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Harper
I groan as I jerk the lever, pulling the driver's seat back up into a seated position. I hadn't thought it possible to find a car without electric seats these days. It's kind of ironic that I, of all people, would end up with something so analog.
My eyes sleepily open to see the house in front of me.Yeah, I slept in my car. I snuck out after Poppy drifted off to bed.
I just couldn’t do it—sleep in that house without Peter. Eventually, I’ll have to because not even a world-class chiropractor could get the kinks out of my back after sleeping in the car again.
Not that you could call my self-inflicted torture sleep. It was more like slowly suffering, tossing, and turning.
I look down at the seatbelt that held me down in the seat. Why did I wear it when I wasn’t even driving? Multiple reasons a shrink would love to hear. One, I never get in a car without putting my seatbelt on. Not after Peter died. Two, it forced me to stay in my seat and not crawl into the main bedroom Peter would have slept in had he lived long enough to buy this adorable little house. Three, well, clearly, I’m fucked up in the head, so why not put on a seatbelt when you're pretending to sleep. Nightmares can be bumpy, after all.
I release the belt, feeling my nail break in the process. Wonderful. Why not add more pain to my body?I quickly suck it into my mouth as if my saliva can cure my wounds.
My phone buzzes again with the tracking alert app. I run a hand through my rat's nest of hair and glance over my shoulder down the long street where a black car slowly turns down. A small smile touches my lips. I knew Julian would come. In a way, running was a test.
How far was Julian willing to go?
If I allowed Julian to love my bestie, then he’d have to keep fighting until the end of the earth for her.
Running also gave me time, minutes I used as I sat in this car to continue to dig into Julian. It’s not him who is as interesting as Theo Sterling. Whatever messed-up friends Theo's got are enough to get every international intelligence agency to back off and destroy Andrew and his father. All roads lead back to Theo when it comes to Julian and Poppy's meeting.
Poppy's job? That was Theo, who had HR send the email out to her old job so they could offer it to her.
Poppy's apartment? Theo paid the realtor to show it to her.
Theo-fucking-Sterling. A dark knight or a villain in the shadows? I've yet to decide.
Does it bug me that I haven’t fully dissected Theo Sterling yet? Of course.
Does that excite me? Too much! It’s like an itch I keep digging at; even though the skin has broken and I’m bleeding, I can’t stop scratching it. I have to get to the center to know exactly who Theo is.
Julian's car rolls to a stop, casting a dark silhouette against the street that feels too quiet, too waiting. From my cramped position in the car, I watch him—sharp, contained, every bit the soldier, even in civilian clothes. He steps out, and it's like watching one of those old war movies where every movement is calculated, and every glance means life or death. His head turns, eyes scanning the surroundings with a precision that sends a familiar thrill down my spine. This isn't just Julian coming to visit; it's Julian on a mission, his body language screaming intent and danger in a way that most would miss. But not me.
I smile because this soldier is here for my friend.
He starts walking towards the house, and I can't help but lean forward, eyes glued to his figure moving with purpose. And as much as he's focused on whatever he thinks he's here to do, I know that the real game is just beginning—with me as the player he hasn't accounted for. I'm always going to be in the shadows, watching out for Poppy. She's the sister I never had, the sister-in-law I might have had but now never will; she's my best friend; in some odd way, she's like my daughter.
I just want to protect her and see her smile. Julian makes her smile. That's why I let him come. Yeah, I said let him. I put a tracker in his phone a few weeks ago. I’m not sure if Daniel and Theo knew. If they found it, they certainly allowed it to remain. It alerted me to his movements just hours ago; I hacked into the airline and saw his flight here. Surprisingly, he flew commercial. I’m not sure why, but I’ll find out.
Make no mistake; I’m still pissed at Julian. I don’t fully trust him, which might make the theoretical shrink in my head ask why I’d allow him to come here to my safe house. By the way, I need to find out how he found it; no doubt his shady brother Theo had a hand in that.
I’m not letting Julian come here because he loves Poppy. Andrew loved Poppy; he must have. Obsession is only fostered by love. Love comes in many forms; some forms are nourishing; the root of the question is, whatisthe love nourishing? In Andrew’s case, it fed something vile. In Julian’s case, it’s feeding something protective.
Julian’s need to protect Poppy is why I didn’t wake Poppy up in the middle of the night and flee the country. I don’t trust Julian, but I do trust he will never physically hurt her. Mentally…well, love always hurts in some form. I can't save Poppy from that.
Right as Julian passes my car, I jerk the door open. It’s comical to watch his reaction; he’s such a soldier in some ways.So unlike Kent, who is goofy and…don’t go there, Harper.
“Harper,” Julian grunts. The hand that is reaching for his weapon slowly slides back into a normal stance. His other hand barely manages to hold a bag of groceries he's grasping.
“What are you doing in the car?” He bends down, eyes searching for Poppy, no doubt. Disappointment fills his eyes when it’s only me they find.
I kick open the door and stand. At least I try to stand. Huge mistake. There’s a pop in my back loud enough to give Julian pause; his brow shoots up, practically reaching his hairline.
“I’d ask you why you’re here, but that’d be stupid,” I sigh as I lean nonchalantly against the car, trying to act cool, but in reality, my spine can't stand straight yet. Getting old sucks.“How’d you find me?”
"Theo," Julian shoots back almost immediately, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. Closing the gap between us with a few purposeful steps, Julian saddles up beside me; his posture relaxed yet somehow still on alert. He casually hoists the grocery bag, letting it land with a soft thud on the roof of the car.
So he wants to talk. Good. No more secrets. That’s why he came. I suppose in his eyes, I’m a priest, and he’s ready to confess his sins. It’s as close to a heavenly body as I’ll ever get.
