soft whisper.
Harry's eyes dart down towards mine once again and narrow as he takes a step towards me.
"You will never go home. You will never leave the grasp of this gang. Not after the stunt you pulled tonight" His voice is loud and I flinch as he reaches out and grabs my arm, tugging me up to my feet abruptly.
I cry out in pain from my throbbing ankle and Harry's eyes soften slightly as he looks down towards my feet.
"What-" He begins to speak but then stops himself and then kneels down, gripping my leg and pulling it towards him. I wince and watch him warily as he hooks his fingers around my bandage and gently unravels it, revealing my swollen ankle. At one glance, I feel as though I may pass out from the sight, but just take a deep breath and look away;
It looks much worse now that it is purple and blue all the way around.
"Why did you run?" He asks, "You knew my men were right behind you. You couldn't have possibly thought you could've outrun them in your condition. Now it's just worse".
His voice is calm; too calm.
I sigh, "What else was I supposed to do? Stick around? I knew if I was caught I would end up in some sort of trouble so I didn't think, I just ran".
"Damn right you didn't think" Is all he replies as he stands to his feet again. I wobble a bit from the lack of support but Harry reaches out to steady me.
"Wrap your arms around my neck" He instructs quietly whilst avoiding eye contact with me and I frown in confusion. A few moments pass, and when I don't move or reply, Harry narrows his eyes on me, growls and then repeats the instruction, but this time louder.
I slowly and hesitantly reach up and throw one arm around his neck, followed by my other arm. Being this close to Harry always makes my heart beat a little faster in my chest, and to be honest, I'm not sure why. He frightens me, yes. But so far he hasn't physically hurt me, no matter how much he threatens that he can. I can't help but wonder if it's because I've never been handled by a man before; an attractive man at that. I can't help but wonder why my stomach does small flips when he is this close to me, especially because I hate him. I do hate him, right?
"Don't squeal" Harry's words interrupt my thoughts, and without warning he lifts me up in his arms bridal style. After I tighten my grip around him, I look up and study his face quickly before he looks down at me, causing me to look away.
Harry slowly carries me in the direction of his bed, "I was so fucking angry a few moments ago..." He speaks slowly as if he is talking to himself. "...So why am I no longer angry?" He looks down at me again, and this time I look back into his eyes.
"What have you done?" He whispers quietly, almost too quietly, and before I can reply, he places me down on his bed and stands.
I bite my lip gently as I watch as Harry walks towards the door.
"I'll be right back" He says and then within a second and without a look back, he's gone.
What have you done? Harry's words echo in my mind as I stare at the lantern alight in the far corner. What does that mean? Was he supposed to say it? Where has he gone?
I look down at my swollen ankle, sigh and then begin to pick my nails as I become engulfed by my own thoughts.
I think about Harry, and the "tough" persona he constantly puts on. I think about his fist colliding with Ethan's face, and I think about his eyes softening when I showed I was in pain. Who is Harry? Like, really, who is he? He's a murderer no doubt, but does he kill for good or for bad?
Who am I kidding? Killing for good? There's no such thing. Does he have a reason for why he is the way he is? I think so. Am I willing to accept what that reason may be? I'm not sure at this point. He obviously has a good side to him, I've just been subjected more to his bad side.
My thoughts go to Tom, and our friendship when we were kids. We would talk about everything; We were the closest of friends. Now? He has turned away from everything he ever knew and loved. Am I willing to accept the reason as to why he has, and why he is the way he is? I'm not sure at this point.
The lantern flickers as the door is pulled open and a small gush of air enters the room. I look up to see Harry again and my shoulders relax a little as I take in what he has in his hands.
"Relax", He says as he sits down on the bed next to me, "Let me help you".
I lay back on his pillows as he gently takes my leg and wraps a cold wrap around it. I suck in a sharp breath at the pain and Harry looks up at me through his hair with dark eyes.
"You didn't leave while I was gone" He says flatly, and I raise an eyebrow.
I laugh dryly, "Why would I have left in the condition that I am? I'm not that stupid".
"Oh aren't you?" I watch as Harry's lips pull up into a small smirk and I smile slightly. "Smart girl" He adds.
"...So..." I start as he starts applying another cream, "Do you have any other family? Like... Anyone nearby?"
"Why do you ask?" He answers, but his tone sounds off. I hope I'm not pushing my boundaries with how nice and patient he's being.
"I'm just curious. I figure if I'm doomed to spend forever here then I should get to know my captor" I say.
Harry scoffs but doesn't say anything as he begins to wrap my leg again. Just as I think he's going to ignore me and that he's gone into another one of his moods, he answers.
"I have my Mum and my sister".
"Oh? Do they live in one of your camps or-" I begin to say but he cuts me off.
"God no. They live in your snobby little town actually" I watch as he makes a tie and finishes off my bandaging.
I ignore the fact that he called my town snobby as there's not much point in fighting with him at this point but when I realise what he's said, I let out a small gasp.
"Is your Mother's name Anne?" I ask him, and watch as his head snaps up and he narrows his eyes at me. I can't tell if he's angry or not.
"Could be. What makes you think it would be?" He says cooly.
"Before you and your men kidnapped me, I was at a woman's house. Her name was Anne and she had a daughter named Carolina. I was bringing Carolina some of my old dresses because obviously they don't fit me anymore, and they had British accents just like you, and then that strange man was at the door, and then-".
"Woah, slow down" Harry says as he stands and walks over to place the first aid kit on the table. "You were in town that day to bring my little sister some of your old dresses?"
I sit up a bit more on the bed, "So that is them! I thought they seemed a bit strange around me. Thought that maybe it was because I was a Kingston and that-"
-"No one likes Kingston's?" Harry interrupts me and I go to cuss him out but when he turns I see he is smirking. He's just teasing; kind of.
"No," I say, "Who was that man at the house the day I was taken?"
Harry rummages through his drawers and pulls out one of his black t-shirts and tosses it to me, "One of my men. How else do you think I can ensure their safety if they refuse to come and live with me?"
"Why won't they come and live with you?" I ask.
Harry begins to tut and shakes his head, "So curious tonight Mel. Did you know that curiosity killed the cat?"
"But-"
"No more questions" He clips, and I know that that's the end of that conversation... for now.
I watch as Harry turns around and faces the other side of the tent, "Get changed out of that dress and put my shirt on. You look very uncomfortable".
"Turning around and being respectful for once?" I ask sarcastically as I gently swing my legs over the edge of his bed to pull my dress off.
"I could always lean against the wall and demand you undress in front of me again?"
"No thank you" I snap.
"Well hurry up" Harry demands.
I attempt to pull at the zipper and it comes undone straight away. Thank god. Harry would've enjoyed it way too much if I had to ask him to help me undress. My cheeks blush at the thought and I want to slap myself.
Worried that Harry might turn around at any minute, I quickly pull his shirt onto my body and lay back down.
Just as I suspected, Harry turns back around and rakes his eyes over my body on his bed before smirking.
"Nice and quick I see".
I watch him cautiously as he grips the top of his shirt and pulls it over his head. A small gasp escapes my lips as it does every time I see that tattooed skin of his, and I try to disguise it with a small cough. From the smirk I can see on his lips, I know he heard that.
"What are you doing?" I ask him as he walks over to another set of drawers.
I watch him rummage through it before pulling something out that I can't see and I squirm in my spot as he walks slowly towards the bed.
"D-do you want me to sleep on the floor?" I stutter. I stuttered! How stupid can I be?!
"Why would I want that? How can I ensure..." He pauses when he gets to the bed and leans over me. My heart accelerates when he places his large hand around my wrist and my eyes flutter closed when his lips come close to my neck. I feel a soft, warm sucking on my neck and let out a soft moan, startling myself. My eyes shoot open as I feel something around my wrist and I go to sit up but I can't.
"...How can I ensure that you stay put tonight?" Harry's voice is low and his eyes are dark which gives me the impression that he was just as effected as I was by what just happened. All he did was gently suck my neck, how did that get me so wind up? I go to reach up and touch the sensitive skin, but when I feel a strain, I look up to my wrist.
It's tied to the bed.
"You bastard! How am I supposed to sleep like this?!" I exclaim, and watch in horror as Harry chuckles and rises from the bed. I watch him walk over to the lantern and blow it out. All that's left is the sound of his jeans unzipping and sliding down his legs and the feel of him climbing into his bed next to me.
"You'll figure it out. In the mean time, no breakfast for you in the morning. You should be thanking me that it's not much worse than what it is".
And just like that, he's back to being an asshole.
"You expect me to thank you? Screw you" I spit, and go to roll over but unfortunately my bonds stop me from doing so. How did he tie a knot so quickly?
I hear Harry snicker and then feel his body roll over in the opposite direction before he says,
"Goodnight. Sleep well".
I'm in for a long night.
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UPDATED FINALLY!!!
What do you guys think of this update? Do you think Harry's a bit of a softie when it comes to Mel these days? Do you like softie Harry or do you like ruthless Harry?
Please don't forget to vote and comment!
Thank you! Till next update xoxoxox -Em