Page 11 of Harley's Hex
Harley lay on her side, staring out the narrow window. The moonlight bled through the blinds, striping the sheets in pale silver. Her body ached from the bruises and soreness, reminding her she wasn’t out of the woods yet, but her mind refused to rest.She didn’t sleep at all, even though she was exhausted. Hex fell into bed with her and slept most of the night—his snoring ever present in the room with them. She kind of liked his snoring, though. She didn’t feel alone as long as she could feel him next to her and hear his snoring through the night. Some time during the night, he got out of bed and slipped downstairs to the bar. She was sure that he was going to talk to Hurricane about letting them stay until she healed, but all Harley wanted to do was go home to Savage Hell.
The door creaked open, and she didn’t have to look to know it was him. Hex moved like a shadow, heavy boots scuffing once against the floor before he stopped near the bed. “You should be sleeping,” he said, his voice low and rough.
She smiled faintly. “So should you.”
“I don’t sleep much lately,” he admitted. “Since they took you, I haven’t been able to sleep at all.”
She tried to sit up, and he told her to lie back down. “I’m sorry that I worried you like that.”
“You’re not to blame, honey,” he insisted. “The Dead Rabbits took you, and there was no way that you could have stopped that from happening.” She knew that was the truth. From what she had overheard earlier, the guys thought that the Dead Rabbits had been watching her back in Huntsville. They said that they must have taken her to send Savage and the Royal Bastards a message, as one of their biggest rival clubs.
“If I hadn’t left, none of this would have happened,” she said. “I thought about that a lot when they had me caged up. If I had just stayed in bed with you that night, I would have woken up with you the next morning, and none of this would have happened.” That was the only thing she could think about while sitting in her cell—all the what-ifs that played through her mind, taunting her.
He came closer, sinking on the edge of the mattress. For a while, neither of them said anything. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable — it was full of everything they hadn’t found the words for yet.
Finally, she exhaled. “I can’t stop thinking about home.”
Hex looked over, brow furrowing slightly. “You mean Huntsville?”
“Yeah.” She sat up slowly, wincing at the pull in her side. “Savage Hell needs me. For now, it’s home. I know it’s rough and loud and smells like spilled beer, but it’s where I found myself again after my parents and aunt died. I miss it.”
Hex nodded, his thumb rubbing at the back of his neck. “Can’t say I blame you. Huntsville’s where it all started for us.” He gave a small, crooked grin. “That place has a heartbeat all its own, and I miss it too. But I don’t want to move you back home until you’re healed.”
“That’s going to take a while. I thought about staying here,” she admitted softly. “But every time I close my eyes, I see the road leading back there. I want to go home. I want to see Savage, check in on everyone. I just worry that you won’t want to come home with me.” There, she said it. Her worst fear, besides waking up in a fucking cage, was out there. She had endured living in a cage for days, but Harley was sure that she wouldn’t be able to live without Hex going back to Huntsville with her.
Hex’s head lifted then, eyes catching hers in the dim light. “You think I’d let you go alone after what just happened?”
“I think you’ve got your own life, Hex, and I’m not sure where I fit into it,” she countered gently.
He reached for her hand, stopping her from saying anything else. “Harley, listen to me. When I came here, it was for you. I came here to get you, and if home for you is Huntsville, then that’s where I’ll be—right by your side. Are you sure that you’re up to making that trip?”
She nodded her head, and her breath caught. “You mean that? You’ll go back with me?”
“Yeah,” he said simply. “You’re it for me now. I didn’t plan for it, but there it is. And Harley, I don’t plan on going anywhere without you again—got it?” The tears that burned her eyes weren’t from fear this time. They were from the way he said everything that she had been hoping to hear from him, with no hesitation.
She leaned forward until her forehead rested against his shoulder. “Got it,” she whispered. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. And for the record, I don’t want to go anywhere without you either.”
Hex chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her. “You told me to get out from behind your bar, and that was all it took. I love a challenge,” he teased.
She laughed then, really laughed, and the sound was almost foreign to her. Harley held her ribs and groaned when the pain set in, and Hex gently pulled her into his arms. “Don’t make me laugh,” she grumbled.
Hex brushed his thumb across her cheek. “Sorry,” he breathed. “We’ll head home in the morning,” he said. “Back to Savage Hell and back to your friends. I’ll call Savage in the morning to let him know and set it up with Ryder to fly up and get us.”
“Our friends,” she corrected, her voice quiet but certain.
His smile was small but real. “Yeah—they’re ours.” She lay her head against his chest again, and this time, when her eyes closed, she didn’t see the warehouse full of Dead Rabbits or the fear that they made her feel. Instead, she saw the neon glow of the bar back home, the sound of bikes rolling in, and the warmth of belonging. For the first time since the nightmare began, she believed in tomorrow and even the possibility of happily ever after.
Two days later, they were home. Ryder had flown up to get them and turned around to take them home after gassing the plane back up. Being home was like a balm to her soul—one that she didn’t realize just how much she needed. Savage Hell smelled like smoke, spilled beer, and home. Harley pushed open the door, and the familiar chaos of the bar hit her senses like a wave, and she stood there like a loon, breathing it all in.
Savage had agreed to let her and Hex stay in one of the rooms above the bar so that she could help keep an eye on the place from her mandatory bed rest that Hex had her on. Bikers, members, and patrons were there, but everything felt calmer somehow, steadier. The club had survived her absence, not that she’d ever admit that to anyone—especially not Savage or Hex. They’d never let her live down such an omission.
Hex was right behind her, his hand on the small of her back, letting her know that he wasn’t leaving her side. “We’re home, Harley,” he breathed, carefully wrapping an arm around her.
“We’re home, Hex,” she said, the weight of the last twenty-four hours making her knees weak. She let him pull her close, just for a moment, inhaling the familiar mix of leather, sweat, and him. She was thankful that they were both safe and alive. It was more than she could ask for after everything that they had been through over the past few days. She couldn’t help her tremble just thinking about everything they had been through.
“You okay?” he asked, voice low, almost a growl. His hand brushed the back of her neck.
She smiled softly. “I’m better now. All that I need is you having my back, Hex.”
