Page 73 of Harley

I stood and walked to the door.

Serenity was watching me, and I felt like an insect under her inspection. At any moment, I felt she might attack like a praying mantis. Panicked, I let myself out.

“Oakley, talk to no one except Harley. He’ll meet you at home. I’ve told him you’re on your way.”

“Okay,” I said and left.

Harley

The first I knew of Oakley being kidnapped was when Serenity called me. She was chasing after them. It had been sheer dumb luck that Serenity had been out today and caught sight of Oakley. With the intention of asking Oakley to lunch,Serenity had followed and witnessed everything. Now, I was racing home towards Reading Hall, where Serenity had ordered me to go.

Serenity had called Dad and informed him, and he’d already got Jared and Christian heading out in a van. Luckily, the crematorium didn’t have any funerals today, and Ace was on his way there to prepare the furnace. That thing was worth its weight in gold. It went against the grain to come home and kick my heels, but I understood why. Oakley would no doubt be in shock and needed me. I couldn’t go on a rampage until she was safe and calm.

When Oakley pulled up, I was waiting outside. Serenity had sent another message informing me of what had happened.

I rushed down the steps and swept Oakley into my arms. My poor girl clung to me tightly as she cried. Mom approached from behind and rubbed Oakley’s shoulders.

“Bronson was trying to rape me when Serenity found me,” Oakley gasped.

“Oh, honey,” Mom murmured.

Oakley drew back and looked at me, and anger welled inside me. “What the fuck happened to your face?”

“Mom and Bronson both hit me. I bit Bronson back, though,” Oakley answered with pride. She wiped tears from her cheeks as her hands shook. “How bad is it?”

“You’re going to bruise and have black eyes,” Mom replied bluntly. Annoyed, I frowned at Mom, and she shrugged. “Harley, Oakley is going to look in a mirror. There’s no point sugarcoating it.”

“Yeah, but not just after she got attacked,” I hissed. I pulled Oakley back into my arms. I’d noticed her torn tee and fingerprints beginning to show on her breasts.

“Can I have a bath, please, or a shower? I need to wash Bronson off me,” Oakley asked.

I didn’t hesitate and picked Oakley up and carried her to my room. Mom busied herself running a bath while I stripped her naked. I helped Oakley into the fluffy robe that she adored and waited for Mom to leave before helping her into the tub.

I could see several marks and bruises on Oakley’s body, and my anger threatened to spiral out of control. Oakley sat there and let me wash her hair as she hugged her knees. I washed it three times before conditioning it. Gently, I ran a comb through it as Oakley emptied the cooling water and filled it with hot, fresh water.

Oakley loved her baths. I dumped some Epsom salts in it and followed through with her favourite bubble bath. Gently I picked up a leg and washed it before repeating on the other.

“If I wasn’t so sore, I’d probably be jumping your bones by now,” Oakley whispered.

“Then we’ll do this again when you’re not in shock.”

Oakley offered a weak giggle and held my gaze. “Serenity stayed behind.”

“Yeah.”

“She’d captured all four of them.”

“Yup.”

“Alone, Harley. Serenity did that by herself.”

I held Oakley’s gaze. “Yes, she did.”

“She’s going to kill them, isn’t she?”

“Do you want the actual truth, or what lets you sleep at night?”

“The real truth will let me sleep at night.”

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