Page 92 of Locked In

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Flynn stared at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked exhausted with the dark circles under her eyes and her hair a mess. She also looked so damned beautiful and vulnerable he just wanted to pull her into his lap and tell her everything would be okay.

She blinked and backed up. Her eyes widened and her gaze started pinging all around the room searching for something…a weapon maybe? Did she think he was here to hurt her?

He spread his hands wide, palm out. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.

Just having to say those words cut him. That she would think he could do that to her. It answered every question he had about the state of their relationship. They didn’t have one. It was as if someone hit him in the chest with a two-by-four. He sat down hard on one of the counter stools. A few days ago they’d had sex on that counter. Now she thought he was going to kill her. The whiplash was incredible, and it wasn’t something he was going to recover from anytime soon.

She stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Then what do you mean that you have to deal with me?”

“Do you think I could hurt you?” He shouldn’t have asked the question, but it just slipped out.

She paused. “Ye… I just don’t know.”

He swallowed the rising nausea. Maybe that was fair, but it fucking hurt. He cleared his throat. “You know about the Society. We have rules about that. So, I have been authorized to offer you membership with us, or, if you prefer, a job with us.”

She reared back. “What do you mean you’ve been authorized? And why the fuck would I want to be a member or work with you? I don’t want any association with you.”

The kicks just kept coming. He gritted his teeth. “You’re not understanding. You have to pick one of those two things. If you chose option three, which is to ignore both offers, then I will stay and protect you for as long as I can, but the Society will send someone and eventually, they will kill me and then you. That’s the truth.”

She stared at him. “You’re serious.”

“Hell yes, I’m serious. If you want to refuse the offers then I will do my best to protect you for as long as possible, but a time will come when they kill me to get to you. That’s just a fact.”

“You’d do that for me?”

He nodded. He’d go to the end of the earth for her.

“How long do I have to decide?”

“You have until five p.m. if you want. I would highly advise you to choose membership and move on with your life. Membership does not require anything from you. You just say yes and that’s it. You do not have to ever visit a location, nor do you have to speak to anyone who is involved with the Society. It’s just a way to ensure your silence. If you do talk about the Society with anyone outside, it is punishable by death in extreme circumstances.”

“Is there anything that isn’t punishable by death?” she asked with a sneer.

“Very little. Harper, join the Society and keep your mouth shut. That’s all you have to do. You’ll never see me or anyone else from Lock and Key ever again.”Just do it. He pulled the papers out of his pocket. “Sign it, Harper. It’s the easiest way out.” He needed her to sign it so he knew she’d be safe. He couldn’t stand the thought she might be in danger. She wasn’t the only one in the room not sleeping.

She bit her lip. Then she nodded. He handed her the paper, and she picked up a pen from the counter and signed her name. She handed the papers back to him. “Now what?”

“Now you never have to see me again.” He stood. His chest hurt and he rubbed it. “Take care of yourself, Harper. If you ever get into any kind of trouble, call me. Otherwise, have a nice life.” He turned and headed for the door. He desperately wanted her to call out to him, to stop him from leaving, But he heard nothing but silence. Emotion rampaged through him as he opened the door and then closed it behind him, leaving his heart behind.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

Harper stared out her office window at the square below. The spring sunshine glistened off the dew on the flowers. It was a glorious day and she should be happy. Work was going well. Since the whole debacle with the almost blackmail, Susan had calmed down. She was doing an exceptional job as mayor and even getting along with Chief Clark. Everything was cruising along nicely. So why was she so damned depressed?

She let the sun warm her face in the hopes that the heat would warm her insides, but she knew it wouldn’t. She was hollow. That’s what it was. Like there was a great gaping hole in the middle of her chest that had turned to ice and nothing she did could warm it.

“Harper, do you have the file on the new jetty?” Susan asked as she walked into the office.

“Um, yes. Here.” She swiveled her chair and handed the folder to Susan.

The other woman stared at her. “You know ever since that cold you had at Halloween, you haven’t been yourself. I have a friend that’s a specialist down in New York City. I want you to go see her.”

Harper smiled at her boss. “I don’t need a specialist, but thanks.”

Susan shrugged and started out of the office. “Don’t forget we have a three-thirty with Jed about the Spring Fling.”

“I’ll be there,” Harper called. She stared at the door Susan just had just gone through.New York City. She hadn’t been to New York in an age. Maybe it would be fun to go. She bit her lip. The truth was she wanted to see Flynn and maybe if she went to New York she could bump into him.Grow up, she told herself firmly. In a city of millions of people, the likelihood of her running into Flynn was astronomical.

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