Page 20 of Loving Trent
From her perch on the side of the tub, Harley looks up at me with the first small smile I’ve seen and says, “Thank you, Trent. You’re an angel.”
“I don’t know about that,” I say, and back out of the bathroom. When Harley says she is in, I go outside and find Sonny already on the phone. Pulling out my own, I dial Demon, who answers on the first ring.
“I take it you found something.”
“Yeah, but what’s more important is I found a sixteen-year-old girl who has been abandoned by her parents with nowhere to go,” I say, watching Sonny hang up his phone and head toward me. He motions for me to put my call on speaker, and I do.
“What the fuck,” Demon growls.
“I know it’s fucked up, but she is with us now, and no one will hurt her again,” I say with nothing but determination in my voice. I don’t fucking care what law I have to break, Harley will be safe, and these people will pay.
“I might have a plan, but?—”
Demon cuts Sonny off. “Whatever you need.”
“I think she should stay with Trent,” Sonny says, and to be honest, that’s not what I thought he was going to say.
“Me? Really?” It’s too dark for him to see the questioning look on my face, but really? Me? I don’t think I’m equipped enough to take care of someone else. Plus, there is the little fact that I’m stalking someone right now, and having Harley around will make that difficult.
“Yeah, you two unfortunately have a bond due to your history, and she trusts you. You know what she went through and can help her recover in order to have the best life she can.”The pride coating Sonny’s words has warmth spreading through my chest.
“She will need a whole new identity,” Demon says, and the sound of his fingers flying over his keyboard comes through the speaker. “I can have you everything you need, but I need some stuff from you. I need all her information: name, age, birthday, parents’ names, height, and weight. Oh, and a picture of her.”
“We can get you all that. I think the best place for him to take her is home. I’ve called Jenna, Leon, and Mom. They have the same mindset. The family will rally around Trent and his long-lost whatever you make her,” Sonny says, his phone lighting up with message after message. He turns it around so I can see that Jenna—his sister—is messaging and asking what Harley needs.
The faith that this family has in me doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve never met a family like this one. When someone in the Hill family needs help, everyone circles them. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced Harley will thrive with the love given by these people. Lord knows I have, and I’ve only met Jenna, Leon, and Nana—Sonny’s mom. From the moment I was introduced to Nana, she took me in, called me one of her kids, and inserted herself right in the middle of my life without asking about my story. Though I think I might need to share a little of that with her soon.
Demon and Sonny have continued talking while I’ve been spacing out, but I trust they will figure out whatever story we go with. Because the more I think about it, the more I don’t want to let Harley out of my sight. Just like when I saw Shawn for the first time, the beast inside has claimed her as someone he wants to protect, and that’s that. She needs someone, and that someone is me. But I’m going to give her that choice. She deserves to have a say in what happens from this moment on because her ability to dictate her own life was snatched away, just like mine was.
“I’ll have everything he needs by the time he gets back into town,” Demon says before hanging up.
My mouth opens to ask what I missed, but the sound of footsteps gives me pause. Looking to the right, Jerry steps out of the shadows holding a first aid kit and a small duffle bag. “Here I thought Harley could use these.”
Taking both, I nod in the direction he just came from. “Thanks. Have you found anything?”
“Yeah, they left everything behind. It’s a gold mine of information. We are still going through everything, but it looks promising. How is she?” Jerry motions toward the building behind us.
“Stronger than I was at her age, that’s for sure.” Just like when Sonny spoke about me earlier, pride coats my words. I wish I were as strong as Harley when I was her age.
Jerry’s eyes bounce between Sonny and me. “So, what’s the plan?”
“She and Trent are going to head back home tomorrow morning. Demon is working on getting her a new identity. Once he has her full name, he will dig up any dirt he can find on her family and see what he can do with it. For now, she is going to be Trent’s long-lost cousin. Who he gained custody of because her parents died. If Demon finds dirt on her parents, he will force them to sign their rights over to Trent legally, but if not, he isn’t worried,” Sonny says, filling us in on the plan he and Demon came up with.
“Sounds good to me?—”
“Trent, where are my clothes?” Harley’s question interrupts Jerry’s sentence.
When I came out, I closed the front door but left it open a sliver so I could hear her if she needed me. “I got them right here. Can I come in and leave them on the bed?”
“Yeah, I’m in the bathroom.”
After placing the bag on the bed, I tell her, “Let me know when you are done. I think we have a plan figured out.”
When I get back outside, Sonny and Jerry are walking away. “Let us know if you need anything,” Sonny says over his shoulder. Resting back against the building, I start to formulate a plan for what comes next. I’m so underprepared it isn’t funny, but I have a feeling Nana Hill is working her magic as we speak.
“I’m dressed.” Harley’s voice is dripping with exhaustion as it slides through the door. Pushing the door open, I find her sitting back on the bed with her foot propped up. “So, what’s the plan?”
The fact that Harley is a straight shooter makes me laugh. “I like that you don’t beat around the bush. I have a friend who is going to work on getting you a new identity for now, but there may be a way for you to keep yours if you are up for it.” Opening the first aid kit and using the sports wrap from inside, I gently lift her leg and place it on my lap. When I’m finished, I head to the bathroom to find something to put water in so she can take some pain relievers.
