“Right.” Jayne yawned again. “But I think I do need another nap. It’s been a real pleasure having you around, Mr. 18D, even though I wasn’t thrilled to have you here at first. It was nice to see Shep engage with the real world for a while. If you ever want to come back, for the love of god, call first. And next time, let’s try not to break anyone’s nose.”
Harlow grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “You got it.”
Simon cleared his throat and tugged the handle up on the first suitcase—Evie’s. It was unmistakably hers, mint green and covered in iron-on patches from their travels. He set his hand on the doorknob. “Let me help you carry your luggage down the stairs.”
“Sure.” The conversation was strained, and Harlow didn’t care for it. He hoped that the staircase would be empty—it’d give him a chance to talk to Simon candidly without anyone there to overhear. “Let’s go.”
They headed into the hall together, the wheels of their suitcases clacking over the poorly fitted flooring. As soon as the door to the apartment was closed, Simon looked not at Harlow’s face, but at his shoulder. He wasn’t ready to look him in the eyes.
“This morning?” Simon mumbled as they headed for the stairwell. “I’m… I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry that I couldn’t say yes.”
Harlow followed behind him out of habit, but found himself distracted by what Simon had said. His brain fogged, and emotion threatened to overtake him. “There’s no need to apologize. You don’t have to make yourself unhappy for my benefit.”
“It’s not…” Simon shook his head. “Going with you wouldn’t make me unhappy. Going with you would make me happier than ever. Do you know what I’d give to be able to say yes? How amazing it would be to get out there and live life like I want to live it? I just… I can’t. I can’t because I need to be there for my family. It’s not about the money—it’s about being there for them in person. Like… like you’re there for Evie.”
Harlow understood. Simon’s life was in Aurora, and his was bound to Evie, wherever she might go. It was simply the way it was.
“It doesn’t have to be the end,” Harlow said gently. Simon stood in front of the door to the stairwell, ready to pull it open. “I know that distance is hard, but we could talk over the phone. I could fly you down to see me from time to time. Jayne can look after Parker and Shep for a few days, can’t he? You shouldn’t have to be the only one responsible for their care.”
“I…” Color flooded Simon’s cheeks, pretty pinks set against the fading bruises from his broken nose. He swept a hand through his hair and hesitated. “I can see if… if that’s a possibility, yeah. I don’t want this to be the end, either. I want to make it work. But it feels impossible with your schedule and my responsibilities, you know?”
“I know. But think of all bullshit you’ve made it through to get to this point, all the heartache and the uncertainty and the fear. After fighting for your life and holding it together for your brothers, this should be easy, right?”
“Yeah.” Simon smiled sadly. After all he’d been through, he needed another obstacle in his pursuit of happiness like he needed a hole through the head, but Harlow’s hands were tied. If keeping Simon’s spirits high was the best he could do, he’d commit himself to it. They could see this through together. “And I guess it’ll give me a reason to get out of the apartment, right? See the world a little? I wouldn’t mind going for a trip.”
He pulled the door open and wheeled his suitcase through.
Most times, Harlow would have gone first through an open door. Bodyguarding 101—never allow the client to enter a room not previously cleared. It was common sense, and a practice he executed not just with Evie, but with every important person in his life.
Most times, when entering a room, Harlow would see nothing wrong.
But today, as Simon entered the door and stepped through, there was something wrong. Something very, incredibly wrong.
Masculine hands with neatly manicured nails latched onto Simon’s shoulders, then dragged him out of sight. Terror flooded Harlow, and he was on the move before he heard Simon yelp with fear. Heart pounding, feet slamming against the floor, he clipped the door with his elbow in his haste, but pushed on regardless.
He was already too late.
The hands that had grabbed Simon pinned him to the railing separating the stairway from the four-story drop at its core. Simon, startled, flailed, but otherwise didn’t know how to defend himself. The wobbling metal railing scraped and clanged, protesting the pressure put upon it by Simon’s body.
The hands pushed, pushed,pushed.
Simon, wide-eyed, reached for Harlow, but it was too late.
With a final push, he toppled over the railing and dropped four floors to his doom.
