I nodded. “He’s how I found you. He can help.”
Harper shook his head. “No. I need to figure this out. I can’t trust anyone, Benny.”
“Right.” I sniffed. “Not even me, right?”
“That’s not true.”
“No? Then why did you leave without tellin’ me?”
“Would you have let me go if I’d told you?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly.”
I rolled off him, letting my frustrations escape me in a deep roar I offered to the woods. I panted from the force of it. “Please, Harpy,” I whispered, because that was all I had the strength for now.
“No, Benny. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. But this is the way it has to be. This is how we keep everyone safe.”
“So that’s it, then?” I turned my head in his direction. He wasn’t looking at me. “We just… end?”
“For now.” He sniffed.
“And if you can’t find a way out of this on your own?”
His silence gave me a very unwanted answer.
We’d lost.
“Fine.” I sat up. He did the same.
My fingers trembled as they traced the chain around my neck until they reached the clasp. If always didn’t meanalways, I didn’t want to wear it until it did.
“Here.” I held my hand out to him, and his opened for me. I dropped the chain into his palm, unable to bring myself to look at what I might find on his face. “You can give it back to me when you mean it.”
He said nothing.
I pushed up to my feet.
He said nothing.
I walked away from him.
He said nothing.
If Harper was determined to solve this on his own, then we weren’t the team I thought we were.
If he could do what he thought was best for us, then so could I.
He was still mine, and he always would be. But all that brought was pain if we had to be separated.
I’d fix this myself.
I’d take Leon down myself.
Then he could come home, and we could be what we were always supposed to be.
I was going to kill Harper’s father.
