Deceit [h.s]

Twenty-seven

SEVERELY UNEDITED, sorry :(

Elizabeth:

My hands worked furiously against the rope, holding onto the pocket life as if my life depended on it. In fact, it did. My life, Harry's life, maybe even my father's life.

"You can bring her in." Benjamin instructed, looking at Liam with authority. Harry seemed oblivious to what I was doing beside him, clearly too focused on watching the exchange between the two men. Liam nodded in agreement with Ben, opening the door and revealing something I could have never foreseen.

A girl walked inside, looking around with thoughtful eyes that resembled Benjamin's perfectly. She was petite and very pretty, which left no doubt inside my mind, Alexa Jones had somehow survived. I stopped cutting momentarily, assessing her and maybe trying to find some deadly flaw on her face, anything to make my uncalled jealousy subside.

"Alexa." Harry mumbled beside me, sounding completely appalled and gobsmacked. I watched their exchange much like everyone else in the room, feeling too numb to continue with my task, although I knew it was risky.

I watched as Benjamin casted Harry an amused look, clearly having the time of his life while playing his last card, an unexpected one at that. My heart hammered inside my chest, trying to find out if Alexa was a threat or not. Her face gave nothing away, and ignoring my overwhelming jealousy, I picked up my knife again, resuming back to my task.

"Harry." She spoke, sounding less than amused by my presence or my father's presence. Her only focus seemed to be Harry, and I felt enraged with this woman, with the way she studied his face and remained impassible.

"You've had better days." She said again, looking at his clothes with a mocking smirk across her face. Sadly, I had to admit she was very pretty, prettier than I would've liked.

"How can you be here?" Harry questioned, looking between her and Benjamin, although the other man seemed pleased, silently watching the exchange between his sister and Harry. My father was on edge, I could tell he had no idea about Alexa's presence or the obvious fact she hadn't died.

"Benji brought me." She spoke mysteriously, sounding so collected it almost impressed me. If I had been in her position, I had to admit I would be delivering punches and yelling at Harry, to say the least. Alexa, on the other hand, seemed calm, as if the entire situation was not a big deal, as if deep down she couldn't give a fuck, she was just there to please her older brother. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She spoke again, a small flicker or emotion seeping through her tone. Maybe she did care, at least a bit.

"Ali, tell me what happened." Harry pleaded, tone light and filled with unmistakable regret and sorrow. "Benjamin has kept us under the impression you were dead." I kept working on the ropes that imprisoned my bruised wrists, but my work was delayed, mainly because I couldn't stop watching Harry's exchange with Alexa. Not to mention the thickness of my restrains, annoying me to no end.

"He's a bad boy." She spoke, looking at her brother with a smirk. Benjamin reciprocated with a smile and a minor shrug, not denying her words. "Turns out I'm alive after all. Not without a struggle." Her lack of explanation as to what had happened annoyed me, but I only focuses on her with half of my brain. Mainly, I tried to finish my task as soon as possible while thinking about what Alexa truly represented. She was just another obstacle in our flawed escape plan.

"This is a touchy subject for Alexa, as you can see." Benjamin spoke up, sounding smug as he watched Harry. Of course he was trying his best to keep his emotions and impressions at bay, but I felt the uneasiness radiating off of him. Harry was not one to deal well with surprises, but his eerie vibes had more to them than Alexa's miraculous return. Harry had loved her, he left, he stole, he betrayed, but I knew he also regretted those things deeply. My insecurities were through the roof, filling me with horrendous thoughts of Harry leaving me and chasing after Alexa, begging for forgiveness.