"DNA doesn't make a family." -Katrina Pierce
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The smell of coffee brought zero peace to me as anxiety began to take over my body. My leg started to bounce faster than I could count the amount of times I picked at my cuticles.
It's half an hour past the time Natalie was supposed to meet me. I know what she's doing, she's seeing if I was genuine about wanting to meet. I would do it too. But I wouldn't wait half an hour to show up.
I had eaten the muffin I bought and now my hot coffee is colder than ice. My palms are sweaty and my leg won't stop bouncing. I've never been more nervous for anyone in my life.
My eyes were glued to the door as I itched for a cigarette. But I was not about to step outside and miss Natalie's entrance. I needed her to see me, to see how determined I am.
Today, I planned what outfit to wear. I'm wearing a pair of black skinny jeans with a black turtleneck tank top that stopped a few inches below my chest. My trench coat sat on the back of my chair as my heels hit against the floor.
Sadly, I don't own anymore of my old clothes. I don't have any sneakers, or baggy shirts. I'm assuming Leonardo found Harry's shirt I kept wearing to bed so I know that's gone forever.
I took a deep breath, focusing my attention on my nails. The remaining black nail polish from weeks ago was gone from my anxiety. My cuticles were red from me picking at them.
Suddenly, the bell of the door chimed and my head shot up. In walked the guest of honor, Natalie Levine. Natalie had an annoyed look on her face as she entered with a tote bag on her arm.
Natalie was wearing jean shorts with a crew neck and Birkenstocks. Her hair was down in a low ponytail as she held a phone in her hand and money in the other. She ordered a drink then scanned the room. Her eyes locked on mine and rolled, she hung up the phone while grabbing her quickly made drink and walking towards me.
She took a deep breath and stood beside me at the table. My breathing had slowed and relaxation spread through my bones. She was here, there was no need to be nervous anymore.
Natalie set her bag on the back of her chair and sat down with her drink. She pulled her sleeves over her palms and sipped her hot coffee. Her nails were long and pink with a few rings cluttering her fingers.
"I'm here. What do you want?" Natalie was first to speak as she put her cup down and refused to make eye contact.
"Thank you for coming." I grinned, more towards myself for keeping my faith strong.
"I only came to find out where the hell you're keeping Harry." Natalie rolled her eyes again.
"I want to explain everything to you first. Then, I'll tell you where Harry is." I sighed and traced the rim of my cup.
She stayed silent and kept her eyes on her coffee.
"I didn't leave, well not permanently. I joined Leonardo and the Suckers so I could get intel. The only way we can take them down is to hurt them from the inside. Xavier helped me look the part and of course, Leonardo let me in." I began.
"Eliza has helped me get on well with Leonardo. I went to see her before I left and she and I decided it was best if we don't tell any of you guys about me. I needed to be a traitor. And, it had to be as believable as possible. And, sadly, that meant hurting all of you."
"And I hate it. I lay awake every night thinking about how much I've hurt all of you, especially you Nat. You're my best friend. I should have told you." I frowned and stared down at my hands.
A small silence formed between us as Natalie copied me from before, tracing the rim of the cup with her finger. She sighed and looked up, finally locking eyes with me. Small tears were beginning to form as I held back all my emotions.
"You really hurt me, K. I thought you had thrown away everything we had built. I thought you suddenly didn't care anymore. You were so ruthless to me all the times we interacted. I thought you hated me. I spent so many nights racking my brain for what I did to you to make you hate me so much. Because you're my family, K.
"You're the person who was there for me when I was sick, poor, and in need of a friend. You're my sister. And I thought you threw it all away. I thought you didn't love me anymore." Natalie wiped a tear from under her eye and sniffled.
"Natalie, I need you to understand that that's not true. I love you Nat. You're my sister. You're the reason I survived college and am surviving this horrible life we've made for each other." I reached out and grabbed her hand, putting it between mine. She didn't try to move it.
"You and Harry were the two reasons why leaving was so hard. I wanted to tell you, every time we interacted. But I couldn't, I just couldn't. And I'm so sorry for making you feel that way. You are one of the most caring and amazing people I have ever met. I could never hate you, Nat." I squeezed her hand. She sniffled again and placed her other hand on top of mine.
"I missed you so much Kennedy." Natalie burst out into tears.
I stood up from my seat and ran around the table, wrapping my arms around Natalie. I didn't care if I was being watched by Leonardo or anyone, I couldn't hold back how much I love and care for her.
"I missed you too Nat." I pressed a kiss to her temple and squeezed her tight as she held onto my arm.
"I promise you, I won't be going anywhere." I whispered.
"I know." She nodded.
I stood there for a few minutes, holding and cherishing my best friend. The girl who has been there through everything. I hesitantly pulled away and sat back down in my seat.
"Harry's in the basement of Leonardo's house. I had to kidnap him to gain Leonardo's trust. I saw him this morning, he's fine. I promised him I wouldn't let anything happen to him. I can give you the address." I placed my hands around my coffee cup.
"No, I trust you. I know you love him. And you protect the people you love." Natalie giggled to herself as I blushed.
"You're right, I do." I shook my head.
"And he loves you too, K. He's just not in touch with his emotions like you are. He wasn't allowed to as a kid." Natalie frowned.
"Sometimes, thinking about the way Harry grew up, makes me happy his mother put me up for adoption." Natalie sighed.
"His mother huh?"
"Yeah. They are not my parents. They're my biological parents, but they're not my parents. Just like Harry's not my brother. He's just a really good friend." Natalie nodded.
"Why are you thinking like that? You always wanted to know who your family was." I turned my head to the side.
"My family isn't who I'm related to. It's who I love. To me, his parents were just a sperm and an egg donor." Natalie grinned to herself, most likely admitting this outloud to herself for the first time.
"I think that's beautiful." I smiled.
"Seeing you disregard your mother last night helped me realize that." Natalie pulled her lips to the side.
"Me and my mother, we're going through a rough patch right now. But just because I'm angry at her doesn't mean I don't love her. I just wish she was different." I said honestly.
I do wish my mother was different. I wish she was more like my father, in a way. I wish she understood what life changing shit I am going through right now. I'm unpacking and gaining trauma every time I breathe. It's hard. And she doesn't understand.
"Sadly I don't have any advice on that." Natalie chuckled.
"It's okay, I don't need any. I need to figure this out on my own." I chuckled too.
"Thank you for forcing me here." Natalie smiled.
"No, thank you. If I were you, I wouldn't be able to forgive me. I don't deserve you, Nat." I grinned.
"You're my sister, K. I have no choice." Natalie joked.
"Of course." I laughed.
Natalie and I discussed what's been going on with Alea ever since I've been gone. She said it's not the same, which is odd because I didn't think I had made much of a difference there yet.
She swore to me that she wouldn't tell anyone about this, which I appreciated. Although, knowing her, she will spill it eventually. So, I've got to move faster on this mission.
I left first, needing to check on Harry again before Leonardo had enough time to hurt him. The house was quiet today since Leonardo and his wife were out on a business day trip. My mother was somewhere in the house.
Unlocking the door to Harry's room, the lights were dimmed as he sat with his head staring at the ceiling. This morning, I brought him breakfast and some water so he wouldn't starve.
Carefully, I locked the door behind us and turned the lights on. Harry groaned and squeezed his eyes shut as he adjusted to the light.
"I'm sorry." I whispered as I approached him. His eyes slowly opened and he relaxed when realizing it was me.
"Hey, it's okay. They've just had me in the dark all day." Harry shook his head to get used to the brightness.
"How are you?" I questioned while examining his body, making sure no one touched him without my permission.
"Could be better. How was Natalie?" Harry grinned as I pushed a chair so close to him that our knees were touching.
"She understood everything. She still trusts me." I nodded and placed my hands on my thighs and looked around the room.
"No one has come since you were here this morning. It's been oddly quiet." Harry shrugged.
"I know, Leonardo's out for the day. My mother and his assistant slash mistress are the only ones here." I sighed.
Harry nodded.
"He fixed my apartment." I bit down on my lip and forced eye contact with Harry. He tilted his head in confusion.
"Who?" Harry questioned.
"Leonardo. He fixed my apartment. He even gave me my own gun." I pulled out my gun from the inside pocket of my coat and showed Harry my engraved initials.
"You must have a hold on all men you encounter." Harry laughed while looking at the gun.
"He left me a sweet note too. But I trashed it so I couldn't get any sentiment out of it." I stuffed the gun back in my pocket and sat back in the chair.
"Do you think he buys it?"
"Yes, I do. It's way too easy for me to fall into the character I am around him." I frowned.
"I know, baby." Harry nodded.
I pulled my lips to the side and let my head fall limp backwards. I hated who I was around him, but it felt way too natural not to be a part of me. I had locked it away for a while, scared of what I could really be.
"I have to go do some things. I'll be back for dinner okay? Then we'll talk about your escape plan." I stood up from the chair and pushed it back to its original position. Harry frowned.
"Can't stay for a few more minutes? It's boring here." Harry looked around at the pale walls of the empty room.
"I have work to do." I pressed a kiss to his temple before tightening his restraints and walking towards the door.
"I'm way too hard for the state I'm in right now." Harry said shamelessly.
"Goodbye Harry." I blew him a kiss and escaped quickly, hiding the blush he had given me.
God he's so hot, more so tied up
I ran up the basement stairs and emerged on the main floor. It was still empty and silent, my heels being the only sound to fill the room.
"Kennedy." The voice of my mother caught my attention from the railing of the stairs. I looked up and saw her looking down on me.
"Mother." I nodded.
"Here." My mother tossed down something small. I caught it in my hand and looked at it. It was a key.
"What's this for?" I questioned, turning the keys over in my hand.
"His office. I don't want to see you like this any longer. Do what you need to do and leave." My mother frowned.
"Thanks." I nodded.
My mother didn't respond. She turned away and walked towards her bedroom. She kept her head down as she walked, a small sniffle being heard from the silence between us.
I looked down at the key and back at my mother. Why would she do this? Ever since I've been here, she's been trying to push me away, to be better for Leonardo. Why all of a sudden does she want me to hurt him?
What did he do to her?
Before I let my curiosity get the best of myself, I bolted up the stairs. Looking around for cameras, a flashing red light caught my attention. I pulled out my gun and shot the camera staring right at the door to Leonardo's office.
Leonardo won't be happy with that
I held my gun at my side while walking slowly towards the door. It was just a simple door knob with a lock, nothing special. I glanced around as I clutched the key in my hand.
There's no going back after this
"Ms. Monroe?" Maria, Leonardo's "secretary" spoke out as she opened the door, forcing me to fall back against the railing of the upstairs overlooking the first floor.
"Maria!" I yelped, stuffing my gun into the back of my pants quickly and stuffing the key into my pocket.
"What are you doing Ms. Monroe?" Maria glanced around the hallway, looking towards the shot out camera and clutching the door knob to Leonardo's office harder.
"Leonardo told me to get a file for him in his office." I bit my tongue and tried to ease my body.
"Mr. Leonardo never said anything to me about that." Maria frowned.
"Is he in there?" I questioned, looking around cautiously.
"No, just me. I was organizing some paperwork for his new car." Maria grinned nervously.
"Are you lying?" I narrowed my eyes at her, seeing her clutch her bag harder.
"Ms. Monroe, I would never lie." She blew hair out of her face and nodded quickly.
Swiftly, I pulled my knife out from my pocket and moved towards her, putting the less sharp part against her throat, forcing her to drop the bag. I kept the knife against her throat before bending down and grabbing the papers from her bag.
"What do we have here Maria?" I question before pushing her body against the now locked door.
"Please Ms. Monroe." She begged while glancing between me and the knife. I rolled my eyes and opened the files.
I narrowed my eyes on the papers and pulled them closer to my face. It looked like crime scene evidence. A thin blade in a ziplock bag was taped to the folder, along with a bottle of red lipstick.
Red lipstick. Ryleigh.
"Why do you have Ryleigh Horan's crime scene evidence?" I pushed the knife against her throat, forcing her to gulp and begin to sweat.
"Please Ms. Monroe, I-"
"It's for me." The sound of a wheelchair forced me to turn around and make eye contact with the man I was supposed to have killed. Robert.
I let go of Maria and watched as she frantically gathered her bag and ran away from the two of us. I clutched the folder in my hand and stared down Robert. He had a dazed grin on his face.
"What the fuck do you need with this?" I held the knife at my side while gritting my teeth.
"Nothing that concerns you darling." Robert smirked.
"Anything to do with Alea concerns me." I hissed.
"I thought they were in your past? Or are you lying?" Robert smiled towards the camera but his face quickly dropped realizing it was shot out.
"What do you want with these?" I repeated the question.
"It's not for me. It's for Eliza." Robert shrugged and wheeled towards me. I pulled back and quickly closed my knife and stuffed it away. I grabbed my lighter and without thinking, lit the papers on fire.
"Where is she?" I questioned through my teeth while holding the burning papers between my two fingers.
"Oh Kennedy. You know exactly where she is." Robert smiled.
Fuck.
Without thinking about the consequences for what I was about to do, I panicked and ran quickly down the hallway and down the stairs. I dropped the burning paper somewhere on the steps. Time seemed to slow down as I sprinted towards the basement.
I thought Eliza had dropped this. Harry didn't kill Ryleigh, she killed herself. Was her almost killing me in the casino not a psychotic break wake up call? Has she been pretending to help me so she could get Harry alone?
This is all my fault.
When I finally reached his door, I slammed on the door but it was locked. I frantically pulled out the key to his room but it would budge.
"Eliza! Please! Don't hurt him, Eliza! Please!" I shouted through the door, slamming on it as one of my worst fears came true.
"Shut up!" She shouted, sounding like she was crying.
"Eliza! He didn't kill Ryleigh! He-" I paused, looking down at the floor. I shook my head, realizing what was actually fucking happening.
I can't let him die.
"I wrote the suicide note Eliza! Not Harry or Ryleigh! Me!" I shouted, slamming my fist on the door.
"I took Harry's gun!" I shouted, allowing the lies to spill from my mouth.
"She's fucking lying!" Harry shouted.
"No, I'm not! I swear!" I shouted back.
Quickly, the door swung up. Eliza stood with tears in her eyes as she held a hammer and a gun in either of her hands. I gulped and looked her up and down. My body began to riddle with fear.
Eliza reached out and grabbed my neck. She pulled me into the room and slammed my body against the wall. She began to squeeze my neck, beginning to choke me.
I quickly kicked her in between the legs and began to push against one shoulder with both my hands. She loosened her grip, allowing me to grab her fingers and pull them backwards.
"Fuck!" Eliza shouted, letting go of my neck and falling back.
"We have to knock her out!" I shouted at Harry as Eliza cried in agony from me nearly breaking her fingers.
Harry turned his head and tried to point to something behind him. I looked up and noticed gloves hanging on the wall. The gloves had big spikes along the knuckle line with leather that covered nearly fifty percent of my hand.
I kneed Eliza in the gut and ran towards the gloves. I only had time to put one on before Eliza came charging at me. I kicked her back with my heel in her stomach and grabbed her shirt.
I wounded my hand back and slammed it across her face. Blood splattered as her eyes flew to the back of her head. She collapsed back but I quickly caught her head so she didn't hit it on the concrete.
Blood dripped down her cheek from the spikes on the glove. I frowned and looked down at her but stood up quickly. I rushed over to Harry and saw cuts littering his face.
"How bad did she hurt you?" I placed my hands on his face while examining his features. He shook me off.
"I'm fine." Harry shrugged.
"We have to make this look like you did it." I whispered while running behind him and cutting his restraints off.
Harry's hands became free, then quickly his feet and body. He looked around at the cut ties and at me as I met his eyes. I looked around for a way to make it look like he did this.
I knew the only solution.
"Knock me out." I threw my knife to the ground and got set up for a punch to the face.
"What? No way." Harry shook his head while standing up.
"You have to. That's the only way to prove that this was you escaping." I got down on my knees so I didn't hit my head too hard.
"No Kennedy." Harry tried to search for any other option.
"Please H." I grabbed his hands and held them in mine, looking up at him.
"Don't make me." He frowned.
"If I could do it myself, I would." I shrugged.
"I'm sorry Kennedy." Harry gulped while letting go of my hands and cracking his knuckles.
"I forgive you." I squeezed my eyes shut.
And before I knew it, everything went dark.
No Perspective
Harry collapsed to his knees and caressed Kennedy's face. He danced his fingertips over her neck, which was covered in red hand marks. Harry pulled the glove off her hand and stuffed it in his pocket.
"I'm so sorry baby." Harry whispered before planting a gentle kiss to her newly red cheek.
Before someone had the chance to spot him, he quickly left the room. Harry ran the opposite way of his door, taking a few minutes to find the exit. He pushed through the back door of the basement, one Kennedy had never used or seen before.
Harry collapsed against the pavement of the road beside Leonardo's house. His lungs filled slowly with air as he breathed deep. He was free, but Kennedy was trapped once again.
His hands searched his body until he remembered where he had hid his phone. He grabbed his phone from the back of his pants and opened it. He pressed the first name to appear.
"Mate? You alright?" Louis' voice rang through the phone as a small smile appeared on Harry's face.
"I'm stuck." Harry sighed.
"Where are you?" Louis questioned.
"The highway besides Leonardo's house." Harry chuckled.
"Mate." Louis chuckled too.
"See you soon." Harry hung up the phone and collapsed against the pavement once more.
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a/n: hello loves! I'm so sorry I didn't update much this summer. I was in need of some me time. But now we're back and ready to go. hope you enjoyed:)