Page 36 of Mister Write

I drop into the seat opposite my friend, who rakes his hands through his short, tight black coils. “There’s been another threat.”

David has been getting terroristic messages for months now. That’s nothing new. He’s gotten several over the years from all kinds of crazies. Women want to marry him, and men want to be him.

“Okay, and what do they say?” I reply, wondering why this has my friend so on edge. Sure, getting death threats or blackmail demands is never pleasant, but we faced worse overseas, and usually, these low-life hackers just want to extort money from him. It only takes my cyber-security specialist Elliot a couple of hours to trace the IP addresses and pass all the relevant information on to the FBI.

“That’s the thing; they’ve made no demands,” David says, his eyes darkening. “Only threats. Threats against Harper.”

The world stops, and I feel all the blood drain from my body. No wonder David is so rattled. No one messes with his kid sister. He’s always been overprotective of Harper, especially since her social media influence has skyrocketed and she’s been thrust into the spotlight.

“Now, I know you don’t like her…” David begins, and I glance away.

My best friend thinks I don’t like Harper because that’s what I want him to believe. The truth is, I’ve wanted her since she was sixteen. But I’m five years older, and she’s David’s sister, making her strictly off-limits. So, I do the only thing I can do; I pretend not to like her.

Is it petty? Sure. Immature? Most definitely. That’s easier than dealing with the truth because, in David’s eyes, no one is good enough for his little sister. Not even his best friend.

“I don’t…notlike her,” I reply cautiously, narrowing my eyes. “We just rub each other the wrong way.”

David smirks. “I know, and I know she can be a handful sometimes. But I don’t trust anyone else. Vince, you’re my best friend. I need you.”

I heave out a sigh because I know… Even if Harper gets under my skin. Even if she drives me crazy. Even if nothing can ever happen between us, I won’t let David deal with this alone. And I’llneverlet anything happen to her.

“Don’t worry. I know somewhere I can take her to keep her safe. We’ll lay low for a few days, and in the meantime, I’ll have Elliot and his team work to find out who’s behind this.”

David lets out a long breath. “Thank you, Vince. I know I’m asking a lot—”

I wave him off. “It’s nothing. You know I’d do anything for you. For all of you.”

He smiles. “I don’t want her freaking out about this. I don’t want to scare Harper by telling her exactly what’s happening.”

I nod my agreement. “Right. We’ll tell her someone’s after you, and everyone needs to leave town for a bit.”

“You know she’s not gonna like this.” David chuckles as he picks up his phone, puts it on speaker, and calls Harper.

“Hey, big bro. What’s up?” she says upon answering, and I feel my chest tightening at hearing her angelic voice.

“Hey, I need you to leave town for a few days,” David says, and even though I can’t see Harper, I can perfectly imagine her rolling her honey-colored eyes.

Harper laughs, and the sound makes my dick twitch. “You’re kidding, right? Is this a joke? You do know it’s the Fourth of July weekend? I’ve been planning a getaway with my friends on our parents’ yacht for months. I’m not canceling my plans because some lunatic is after you.Ah-gain. This is nothing new, D. Just have Vince take care of it.”

“I am,” I say, letting her know she’s on speaker and I’ve been part of the conversation this whole time.

“Ugh! Can younotdo that, you creeper?” I laugh because she’s cute when she’s riled up. “Tell my brother you’ll catch whoever is sending him threats and that I don’t need to leave town.”

“Actually, I agree with David. I think he and your parents should lay low too.”

“Seriously? I can’t believe this. Mom and Dad know how to keep safe, and I’ll be on the boat with my friends. What could go wrong?”

David cuts in, his voice laced with concern. “Do you need me to spell it out for you, Harp? You’re not exactly private on social media. Everyone knows your plans for the weekend. So, if someone wanted to get at me through you, they wouldn’t have to search very hard.”

Knowing we need time on our side, I command, “Just pack your bags and be ready to leave in an hour.” The longer we stay on the phone debating this shit, the longer before we can leave and get to safety.

“You can’t just order me around, Vince,” Harper hisses. “Besides, I don’t have time for this. I have a date tonight.”

Her confession stabs at my heart, and I’m about to askwith whowhen David beats me to the punch. “With who?”

Harper’s dating life is another point of contention between the siblings. I know her last several attempts at dating have failed because they all seem to only want to get closer to her brother to pitch him a business idea. Or they think Harper is like David and lives a flashy, expensive life because she’s a social media influencer. But she’s not like that. Not really. That’s just herbusinesspersona. In reality, she’s a sweet, down-to-earth girl.

And those aren’t the only reasons her attempts have failed. I’m not ashamed to admit that David and I have run all her potential suitors off by scaring the shit out of them whenever an opportunity presents itself. You know, to keep her safe.

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