Chapter 24
Don’t leave me
Kazimir
“Don’t hurt me.”
I jerk awake.
Harley.
“Please, don’t hurt me.”
I push the blanket off my body and reach her bed in one long stride.
“Don’t say that,” Harley says. “I’m not like them. I told you, I’m not like them.”
She’s thrashing against the bed, arms flailing under the covers.
I sit on the bed.
Just like every night since she moved in, a nightmare disrupts her sleep.
“Harley.” With a gentle hand, I shake her.
She bolts upright.
In the dark room, the white of her wide eyes is stark.
She’s terrified.
I cup her face so she can focus on me.
“You’re here at my place and you’re safe,” I say. “No one is going to hurt you.”
She grips my t-shirt. “Kaz, I’m not like them. You have to believe me.”
Who is she referring to?
“I’m sure you’re not like them.”
“I’m not. I’m a good person—” Her voice breaks and she dissolves into tears.
Jesus Christ.
Ever since she got that phone call, her mood has plummeted, transforming her from a jovial woman to a recluse. Even the lure of dessert wasn’t enough to get her to leave her room. She barricaded herself in until I walked in to assume my nightly post.
I shouldn’t have let it slide when I demanded to find out what the fuck was going on.
Her sobs turn into wails as her body trembles in my arms.
“Shhh.”Fuck, I feel useless.
Whoever called her this evening triggered something in her.
What’s her connection with thisA. Monte Cristo and what kind of hold does he or she have on her?
As her crying subsides, I brush her hair with the palm of my hand. “You should try to get some sleep.”
