We didn’t have time to sink into our sins and past regrets. I sat upright and planted my feet on the floor. Thinking about my earlier panic response made my cheeks burn, but I did my best to ignore it and focus on what we had to get done.
“We need to make a plan,” I said, drawing Ryder back to the present.
He nodded, finished his beer, and chucked the bottle into the bin behind him. When he sat down across from me, he mirrored my pose. I inhaled to steady myself and began listing my ideas.
* * *
Ryder’s counteroffer hadn’t been as bad as I’d anticipated. I left his rental with a spring in my step. I had hope, for once. We could pull this off. We could actually change something and make the Lakesedge packbetter.
I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn’t hear Harvey sneak up behind me. His scent hit me just as he grabbed a fistful of my hair. I jerked backwards and stumbled. He used my lack of balance to yank me into him.
He used his other hand to cover my mouth. A grin spread over his face.
“Let’s put some distance between us and your friend’s house. Shall we?” Harvey dragged me along.
My hound fought to break free, but I couldn’t shift outside of Lakesedge. The privacy Ryder got from staying on the human side of the city hindered me every time I left. If we’d been in Lakesedge, I would have changed and booked it out of here. Instead, Harvey had me trapped.
Two blocks away from Ryder’s rental apartment, Harvey stopped. He pulled me tight to his body.
“I heard that Dad finally gave you the ultimatum. If you don’t stop consorting with the outsider, he’ll put you down.” Harvey ran his knuckle over my cheek.
With his hand off my mouth, I pulled my lips back in a snarl and growled. He wasted no time in slapping me. My cheek stung, but I wasn’t bothered. It was the least of what he could have done. I’d survived this before. I would survive it again.
This was what my life had come down to. I endured abuse so much that something like a slap seemed like child’s play. Every time Alvin escalated, the previous torture was no longer as frightening as it had been before.
“Eat shit, Harvey. I don’t want whatever you’re selling.”
He gave me a shake. His growl echoed in the dark. “Watch your mouth, mutt. I came here to give you options. I don’t want my dad to kill my favorite plaything. If you’re a good little mutt, I’ll convince him to let me have you. I want to fuck you in front of that pathetic friend of yours. I’ll laugh while Connor cries himself to sleep.”
Stomach churning, I ripped myself out of Harvey’s grasp. My scalp stung from the hair he pulled out, but it would grow back.
“Do I have to repeat myself?” I asked. I forced as much bravado as I could muster into my voice to keep it from shaking. “Eat shit, Harvey.”
So, Connor had feelings for me? I didn’t know how to process that while staring Harvey down. I couldn’t let my guard down or Harvey would grab me again. Ryder was too far away to hear this unless I screamed, which I didn’t want to do unless it was the only option I had left.
I didn’t need Ryder to rescue me all the time.
“I’m not going to be your plaything.” My stomach turned at the thought.
Here, on the human side of the city, Harvey couldn’t hurt me. I took a step back to put more space between us. The air around him made me sick to my stomach. He watched me with a frightening intensity as he closed the distance between us.
Harvey lifted his hand. I flinched.
Revulsion at my own reaction unfurled within me. I gritted my teeth and held my ground, even when Harvey gripped my chin.
“Be careful,” I whispered. “Or a human will see you and call the cops.”
I hoped that the threat of human intervention would be enough to make Harvey pull back. He glanced about before gesturing broadly.
“What humans? It’s just you and me out here, mutt.”
I clenched my jaw and prepared myself to run. How far would I get before he caught up to me? If I ran back to Ryder’s, would that cause more trouble?
Ryder wouldn’t be here forever. I had to handle things on my own.
“You’re never going to get in these pants.” I threw myself backwards.
Harvey reached for me, but I spun and sprinted across the nearest lawn. I ran between houses and prayed that no one happened to glance out their window. My heart lodged itself in my throat. There, it thundered violently. I almost couldn’t hear Harvey’s footsteps as he chased after me.