Page 13 of The Bodyguard Situation

The silence that follows is intense. I want to turn around, to step in, to pull Harper away from him, but if I do that now, I might lose her for good. I swallow my anger, tasting the edge of defeat.

Harper pushes back. “Are you serious right now?”

Before Micah can respond, their food arrives. I quickly pay my bill, leaving a nice tip as a silent apology for having to deal with them.

Another minute passes, and neither of them says anything. I know when Harper is really pissed, she says nothing at all.

“You’re not eating,” Micah snaps, his voice loaded with anger.

Harper fires back defiantly, “Are you going to force me? Ground me?”

A small, proud smile tugs at my lips. Whatever Billie said to her last night must’ve sparked something in her. That fire within her has been missing.

“Starve then,” Micah retorts, and I hear his fork scrape harshly against the plate.

“Excuse me. I need to go to the ladies’ room,” Harper says, and I hear her move across the booth.

“Don’t take too long,” Micah warns, and it feels like a threat.

I don’t waste any time, and I move toward the hallway that leads to the restrooms. I cross my arms and wait, my heart racing as the door finally swings open.

She looks so damn pretty with her brown hair in bouncy curls. Her blue-gray eyes shine when they meet mine, but they’re full of surprise, irritation, and something softer underneath. She freezes.

“What the hell are you doing here, Brody?” she snaps, glancing around nervously.

“Saving your ass,” I reply, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back into the restroom.

I lock the door and glance around for any escape windows, but there aren’t any.

“I don’t need to be saved.” She hesitates, but doesn’t fight me. Her breath quickens as I take off my sunglasses and lock eyes with her. “You need to leave,” she says, her voice shaky.

“Not a fucking chance. You’re coming with me, Harp.”

“No, I’m not,” she insists, trying to pull away, but I don’t let her.

“Yes, you are,” I whisper harshly, desperation thick in my voice. “Where’s your phone?”

“He took it from me,” she admits.

I shake my head in disbelief. “And you think that’s okay?Wake up, Harper!”

Her eyes blaze with intensity, fierce yet vulnerable. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend.”

I almost laugh, frustration and heartache mixing inside me. “You wish.”

“What do you plan to accomplish?” she asks, her voice breaking, tears shimmering.

“Micah is Billie’s stalker,” I blurt, needing her to understand how serious this is. “The guy from her twenty-first birthday. The one who broke into her house and jacked off in her bed. The guy who terrorized you both for years. That’s who you’ve been fucking. What a nightmare.”

“You’relying,” she whispers, eyes wide, searching mine desperately for the reassurance I can’t give.

“I wish I were. Now, come with me willingly, or I’m taking you later by force.”

“I can’t,” she says.

“Why?”

A loud knock startles us both.

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